Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Congress participants

The XII International Congress of Therapeutic Riding has just been concluded.

It seems important for us to say that we have taken on our account a great amount of responsibilities as we took over this event: Towards the FRDI and its Countries members, which had elected Brazil as the Congress host, for their confidence on the Brazilians capacity to carry on with such magnificent event. It was an Herculean task, specially for a Country of continental dimensions as it is, facing such a large number of economic and social problems.

In addition to this, we are now living an election year, which does normally lead to some degree of dispersion on the establishing of the priorities at the definition of public politics and to the granting of financial supports. On the other side, Brasilia, being a modern city and one of the humanity´s cultural legacies, carries an administrative - politics vocation and for this, does not host large companies, which could be able to sponsour the Congress.

What to do? Going after the financial support to put up with the basic costs of the Congress has been our goals for the last three years. Those results have been reached thanks to partnerships with people and institutions which joined our efforts. I can assure you that the number of people who have put themselves at disposition to help us was even higher than the 500, who attended to the Congress. Everyone of them did put on the shirt of the Associação Nacional de Equoterapia, as part of the same team.

Whom shall we say thanks to? First of all, to God, for giving us the strength and the courage to face the challenge and for providing us with the assistance of so many people. To the FRDI, which trusted in ANDE-BRASIL and in the Brazilian people. To the participants of the Congress, in general, who came from every state of Brazil and from 38 Countries, from every continent, to honour the Congress with their presences. To the Paper presenters of Oral communications, Posters and/or Videos, for their excellent quality of performances. A special reference should be made to the Federal Government and to the Government of Brasília and their institutions. Finally, since there is no precedence order to this list, I wish to point out the good work that was developed by the valuable team from ANDE-BRASIL, which did not measure any efforts in order to succeed on their tasks.

At last, we hope to have accomplished our mission and also, that everyone who came to the Congress, as returning home, may take with them the best feelings from the event, from Brasilia, from Brasil and from our Association.

We hope to be meeting you again in Germany, in 2009 and, at this opportunity, we would like to wish to the next Congress organizers a very successful work.

Yours faithfully.

Lelio de Castro Cirillo
President of ANDE-BRASIL