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ROME (Reuters) – In an area of Rome that once hosted horse racing, four horses and two ponies moved at a slower pace to help neurological patients regain movement and confidence.
The saddles at the San Giovanni Battista Hospital have handles on the sides to help some people take their first steps after trauma, stroke, degenerative diseases and long-term infection with COVID-19.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to keep my balance, to be able to walk. It’s difficult, but with the horse I can do it,” said Matteo Santopadre, a former shooting champion who was in a coma for months after a car accident and now lives in a wheelchair.
The hospital, located on the outskirts of Rome and once home to the Colosseum, is the only one in Italy to use hippotherapy, which improves muscle strength, balance and coordination by allowing patients to perform movements that would be difficult to do in a gym.
It also fosters a bond between animal and patient, allowing trust and affection for the animal to develop in a gradual and sensory way, which can have huge psychological benefits.
The hospital’s program, which runs in parallel with its traditional rehabilitation program, has been in place for several years and in 2023 involved more than 600 patients.
Physical therapist Giorgia De Santis said it helps that horses are “non-judgmental and non-judgmental.”
“(The horses) draw the patient in with their calm, quiet breathing and slow heartbeat, guiding them to relax, let their guard down and let themselves go. It makes everything easier and more welcoming,” she said.
Giuliana Geatti and Paola Conto, who both have Parkinson’s disease, say equine therapy has given them confidence and a new sense of freedom.
“It’s very special to be in contact with an animal. Because it feels the same thing that you feel, you know?” Getty said as she sat on the animal’s back and leaned in to hug its neck.
(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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