Pegasus Therapeutic Riding is truly grateful for the opportunity to work with the remarkable men and women who served our county. Our next session of the Pegasus Veterans Program is scheduled to start on Thursday February 28th from 10am-2pm. No prior horse experience is needed and we never charge Veterans for our services.
Our five-session curriculum is designed to introduce the principles of natural horsemanship as a way to help veterans gain the trust, respect, and willingness to collaborate from those with whom they live and work. We and our equine partners demonstrate the value of using finesse vs. force and cooperation vs. control.
The rate of suicide among veterans increased from 2005 to 2015 according to a comprehensive survey by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has found. Veterans continue to have a much higher rate of suicide than the population at large. Pegasus has made a commitment to doing our part in decreasing that number by helping veterans build healthy, authentic relationships at home, work, and school through purposeful engagement with horses. Our team of horses and certified instructors work with our veterans throughout the program where the benefits include; decreased anxiety, increased confidence, improved anger management skills, decreased stress levels, and re-integration into the community.
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The reason why horses are perfect for this work is that horses cannot hide how they feel, how they feel is how they act. They also let us know how they feel about how we act with them, they’re big, organic biofeedback machines. Horses don’t care where you live or where you come from, they care about how you are with them right now. They teach presence, honesty, and cooperation.
When we asked our veterans in the program how working with the horses has affected them, their responses demonstrate the impact of the program:
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“With all the stress I’m going through in my life with cancer and the open heart surgery it’s a safe place to go to. I can feel totally relaxed.” Pete- Veteran
“How much they (the horses) relate to me, how you can sense what they’re feeling and they can sense what you’re feeling. And when you get to the point of being in your body how that connects with the horse, how you let things go and the horse can sense it.” John Bourges- Veteran and Director of Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Vet2Vet Program
Veterans never pay for our services; we rely on the support of those who want to be a partner in helping these incredible men and women go from surviving to thriving. Learn more about Pegasus Therapeutic Riding please visit our website www.pegasustr.org or email csciarrillo@pegasustr.org