By Dane Russo from the December 2018 Edition
A big dream is becoming reality on a small farm in La Central. Psychologist Ana Melo and her family are developing Mother Earth, a self-sustaining farm to provide Horse Therapy for children with physical and mental disabilities and teach respect for our environment and for animals.
More than 9 million people living in Mexico suffer from some form of disability and, of those, more than 60% suffer from mobility or cognitive difficulties. Unfortunately, availability of medical and therapeutic treatment for these individuals is extremely limited. Mother Earth will help meet this need.
Mother Earth is providing Equine Therapy or Horse Therapy to help patients develop needed skills and attributes, such as responsibility, self-confidence, self-esteem and self-control. The therapy involves interactions between patients and horses and involves supervised activities such as grooming, feeding, halterThe horses at Mother Earth were rodeo or farm horses, scheduled to be sacrificed due to their age. Juan David Soto, Ana’s husband, bought and trained the horses for therapy work. Saving older horses, and extending their useful lives, is yet another benefit from the operation of Mother Earth.
ing from problems of hyperactivity, anxiety, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, various mental disorders, and behavioral issues stemming from abuse.
The horses at Mother Earth were rodeo or farm horses, scheduled to be sacrificed due to their age. Juan David Soto, Ana’s husband, bought and trained the horses for therapy work. Saving older horses, and extending their useful lives, is yet another benefit from the operation of Mother Earth.
Developing from problems of hyperactivity, anxiety, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, various mental disorders, and behavioral issues stemming from abuse.
The farm is currently treating 10 young children, with a goal of helping 80 children. The patients are selected from students at the Hellen Keller School in Manzanillo. Others come as a result of recommendations.
The entire project was a start-from-scratch family effort. Everything was done with the hard work of this amazing family and their friends. Today the farm has 2 hectares of leased land, 4 horses, a few goats, turkeys, and hens, and a 1995 truck. Mother Earth opened to the public in April 2018.
Donations from members of the community are sought to help maintain and help grow this important community resource. If you are able to help in any way, please contact Ana at 314 125 8014. You may make a direct deposit at any OXXO using the following card number (nĂşmero de tarjeta): 5204 1651 9989 7798. The name or titular de la cuenta is Rosario Soto Ceniceros. Please help in any way you can.
You are invited to visit the farm. It is located on Highway 200 Manzanillo-Cihuatlan Km 20, Ejido La Central, Manzanillo, Colima.
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