Montaria a cavalo:

um convite ao estudo antropológico sobre a relação entre humanos e animais na equoterapia

Abstract

Under anthropological perspective, the research seeks to understand how outlines the interaction between humans and animals within the contemporary therapy known as hippotherapy practice. The objective of the study is to define the place that horses occupy this therapeutic space, investigating the way in which these particular animals are evaluated and positioned by other actors involved. These animals would be present only as helpers, a utilitarian bias or more than that, as substitutes or complements for human therapists? In hippotherapy, the statutes of horses vary in different situations, suggesting that the agency may be imputed to them in discussion. Although still under analysis, I present in this article some topics that guide the ongoing research. In the comments below, I try to explore the details of multiple relationships that are drawn between horses, therapists, assistants guide, practitioners and family physicians. I suggest that the relationship between humans and animals, as emerged in the Equestrian Centre where I conducted field visits, are shaped by a set of bodily actions that articulate verbal modes of communication and non-verbal. Above all, we intend to discuss types of experience taking part in the Centre, where the body is the condition of possibility of different modes of communication, verbal mode but also those that exceed the use of language, between discursive alterities and not discursive (Kohn, 2013). The aim of the research is to explore the possible compositions of bodies, humans and animals, taking part in mounts sessions. In order to perform pre-defined bodily actions, therapists and the Equestrian Center auxiliary guide horses stabilize within a certain domestication system, which will be discussed later. The right to keep bodies under control is also marked by a series of inferences about intentions and preferences that horses manifest during the sessions, which are read as physiological needs (to urinate) or else as a strategic behavior, in which horses "pretend" physiological urgency when, in fact, would be to "lazy" to walk. It is in this sense that the actions of horses during steeds interest as indicators of intent or needs, therapists analyze from the movements performed by them (Despret, 2004). Front significant growth of debates around the presence of animals in various spheres of the social world (Haraway, 2008; Helmreich & Kirksey, 2010; Ingold, 2000), the study of their participation also in health-related contexts may indicate the tonic the treatment given to present their horses, and eventually contribute to a reflection on certain political reconfiguration of the animal category and therefore the own human-animal bond.