When a young rider with Rett syndrome first came to Pegasus around six years ago, there were significant limits to what she could physically do. Then, just a few weeks ago, she surprised everyone. As her coach and Mum prepared to help her mount her horse, they briefly looked away. When they turned back, the young rider had managed to get herself onto the horse on her own.
There would have been a time not so long ago when that would have never have been thought possible,” says senior coach John Riley. “But the perseverance and the practice, and just never doubting that it could be possible, she’s managed to achieve that level of physicality.”
It is the kind of moment that captures what Pegasus Riding for the Disabled ACT is about. Set on a 100-acre property in Holt, Pegasus provides horse riding lessons and horse-facilitated experiences for people living with disability. While participants range in age, most are children between six and their early teens.
At Pegasus, the focus is less on what a rider cannot do, and more on discovering what they can do and then helping them build from there. Through working with horses, participants can build physical and cognitive skills, communication, social connection and emotional regulation. John says there is something particularly powerful about the relationship between a rider and a horse.
For riders who may rely on significant support in other areas of their lives, sitting astride a 500 or 600-kilogram animal and discovering they can influence where it goes can be incredibly empowering. As riders develop their skills, they learn that a movement of the reins or a familiar word can prompt a response from the horse.
They really do get a particular kick out of the fact this very large animal responds to them,” John Says.
The benefits can extend beyond riding skills, and the impact isn’t always physical. John recalls the mother of another young rider telling him her son was never as emotionally well regulated elsewhere in his life, including at home, as he was when riding his horse at Pegasus. Stories like these, he says, are not unusual.
An extensive team of volunteers makes the program possible. One may lead the horse, while one or two “sidewalkers” accompany the rider, offering physical support and helping reinforce the coach’s instructions. As riders become more capable and confident, that assistance can gradually be reduced. The volunteers can also become an important source of social connection.
A lot of the kids don’t get a lot of opportunity fort hat socialisation, and they can form very strong bonds with their helpers and their leaders,” John Says.
Volunteers don’t necessarily need previous horse experience. Pegasus provides training in areas including basic horse behaviour and safety, while those with existing horse skills may have a head start in becoming leaders. There are also plenty of jobs away from riding sessions, from feeding horses and helping around the stables to gardening and maintaining the property.
The connection between the helpers and the riders really is quite an extraordinary experience.”
John understands that connection firsthand. He first arrived at Pegasus 11 years ago with an equestrian background, expecting the horses to be the main attraction. Within weeks, he discovered that working alongside the riders was what kept him coming back.
Without enough volunteers, however, Pegasus simply cannot offer the same number of classes. The organisation already has people waiting to participate, and John says its ambition is to eventually triple its current participant numbers.
More volunteers would allow Pegasus to support more riders, but people are only one part of the equation. Expanding the program also requires money. Running a safe riding program for people with additional support needs comes with substantial costs.
Pegasus receives no ongoing government funding and has little ongoing sponsorship, leaving it heavily reliant on community generosity. John hopes greater awareness of Pegasus will help secure its future and eventually allow the organisation to reach more of the people waiting for its services.
For him, the best way to understand its value is to see it in action. Pegasus, he says, offers a “highly effective, highly meaningful developmental experience” for people who can find opportunities like it difficult to access elsewhere. And sometimes progress looks like something seemingly simple: a young rider getting herself onto her horse. Something that once might not have seemed possible, until one day it was.
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