Photo by John Gault Productions
Little Bit rider Cameron Boyd on therapy horse Spencer at the 2007 Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show dressed at the Cat in the Hat for the costume class.

Every year Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center holds the Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show and the Margo O’Callaghan Memorial Dressage Show at its facility in Woodinville. These shows are the largest annual equestrian competitions in this region for children and adults with disabilities.

One young man who will be participating this year is Cameron Boyd, who at 2 years of age, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor that was gradually cutting off the oxygen supply to his brain.

The surgery to remove the tumor caused significant injury to his brain, leaving him temporarily blind and unable to walk or talk, or even turn over.

Cameron’s mother, Jessica, remembers, “Before surgery, we could hear his laugh, see his smile, see him play. After surgery, he came out on a respirator, not able to move, not able to smile. He couldn’t do anything.”

His road to recovery was long and challenging, and that is where Little Bit came into the picture.

In addition to continuing his fight against cancer, Cameron had to relearn everything, from sitting up, to crawling, to speaking.

He participates in Hippotherapy, which is physical or occupational therapy using the movement of the horse as a treatment tool.

Little Bit therapist Steve McKenzie notes: “We’ve seen, in the last two years, a tremendous strength and balance progression where he’s now able to walk without a walker.”

He can also laugh, smile and even tell jokes, plus today Cameron is cancer free. McKenzie anticipates that Cameron will ultimately be able to transition into Little Bit’s Sport Riding program, and continue to receive therapeutic benefits while learning riding and horsemanship skills.

This year, Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center is celebrating 32 years of providing therapeutic horseback riding and Hippotherapy for children and adults with disabilities.

The Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show and the Margo O’Callaghan Memorial Dressage show give not only Cameron, but all of our riders an opportunity to focus on their abilities, not their disabilities.

For many children and adults with special needs, these shows are the highlight of their year. While able- bodied people have many opportunities to compete in a multitude of sporting events on a regular basis, there are few platforms that people with disabilities have to demonstrate their sporting and competitive skills.

Emerald Downs is proud to be the presenting sponsor of these shows. Everyone at Emerald Downs believes in the wonderful gift of horses to indeed “Change Lives One Stride at a Time” and are so happy to be involved in activities keeping people connected to horses.

Little Bit is open to the public during these events. The Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show will take place June 21-22 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day.

The Margo O’Callaghan Memorial Dressage Show will take place the following weekend on June 29 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

For scheduling information and driving directions, please call Little Bit at (425) 882-1554 or visit www.littlebit.org.

For information on presenting sponsor Emerald Downs, visit their website at www.emeralddowns.com.

The Pat Flynn Memorial Horse Show will take place June 21-22 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. each day.

The Margo O’Callaghan Memorial Dressage Show will take place June 29 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.