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| August 2009 |
Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Bits & Pieces ENews |
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| Welcome! |
Welcome to our first email newsletter! We are very excited about the opportunity to share the happenings at Little Bit with you in this easy to read and timely format. Our intention is not to replace our printed newsletter entirely. There will still be one more printed newsletter this year allowing us space for more in-depth news and pictures. However, by producing an email newsletter, we can easily communicate current events while having the added benefit of "going green". In addition, we are always looking at ways to better use our financial resources, (75% of which are provided by donors), and this is a great way to do just that. As with any new venture, we welcome your feedback so please feel free to let us know what works and what doesn't. Enjoy our first adventure into the email newsletter world. Sincerely,
Kathy Alm, Executive Director |
| Reins of Life Auction - Grand Slam Gala |
A Message from Kelly Olerud
What a wonderful turn out for our 2009 Reins of Life Grand Slam Gala! The room was filled with a community that knew exactly why they were there - to support Little Bit and the amazing people they serve. We have heard great feedback from so many about the program, the auction items, the two videos, our new auctioneer and we are proud to announce that this year's Reins of Life Auction raised over $362,000. We suspect that the economic climate we find ourselves in has had an affect on our final numbers (down 10% from our goal), but are thrilled with the amount of enthusiasm for our mission throughout the evening.
Thank you so much for all of your dedication and support of Little Bit. We are truly humbled by all of you! It's because of your hard work that Little Bit is able to do what they do every day; improve the bodies, minds and spirits of children and adults with disabilities.
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| Summer Horse Shows |
Thank you to all the Sponsors, Judges, Volunteers and Riders that made our two horse shows a fabulous success!
3rd Annual Margo O'Callaghan Memorial Dressage Show, June 13-14
Beth Levine on Mahon in the Grade 3 Dressage test. Beth has ridden in every horse show since coming to ride at Little Bit over 15 years ago, and also competes on the national level, vying for a spot on the United States ParaEquestrian Dressage Team for 2010. Mahon is a Haflinger Pony and has been a program horse at Little Bit for 3 years.
The Margo Show boasted over 50 riders from four states and three foreign countries! Pictured here is Barbara Adside from Santa Barbara, California riding Sunny, one of our 4-legged therapists (and Dressage horses when necessary!)
23rd Annual Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show, June 27-28
Emma Eichner is all dressed up for the costume class. Riders participate in a variety of skill and fun based competitive classes in this horse show. Over 90 Little Bit riders participated in the show this year!

Ali Steenis rides Bear through her Advanced Obstacle Course. The amazing thing is...Ali is visually impaired! Ali can listen to the horse's footfalls and hear how close the horse is to the rail, the obstacles, etc and make the "right move". She walks the course on foot with a guide, sometimes several times, and then has only one chance to ride it on horseback for a ribbon. Ali won a blue ribbon! She teaches all of us to use our senses in everything we do and never give up.
To see the photos taken by Dale Garvey and John Bradshaw, please visit our Snapfish albums. For Dale's Saturday pictures, please click here, for Dale's Sunday pictures, please click here, for John's pictures from both days, please click here.
Bob Gassen of Humanature Photography also took photos at both shows. His photos are available at Humanature Horse Show Photos. Click on Image Center at the bottom of the page. |
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| Mission Statement |
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Our mission 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. |
| Save the Date! |
Extraordinary Strides
● Transforming Lives
Join Co-Chairs John & Kelly Olerud and Honorary Chairs Mike & Phyllis Dunmire for a special Expansion Celebration Saturday, October 17, 2009 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. @ Little Bit, Redmond (18669 NE 106 St., Redmond, 98052)
Kick off the exciting public phase of our $11 million campaign to expand our facilities and increase rider capacity. Learn about the new facility design and campaign progress as well as enjoy a rider demonstration.
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| Emerald Downs |
Little Bit Day at the Races was July 12th with Little Bit Riders Eric Angelo and Alyssa Shields braving one of the only rainy days this summer to showcase their riding skills. With Eric on MacDuff and Alyssa on Spencer, Jeff Angelo stole the crowds attention sharing Eric's story and what the Little Bit community means to them. While attendance may have been down that day, we had a lot of visitors to the Little Bit booth, and with the help of several volunteers, over $700 was raised! A huge thank you goes out to Emerald Downs, the Angelo Family, the Shields' Family, all our volunteers who came out that day, and as always, our wonderful four-legged therapists!
A crowd of over 200 came out to Emerald Downs on August 15th to the 9th Annual Run the Mile, to both sink their feet into the track and help raise money for Little Bit. The fun run attracts a range of runners and walkers, from high school cross country teams and marathon runners to daily walking groups and members of the Little Bit community. After the race, everyone enjoyed a fabulous BBQ put on by Emerald Downs and enjoyed the rest of the day watching the races. Thank you to Emerald Downs for organizing such a great event and to all the runners and walkers who came out to enjoy the track and beautiful day!
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| 2008 Volunteer of the Year - Tanya Randall |
 During the 2009 Reins of Life Auction, we took a moment to recognize Little Bit Volunteer of the Year Tanya Randall, pictured here with Little Bit Executive Director, Kathy Alm. Tanya has volunteered at Little Bit for seven and a half years and has donated in excess of 1200 hours to Little Bit and our riders. In addition to serving in the barn as a class volunteer two days a week, Tanya is a Volunteer Captain and participates in training new volunteers, providing ongoing education, and helping to organize the busy barn. She is also a fixture at Little Bit events, she has volunteered at our own Horse Shows, the Evergreen Classic Horse Show, the Auction, Uncork the Dream Wine Event, and Rider Showcases. Tanya goes above and beyond what is asked when it comes to fulfilling the needs of Little Bit. Recently, she noticed that we were in need of new "wands" for our wand and rings activity. This activity is utilized during Hippotherapy sessions to improve dexterity, movement, and balance in our riders. Tanya took it upon herself to purchase the materials needed and construct the wands. There are dozens of examples where Tanya saw a need and addressed the issue without even needing to be asked. On behalf of our riders, we thank Tanya and the 500 other volunteers who serve at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. You truly make a difference in our rider's lives. |
| Uncork the Dream Wine Event |
 Now in it's second year, Uncork the Dream 2009 provided our 85 guests a great evening of spectacular food and amazing wine in the gardens of Willows Lodge. Thank you to all who made Uncork the Dream possible and helping us raise nearly $20,000 to support Little Bit!
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| Thank you to Windermere Bellevue Commons Office! |
 On Friday, July 19, fifty staff members from the Bellevue Commons Windermere Office came to Little Bit to brighten our facility on a rainy day! The crew from Windermere painted the indoor arena, replaced a loafing shed roof, mowed & edged lawns, cleaned gutters, cleaned the office and public areas and spruced up the entire facility. Pictured are several of the Windermere volunteers who joined us for the work party, hard at work preparing and painting poles and standards for the Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show.
Thank you Windermere Bellevue Commons staff for all your great work! |
| A Change in Terminology |
 For many years, Little Bit has been on the forefront of the industry in many ways, during which "Therapeutic riding" has become a standard term. During the last couple of decades, the number of different activities falling under the term "therapeutic riding" has necessitated the need for a clarification of the terminology. We are changing the terminology that we use to describe these services with the intention of further clarifying the differences between the recreational activities and the therapy services that we offer to our clients. In the riding skill based program (what we have previously referred to as "sport riding"), we are shifting to a new and more accurate term of Adaptive Riding. This term defines our riding skills program more accurately as we utilize some adaptive techniques and/or equipment as needed and as appropriate in order to teach riding skills to serve our population of people with disabilities.
Simply stated: Adaptive Riding teaches riding skills to people of various ability levels, utilizing adaptive techniques.
We provide two different types of services, those that are recreational in nature - Adaptive Riding, and those that are therapy - Hippotherapy. The difference between the two is significant, but often misunderstood. Adaptive Riding is skill based riding lessons, which can have a therapeutic value. Hippotherapy is Physical, Occupational or Speech therapy, utilizing the movement of the horse to achieve therapy goals. | |
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