STORY: Matteo Santopadre braces himself before grabbing onto the saddle of a horse, his four-legged nurse for the day.
The former shooting champion relies on a wheelchair after a months-long coma following a car accident.
He comes here, to the San Giovanni Battista Hospital on the outskirts of Rome, for therapy with horses...
where he says the animals give him confidence.
:: Matteo Santopadre, Patient
''It's a beautiful, beautiful feeling, to be able to balance, to be able to walk. It's difficult, but with the horse, I can do it.''
The hospital -- which is in an area that used to host horse races -- is the only one of its kind in Italy.
The therapy horses help some neurological patients take their first steps after trauma, strokes, degenerative diseases, as well as long COVID.
The patients can perform movements that would be harder to do in a regular gym.. as they work on muscle strength, balance, and coordination.
The emotional bond with the horses helps too, according to physiotherapist Georgia De Santis.
:: Giorgia De Santis, Physiotherapist
''With his calm, quiet breathing and slowed heartbeats it engages the patient, and this leads the patient to relax, to let his guard down, to let go. It makes everything easier for the patient, it makes it cozy. (The horse) is an animal that does not judge, is not prejudiced, and it is an animal that does not put the person's pathology first. It welcomes the possibilities of what the person can give.''
The hospital's program operates alongside traditional rehabilitation.
It involves both horses and ponies.
And in 2023, it had more than 600 patients.
Dr. Franca Tirinelli says it helps patients see themselves in a new light.
:: Dr. Franca Tirinelli
''Until now (the patient) has been the subject of personal care. By caring for the animal instead, it is as if he forgets what he is, namely the sick person.''
