The elective affinity between people and horses knows no obstacles. Pietro, a 13-year-old boy with non-verbal autism spectrum disorder, is all too well aware of this and thanks to the Riding the Blue project has discovered a new friend and a second family.
His mother Imma explained: «It is very difficult to understand Pietro’s needs and moods because his communication channels are not the same as ours. His approach is very physical and people initially struggle to understand what he needs. This isn’t the case with horses since, like him, they communicate their needs and moods in a more physical way».
Pietro’s experience was by no means easy.
The first time he mounted a horse, he immediately noticed his shadow on the ground and was scared. With time and a great deal of patience, he has learned to understand that the relationship with horses involves different reactions to different kinds of behaviour: he has managed to create a truly special bond with Mary, which, as his mother goes on, «Has achieved amazing results: I notice a great improvement in him as regards waiting times. Mounting a horse requires following a precise procedure while the animal is saddled, cleaned and prepared. All these activities take more or less one hour, which, for a child with his difficulties and who is constantly on the move, is difficult, if not almost impossible to manage. Yet with horses, it is all completely different: he gets in step with the timing, while the horse manages to convey serenity and peace of mind».
Pietro attends ASD Horse Valley at Corte Molon, taking part in the Riding The Blue project once a week and no longer considers it as a tiresome task but a moment of happiness and freedom: «We organise weekly family activities on a calendar that we always look at together so that Pietro knows what awaits him. He views all activities as an obligation, especially now that he is going through adolescence. Yet horse therapy is totally different: he personally adds the image of the horse to the calendar».
The serenity and harmony that Pietro has managed to achieve so far with Mary is extraordinary. So much so that last year, he even performed at Fieracavalli in front of 10,000 people: «Seeing my son on stage in front of so many people was a dream and the achievement of a very important goal. This is why I will never tire of thanking the entire team at Riding The Blue who made all this possible».
The Riding The Blue project came into being through a Memorandum of Understanding between Veronafiere, the Integrated University Hospital of Verona and the Local Social-Health Unit 9 to verify and measure with scientific instruments the effectiveness of intervention assisted with animals in children suffering from autism spectrum disorder.
Under the direction of Dr. Leonardo Zoccante together with Dr. Michele Marconi, the project aims to provide these children the chance to exploit the skills learned in a facilitating environment together with horses in everyday life contexts. Dr. Marconi explains: «During therapy sessions, we apply a protocol model that seeks to make five neuropsychomotor areas interact synchronously. Let me explain myself better: while we are able to perform several actions simultaneously, children with autism spectrum disorder experience much more difficulty in doing this. Horses, however, ensure that this process takes place spontaneously, while also learning have to control emotional aspect better».
Join us in Verona 9-12 November 2023 at the 125th Fieracavalli.
