Ridhaan Palkar

Youth Volunteer

Ridhaan is a 14-year-old high school freshman at Sammamish High School. He’s been serving as a teen volunteer since mid-2025.

“I’ve always been passionate about volunteering in the community. Every week or so I share my love of music by performing flute pieces for residents in an assisted living home. I’m able to bring them joy by playing music. Seeing how the music can trigger both memories and emotions in them has sparked my interest in neuroscience especially understanding how the brain connects both memory and movement,” said Ridhaan. “Little Bit gives me the opportunity to explore that safe connection in a hands-on way. I can work with riders who have cognitive or physical conditions.  Riding helps them gain confidence, coordination, and independence. As a sidewalker and header I also work alongside therapists and others to support people with disabilities. Being able to work with children with disabilities and see them progress is really amazing!”

“In the future, I am interested in medicine and neuroscience. I’d like to help people in those areas. I am researching Parkinson’s disease right now and I know how rewarding music is to those living in assisted memory care. Whenever I go in there and play the flute for them it always brings back memories.

“I wanted to tell my story because since I’ve been volunteering, I’ve seen firsthand how Little Bit can impact the lives of these riders. Working weekly in Adaptive sessions and getting to work with the kids just made me want to share my story. I thought it would be interesting for you to hear my side of the story and what I can see as a volunteer here,” said Ridhaan.

Ridhaan continued, “I do know that LB is super impactful. I’ve seen the rider I work with and the riders in my Adaptive class get better, especially with speech and communication. They are able to handle the directions they are given. I’m really grateful for what Little Bit is doing now.”

Ridhaan shares about the Little Bit horses, “I’ve worked with a few horses. One of my first horses was Zazu! He was a little on the shorter end. I had the privilege of handing the reins to my rider or helping them like that. I also like Larry because he is big. I’m on the tall side, so we share that!”

Ridhaan learned about Little Bit through an internet search. He has a “big thing” with animals. When he found out that there’s this program in Redmond that helps those with disabilities get better, it made him want to volunteer here. At program orientation, he loved how everything was set up, how he got to interact, and see all of the horses.

“Ever since I’ve just been super excited to be here,” said Ridhaan. “The staff are super nice. The riders are super, super nice. Occasionally we’ll have conversations in our classes. I’m able to share some of my experiences and I’ve also been able to have some takeaways from the classes.”

What are your hopes for Little Bit’s next 50 years? Ridhaan knows exactly what he hopes for Little Bit. “I hope we can get more people in the program and more volunteers. I hope that they experience the same level of accomplishment where everyone feels welcome, supported, and inspired. I know Little Bit has so much potential to reach even more children, especially in the area we’re in. I hope more people experience that same confidence, joy, and independence from riding the horses here.”

“One of the biggest memories for me was seeing how my rider has improved his communication, going from being pretty quiet, to sharing some words. During the birthday celebration recently for one of the long-time riders in my class, it was so heartwarming and impactful—all of us came together. Some of the quieter riders were smiling and laughing. Getting that moment of appreciation in such an incredible atmosphere was outstanding. Especially because we were able to sing happy birthday, we had birthday hats, and because we were able to celebrate a rider who has been with Litle Bit for a long time,” said Ridhaan.

It's not just the loud, joyous moments that Ridhaan appreciations. He remembers being around the horses for the first time. Having that moment of silence was important to him. “Not all of the experiences are loud. They are also filled with silence and love.  I love being with the horses and the riders,” concluded Rihaan.

Find more 50th anniversary stories HERE.