What We Do

What is therapeutic riding?

People participating in Little Britches programs benefit in a variety of ways:  physically, emotionally, cognitively and socially. They are surrounded by a community of staff, volunteers and equines dedicated to their well-being. Their behaviors, disabilities and differences are accepted and understood. 

Our students improve muscle tone, balance, posture and coordination when riding a horse. Through the attainment of goals and the development of responsibility fostered by interactions with animals, individuals can experience an increase in self-esteem.

  • The science behind a Little Britches riding lesson is complex. To start, as a horse walks his hips rotate in the same fashion as a human. For a person who is unable to walk, the experience of riding a horse gives the same sensation as actually walking. The muscles in the rider’s hips are massaged throughout the lesson in a manner unlike any other therapy available. Once the rider gets off the horse, he or she may have improved gait for a few steps, a result of the muscle memory. These moments are extraordinary.

    Sensory integration is the neurological process of organizing information from the body and the environment making it possible to navigate space effectively. A sensory integration disorder results in difficulty processing information from the 5 senses, the sensory information is perceived abnormally causing confusion. Our horses are used to excite an abnormal sensory system in a calm and controlled setting. For instance, a person who relies on his or her sense of touch to facilitate functional behavior can benefit from feeling the horse’s soft coat or coarse mane. Add to that the twitch of a horse’s muscle as it reacts to a fly and the result is a sensation that helps the rider develop a better sense of the immediate environment.

    Many people with disabilities suffer from speech limitations often connected to weak torso muscles. Riding a horse presents a unique opportunity to improve torso strength and posture. Improved core strength and posture affect breathing. When riding a horse the rider is forced to sit taller and straighter, correcting poor posture and promoting better diaphragm mobility. This helps strengthen the voice to improve the quality of sound production.

What We Offer 

Little Britches is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) member center. All of our instructors are certified through PATH Intl.

Our PATH Intl certified instructors provide Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy (EAAT) to more than 80 riders a week. For those riders who are more physically involved, we have both physical & occupational therapists allowing these riders to participate in the program.

  • Several of our riders participate in the LB para-equestrian program. Para equestrians are riders with a classifiable physical or visual impairment. Many of these riders use adaptive equipment.

    Little Britches operates from March thru December. Riders have weekly 45-minute lessons. Our main location is the Tophet Road Farm in Roxbury and we have a satellite program at Shepaug High School’s Agriscience Academy.

Our Community

LB staff relies on numerous volunteers from the community. Many of our volunteers are local public and private high school students, in addition to home-schooled students and retirees.

  • We work with our local High Schools’ Agriscience programs. Little Britches provides an opportunity for students to fulfill their student agricultural experience (SAE) requirements. We work with both Nonnewaug High School’s Ellis Clark Regional Agriscience & Technology Program and Shepaug Regional High School’s Agriscience Academy. The Shepaug Agriscience program has a state-of-the-art indoor riding facility which they allow Little Britches Program to utilize for two 6-week sessions in the early spring and again in late fall. The additional 12 weeks provide our riders with more continuity.

    Students from the University of Scranton’s Occupational Therapy Program fulfill their fieldwork requirements while volunteering at Little Britches.