Alyssa Pitts, founder of Healing by Horseback, uses the skills she gained during her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education, Communication and Technology, with a concentration in agricultural communications, even as a speech pathologist.

     Pitts had not even considered college until her local Lincoln FFA teacher, Kevin Barenburg, suggested the poultry science department at the University of Arkansas. After growing up on her family poultry operation and poultry judging FFA experience, she pursued a poultry science major. However, when she found out she could pair communication and agriculture, Pitts switched to an agricultural communications major. Toward the end of her bachelor’s program, a friend introduced her to speech pathology. This added a medical side to her communications interests.

     After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education, Communication and Technology with a concentration in agricultural communications from the University of Arkansas in 2011, she graduated with a master’s degree in Speech Pathology from Northeastern State University in 2014.

     Although a unique transition from poultry science to agricultural communications to speech pathology, each segment of her education played a key role in her career path Pitts said. After graduation, she worked as a speech pathologist at outpatient pediatric clinics and in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

     “While working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit assisting preterm infants in the progression of feeding, I realized my true passion was giving people ‘ordinary’ experiences that were extraordinary to their current life scenarios. These were things people take for granted each day,” Pitts said.

     Pitts said she loved hearing the stories from parents and the impact of the stories on her career and life were pronounced.

     “Parents shared stories with me that brought them to tears as they shared how their child called her ‘mom’ for the first time at the age of 3, how their child diagnosed with Autism actually looked at them with intent instead of a lost gaze, and how they truly enjoyed their family vacation for the first time because their child could tolerate the sensory environment around them without breaking down and crying for the entirety of the trip,” Pitts said. “The impact of these stories ignited my passion to somehow create even more memorable experiences for kids and their families through therapy.”

     Growing up around horses, hippotherapy was a natural transition for Pitts. Hippotherapy is the use of horse movement and the environment as a treatment tool in speech, physical or occupational therapy sessions.

     “Creating a hippotherapy program to provide people with these experiences was my new goal,” Pitts said. “It wasn’t easy, but as more parents told me their stories, or as I watched a child’s demeanor and skills change, that fueled my passion to continue.”

     Pitts started her own outpatient pediatric therapy clinic to bring patients to the new non-profit needed to operate the hippotherapy program. This allowed the skills she gained as an agricultural communications major to shine.

     “Graphic design, marketing, writing, and effectively communicating to local doctors’ offices were the most essential beginning steps to ensuring my projects would get off the ground,” Pitts said.

     Pitts founded Healing by Horseback in 2018 to provide a facility and resources for children with disabilities to receive hippotherapy services. The outpatient clinic grew from Pitts being the only therapist to 13 therapists, and the hippotherapy program grew too.

     “Fast forward to today, Siloam Springs Pediatric Therapy and Healing by Horseback are a perfect pair,” Pitts said. “We are now able to select patients from our clinic that would most benefit from hippotherapy or local physicians refer them to us for this specific treatment.”

     Healing by Horseback serves as a partner to the outpatient clinic as therapists can treat their patients in the typical clinic setting once a week and at the barn once a week. Pitts said clients are able to have unique experiences while still working towards their therapy goals in a dynamic environment.

     “For many parents who come to our barn, you can observe their sincere joy to watch their child participate in such an activity as riding a horse,” Pitts said. “Many, if not most, of our patients are not physically or cognitively able to engage in what is considered ‘typical’ childhood.

What an awesome thing it is to witness this same child blossom while riding a horse alongside their therapy team.”

     The journey that began as an FFA member not considering college ended with her own business that helps create a place for people to grow.

     “Where life has brought me today, and the career I have been blessed with, is a culmination of 13 years of education, networking, perseverance, and life experiences. Keeping the true intentions at heart, I believe, is what has allowed this passion to grow and create such a welcoming environment at Healing by Horseback,” Pitts said.