PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES AND EQUINE-ASSISTED THERAPY: relations between university and territory through an extension project and its transfer to Costa Rica

Abstract

This is a university extension project aimed at developing and implementing educational activities for children, adolescents, and elderly people with physical or intellectual disabilities, who are under the care of psychologists and physiotherapists from the Philanthropic Association of Montes Belos in São Luis de Montes Belos - GO, Brazil. The project is carried out in collaboration with undergraduate and graduate students from the State University of Goiás, Brazil, and is based on equine-assisted therapy sessions. It is therefore an inter-institutional and interprofessional initiative. The program proposes face-to-face meetings among participants throughout the academic period. Activity planning takes into account the diverse needs of those involved, covering cognitive and recreational aspects, as well as mental health support. It promotes motor development and provides assistance to parents—mostly single mothers. This action is significant both for the participating academics and for the target audience. Furthermore, it contributes to human and academic development by allowing participants to explore and experience non-conventional learning and interaction environments. Currently, 274 participants attend weekly, distributed across morning, afternoon, and early evening sessions.