Therapy horses help neurology patients regain confidence, motor skills
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[July 03, 2024]
By Antonio Denti and Yara Nardi
Rome (Reuters) - In an area of Rome that once hosted horse races, four
horses and two ponies move at a much slower pace to help neurological
patients restore their movements and confidence.
With handles on the side of their saddles, the animals at the San
Giovanni Battista Hospital allow some people to take their first halting
steps after trauma, strokes, degenerative diseases, as well as long
COVID.
"It's a beautiful feeling, to be able to stay in equilibrium, to be able
to walk. It's difficult but with the horse I can do it," said former
shooting champion Matteo Santopadre, who relies on a wheelchair after a
months-long coma following a car accident.
The hospital on the outskirts of Rome, where the city's hippodrome was
once located, is the only one in Italy to use hippotherapy - which
allows movements that would be harder to carry out in a gym to improve
muscle strength, balance and coordination.
It also fosters connections between the animals and patients, who
develop trust and affection for them in a gradual and sensory approach
with huge psychological benefits.
The hospital's program, which operates alongside traditional
rehabilitation, has been running for a few years. In 2023 it involved
more than 600 patients.
Physiotherapist Giorgia De Santis says it helps that a horse "does not
judge, is not prejudiced".
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![](../images/070324PIX/health14.jpg)
Matteo Santopadre, a former shooting champion who remained in a coma
for months after a car accident, attends a hippotherapy session to
regain his mobility at San Giovanni Battista Hospital in Rome, Italy
March 13, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png) "With its calm, quiet breathing and
slow heartbeats (the horse) engages the patients, and leads them to
relax, let their guard down, let go. It makes everything easier for
them, more welcoming," she said.
Giuliana Geatti and Paola Conto, both affected by Parkinson's
disease, say the hippotherapy gives them self-assurance and a new
feeling of freedom.
"The contact with the animal is exceptional. Because it feels what
you feel, you know?," Geatti said, who leaned forward to embrace the
animal's neck as she sat on its back.
(Reporting by Antonio Denti and Yara Nardi; Writing by Fabiano
Franchitti and Oriana Boselli; Editing by Giulia Segreti and
Philippa Fletcher)
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