Corner Stone Farm

Kingston  Area  Riding  AssistedTherapy 

Cathy Colwell-(McAllister) , lead instructor,  works with assistant instructors and volunteers to provide riding therapy that can assist development and healing in  clients (adult and children) with a range of conditions for Adults and Children  Anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Downs Syndrome, Autism (ASD),  Developmental Delay, Hearing and Speech Impairment, Hyperactivity, Learning Disabilities, Balance , Co-ordination Issues  Visual Impairment, PTSD
By  developing  horseback riding skills, and in doing so, develop or improve their communication and motor skills. 

Testimonial from a parent 

Hello Everyone,   

  My daughter has been riding at Corner Stone Farm for the last several years. The instructors have always taken an interest in her particular needs and created a custom program for her. They are constantly changing and developing the program based on her progress. 
The riding has built her self confidence and allowed her to build trusting attachments with the horses, instructors and fellow riders. Her empathy and compassion for animals and peers has grown. Riding has allowed her to work through sensory experiences that would previously have been difficult for her and allowed her to set goals for the future and create plans to achieve them in reasonable steps. She has grown so much over the last several years and I look forward to continuing to watch her grow. 
Thank you in advance for helping a place that has become so important to my daughter, myself and many other people in the community.

The Principles we strive to achieve for healthy development in our program are:
Committed to assisting children along the path of healthy child development by:    Providing opportunities to encourage that recreation and sport
 ◦               A Caring Adult: The existence of a caring adult who provides supportive relationships is the one key attribute that stood out in defining quality programs for children. The establishment of caring, positive, and supportive relationships with adults can help children 6 to 12 develop positive social skills, self-esteem, and self confidence. A program’s quality is dependent upon effective interactions between staff and youth within the environment that staff creates.
◦               Friends: Positive peer interaction is a key component of effective programs. Friends expand the child’s world beyond one’s family; share in humour; test loyalty; form their first audience; and offer support and criticism. Positive environments foster inclusion, acceptance, the opportunity for fun in constructive play, and the opportunity to develop and practice pro-social skills.◦               Participation: Children need to make choices, have a voice, and do things by and for themselves, which supports positive self-expression, physical activity, and interaction with others.

◦               Play: Stressing fun, creativity, and co-operation, play lets children shape their environment using their imaginations. In addition, play is integral to the acquisition and development of motor and social skills, cognitive function, and creativity.

◦               Mastery: Providing children with activities and tasks that enable them to feel special, important, and successful. This type of rich content-based learning, led by teachers and coaches who encourage mastery (both through structured and unstructured strategies) helps to promote learning.