History

MargaretIn 1976 Margaret Dunlap teamed up with riding instructor Debra Powell Adams at Woodinville Riding Club. Realizing that riding had inhibited the progress of Margaret's multiple sclerosis, she and Debra decided to start a therapeutic horseback riding program. Margaret began presenting their idea to numerous community groups. Initially known as Little Bit Special Riders, the program has grown from five students, one instructor and one horse, operating in a rented stable, to one of the largest full-time, therapeutic horseback riding programs in the United States. Nearly 250 riders a week from throughout the Puget Sound area receive Hippotherapy or Therapeutic Horseback riding instruction through Little Bit's six-days-a-week program

Therapeutic riding programs for people with disabilities were first established in Western Europe in the early 1950s and in North America in the late 1960s. Doctors, therapists and researchers were so impressed with the physical results of this therapy that many hospitals in Western Europe now have adjoining facilities for hippotherapy - utilization of the horse in therapy. The extraordinary growth of the number of therapeutic riding programs in the United States alone (currently more than 800 programs) gives evidence of the value and demand for such programs.

Little Bit has evolved from an organization operated entirely by volunteers to a highly professional program that is increasingly perceived as a model for other programs in its field. Little Bit was the first nationally accredited program (accredited by PATH) of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, is currently one of only three Premiere Accredited Centers in Washington State and is the largest, full-time therapeutic riding program in the Northwest.

 
Riding experiences at Little Bit can lead to beneficial life changes as unique as each rider. Your support allows Little Bit to help build brighter futures and greater opportunities for each of our riders in a fun environment.