HANNAH NAUGHTON/ Mason and Christie Afualo make hand prints in a newly poured concrete slab at Tumbleweed Ranch while participating in the Pegasus Project recently. Links   E-mail                         Print Advertisement

Horses are a lot like people. They come in all shapes and sizes, and are special in their own way.

And at the Pegasus Project, the diversity of the horses matches the diversity of the children.

Nestled in the foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains on a 26-acre ranch, the Pegasus Project provides therapeutic riding activities for people of all ages with special needs and disabilities. A member of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, the program started in 2003.

Construction of an indoor riding arena for the project recently began at Tumbleweed Ranch, where the Pegasus Project operates. This new facility, expected to be completed this spring, will allow the Pegasus Project to provide year-round services to its riders. It will feature an indoor riding arena, six horse stalls, a tack room, office space, a conference room, and a viewing gallery.

Recently, several young project participants were on site to witness the pouring of the concrete floor in the new arena. And they got the chance to leave their hand imprints, almost like the "Walk of Fame" in Hollywood.

Fourteen-year-old Danielle Kuehn is an eighth-grader at Naches Valley Middle School. She's blind and has participated in the Pegasus Project for the past four years.

Her mom, Debi, says, "Danielle takes pride in riding her favorite horse, Noel, which gives her self-confidence and great exercise."

The Pegasus Project is carried out in conjunction with Yakima's Children's Village, which serves children with special health care or developmental needs and their families. The project uses an intensive one-on-one medical model in which a physical therapist works with a rider using the movement of the horse as a treatment tool.

In the past, riders would have to stop their therapeutic horse riding when extreme weather set in. And that could be disappointing, especially after all of a rider's hard work and improvement.

Having a comfortable environment in which to ride during the cold of winter and excessive heat of summer will produce more consistent and constructive time for riding lessons and therapy, project organizers say.

"I fell in love with the mission of Pegasus, which is to improve the health of children with physical and mental needs," says 28-year-old Mary Zylstra, who became the Pegasus Project's program director about eight months ago. She had moved to Yakima from Michigan and began volunteering at the ranch.

"Our focus," she says, "is to strengthen the children's abilities, regardless of their individual disability."

Sherrie Leavitt's son, 6-year-old Colby, has autism and low muscle tone. He "completely enjoys riding the horses, and it has helped with his ability to walk," his mom says, adding that coming to the ranch is something Colby can look forward to.

It can also be treated almost as an incentive for good behavior.

"Tumbleweed Ranch has changed lives in a positive manner," Leavitt says.

Therapeutic horse riding not only helps with walking and physical abilities, but it can also improve social interactionand is just something fun for kids to enjoy.

Deidre Dellinger has been bringing her grandson, 10-year-old Brandon Sundquist, to ride the horses for the past four years. She says she finds the connection between the riders and horses "miraculous."

"It helps the synapses in the brain connect, resulting in Brandon being able to read and improve his agility, when he used to struggle just to get dressed," she says.

With the new indoor riding arena, organizers expect the program to expand immensely. Pegasus Project currently provides more than 240 individual lessons per eight-week session. And the indoor arena will give the opportunity to share this program with more people in the community.

*Teens are invited to volunteer at the Pegasus Project, located east of Yakima at McLaughlin Road and U.S. Highway 12. For more information, visit www.pegasusrides.com or call 965-6990.