Provide HorseTHERAPY to 50 Nicaraguan Children

Many of our children and young people look forward to their weekly sessions of Horse Therapy but it is hard work for them and for the therapist.  Gustavo a Nicaraguan trained physical therapist has been with Special Families since 1996 and is a titled horse therapist since 2002, working hard with the children, their families and with the horses. 

Gustavo was working in 1996 at the regional state hospital  in Matagalpa as a physical therapist, when the word went out that Special Families needed part time help to get started with therapy for children. No one wanted to leave the hospital environment and work with children.  Gustavo says since he was the newest, this job fell to him but how was he going to do this work he didn’t know how to relate to children.  He decided that he needed to get some good advice and went to a psychologist. He learned a lot about himself and realized that his father had never been tender or played with him as a child, because of the strong masculine culture it was not acceptable.  Gustavo had to decide would he continue the same way as his father or could he learn to be playful and tender with children and motivate them in therapy sessions.  He was the first in his family to have a university degree and now he was going to change another cultural norm. He didn’t have to wait long because hundreds of mothers and special children soon took over his life.  Teaching him how they needed his gentle and playful nature to motivate them in therapy. In the end he left the hospital setting to work in the community oriented setting of Special Families. 

 Dr. Enric Sirvent a professor of physical therapy at Gimbernat University in Sabadell Spain encouraged us to look into Horse Therapy 16 years ago.  Gustavo was a natural because he already was an expert with horses.  He received a scholarship to Gimbernat to get his title in Horse Therapy.  The miracles started with children of all ages. There were children walking for the first time, having control of their heads and necks, their limbs and working to become healthier children.  One young man who had never hugged his father learned how to touch the horses during his therapy sessions and soon was hugging his father.  This motivated Gustavo to share this work with other therapists earning the approval of Gimbernat to train another horse therapist.  He has trained therapists this science but in the end they all seem to think it is too much work.  He has had many many volunteers to work with him from all over the world, and everyone has enjoyed the work. He has never been alone but there has not been any therapists ready to commit to Horse Therapy.  

Special Families always has another physical therapist to work with the children in physical therapy and park therapy but not another horse therapist.   We are searching for another physical therapist to work in Horse Therapy with Gustavo to be sure that the work continues.  We have seen the need greater in these last two months as Nicaragua has entered into a political/ social crisis.  Gustavo lives with his wife and three children in a small city outside of Matagalpa.  During this time he has not always been able to get through the barricades to work with the children, and we have missed sessions of Horse Therapy because there are no volunteers from other countries right now either.  The mothers and children have wanted to continue the sessions but with the crisis it has been impossible.  Horse Therapy has proven to be a great place for miracles to occur and Special Families wants that to continue so we are searching for another Nicaraguan therapist to be trained as a horse therapist.  We are looking for someone who wants to work in the field, in the sun, in the rain, get dirty and muddy and motivate children and horses, to live and work miracles just as Gustavo has for 16 years. 

Links:

• Gustavo explains horse therapy in Spanish
• news report on horsetherapy Special Families Univision