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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesSteven Deastis, a retired police sergeant, says the resilience program at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center helped him work through PTSD after a 2019 SWAT shooting incident. According to a Sidelines Magazine interview published August 17, 2026, he completed the program in 2021, later became a Pegasus facilitator, and now supports the center’s plans for a new covered round pen called Hope Arena. His account is personal testimony. It is not a clinical outcome study, and the details below are reported as the interview describes them.
Who Steven Deastis is
According to the Sidelines feature, Deastis began his law-enforcement career with the New York Police Department at age 23 and later transferred to the Greenburgh Police Department in Westchester County. He describes assignments in community policing, the police explorer program, child-seat technician work, SWAT, and firearms instruction. The article reports 25 years of service and his retirement in 2023.
That background matters to the story because the center’s work with him began when his career-related stress was affecting him personally. The feature does not describe the 2019 incident in detail, and this article does not either.
From participant to facilitator
Sidelines reports that Deastis came to Pegasus while struggling with PTSD after the 2019 SWAT shooting incident, and that he completed the center’s resilience program in 2021. Asked about the experience, he described it in strong terms:
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“The experience I had was profound, and after it was over, I realized it had a major breakthrough with empathy and understanding of my emotions.”
He later became a Pegasus facilitator, helping other people go through the program. He says the role gave him purpose, and he describes seeing participants carry skills such as being present into their work and private lives. That is his observation of participants, not a measured result.
What the program is described as
The feature describes Pegasus’s work as equine-assisted services built on groundwork and relationship-based experiences between horses and people. It names veterans, first responders, trauma survivors, and others facing emotional and behavioral challenges among the people the center serves. The interview does not give session formats, fees, length of the program, or eligibility criteria, so those details should be confirmed directly with the center.
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What Deastis says Duke taught him
Much of Deastis’s account centers on a horse named Duke. He describes the animal’s physical power alongside a softer, reserved side. He says Duke showed him how to regulate his emotions.
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In one moment he recalls, he became emotional, teared up, and allowed himself to feel the emotion and work through it while Duke stayed with him. He describes it as a quiet, hands-on moment rather than a conversation. For readers who work with horses, the detail is worth noting: the horse’s calm presence, not any instruction or technique described in the interview, is what he credits with making the moment possible.
Deastis also sums up the lesson in a line he offers to others:
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“Your job always gave you the physical tools to get the job done. Give yourself the emotional tools to enhance your life going forward.”
Hope Arena: what is planned and what is not yet confirmed
The feature describes Hope Arena as a purpose-built covered round pen intended to expand Pegasus’s equine-assisted services to veterans, first responders, trauma survivors, and others facing emotional and behavioral challenges. Deastis frames the project around reach:
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- Long-lasting Build: Built with a strong metal frame for excellent load-bearing capacity. This riding horse toy features a soft, thickened seat, smooth wooden handles, and sturdy pedals, providing comfortable riding experience that stays like new over time
- Secure Design: Equipped with an anti-roll stop ring for smooth forward movement. This ride on horse toy uses PU wheels that glide quietly while protecting floors, allowing kids to play safely and confidently
- All-Terrain Fun: Suitable for wooden floors, low-pile carpets, and outdoor surfaces like yards or concrete. This horse ride on toy comes in multiple sizes, making it suitable for play anywhere from home to the park
- Easy to Use: Simple assembly with battery installation and body attachment. Designed as one of the ideal horse toys, it supports forward and backward movement with responsive steering, easy for kids to control even in small spaces
The interview is the source for that description. Its opening status and current schedule were not confirmed by independent sources at the time of writing, so readers should treat Hope Arena as a planned expansion unless the center confirms it is operating.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read a personal account like this
Deastis’s story is useful because it is specific, but it has clear limits. It is one participant’s account, shared in an interview, and it describes a benefit he experienced rather than a result measured across a group. The feature does not present outcome data, and it does not claim the program treats PTSD.
The interview also includes an unnamed chief’s remark: “It’s therapy without having to talk.” The chief is not identified in the article, so the remark should be read as an anonymous observation. It is a vivid description of the experience, not evidence about how well it works.
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Questions to ask before choosing an equine-assisted program
The Sidelines interview asks what Deastis would tell someone unsure whether equine-assisted services are right for them. His published answer is not reproduced here. The questions below are general suggestions for any program, not statements from Pegasus.
- Who runs the sessions, and what training or credentials do the staff and facilitators hold?
- Is the program intended as therapy, as mental health support, or as a skills-based experience? Ask what it is and is not designed to do.
- Will a licensed clinician be involved, and how does the program work alongside any treatment you already have?
- How are horses selected, cared for, and given rest between sessions?
- What are the costs, cancellation terms, and eligibility requirements?
- If a session is emotionally hard, what support is available during and after it?
For Pegasus specifically, confirm current program details and facility status directly with the center rather than relying on this article or the interview.
Source: Cecilia Cole, “Steven Deastis: A Story of Healing and Hope at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center,” Sidelines Magazine, August 17, 2026.
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