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NARHA Premier Accredited Center |
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is to improve the bodies, minds and spirits of children
and adults with disabilities through equine-assisted therapy and to
be an inspiration and educational resource to the therapeutic riding
profession, both regionally and nationally.
| "Horseback riding is my life, it always comes first with me.
It lets me go places I can't get to in my wheelchair. I can't make my legs
do what I want when I am on the ground, but when I am on my horse, I can use
my arms and legs to do amazing things." |
| - Rider for 26 years |
| "After riding at Little Bit for three weeks, my son was able to sit
independently.
Before this therapy, he was not able to sit alone." |
| - Parent of a rider |
| "One of the first riders I helped at Little Bit was six years old.
At first I side-walked with him. When he didn't need a sidewalker, I switched to leading his
horse. About a year and a half later, his instructor said he would be riding independently.
Wow! The system worked! Little bit by little bit he'd learned to ride on his own. I was
out of a job, and it felt wonderful!" |
| - Volunteer |
Located in Woodinville, WA, Little Bit's 4-1/2 acre facility includes
15 program horses, outdoor arena, 9 paddocks (turnouts), 20-stall barn with
tack room, covered indoor arena, physical therapy room, administrative offices,
and conference room. The adjacency to the Tolt Pipeline offers riders trail
ride opportunities and a rural atmosphere while just 20 minutes from Seattle.
photo by Humanature Photography
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Through our Therapeutic Riding program,
children, youth and adults with physical
and/or developmental disabilities improve physical health, relax tight muscles,
increase balance, build muscle strength, sharpen hand/eye coordination, improve
social skills, and gain a sense of control and self-confidence as the rider
experiences a freedom never felt before.
The horse's soothing rhythm, strength, warmth, and three-dimensional
movement pattern provides healthy exercise while improving circulation and muscle tone.
The discipline associated with working with horses and the social interactions between
peers benefit the mind and spirit while raising self-esteem and increasing self-sufficiency
through accomplishment. The unconditional love of the horses is proved to reduce anxiety,
encourage interaction and offer a
haven where riders can feel a sense of empowerment.
Little Bit works to increase awareness of disabilities in the community
and is nationally accredited by NARHA, the national association for therapeutic riding centers.
In addition to Little Bit's riding programs, Little Bit hosts seminars,
workshops and conferences aimed at educating professionals in the therapeutic riding industry.
Founded in 1976, Little Bit is a leader in the field of
therapeutic horseback riding and the first nationally accredited program of
its kind in the Northwest. In 1992 Little Bit was selected from more than 500
therapeutic riding centers in North America to receive the Delta Society's
Model Program Award of Excellence for performing outstanding service in
bringing people and animals together.
Show More
History. . .
In 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. The Woodinville Lions and numerous 4-H clubs from
throughout Western Washington became the first supporters, and Little
Bit Therapeutic Riding Center was born. The club support sent Debra
to the Chef Center for her training and purchased the needed equipment
and arena time. 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. More than 190
students a week from throughout the Puget Sound area receive
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 1950's and in North
America in the late 1960's. 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 700 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 the North
American Riding for the Handicapped Association, NARHA) 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.
Show details for 1976-1990
1976 | Little
Bit was the first program in the Northwest to be fully accredited by the North
American Riding for the Handicapped Association. The largest full-time center
operating in the Northwest, Little Bit currently provides this unique
recreational approach to therapy to over 150 students each week. |
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1985 | Initiated
Team Little Bit, recognizing riders with disabilities as competitive athletes.
Little Bit sent a team of riders to the United Cerebral Palsy National Games at
Michigan State University where they captured three first place medals. In
1986, Team Little Bit competed in the British Columbia Championships for the
Physically Disabled and were equally impressive. |
1985/1986 |
Won third place and fourth place, respectively, in the Medina Foundation
Management Excellence Award. |
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1987 | Produced
the first Northwest regional horse show for riders with disabilities - the Pat
Flynn Memorial Horse Show - which has become an annual event. |
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1987 | Purchased the four and one-half acre facility it
had leased for the last nine years. |
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1988 | Instituted
Washington's first equine facilitated therapy program for children under the age
of six. |
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1989 | Groundbreaking for Phase One of the Stable Future
Project. |
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1990 | Established
itself as an international resource, hosting Dr. Mitsutoshi Kawamura, a
physical therapy professor from Kanazawa University in Japan and Dr. Dimitry Tsverava, the director of a therapeutic riding program in Georgia, former Soviet Union, as a goodwill gesture and international exchange of ideas and information.
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Show details for 1976-1990
| 1991 |
Presented the first international seminar,
Advanced Hippotherapy, to over forty physical and occupational
therapists, health professionals and therapeutic riding instructors
from California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
and Canada. The featured presented was Myriam Rehle,
a physical therapist from the Rommel Clinic in Wildbad, Germany,
which specializes in cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and
other neurological impairments. |
| 1991 |
Sent three members of Team Little
Bit to the USCPAA Victory Games on Long Island, New
York, where they won three gold medals, two silver medals,
and a bronze medal while competing against members of the
United States Disabled Olympic Team. |
| 1992 |
Little Bit was selected from
more than 500 therapeutic riding centers in North America
to receive the Delta Society's Model Program Award of Excellence
for performing outstanding service in bringing people and
animals together. |
| 1993 |
Completion of Phase III of the
Stable Future Project. The new Administration and Training
Complex contains offices for staff, a treatment room and office
for physical therapists, an observation room, and a classroom. |
| 1994 |
Little Bit receives a five year
accreditation from NARHA. This is the hardest level of accreditation
to obtain and is an indication of the professional level of
the program as viewed by the national association! |
| 1995 |
Forty-two riders receive almost
$10,000 in tuition waivers to participate in therapy. Little
Bit now has three NARHA certified instructors. |
| 1996 |
Little Bit conducts its first
instructor training course in its new classroom facility.
The classroom is also the site of a NARHA regional meeting,
a NARHA accreditation training and veterinary talks open to
the general public. |
| 1997 |
The Pat Flynn Memorial Horse
Show becomes a USCPAA sanctioned horse show. This means that
participants can qualify for a spot on the US Paralympic Team
in 1998. There are only six qualified shows in the United
States. |
| 1999 |
Little Bit began offering Hippotherapy
in partnership with Bear Creek Children's Therapy. Hippotherapy
is one-on-one therapy with a physical therapist using the
horse as a physical therapy tool. The movement of the horse
creates a three-dimensional pattern that cannot be duplicated
in traditional physical therapy settings. |
| 2000 |
Was awarded Premiere Accredited
status by NARHA. |
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The Developmental Model was created
as a transitional program for those riders ready to move from
Hippotherapy, yet not quite ready for a group lesson. Little
Bit's Developmental Model is led by a Physical Therapist with
all of Little Bit's instructors in attendance. This continues
the education of Little Bit instructors as well as giving
them an opportunity to learn about a specific rider before
they are a part of a group class. |
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Celebrated the 25th anniversary
of the founding of Little Bit. |
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Hosted: Two day sensory integration
workshop attended by therapeutic professionals from around
the region; one day Hippotherapy workshop for Physical Therapists
from around the country. |
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Was the recipient of facility
improvements courtesy of NAIOP (an office park development
association) who raised $50,000 and brought over 200 volunteers
to Little Bit for a day of work. |
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Began partnership with Bastyr University to offer
a yearly "Introduction to Therapeutic Riding" Course |
| 2001 |
Margo O'Callaghan, a long-time rider at Little
Bit, qualifies for the 2002 Advanced Rider list in competition. |
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2003 |
Completed a Mortgage Reduction
campaign, paying off a $234,000 mortgage on the facility. |
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Hosted: NARHA Region 9 Conference, including
professionals from Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana,
and British Columbia; NARHA onsite Advanced Instructor Certification
Evaluation Weekend; Introduction to Hippotherapy Course |
| 2004 |
Developed and presented the Advanced Instructor
Prep Workshop |
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Long-time rider Margo O'Callaghan ranks seventh
on the US Paralympic Team |
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Developed protocol for Little Bit-directed research
on the effect of Hippotherapy on children with Autism |
| 2005 |
Five Riders, three horses and one staff return
from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center and participating in
the CALNET Horseshow, the largest horse show for people with
disabilites, winning the majority of their classes. |
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Launched a feasibility study to determine the
potential for a capital campaign to dramatically increase capacity
of the course of the next five years. |
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Little Bit topped 200 rides per week provided
in Sport Riding, Hippotherapy, Developmental Model, and Developmental
Vaulting classes |
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HISTORY
