{"id":74398,"date":"2014-02-23T09:46:19","date_gmt":"2014-02-23T09:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/projects\/completed-projects\/in-the-saddle-2014\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T19:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T19:14:28","slug":"in-the-saddle-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/projects\/completed-projects\/in-the-saddle-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE SADDLE – 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”0″ top_padding=”2″ bottom_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading text_color=”accent” sub_reduced=”yes”]IN THE SADDLE[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ equal_height=”yes” gutter_size=”2″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]PASSO PASSO LOCAL ASSOCIATION FOR INCLUSION
\n
\n<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ equal_height=”yes” gutter_size=”2″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image media=”884″ media_width_percent=”100″ media_ratio=”four-three” shape=”img-round”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_width_percent=”100″ gutter_size=”3″ back_color=”color-lxmt” overlay_alpha=”50″ medium_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ width=”1\/2″][vc_progress_bar values=”%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Project%20completion%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22100%22%7D%5D” units=”%”][vc_column_text]View the project<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text]Venue:<\/strong> Societ\u00e0 Ippica Bolognese equestrian center, via Lelli 3, Rastignano, Bologna<\/p>\n

Schedule:<\/strong> Saturday mornings, 9 a.m.\u201312 noon<\/p>\n

Activity period:<\/strong>
\nTwenty-two sessions are planned, divided into two terms (April 5\u2013June 14 and September 13\u2013November 29), as follows:
\nApril: 5 \u2013 12 \u2013 26
\nMay: 3 \u2013 10 \u2013 17 \u2013 24 \u2013 31
\nJune: 7 \u2013 15
\nSeptember: 13 \u2013 20 \u2013 27
\nOctober: 4 \u2013 11 \u2013 18 \u2013 25
\nNovember: 1 \u2013 8 \u2013 15 \u2013 22 \u2013 29<\/p>\n

Eleven children will participate, divided into three groups according to age and the proposed activities, currently considered suitable for their individual characteristics but subject to adjustment over time.<\/p>\n

9 a.m.: E. R, L. B., M. S., M. B., V. T.<\/strong>
\nThe children in this group, aged 8\u201311, primarily have mild-to-moderate cognitive delays associated with attention difficulties, motor restlessness, and difficulties relating to peers.
\nThe group will take part in groundwork\u2014grooming, leading the horse, and movement games\u2014and basic exercises with two horses, one fitted with a surcingle and the other with a saddle. At times the children will work together as one group, and at other times in two smaller groups.
\nEach session will also introduce a specific topic, such as the shape of the riding arena, parts of the horse\u2019s body, or equestrian terminology. This will be explored through practical experience followed by a worksheet designed to record the knowledge gained. At the end of the program, each child will receive their worksheets collected in a booklet.
\nThese activities aim to increase attention span, improve purposeful movement and spatial and temporal organization, develop the ability to wait one\u2019s turn and coordinate movements with others, and improve interaction and communication with peers and staff. They also aim to consolidate learning and develop the ability to relate to, observe, and communicate with the horse, understanding the animal\u2019s behavior and reactions in relation to one\u2019s own gestures and behavior.<\/p>\n

10 a.m.: F. R., F. O., M. C. \u00a0<\/strong>
\nThe young people in this group, aged 12\u201315, have psychological disorders involving significant relationship difficulties in social settings, particularly at school, a tendency to withdraw, and impulsive acting out when experiencing intense emotional distress.
\nFollowing shared groundwork involving grooming, preparing the horse, and leading it, activities will be differentiated during the first sessions to help each participant adjust to the new setting. The group will then move on to shared activities, both on the ground and in the saddle.
\nThe primary goals will therefore be social interaction and communication, both with other people and with the horse, overcoming fears, and increasing confidence in the ability to face new situations and tasks.<\/p>\n

11 a.m.: A. T., A. M., M. P.<\/strong>
\nThe children in this group are younger, aged 4\u20136, and have three different disabilities: hemiparesis, cognitive and language delay, and autism. The first two children both need encouragement to listen and interact; the child with autism may benefit greatly from interacting with the other two through shared play.
\nDuring the first sessions, the children will work individually. Later, the two children with stronger social interaction skills will work together on more structured activities, including worksheets. The child with autism will join some play activities and receive individual support through activities designed to encourage participation. We expect to spend considerable time helping this child approach and make contact with the horse and recognize it as another living being with its own characteristics and ways of communicating. Supported co-riding will be offered, with the child riding together with the equine-assisted rehabilitation practitioner, to experience the horse\u2019s movement through bodily and movement sensations.
\nThe medium-term goal is for the children to share a 45-minute session, encouraging reciprocal communication through movement games both on the ground and with the horse.<\/p>\n

This year, equine-assisted rehabilitation will again be provided in partnership with the Passo Passo Association. Its volunteer Stefania, who made a valuable contribution last year, will assist in the arena. The Association will also cover horse hire costs through a fund dedicated to this type of intervention, established with a donation from Fondazione Irma Romagnoli. The Local Health Authority will provide the professional expertise of Dr. Mazzotta, Child Neuropsychiatrist and Technical Coordinator for Equine-Assisted Rehabilitation, and Dr. Nanni, Psychologist and specialist in animal-assisted activities, as well as support from an educator from Cooperativa Libertas.
\nAt the end of the program, a final report will be prepared and a video compiled from recordings made regularly in the arena to document the changes observed.<\/p>\n

Dr. Giovanna Mazzotta
\nChild Neuropsychiatrist
\nTechnical Coordinator for Equine-Assisted Rehabilitation[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row row_height_percent=”0″ override_padding=”yes” h_padding=”0″ top_padding=”2″ bottom_padding=”2″ overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading text_color=”accent” sub_reduced=”yes”]IN THE SADDLE[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_row_inner row_inner_height_percent=”0″ overlay_alpha=”50″ equal_height=”yes” gutter_size=”2″ shift_y=”0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]PASSO […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":877,"parent":74097,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-74398","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","page_category-completed-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74398"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74401,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74398\/revisions\/74401"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/74097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fondazioneirmaromagnoli.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}