Pegasus Therapeutic Riding

We are happy to report that Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center is growing, and we have purchased land in Thousand Palms to expand our services.

Over the past 41 years, Pegasus has positively impacted over 3,100 children with disabilities in the Coachella Valley. The Pegasus Equine Assisted Therapy Program for Children with Disabilities will provide a minimum of 162 disabled children with a life-changing experience. We are looking to have ACF help us offset the cost of transportation to the ranch. The program will provide therapy to children ages 5 through 18 at no-cost to the families. Goals for those in the program are based on medical studies reporting many significant benefits including improvements in balance, coordination, mobility, self-confidence, self-control, social skills, and independence.

There is an instructor in the arena with 4 to 5 children with disabilities, each mounted to a horse. The sessions are scheduled every week for 26 weeks. Pegasus harnesses the collective strength of 9 therapy horses and over 100 volunteers to positively impact each child. The horses have been donated or rescued and trained to work with children with disabilities. Each child rider benefits from two side-walkers, a horse lead, and the healing presence of a gentle and loving horse. Lesson plans consider the rider's physical, emotional, and mental strengths and limitations. With the combination of a trusted horse, instructor, and group of volunteers, riders become more willing to try new things and attain new goals.

Riders in need represent a wide spectrum of diagnoses and many have multiple diagnoses including, but are not limited to: Autism, Developmental disability, ADD/ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Brain injury, Visual impairment, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Spina Bifida, and Paralysis.

Pegasus will continue to develop and expand its partnerships with PSUSD and DSUVD to name a few, ensuring those in need have access to the program's services. Pegasus does not currently have the funding to meet the demand of its community partners for spots in the program. To be clear, the need for Pegasus services exceeds its current capacity. Eisenhower Health recently reported that there are 14,790 people 18 and under with a disability in the Coachella Valley. This need is further identified through Pegasus’s rapidly growing wait list for services that includes Title 1 schools in impoverished regions of the Coachella Valley that have requested over 50 spots in the Program.

Pegasus serves more than 200 disabled children and adults, most of whom come by bus, at no cost, from all of the Special Needs classes throughout the Riverside Unified School District. Disabled adults can attend classes on Saturdays, when private riding is available. Specially trained therapy horses and ponies are ready to patiently carry their riders each week, Wednesday through Saturday, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am, in 30- minute sessions. "The Pegasus horses are the heart and soul of the organization." They are donated, adopted and retrained to be therapy horses, and they will live the rest of their lives at the Pegasus ranch, under the care of Virginia Davis, Ranch/Stable Manager.

The work of Pegasus must continue to focus on reaching out to the working poor and indigent families where health care for “special Needs “children is almost non-existent. Inclusiveness is embedded within all of our philosophies, strategies and activities. We focus our 38 +years of expertise gained via our program in achieving community impact especially for the working poor, the indigent and the disenfranchised. Pegasus is always seeking volunteers, so please call 760-772-3057 for more information. The Pegasus Therapeutic Riding ranch is at 35-450-B Pegasus Court, in Palm Desert, next to Xavier School on Chase School Road.