It is nearly impossible to capture in a few words what we experienced in Corsica at the Saint-Exupéry Center from July 7 to 17. These were only ten days, yet they were filled with enthusiasm, discovery, and lived with an intensity we had not anticipated.
These words came from the therapists who accompanied a group from A.L.M. (Associazione Laziale Motolesi), an organization supporting children with motor disabilities. The party included eight therapists and assistants and about twenty children and young people.
Oletta is a village in Corsica where groups of children, led by their instructors, rotate throughout the year for courses in horseback riding and horse care. But this place was built expressly for children facing difficulties—motor, cognitive, behavioral, and others.
This year, the facility opened its doors to A.L.M., and the organization embraced the opportunity without hesitation. And it proved worthwhile. While equine therapy has been used in northern Italy for some years now, this model—combining therapeutic horseback riding with vacation and community—felt entirely new. By all accounts, it was transformative.
Worth noting: this isn't solely for children with motor disabilities, despite what the charming illustration might suggest. Riding is more than exercise; it is lived experience. A.L.M. understood this so well that upon returning home, the center immediately welcomed a young filly named Voina and two Tibetan goats to keep her company.
We approach this with neither skepticism nor unwarranted triumph, but with careful attention to what actually happened. The horse's pull on the human spirit is real. So is the moment fear dissolves. The bond that forms between child, instructor, and horse—the quiet understanding that grows, the joy of guiding the animal alone through the ring, knowing what to do—these are profound goods. But so too are the mountain air, the Mediterranean landscape surrounding us, the daily trips to the sea, splashing in warm, unpolluted water. So are the generous meals, the calories burned without thought. So are the warmth with which every staff member received us, the immediate sense of belonging, the distance from our daily worries and routines. All of these—the therapy with the horse and everything else—are woven together. None stands alone.