A equoterapia para crianças com necessidades educativas especiais: a experiência do Projeto Superação em Paulo Afonso – BA

Abstract

The present work deals with hippotherapy, which is one of the animal-assisted therapies that has the horse as a mediator to develop the body and mind of children, adults and the elderly who have some type of disability or special need. Focusing on children, we seek answers to the following question: is animal-assisted therapy, as a therapeutic method, an effective practice to promote the development and quality of life of children with special educational needs? Thus, our study aims to analyze the contribution of hippotherapy to the cognitive and motor development of children with special needs, considering the experiences of an institution that offers this service. Therefore, we carried out a field research at the Superação Riding Therapy Center, which is part of the 20th Military Police Battalion in the municipality of Paulo Afonso-BA. To collect data, Cento's pedagogical coordinator, horse therapist and dog therapist answered a questionnaire. Data collection took place in February 2022. We rely on theoretical support mainly from the National Association of Riding Therapy (ANDE-BRASIL) and the authors Barbosa (2016), Fidler (2016), Malta (2003), Motti (2007) among others . The data are organized into three categories: 1) Hippotherapy: concept, organization and people served, 2) Relationship between horse, rider and rider and 3) Benefits and contributions of hippotherapy. In our research, we found that through hippotherapy, children improve their knowledge, in addition to helping with balance and motor coordination. When riding the horse, the little ones feel able to overcome their fears, traumas, difficulties and feel that they have their own voice and autonomy.