It’s becoming a new normal to see two miniature ponies named Royal and Rhett outside the doors of Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Strides Pediatric Therapy, located in Eagle Mountain, is home to not only the two ponies but more horses that help with the treatment of child patients.

Currently, Huntsman is the only place the ponies visit outside of Strides.

Both Rhett and Royal are certified service animals that were donated to Strides in 2020 and have been fully vetted as “employees” of Huntsman. They are trained to slow their breathing and heart rate to help those around them feel comforted.

“It's just some sort of comfort, a little bit of joy and normalcy,” said co-owner of Strides and Draper resident Marley Juarez.

Smiles were big as the ponies made their way to their normal spot from where their trailer was parked, many visitors of the center stopping to pet and take pictures with them. And the joy only intensified as they made their way outside the main doors.

Most people described them as “chill” or “calm” which made it easy to come up to and pet the ponies.

“What’s funny is when they’re at home [and] they’re in a paddock, a big area, just the two of them, they run and play,” said Strides co-owner and Juarez’s mom, Elizabeth Lebrecht. “They know their job. [When] they get home, they act like regular horses.”

The visits all started because a Huntsman patient reached out to the equine facility. After the ponies were certified, it became a regular occurrence and they have visited at least six times since April.

The latest visit was Christmas-themed and the ponies donned Santa hats that split to cover their ears and candy cane horse blankets.

Juarez said that they will continue bringing the ponies to Huntsman, especially for holidays throughout the year because the center holds a special place in her family’s heart.

“My older sister actually was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma, and she was treated here at Huntsman and she is now a PA here,” Juarez said. “So it’s very full circle for us. Huntsman has a special place in our hearts after that, so we definitely plan to keep coming.”

The oldest Lebrecht, Maranda Lebrecht, was a patient for seven months at Huntsman during her early 20s when she was diagnosed with stage four lymphoma. Ten years later she works in the bone marrow transplant clinic as a physician’s assistant at the center helping other patients.

(From left to right) Family members Grace Lebrecht, Elizabeth Lebrecht, Maranada Lebrecht and Marley Juarez consider taking the ponies to Huntsman a “heart project.” (Rebecca Olds/The City Journals)

Maranda said that while the days were monotonous during her treatment, the medical staff did their best to help her live her life, even hosting a sorority formal in the center so she could attend.

Her mother called bringing the ponies to Huntsman her family’s “heart project.”

“It's such a gift to be invited back, to be invited here, and to be able to offer something to the patients,” Elizabeth Lebrecht said. λ