Nonprofit GallopNYC Uses Horses to Provide Therapy to People with Disabilities
As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, CBS2 is introducing you to a nonprofit with a mission to enhance lives with the help of horses.
On Tuesday, reporter Jenna DeAngelis spoke to some riders about the impact.
The second Nino Chitashvili gets on a horse she feels a sense of calm.
"I was a little bit nervous and then I see the horse," Chitashvili said.
Being around these animals has changed her life, explained by her mom.
"She has trouble sometimes expressing herself. She gives commands, so that's very empowering for her," Eka Khuchua said. "I think it helped her a lot. She's more confident."
That's the goal at GallopNYC, a nonprofit providing therapeutic horseback riding to people with disabilities.
"I've seen incredible changes in the lives of our riders. I've seen riders who take their first step. I've seen riders that say their first word," said James Wilson, executive director of GallopNYC. "Everybody who rides a horse, their life gets better and what we're doing is providing that access to people that might not be able to get it."