Parent Testimonials

Jacob S
10 years old – PraderWilli Syndrome
Riding for a few years!  

My son Jacob has been participating in therapeutic horseback riding since he was 4 years old.  Jacob was born with PraderWilli Syndrome.  Since birth, Jacob has received hundreds of hours of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy etc. and nothing has been quite as powerful as his interaction with the horses!  

Horses have given my son confidence and an "I CAN" attitude in life.  Jacob sets no limits for himself, and therefore I believe he has no limits!  Before Jacob began riding he was a clingy child.  He often wanted someone else to "do it for him"!  Now he can't wait to do things independently and unafraid to experience new things.  Horses have improved Jacobs muscle tone and balance.  Born with low tone, Jacob was very clumsy and would often trip and fall.  Riding has given him better balance and coordination.  It's also strengthened his body.

Almost magically, Jacob began speaking when he first interacted with horses.  I think it was a combination of his new found self-confidence and the fact that he loved the horses so much and had so much to say!  In any case, after horses became a regular part of Jacob's week, his expressive language seemed to EXPLODE!!!

When Jacob is on a horse, he's just like any other "typical" 10 year old boy.  His OCD seems to relax and is rarely even noticeable!  He's able to focus and feel good about himself!  Horses have been the key to his success!  

We are grateful to all of the therapists who have worked with Jacob over the years: especially the velvety nosed ones who have helped Jacob be the very best he can be!

Alyssa C
3 years old – Cerebral  Palsy
Riding for 1 year

Alyssa was born at 26  weeks 1lb. 9 oz. and spent 10 weeks at the NICU.  She was released at 5 lbs. as a "healthy" preemie.  We noticed that she was not developing even as a delayed infant, we took her to a P/T that a friend recommended.  The P/T told us to see a neurologist we had a MRI done.  She was diagnosed with injury to her brain primarily affecting her motor skills.  She started Hippotherapy in July 2009 as several therapists suggested it. 

Alyssa has terrible trunk control and cannot sit up – the Hippotherapy has helped steady her torso.  The first month was difficult as she was afraid of the horse but after that she now looks forward to coming to therapy 3 times a week.  She has a long way to go but has gotten a lot stronger.  We expect that she will start sitting without assistance for more than a minute or two in the coming months.  We credit the Hippotherapy with helping her achieve this.

Alan J
5 year old – Autism
Riding for 8 months

When Alan started he did not have any coordination and he had such bad posture.  He was very agitated.  Now he is another boy, better posture, he got very calm with the horses he loves it.  He has more attention now and it has been helping him a lot with his sensory problems.  He loves the horses; it has been wonderful on his life.  Thank you guys very much for your hard work to recover all these children.

Angelina D
12 years old – Autism
Riding for 3 years

Ever since Angelina started here riding at Bit by Bit, we have witnessed a great improvement regarding her behaviors on the days that she receives therapy.  We plan on finishing this type of therapy for Angelina for as long as she wants us to.

My son Nate loves to come and ride the horses.  It is great therapy for him.  He loves to be outside and this type of therapy fits him just right.  It's nice to have a therapy session outdoors versus one that a child has to be in a closed classroom setting.  Nate needs physical activities for therapy.  When we tell Nate he's going to ride the horses, his face lights up and he has a smile from ear to ear.  It's nice to see him enjoy something so much.  I'm thankful that we've been given the opportunity to ride the horses for therapy.  I would recommend this type of therapy to anyone.

Ryan F
5 year old
Riding for 10 months

In the time Ryan has been involved in the Bit by Bit Therapy, he has improved his balance and coordination.  He is more confident and willing to try new things off the horse as well, such as riding his bicycle without training wheels.  Ryan has also benefitted from the speech component of this program, and interacts well with his therapist.  I think this is an excellent program, run by well trained and very caring therapists.  We are thankful to be able to be part of this program.

Jadon A
6 years old – ADHD , Asperger's, reactive attachment disorder
Riding for 2 months

Although it has only been 2 months since Jadon started riding, I have seen some great changes in his self-esteem, core strength and his ability to focus and listen to directions.

Julia A
7 years old – Sensory integration – Reactive attachment disorder
Riding for 2 months

Julia has only been riding a short time but has made much progress in her core strength even better she has made such a connection with the horses which is amazing because with reactive attachment disorder she lacks the ability to bond or attach emotionally.

Sammy is 6 year old.  He has been coming to Bit by Bit for almost 3 years.  He loves riding his horse.  He is so happy when we talk to him about coming to his horse therapy.  Sammy cannot walk or talk or sit by himself.  However as his parents, we recognize all his feelings.  We know for sure that horse therapy is one of his favorite activities.  He also loves swimming and listening to music.  Since he has been doing horse therapy, he has improved his ability to hold his head for longer periods.  He has such better truck support and his quality of life has improved.  He is doing something he loves to do!  The therapists here at Bit by Bit are great and caring.  Thanks Bit by Bit for your wonderful work with these special kids.

John G
10 years old – Autism
Riding for 6 years

Nicky was 3 years old when we found out that he had autism.  Our first therapist was Susan March.  At the time she recommended that Nicky could be better if we start hippotherapy and it was the best thing we did for Nicky and it is his favorite.  He loves riding horses and it has helped him a lot.  I would recommend it to anybody.  Bit by Bit is wonderful. I would say it helped him a lot on his motor skills.

Romando F
11 years old – Autism
Rising for 5 years

The Bit by Bit program has proven to be beneficial to our son.  Romando has better form and posture.  His speech has improved by way of him being coached to give the horse verbal commands to move and stop.  He has learned about depth perception by riding on the horse backwards and then forwards.  Most importantly he has learned to have respect for the horse knowing that he is one with him when he mounts him.  This program is proven and very helpful.  The smile on his face shoes it.

Maximus C
2 years 9 months – Autism
Riding for 8 months

Maximus was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 years and 1 month.  We have seen a big difference in our son.  He use to tip toe walk a lot, and with the horses that has gone away.  Our son would not say any words before starting with Bit by Bit.  Now he is repeating so much.  We see him very calm after riding.  He has also made friends with the horses.  He loves to come and see all of the horses and ride them.  Max has more confidence in himself after riding and I see him happy.  We truly love this program.  We are so thankful for everyone at Bit by Bit…

Jeremy V
3 ½ years old – Autism
Riding for 6 weeks

Thank you for all the support this therapy is doing for Jeremy.  Jeremy from the beginning was scared of the horse. However Jeremy now has improved.  Moreover Jeremy is happy about horse therapy and he has developed great confidence.  Jeremy also is more verbal, the speech is better much better.

Adam B
2 years old  - CP – Spastic Diplegia
Riding for 4 months

We adopted Adam from Kazakhstan.  He came home in February 2009 at one year old.  He was diagnosed with spastic diplegia.  We started PT then OT.  We he was home for a bit over a year, we found Bit by Bit.  It has been amazing!  All of his therapists have commented on how far he has come.  His posture is better so is his balance.  He loves it!  We wouldn't trade his therapy for anything.  Adam doesn't walk on his own yet (he uses a walker), but we know it will happened and even sooner thanks to Bit by Bit.

Devin V
4 years old
Riding for 5 months

Devin just got started riding the horses about 5 months ago.  In the short time he has been coming, every time he comes I see how happy and calm he is afterwards.  Interacting with the horse and his therapist, I believe has helped him become more aware of others even showing interest in other children.