John Yeates Middle School student Sonye Taylor, 13, carried an Easter egg and rode Hanni, a hefty horse, for class on Wednesday.

“When you pull on the reins, you are telling her, ‘Whoa,’” said Taylor, one of eight special education students from the North Suffolk school participating in the Equi-Kids Therapeutic Riding Program in Virginia Beach. “That’s what I have learned today.”

Every year, Equi-Kids uses grants and donations to fund the six-week horseback riding class for six special-needs classes in Hampton Roads’ public school divisions, said Mary Campana, executive director of the nonprofit organization.

The program has a waiting list of elementary and middle schools wanting to participate. All participants must be under a doctor’s care for their respective disabilities, she said.

One of this year’s grants went to the class of John Yeates special education teacher Claudette Pierre.

The program meets weekly at the Virginia Beach stable, where students are split into two groups, according to program director Kathy Chitwood. One group gets horseback riding lessons, and the other learns grooming skills, breeds and equine care. After an hour, the groups swap places.

Although it wasn’t her first time on a horse, John Yeates student Lena Graham, 14, said she has learned something new every time her class has gone to the stable.

“I learned how to pet the horse,” said Graham. “It is a learning experience … and you are in control of your horse.”

That was the gist of Wednesday’s lesson. Instructors used different colors of tape on the reins — red for right, blue for left — as directional reminders.

Students are learning far more than they realize during their two hours a week at Equi-Kids, Pierre said. She added her class to the waiting list long ago, while calling to research private riding lessons that were part of a former student’s therapy plan.

“They are also learning social skills, how to work together as a team and to look out for each other,” Pierre said. “They’re also learning to follow rules and having an opportunity to take in a new environment.

“It’s particularly important for them to have hands-on experiences, so they incorporate and apply what they have learned in the classroom.”

Teachers say improved retention and focus is the biggest takeaway experience for students, said Kathy Chitwood, program director.

“It’s a new experience for them and helps build their self-esteem,” she said.

The organization offers a similar therapeutic riding program for wounded veterans, Equi-Vets.