Melissa Piccinati started coming to The Shea Center when she was a preteen. She is now 38 years old and considers The Shea Center a second home. Her mother, DeeAnne, says, “Coming to the Center is the highlight of Melissa’s week.”

Melissa loves being around horses, so her parents generously gifted her the sponsorships of Braveheart and Auggie.

As one of The Shea Center’s Inclusive Fitness Center clients, Melissa works out at Auggie’s stall with personal trainer/adaptive riding instructor Shari Masline. For exercise, Melissa stands holding on to the rails of the stall while talking to Auggie. She uses both her dominant and non-dominant hands to drop treats into his feed bucket.

When The Shea Center closed on-site client services, Melissa continued with her workouts and visits with Auggie via FaceTime. Through this virtual activity, Melissa’s telewellness services provided the opportunity for her to exercise Auggie by giving him verbal cues to walk, trot, and canter from a cell phone attached to Shari’s riding helmet.

Melissa can’t wait to be back on-site to work out in person with Auggie, her equine buddy.