Horses Provide Therapy with Pegasus

Someone once said that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person. Pegasus Therapeutic Riding believes that this is especially true for children and adults with disabilities.

Caroline Black of Bedford agrees. Her son, Will, now 9 years old, has been riding with Pegasus since he was 4. Will has problems with language and speech, she noted, and has been greatly helped by the program. Black serves on the board of Pegasus.

Will has learned the cause and effect of language through riding at Pegasus' Brewster facility, which is the group's headquarters. "The ponies won't walk until the kids say 'walk on,' " she explained. "The cause and effect of language becomes apparent when this animal hears you and obeys."

Riding therapy has also improved Will's physical condition, Black said. When he started he couldn't even sit up straight on the horse, she said.

"Riding works every muscle in your body," she said. It also helps people with disabilities with their balance, she added. "It has really helped Will. He is much more grounded."

Black had been an equestrian growing up, so the idea of putting a small child on a horse was not a foreign concept for her. "I grew up as an avid horse woman and saw it as a good fit for Will." She is also on the Pegasus Riding Team, which exercises the horses, most of which are ex-show horses, but all of which have been chosen for their imperturbability.

Pegasus is about therapeutic riding, said Todd Gibbs, director of development for the organization, which is also called equine-assisted activity. The group's instructors provide activities and therapies for people with physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities. Most of the people who assist Pegasus riders are specially trained volunteers, he said. Instructors are certified by NARHA, a national organization.

The Pegasus riders may start with one person leading the horse and two trained volunteers who serve as side walkers, said Black. The side walkers may have an arm on the rider's thigh and help keep their feet in the stirrups. Some riders may not need to have the side walkers touching them, or may only need one side walker as they improve, she said. Some are able to ride independently, something that Will is working toward, she added.

Pegasus was founded in Darien, CT, in 1975. It now has six chapters, with four at privately held horse farms in Connecticut, one horse farm in Pleasantville, and the organization's headquarters in Brewster.

Three years ago, Pegasus received an anonymous gift and was able to purchase a 20-acre property just over the Putnam county line on Route 121. The group then received an additional donation that allowed it to build a large covered outdoor arena that allows riding most of the year, Gibbs said. The horses at the Brewster complex are owned by Pegasus, those at the other locations are usually lent to the organization by the owners of the chapter farms.

Most health insurance will not cover the cost of riding sessions at the Pegasus chapters, Black said. Lessons are $45 for 45 minutes, she noted. "But the cost per ride is probably more like $200, so we have to fundraise to make up that difference."

Pegasus' biggest fundraiser, the Annual Pegasus Horse Show, will take place this coming Saturday at Coker Farm in Bedford. Judy Richter, co-owner of Coker Farm with her sons Hans and Philip, has donated the use of the farm for the day for the event, something the Richter family is doing for the 29th year. Coker Farm is a training center for horse show competitions, she said.

"It is a great endeavor and we've always supported it in some way," Judy Richter said. Riders from Pegasus will exhibit their skills and will be recognized for their achievements during the year. "The show was very small and it has grown by leaps and bounds just incredibly," Richter said. "They have a lot of stuff for siblings of kids showing. It is like a family outing."

The event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is free. For more information or to make a donation, call Syreeta Jones at 845-669-8235, ext. 101 or visit the Pegasus website at www.pegasustr.org.