Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center of Coachella Valley

Pegasus Therapeutic Riding is a place where children and adults of all ages and with all types of disabilities can come for a full range of motion exercise on horseback, equine assisted therapy. The walking motion of the horse's body, against human legs, massages all the muscles used in the human walk, and is an inspiring and exciting experience for those whose life is spent in a wheelchair or with disabilities. Each rider is gently eased into a program of physical exercise geared to their needs. Immobility causes good muscles to atrophy which leads to further problems for a disabled person. At Pegasus, we try to strengthen the muscles and joints with these exercises along with the effort required in mounting, dismounting and riding a horse. Our program offers psychological and emotional benefits such as learning to concentrate, the discipline of following directions and a sense of accomplishment at being able to steer a large animal. Most autistics have difficulty bonding with people, a short attention span and most do not communicate. At Pegasus autistics are able to bond with an animal and volunteers, developing trust and confidence. In the riding arena many of them are suddenly attentive and some have found ways to communicate. Riders feel a sense of accomplishment by achieving certain goals. The interaction with the volunteers and the horse also help the riders socializing skills. At Pegasus we look to the ABILITY of a person rather than the DISABILITY. At Pegasus, we believe everyone is worthy and we know that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN, we see them every time we take a person out of a wheelchair and put them on a horse. About Our Clients: Riders/Clients come from the Coachella Valleys Unified School Districts special needs classes. Pegasus pays to bus these riders to and from our facility during the week. Other riders/clients are referred from Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation, Desert Arc, Autism Association, and ACT for MS. We also have classes for preschool and home school children, and we get referrals from Loma Linda and private practice doctors.