2. ZOOTHERAPY AND EQUITHERAPY: ORIGINAL AND EMERGING ALTERNATIVES 2.1. A FEW DEFINITIONS 2.1.1. ZOOTHERAPY

The term zootherapy is defined as therapy assisted by animals, in which the animal acts as a genuine mediator. Animal therapy is a structured programme of interventions or care that a therapist provides to a patient with the help and in the presence of an animal. Its aim is to maintain or improve the health of people suffering from various physical, cognitive, psychological, emotional and social disorders. It uses the natural and beneficial links that exist between people and animals. It is a form of mediation practised individually or in small groups with the help of specifically selected and trained animals, under the responsibility of a professional therapist who has undergone special training. The animal therapist is the guide and the animal is the mediator between the patient and the therapist.
Specific objectives are set as part of an individual care plan. Pet therapy is therefore a complementary intervention that forms part of an overall care plan for the patient, requiring multidisciplinary care (Psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, psychologists, psychomotor therapists, specialised educators, speech therapists, rehabilitation doctors, etc.). The close bond forged between human beings and animals is the basis of this therapy. Animals are loyal and impartial companions, attaching themselves to humans without judging them or asking for anything. Relationships with animals are simple because they are pure, not ambivalent. Animals break down solitude, help us get back in touch with our emotions and prove to be one of the best catalysts for a helping relationship. However, it is important to bear in mind that the mere presence of an animal is not the therapy itself; the animal is not a therapist but a real mediator. Today, the various working methods are grouped together under the general term Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI), which are themselves broken down into therapeutic or educational interventions (TAA), educational interventions, or Animal Assisted Activities (AAA). 

2.2. The emergence of zootherapy and equitherapy in Ukraine

Alongside the very 'medical' approaches present in Ukraine before the war and faced with their inability to manage cases such as autism, other initiatives emerged, often rather innovative, based largely on different variations of zootherapy and equitherapy. Innovative centres such as the Hippocenter in Kropernivsky and the Active Stable Paradise center in Korotych in the Kharkiv region emerged before the war. In these centers, which greatly increased their activity with the needs arising from the war, teams of riding specialists, often supported by psychosocial workers and, where possible, psychologists, help injured children and sometimes their parents, as well as the veterans concerned, to regain their confidence, heal from trauma and re-establish a certain physical and psychosocial balance. The impact on physically and psychologically traumatised children and veterans is very impressive. All can be treated individually or through group exercises. These centers also host groups for musical and theatrical performances.
But there is still little recognition of these approaches, even though they have a major impact.
The idea of this project is to see how they can be supported and strengthened.