English
Deutsch
Equine therapy or therapeutic riding or “riding for the disabled”: work with horses and children
Show handicapped children sitting on a horse around the riding therapy facility with the therapist, help with riding lessons, prepare the horses for it and also ride the horses yourself. The riding therapy project in Argentina is an emotionally appealing activity and it brings a lot of joy to see the positive effect that touching and handling the horses has on the little patients.
If you like children and horses, this is your volunteer project. The work takes place outdoors, so you are often in the fresh air and in beautiful surroundings on the outskirts of the city. Córdoba is a large city and the equestrian therapy facilities are around 25 km from the city center. You can get there easily by bus, but it takes about 1.5 hours because you live in a fairly central city location yourself. The bus is cheap and only costs about 1 euro or even less. You can walk to the city center to take the bus to the outskirts or take a bus ride to the center. The bus ride is best used to learn Spanish vocabulary or to listen to music.
Parents bring their disabled children to riding therapy and non-disabled children also take riding lessons
Parents bring their children to riding therapy in the afternoon and on Saturday mornings. During the week you will help for several hours in the afternoons from around 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the riding therapy facility. If you feel like it, you can also go there on Saturday mornings. The disabled children are usually guided through the facility on horseback by 2 helpers. Of course, you can also ride the therapy horses on the facility yourself. You can do the riding therapy project in Argentina as an internship or as a volunteer work.
Spanish language course prior to the Argentina Riding Therapy project
You will arrive in Córdoba city, where you will also live and learn Spanish. On arrival at Córdoba you will be welcomed at the airport and brought to your accommodation. You live with other young participants and Argentines in a beautiful volunteer house.
If you don't speak Spanish yet or have little previous knowledge, it doesn't matter. The program begins with an intensive Spanish course at a language school in Córdoba. Here you will learn the Spanish language for 4 weeks before you start your volunteer project on a riding therapy facility.
On site you will quickly get in touch with local young people as well as other participants. A lot is done together and all participants are doing ongoing travel within Argentina or the neighboring countries. The world-famous Iguazú waterfalls, for example, are a must!
Project Facts
Begin: all year round, almost anytime
Start dates: every 1st Monday of each month
Duration: 4 – 24 weeks.
Lead time: approx. 2 months
Age: 18 – 65 years old.
Requirements: none.
Visa: tourist visa.
Language: Spanish
Spanish course: in case of Spanish beginner 4 weeks of intensive Spanish tuition. 20 hrs of 45 min weekly, small group or 10 one-to-one lessons weekly.
Accommodation: student´s house, shared accommodation, max. 4-bedroom. Accommodation in Córdoba city.
Boarding: self-catering.
Working hours and days: Mo – Fr, approx.. 17 – 20 hrs. Saturdays optional In the morning.
Other:
The equine therapy property is located approx. 25 km outside of Córdoba city. Public transportation from Córdoba city by bus. Approx. 1.5 hrs bus ride. Bus tickets are cheap. Daily transportation is not included in the program fees.
Project highlights: working with horses and children. You can ride the therapy horses.
Benefits: learn about therapeutic riding, learn and/or improve Spanish skills, make new friends, adventure.
Possible travel highlights:
Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Perito Moreno Glaciar, The Andes, Iguazú waterfalls, Northwest Argentina, Península Valdés with Whale watching & Penguins.