RECREATIONAL RIDING

Adaptive Riding is recreational horseback riding lessons for individuals with special needs. Riders learn riding skills in an environment tailored to their individual needs and learning styles. We offer instruction to riders of all skill levels, from providing someone's first contact with a horse to advanced independent riders. Classes include arena riding, trail rides, and group activities. The goals for those in the adaptive riding program are riding-skill based, but individuals and parents often report many therapeutic benefits of participation. These benefits include improvements in physical strength, balance, coordination, mobility, self-confidence, self-control, peer interaction, and social skills.

HORSEMANSHIP

Horsemanship activities provide participants the opportunity to learn new skills while interacting with the Little Bit herd on the ground. Classes are personally tailored to promote confidence, empathy, body and behavioral awareness, critical thinking, sequencing and problem solving around horses, teamwork, as well as establishing an animal-human bond. The program is open to a wide range of disabilities.

Recreational lessons are taught by PATH International certified instructors. Lesson plans take into account the rider's physical, emotional, and mental strengths and limitations.

Who Benefits

Each week, approximately 174 children and adults with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 87 participate as a part of Little Bit’s Recreational programming. These participants represent over 50 diagnoses, and many have multiple diagnoses. Common diagnoses include, but are not limited to autism, developmental delay or disability, ADD/ADHD, cerebral palsy, and down syndrome.