Martin Pearce

Little Bit Parent and Former Board Member

Xander Pearce Brooks’ family watched him grow up at Little Bit. He started riding at age three or four, and today he’s a 20-year-old college student.

According to his dad, Martin, Xander’s experience as a rider helped him to feel powerful and confident in himself even while facing many challenges at a very young age. Xander learned early on to feel the power of the horse, and to feel that he had control over the riding experience, which gave him a sense of having power as well. Those moments of power and confidence happened “on the regular” at Little Bit, Martin says—something Xander was not able to experience as often in the school system or in other areas of everyday life. “I think the confidence and independence that he developed—during those early years especially—is something that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”

When Xander first started at Little Bit, he hadn’t yet begun to walk. With equine therapy as part of his regimen, he was able to start walking at age seven. Along with the physical benefits, Martin says, Xander learned things like trust, experiencing a connection between human and horse, as well as trust with volunteers who worked with him each week.

Talking about how Little Bit has shaped their family, Martin recalled how other types of therapy were more of a “drop off, pick up” kind of situation, more transactional. At Little Bit they felt an experience of community, being able to watch the therapy session and getting to know the volunteers who worked with Xander. Throughout the years their family formed dozens of lifelong relationships, which have continued beyond Xander’s time at Little Bit.

Martin, who has served as a Little Bit board member and participated in fundraising, said he is proud of how the organization has grown over the years. Having joined when the program was located in Woodinville, Martin was nervous that Little Bit would lose its identity in the process of relocating and growing. “Thankfully,” he says, “that didn’t happen. Thankfully we literally grew up in the right way. We maintained who we are at the core, in the DNA of the organization.” He’s proud of how Little Bit has been able to intentionally pivot over time, a skill which also helped them weather the COVID pandemic. “There’s a perpetual can-do attitude in the Little Bit community,” he says.

Asked to describe Little Bit in a few words, Martin chose “community, connectivity, compassion, care, can-do, positivity, willingness—it’s all positive.”

Written by Melanie Renk

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