Out of her wheelchair and sitting high on a 14 hand horse, Kamea looks gleeful in her hippotherapy class at Pegasus Riding for the Disabled.
However, the organisation is now fearing for its future, set to operate on less than a tenth of the funding it received prior to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Pegasus director Jane Thompson said the organisation received $18,322 in NDIS business through the 2016-17 financial year - a far cry from the $246,000 it used to be allocated in block disability funding from the government.
Felicity Williams Dowden's three-year-old son Sebastian suffers from Angelman syndrome, a congenital neurological disorder which causes both physical and intellectual disability.
The family dedicate clinical and recreational portions of Sebastian's NDIS package to cover the costs of weekly physiotherapy on horseback, known as hippotherapy sessions.
They hope it might soon enable him to walk independently.
"We hope to get him walking independently in the next one to two years," she said.
"We have friends with kids with the same conditions. This seems to have helped with them getting up and walking. It helps with his core strength but also there are lots of routine and social things he is learning."
Physiotherapist Marianne Davidson said participants' bodies moved in response to the horses gait and a lot of small movement and strength work was done relatively unconsciously.
"We don't need to be asking him to do this, that or the other, which can be difficult with children," she said. "We just move that horse in different ways and the whole time it is working Sebastian's core. Nothing else I know physio-wise can give you that stimulus to movement."
The funding shortfall has meant Pegasus has become far more reliant on donations and sponsorships support.
"Taking that kind of a dip would be breaking, but thankfully the support of the community has kept us going," Ms Thompson said.
Ms Thompson said prices had been pushed up for riders even though they were still charged less than half the service cost.
Meanwhile, the board is forging ahead with a plans to expand the service to new cohorts of disengaged youth, people suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental health issues.
"We are diversifying some of our programs, but that doesn't mean we are going off mission."
Pegasus has launched a pilot Cottage Program for 18-25 year olds to attract more NDIS-supported clients and hopes to raise enough money to launch equine-facilitated learning in future.
The current herd of 16 horses accommodated 106 clients. However, bringing this number to 25 would eliminate the current waiting list of 65 people.
Upskilling staff as well as purchasing and training more horses to launch an equine-faciliated learning wing had an estimated pricetag of $65,000.
On Saturday from 10am to 3pm, staff hope to raise much-needed funds to safeguard their future at a community Open Day complete with face-painting, horse demonstrations, music, a jumping castle, stalls and more.
Event details at www.pegasusact.com.au