LeBlanc, ReneBoyd, Stephanie2009-06-042012-02-242009-05Boyd, S. (2009). Horse AWAREness (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/3190Always Wanted A Riding Experience (AWARE) is a therapeutic equestrian riding center in San Marcos, Texas. The horses living and working at AWARE are integral to the program’s success, yet only the instructors and a few volunteers know these amazing animals very well, on either a general species level or an individual basis. Since only a few people have the opportunity to interact and socialize with the AWARE horses often enough to know them, this thesis offers insight into their lives and personalities. What follows is a brief overview of horses in general: their history, their bodies and senses, their places in society, and their unique position in therapy. Readers will also "meet” the instructors who keep AWARE the successful therapeutic center it has become. Finally, an in-depth summary of each horse at AWARE is provided, including each horse’s past, life at AWARE, personality, physical characteristics, and photos. This information is intended for the clients, relatives and friends of clients, instructors, and volunteers of AWARE. It is a spotlight on animals who impact so many lives but are still unknown to people who see and interrelate with them.Text89 pages1 file (.pdf)enAWAREhippotherapyhorseequine-assisted therapyhorse evolutionHonors College