If your child is begging for a pony, and all you see are dollar signs, it might be worth considering all the benefits horseback riding brings to kids.
Exercise, of course. Riding is aerobic, but it also builds muscle strength and increases balance. Not to mention coordination, visual spatial skills, faster reflexes, and all-round circulation.
But riding offers more than just physical benefits. A child who is able to master the skill of synthesis with such a graceful, large animal will have improved self-confidence, self-discipline, and appropriate ability to take risks. A child caring for a horse learns patience, care, respect and responsibility.
Here's a list of area stables that offer children's riding lessons. A reminder: Don't forget your helmet!
Brooklyn
Kensington Stables
51 Caton Place
(718) 972-4588
www.kensingtonstables.com
Jamaica Bay Riding Academy
7000 Shore Parkway
718-531-8949
www.horsebackride.com/jb/home.php
Queens
Forest Equine Center
88-11 70th Rd., Forest Hills
718-263-3500
www.forestequinecenter.com
Lynn's Riding School
Forest Park
718-261-7679
D&D Stables
Forest Park
718-263-3500
Staten Island
Seguine Equestrian Center
440 Seguine Ave.
718-317-1121
www.seguineequestriancenter.com
Richer Farm
322 Sharrotts Rd.
718-967-0742
www.richerfarminc.com
Bronx
Riverdale Equestrian Center
Van Cortlandt Park
West 254th Street & Broadway
718) 548-4848
www.riverdaleriding.com
Pelham Bit Stable/Bronx Equestrian Center –
9 Shore Road
718-885-0551
www.bronxequestriancenter.com
Westchester CountyBoulder Brook Equestrian Center
291 Mamaroneck Road
Scarsdale
914-725-3912
www.boulderbrook.org
Bronx Equestrian Center
9 Shore Road, Bronx
718-885-0551
www.nychorse.com
CEO Stables
Rte. 22
Bedford
914-234-4828
Chicory Meadow Farm
76 Jack Road
Cortlandt Manor
914-737-7814
Email: vwdigger@aol.com
Fox Hill Farms
204 Old Sleepy Hollow Road
Pleasantville
914-769-9813
JT Farm
1125 Rte. 35
South Salem
914-763-3705
Narnia Farms
69 Stonehill Road
Bedford
914-234-2667
Old Salem Farm
Rte. 121
North Salem
914-669-5610
River Ridge Equestrian Center
960A California Road
Eastchester
914-633-0303
www.riverridgestable.com
Scarsdale Riding Academy
291 Mamaroneck Road
Scarsdale
914-725-3911
Stoney Creek Farm
Rte. 121
North Salem
914-669-5683
Stratford Stables
120 Cottage Avenue
Purchase
914-939-9294
Twin Lakes Farm
960B California Rd
Bronxville
914-961-2192
Valley Pond Farm
260 Hunt Lane
North Salem
Barn Phone: 914-669-8768 Home Phone: 845-855-2603
Putnam County
Avalon Farm
16 Bullet Hole Road
Mahopac, NY
845-621-1121
www.avalonfarmny.com
Chessfield Farm
240 Washington Road
Carmel, NY
845-628-3585
www.chessfieldfarm.com
Rockland County
Country Lee Farm
346 Old Rte. 202, Pomona
845-354-0133
Minetto's Stonehedge Farm
220 Spook Rock Road, Suffern
845-357-8887
Nickel-O-Farm
369 Strawtown Road, West Nyack
845-358-8081
Top of the Line Stables
300 Schoolhouse Rd.
Chestnut Ridge
845-735-5979
www.topofthelinestables.com
Ramapo Equestrian Center
1152 Rte 202, Suffern
845-354-7669
www.ramaporidingstables.com
Orange County
Borderland Farm
340 South Route 94, Warwick
845-986-1704
Email: info@borderlandfarm.com
Clove Acres Riding Academy
299 Mountain Lodge Road, Monroe
845-496-8655
Dorian Equestrian Center
173 Sarah Wells Trail, Campbell Hall
845-496-2858
www.dorianequestriancenter.com
Gardnertown Farms
822 Gardnertown Farm Rd., Newburgh
845-564-6658
www.gardnertownfarms.com
Hollybush Dressage Center
Route 94, Salisbury Mills
845-534-0365
J&E Ranch
100 Union School Rd., Montgomery
845-361-4433
Juckas Stables
Route 302, Bullville
845-361-1429
www.juckasstables.com
New Hope Farms
517 Neversink Drive, Port Jervis
845-856-8384 or 845-856-8387
www.newhopefarms.com
Schunnemunk Shadow Stables
Route 94, Purdy's Lane
New Windsor
845-534-7143
www.centerlinestudios.com/
schunnemunk
Shadow Brook Farm
89 Camp Orange Road, Middletown
845-692-5046 or 914-443-2431
Email: shadowbrook@citlink.net
Whisper Wind Farm
39 Foley Road, Warwick
845-986-0588
GENTLE HELPERS
By Danielle Sullivan
Horses, large but gentle beasts, have been helping humans for centuries. The early Greeks used horses to boost the morale of very ill patients. Today, there are therapeutic riding programs for both children and adults with a variety of conditions. GALLOP (Giving Alternative Learners Uplifting Opportunities), a New York City-based nonprofit corporation, offers a therapeutic riding program in Brooklyn — at the Kensington Stables in Windsor Terrace.
Therapeutic riding combines the recreational pleasures of horseback riding with caretaking of horses to help the rider meet social and emotional goals. But it’s not solely for mental enjoyment; there are several physical benefits. The animal’s gentle movement reproduces the same movement in the rider’s pelvis. This movement has been said to increase a disabled rider’s flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and may also reduce spasticity.
Currently, GALLOP offers lessons on Tuesdays at 9 and 10am and 4 and 5pm, and draws participants from Manhattan and Queens as well as Brooklyn. “We offer lessons to a broad range of disabled people and are working with riders who are visually impaired, or have Down syndrome, autism or mental disabilities, as well as riders with Huntington’s disease, and multiple sclerosis,” says Alicia Kershaw, president of GALLOP.
Although the cost of the program can be pricey ($800 for 10 lessons), Kershaw points out that funding is available. “We have received funding to offer scholarships,” Kershaw explains. “Many riders are funded at least in part by the Medicaid Waiver Program as a habilitation benefit.”
The benefits of the program are apparent. Sarah Lagnado points out the many ways the riding program has helped her 4-year-old son, Rolf, who lives with Down syndrome. “My son has had wonderful improvement in his coordination, balance, posture, muscle tone and general motor development, as well as his endurance,” says Lagnado. She has also noticed a difference in her son’s verbal skills. “He is non-verbal, yet he has been picking up stable words such as whoa, trot and go, which are not the everyday words you would use at home.”
As with many non-profit organizations, GALLOP is always searching for additional funding, and hopes to expand their part-time stay at the Kensington Stables to a full-time endeavor.
The Kensington Stables are located at 51 Caton Place. For further information, visit www.gallopNYC.org, or call (718)
972-4588.
