Zoe is one of ten Little Bit instructors certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International. Previously a classroom teacher, Zoe always knew she wanted to work with kids, horses, and people with disabilities, she explains, she just didn’t know this job existed. After interning at Little Bit, Zoe became a full-time instructor in 2021. “I cannot speak highly enough about how [my internship] prepared me to be an instructor,” she says.
PATH International outlines the process of becoming a certified instructor on their website at pathintl.org. There is a curriculum that all potential instructors must follow and will be tested on before receiving their certification. Anyone interested in becoming an instructor will also need to gain hours in equine management and working with people with disabilities. Little Bit instructors regularly attend PATH conferences and training to continue their education and to make sure they are up to date on best practices. As a national and regional leader in equine-assisted services, Little Bit often hosts and/or facilitates training for both continuing education for our instructors and professionals from other centers seeking their certifications.
Little Bit provides safe, quality lessons that help people representing over 100 different diagnoses to feel seen and heard, and ensure that their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs are met, thanks to instructors who are informed and knowledgeable about the situations their students are coming from. Zoe describes her job as facilitating the connection between people and horses.
What’s the difference between a regular riding instructor and one certified by PATH International? Zoe explains that Little Bit instructors are “qualified to facilitate interactions between people and horses with an eye for safety.” Little Bit instructors make sure the arena is clear and quiet, find horses and tack that are the best fit for the riders’ needs, based on their abilities, and help determine short- and long-term goals for riders. The goals, both in their riding skills and in their everyday lives, are determined by assessing what needs they have in and out of the arena and determining how riding lessons can support those needs. In some cases, unlike typical riding lessons, riders’ goals may be to maintain instead of improve their conditions.
Instructors come up with creative ways to keep people engaged and have the benefit of a facility, community, and knowledgeable team of staff and volunteers to help overcome challenges. Instructors adapt to the needs of their riders to provide a recreational opportunity for people who otherwise may not have access to horses or horseback riding, or in some cases any physical, outdoor activities. Little Bit arenas are outfitted with mounting blocks, ramps, and hoists, allowing instructors to utilize different methods of mounting and dismounting. An instructor’s main goal is to provide safe and effective lessons ̶ with FUN!
Zoe describes her greatest joy as an instructor as seeing the joy, warmth, and love the riders and volunteers have for the horses and each other, and watching them build relationships.
What does a typical day in the life of an instructor look like? There’s no such thing! Aside from teaching lessons, you may find Little Bit instructors setting up the arenas, schooling horses, helping in other Adaptive Riding classes or Therapy sessions, leading volunteer trainings, or taking notes on any changes in riders and their conditions to ensure their needs are being met. As a mentor (another PATH designation), Zoe sets aside time every month to work with Little Bit’s interns.
Little Bit’s internship program helps bring people into this type of work. It trains interns specifically in the Little Bit way so that once they become instructors, they can teach at the same level and with the same quality provided by all Little Bit instructors, and provide the same quality of care for our horses and riders. The time commitment of the internship varies depending on the intern’s availability but can generally be completed in one year. It includes goal setting, volunteering in Little Bit programs and on the Barn Team, incorporating areas of interest to the intern, lesson planning, completing an intern project, and an evaluation. Little Bit staff members have mentored dozens of interns and helped them learn the “what,” “why,” and “how,” of adaptive riding and how to teach those elements, which is what distinguishes a PATH certified instructor.
So, why choose to become an instructor at Little Bit? Little Bit has been serving families in the greater Seattle area since 1976 and has built a communal knowledge that is ingrained in our staff. Little Bit is one of the largest therapeutic riding centers in the country, providing equine-assisted services to over 500 children, adults, and seniors annually. It is the only therapeutic riding center accredited by PATH in King County, and one of only five Premier (highest level) centers in Washington state. Also, “We have the best horses,” says Zoe, “they are highly trained and specialized for this work.”
Zoe explains that having more highly qualified instructors would allow us to continue providing this life-impacting activity and provide services to more people. If you are interested in this type of work, she suggests checking out our website at www.littlebit.org/internship-opportunities and giving her a call. Little Bit looks for the following traits in instructor interns:
· A passion for horses and people.
· Riding experience and knowledge about horses.
· The desire to teach and to work with people with disabilities.
· The ability to be accepting and inclusive with a drive for equity.
“Watching students, volunteers, and instructors love these horses and work so hard everyday to make sure they can reach the best of their ability is really magical,” says Zoe.
Written by Callie Hall
Photos by Kimberly Lind Photography
