PARK CITY - David Stott got a little nibble from the horse he was grooming, prompting him to exlaim, "That bite will make headlines!"

David, a pre-teen from Salt Lake City who has autism, has been going to the National Ability Center in Park City for seven years, riding and grooming horses in the equestrian program and participating in other activities.

The National Ability Center is a place where kids and adults with disabilities can participate in sports and recreational experiences. The center works with disabilities ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, and down syndrome to psychological probems and epilepsy. The center has also worked with soldiers wounded in Iraq and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The goal is building self-esteem and physical development. The center's motto is "If I can do this, I can do anything."

Marketing and outreach manager Ryan Jensen says when somebody has or develops a disability the world changes and turns on them and they begin to hear things like "It's too bad you can't do this."

"We take the 'you can't do this' out if it," Jensen says.

The center offers such activities as nordic skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and archery, water skiing, cycling, climbing walls and outdoor education in the summer.

One popular activity is the equestrian program, which runs year-round with outdoor riding in the summer and a heated indoor arena in the winter.

"Horses are just naturally good with kids," Jensen says. "They can tell when a kid is timid or doesn't understand what's going on."

Raeshell Sorensen, who manages the equestrian program, says there are many benefits to riding a horse. Just sitting on a horse can stimulate and strengthen muscles used for walking, she says. Other exercises on a horse can develop core strength, including laybacks (kind of like doing a sit up on a horse), different twists, reaching forward and back, and muscle stretches.

Sorensen says kids can take private lessons, semi-private lessons or group lessons that provide a way to help kids interact.

"The goal is to work on socialization skills and facilitate conversation while enforcing appropriate behavior and eye contact," she said. "The horse is great. It's motivation for the kids. It's fun to ride a horse."

David's mother, Kathy Stott, says it's difficult for kids with autism to learn. They need one-on-one attention.

"The center has singularly contributed more to David's general development than anything I could have done," she said. "As far as the equestrian program goes, it gives these kids the opportunity to recreate and interact with other people while learning the skills with riding."

Kathy says that besides the recreational aspect, the program helps the kids learn how to relate to the animal.

"So many children with autism have a disability to connect with people. If they can connect to an animal it gives them a chance to develop empathy," she said.

The center has about 20 school horses, three mini horses and a two-year-old project horse that they are training.

Jan Drake, the center's equestrian resource manager, says most of the horses are donated or leased to the center and undergo a 90-day trial to see if they can handle wheelchairs and riders.

Drake says she sees a world of difference in the kids after working with horses.

"The change is phenomenal. We had a girl with cerebral palsy and had to support her on both sides. She had no core strength. Seven years later she can ride on her own," she said.

The center also offers hippotherapy, "hippos" being Greek for horse. Hippotherapy is performed by physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists while clients are on horseback.

Sorensen says hippotherapy uses adaptive techniques to help participants learn. For instance, the horse arenas are lined with letters of the alphabet and therapists use those as a tool to teach the kids while they are riding.

"The motivation of the horse creates the motivation to learn," Sorensen said.

Stott believes the National Ability Center offers a comprehensive, affordable program that meets kids' needs.

"The NAC gives him more opportunity than any other single program he's been involved in. I can't praise them enough. They just do everything they can to make it viable for them," Stott said. "It's very difficult to meet the needs of people in a general sort of way. I think the NAC has done a remarkable job in trying to meet the needs of different individuals."

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The National Ability Center is at 1000 Ability Way in Park City. For more information, call 435-649-3991or visit www.discovernac.org. A yearly membership is $30 for a family and lesson fees vary by program.