With a daughter who has had nine years of hippotherapy, former Seattle Mariner John Olerud and his wife Kelly both know how beneficial getting on a horse can be for people with physical and cognitive disabilities.

They have seen their daughter Jordan, 11, grow and hit milestones most parents take for granted — such as sitting up — and say most of it has been thanks to the therapy she receives at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Woodinville.

On Tuesday morning, the west Bellevue couple were part of a celebration for the opening of the organization’s new location at Dunmire Stables at 18669 N.E. 106 St. in Redmond and were among dozens who witnessed the site’s inaugural ride.

“We’re just so happy to be here on this day,” John said.

The Oleruds are co-chairs of the organization’s capital campaign to raise $11 million for expansion. Currently, Little Bit is about $2.5 million short of its goal.

John and Kelly were invited to become part of the capital campaign and despite no prior experience in this area, they readily agreed.

“We knew what it did for our daughter,” Kelly said.

The Oleruds said when they brought 2-year-old Jordan to Little Bit, their wait was only a few months. Today, that has grown into a one- to two-year wait. So, having experienced so many positive results from their daughter’s therapy, the Oleruds wanted to help other families experience the same thing.

There are only three horses onsite, but once the 17-acre Redmond location is fully up and running, community relations associate Susan Williams said there will be 40 horses and Little Bit will be able serve 504 riders per week. This will more than double the organization’s current capacity of about 230 riders. The current wait list has more than 250 riders.

The remaining $2.5 million will pay for the finer details at Dunmire Stables such as completing construction on an outdoor covered arena, therapy rooms and bathrooms. Williams said once this is complete, they will move all riders to the Redmond location and the Woodinville facility will be used for research purposes.

The services Little Bit provides, hippotherapy and adaptive riding, help riders lengthen and strengthen their muscles and gain social skills — among other things — but are not covered by health insurance. Williams said Little Bit will use the Woodinville facility to figure out how to quantify results so insurance companies will recognize hippotherapy and adaptive riding as legitimate forms of therapy.

Dunmire Stables is named after Mike and Phyllis Dunmire, who have been involved in Little Bit since 1980 and 1994, respectively. The couple have held various positions among Little Bit’s volunteers and leadership and have provided a lot of financial support for the organization. Mike said one of the things he really enjoys about Little Bit is the people. From those in leadership positions and staff to riders and volunteers, he said they are blessed with helpful and joyful people.

“These people are here because they have a passion and a level of love to put (other) people first,” he said.