Tucked along the Tolt Pipeline trail, the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center dedicates itself to the notion that some of the best therapy for a range of disabilities can happen up in the saddle.

“A disabled rider may not be able to run or even stand without assistance, but here they might ride independently for 45 minutes. It is an enormous sense of achievement,” said Raeshell Sorensen, head instructor. 

Founded in 1976, Little Bit has become a national leader in providing services to riders of all ages with disabilities, including developmental delays, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and autism.  Kathy Alm, executive director of Little Bit, is also board president of the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA).

Riders as young as age 2 come from all over the Puget Sound region. “We work with more than 240 riders every week, 11% live in Woodinville, and 12% of our 350 volunteers are local residents,” Alm said.

Therapeutic riding, or hippotherapy, uses horses to combine physical and occupational therapies, achieving both physical and mental health benefits.  A horse’s motion simulates the three-dimensional action of the human pelvis during normal, upright walking.

“It is difficult to duplicate the motion of walking in a traditional clinical setting, and riding horses is certainly more rewarding than a therapy ball,” said Steve McKenzie, therapy services director. “Riding creates muscle memory that extends benefits to a rider after they are off the horse.” Those benefits include improvements to muscular coordination, strength, balance and posture.

Cognitive benefits are another result of therapeutic riding, improving sensory processing disorders such as autism.

“Many riders on the autism spectrum greatly improve their non-verbal abilities and have even said their first words on a horse.  It’s wonderful to see a progression in communicative skills as riders gain confidence,” McKenzie said.

Three types of programs are offered at Little Bit.  Hippotherapy provides intensive, individual sessions with a licensed physical therapist. Tracy Radford, community relations associate, explained, “It takes up to four volunteers to assist one rider. A therapist holds the reins and drives the horse from behind, while others walk along side and help adjust posture and ensure safety.” 

Adaptive Riding helps groups of one to four students achieve developmental goals through lessons and games involving general horsemanship. Introduced in 2001, Vaulting provides a more challenging lesson for experienced and independent students, where they learn to kneel in the saddle, ride backwards or even stand in the saddle.

Therapeutic riding involves a range of specialized equipment, including at least 20 different types of saddles and reins, and a ceiling mounted sling which transfers riders to their mount.

“It is very symbolic for a rider to be lifted out of a wheelchair to sit independently in a saddle.  They leave the confines of the chair and all its dependencies behind. They rise above their physical limitations. Once on a horse, you often can’t tell they are disabled,” said Radford.

High demand for the services at Little Bit mean there’s a wait list, currently at 200 people willing to wait as long as two years. When a placement becomes available, a detailed  assessment is conducted and a program is structured to meet the individual’s needs. One of 20 available horses is matched to the rider’s needs.

“Our goal is to have riders become as independent as possible,” Alm said.

Hippotherapy programs were first established in Western Europe in the early 1950s; programs reached North America in the late 1960s. Today, there are more than 700 therapeutic riding programs in the United States.

Riders are referred to Little Bit by doctors and therapists or by word of mouth. Despite serving riders with identifiable medical needs and including the direct participation of licensed physical therapists, hippotherapy sessions are not currently covered by medical insurance in the United States.

“More lobbying of the medical establishment is needed. Riders pay their own way, but we still need to raise $100 for each treatment session to cover operating costs.  That amounts to $24,000 each week,” said Alm.

The Woodinville center was founded as Little Bit Special Riders in 1976 by Woodinville residents Margaret Dunlap and Debra Powell Adams. Upon being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Dunlap responded by tackling her illness head-on. She recognized the physical skills employed when riding provided significant physical benefits which inhibited the progress of her disease.

Dunlap and Adams campaigned to the Woodinville Lions and regional network of 4-H clubs for support of a therapeutic center to serve Western Washington. With their backing, they received national-level training and instituted the first the volunteer-based program in the Pacific Northwest to be awarded national accreditation by NARHA. It is the largest full-time program in the Northwest.

“When I started working at Little Bit 11 years ago, there were only 12 horses for 74 riders and four full-time staff members.  Now we have 20 horses and 22 on staff.  We are indebted to our volunteers and financial contributors.  Our programs couldn’t happen without them,” said Alm. 

Little Bit, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is planning a new facility in Redmond which will double their capacity, both in the number of indoor arenas and paddocks, as well as increasing the number of stables to accommodate 40 horses.  They have already raised $8 million, and will meet their fundraising target after raising only $3 million more.  The major event of their fundraising campaign is the Reins of Life Auction, taking place on April 16, 2011.