Horses teach me how to find “my way” Erasmus Project

Project Title

Horses teach me how to find “my way”

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

Equine-assisted activities help to improve the health, interpersonal and socialization of the beneficiaries. As there is no common approach and technique, there is a great need to create space for the exchange, development and introduction of up-to-date practices. People who have any kind of relation with horses and their environment are trained to follow the rules, to respect the schedule and obligations, to be patient, respectful and cooperative. Partners from 6 European countries (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Turkey, Spain, Croatia) have collaborated to explore the possibilities of adopting a shared understanding of Equine-assisted Therapy (Therapeutic Horse Riding), a common strategy and cooperate in order to convince the national and European institutions to recognize Equine Assisted Therapy as official complementary therapeutic procedure for people with disabilities (physical and cognitive) as well as people with psychosocial difficulties. During the implementation of the project, three educational activities were carried out on three different thematic areas. The first took place in Italy in March 2017 on ‘Psychoeducational Activities in Therapeutic Horse Riding’, the second in Ireland in October 2017 on ‘Horse Riding Techniques in Therapeutic Horse Riding’ and the third in Greece in May 2018 on Gymnastics. About 50 direct participants and about 300 people attended seminars, presentations and meetings to disseminate project materials and results.
Two management meetings were held. One at the beginning of the project’s implementation in Athens, Greece (October 2016) where the details of the implementation were agreed and a meeting to evaluate and finalise the materials to be publicized and disseminated, in Berga, Spain (May 2019). An electronic booklet describing the project and containing all the educational materials used during the three learning meetings as well as the participant evaluations was created. Also, a glossary of terminology the names of the different parts of the horse’s body, the educational materials which are used during therapeutic activities/sessions and the horse riding material. All this together with information on partner organizations is published on the project’s website (https://www.horsesteachme.eu/en/). This project is one more step of the effort that the therapeutic riding organizations do for the recognition of the Equine-assisted Therapy by National and European Authorities as a therapeutic process for people with disabilities and psychosocial problems.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 76285 Eur

Project Coordinator

SYNDESMOS THERAPEFTIKIS IPPASIAS ELLADOS & Country: EL

Project Partners

• Krila-terapijsko jahanje, udruga osoba sa cerebralnom i djecjom paralizom
• AEDEQ asociación española de equinoterapias
• NEVSEHIR HACI BEKTAS VELI UNIVERSITY
• Associazione Anche noi a cavallo – Centro di Rieducazione Equestre
• Festina Lente