Mallorca horse care programme builds skills for work

Horse care on Mallorca starts on 5 October: people with intellectual disabilities will feed, brush and walk horses while practising skills they could use at work. The sessions take place at the S'Hort Vell Foundation every Monday morning until June. They are for people who use the Patronat Joan XXIII Foundation’s services.

The two foundations are continuing their ‘Aprendo con caballos’ project, with support from the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation. Alongside caring for the horses, participants will clean and prepare their spaces. Specialists at S'Hort Vell will guide the work.

Josefina Sintes, who coordinates animal-assisted activities at S'Hort Vell, says participants will take on routines and responsibilities step by step, doing more for themselves as they learn. Working with the horses also gives them a chance to build confidence and practise communicating and working with others.

The aim is for those habits to carry into everyday life and future jobs. Pere Rotger, president of the Patronat Joan XXIII Foundation, says the project is about more than learning to care for an animal: it is also about taking responsibility and becoming more independent.

Topics: Education

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com