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First Therapeutic Horseback Riding Ranch in Tirol

At the Unterhof ranch in Kolsassberg, Susanne Zanesco helps handicapped people through therapeutic horseback riding.

Personal responsibility, self-respect, social competence (responsibility towards the animal), assertiveness, getting to know one’s limit – these are all fruits of this work.

Standing in the mountain village of Kolsassberg, a sun terrace located above the Tirolean town of Schwaz, you have a wonderful view of farms, meadows, old fruit trees, little hamlets, and a large cultivated landscape with the great Tirolean mountain ranges in the backdrop. Here, at the Unterhof ranch, Susanne Zanesco, a certified horseback riding therapist and assistant trainer of horsemanship, offers therapeutic horseback riding. The core elements of her program are six horses.

Natural Horsemanship
"At the Unterhof ranch, we put the philosophy of natural horsemanship into practice, through which the horses become good and reliable partners." Horse riders being interested in this philosophy have the opportunity to either invite Susanne Zanesco to their own riding stable or to visit the Unterhof ranch in order to become trained in natural horsemanship. Both single lessons and all-day courses are offered.

The therapy horses of the Unterhof ranch live in an open stable where the horses can jointly run around. Thus, they can live like a herd as they are used to and approach the patient in a harmonious manner.

Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Socially or mentally impaired people go to Susanne Zanesco. A therapy plan including elements from experiential education, neuro-linguistic programming and horse body language is elaborated. One therapy session in which Zanesco works with her guest comprises at least 5 units (normally once a week). Some people come here for years, enjoying a life-long supportive therapy. The sportive aspect of riding is secondary in the therapy program.

Who benefits from this therapy?
People from different social care facilities, people suffering from the Down syndrome, autistic people as well as children with learning disability or an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are lovingly cared for by competent experts at the Unterhof ranch.