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Today, horse-assisted interventions are widely used in the Western world as a complementary therapy to promote neuromuscular, psychological, cognitive, and social rehabilitation in children and adults. With the help of several "la Caixa" volunteers, the Association for the Promotion of Equestrian Therapies in the Canary Islands (AFTEC) offers physiotherapy, speech therapy, pedagogy, social integration, and coaching treatments, as well as therapies aimed at improving family relationships. "From children who have difficulty pronouncing certain phonemes to children with autism, and anyone with a specific need that our team of professionals can address, they all come through here. Depending on the objectives established for each user, different adapted activities are carried out on the horse," says AFTEC director, Marta Pérez.
In the midst of a natural setting where one can interact with goats, chickens, or dogs, in addition to horses, Marta highlights the relaxing and motivating power that this animal has for children with autism or ADHD, and for people who are going through a moment of stress or a grieving process. Some minors with disruptive behavior also find calm when they come face to face with a being who "does not judge them". And this is just the beginning. After months of sharing sessions together, many begin to change their way of seeing the world or expressing themselves. "There are cases of users who had no form of language or communication and who begin to say their first words. I also remember a girl who managed to overcome her fear of riding, climbing stairs, or doing any activity that involved lifting her feet off the ground."
Over time, the animal creates an emotional bond with the user, a "connection" that has thrilled "la Caixa" volunteer Lola Miño from day one: "Sometimes, you see how children forget about us and travel to another galaxy while contemplating the horse." It's a relationship that is forged day by day. Even children who had no sensitivity towards animals end up empathizing with them and understanding that they are capable of feeling as much or more than any person. Marta recalls the case of a child who, "when he had a tantrum, could assault us, us and the horse. Now that they have established an emotional bond and we have been able to work with him, he is incapable of reacting with violence. Instead, he brushes the horse, kisses it, and doesn't stop caressing it."
And the children and adults receiving treatment are not the only ones who gain something from the experience. After several days as a volunteer, Lola has realized that "we worry about things that are trivial and that, in the face of adversity, we must strive and move forward." For Marta, "the strongest thing" she has learned during her 10 years in this world is that horses have a special sensitivity, they know who is on their back. "Once, a child, upon arriving, slipped from my hand and ran to lie down in the sand just under the horse's belly. If the animal had moved, I don't even want to think what could have happened. But it didn't move an ear," says Marta. "My experience has taught me that the horse always knows who it is dealing with."
Text: Alba Losada Photography: Rubén Plasencia
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