SNU to build equestrian therapy center

By Yun Suh-young

Seoul National University (SNU) plans to build a horse-riding therapy center for the disabled on a 5,000 square-meter plot of land in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, the school said Monday.

The center will provide horse-riding and various other activities for those with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, autism, and polio. The center will only be open for the disabled for the time being but will be eventually open to the public in the future.

“It will be similar to the one run by the Korea Racing Authority (KRA) but the difference is that we will conduct research about the healing mechanisms whereas the KRA only provides horse-riding,” said Seo Kang-moon, associate dean at the College of Veterinary Medicine at SNU.

“With the disabled who will be participating in the programs, we will study what effects horse-riding has on them and on which disabilities it is especially effective. There isn’t any research about this in Korea.”

The program will run once a week for eight weeks and the disabled will have to perform therapeutic activities on the horse using their bodies such as moving objects so that they practice using their muscles.

“Our ultimate goal is to create a center where not only the physically disabled are healed by interacting with animals but also those with other problems such as Alzheimer’s,” said Seo.

“We hope the center will upgrade the cultural life of Koreans and their perception of animals.”

The school, however, is still waiting for final approval from Suwon City Hall and the education office before beginning construction. The discussions are nearly complete except for the location of the site.

The school plans to build the facility on the former site of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences which used to be in Suwon. The university, however, is facing opposition from Seoho Middle School nearby because the administration there claims establishing the center will create odors and an unclean environment for students studying nearby. The city office also says it needs to be located 200 meters away from the school site or else it would be in violation of the livestock industry act.

If the approval is made this year, the six-month construction will be complete by June or July. The facility will undergo a test-run period for three to four months and be available for use starting October or November.