YAKIMA, WA – The Pegasus Project offers therapeutic horse riding sessions to people with physical or emotional disabilities.
This nonprofit helps riders increase muscle tone and strength, improve peer interactions and communication, and boost self-esteem in just 30 to 45-minute sessions.
Alex Robert-Belote, 10, is in a wheelchair and has trouble walking, but that hasn’t stopped her from riding.
“It’s really, really fun, and it makes me happy,” said Robert-Belote.
She squeals in excitement as she can hardly wait to get on her favorite horse.
Robert-Belote has been riding for about a year now and has come a long way since her first ride.
“When I first started, I could barely hold myself up, now I can do it for much longer,”
And her instructor couldn’t be more proud of how far she’s come.
“She started off being able to ride five, ten minutes before her body was just completely exhausted, and now she’s riding 30 minutes at a time,” said her riding instructor, Candice Inions.
But for Inions, it’s all about watching Robert-Belote’s smile gleam with joy.
“It brings tears to my eyes, and it’s the best feeling in the world,” said Inions.
Pegasus Project has therapeutic sessions Monday through Thursday by appointment only. Interested? Visit their website.
