FoxRunFarm and “NoFoTRIP” Riding with Horses, Healing with Horses

THE NORTH FORK OF LONG ISLAND (HENCE NOFO) is truly historic country! Settled in 1643, over 370 years ago, our village of Cutchogue (originally Corchaug, for the local Indian tribe) has become a “destination”. So come East! Experience the natural beauty of the area with its farms, vineyards, artisanal breweries and miles of beaches. Foxrun Farm, 25 acres of beautiful, gently sloping fields of grass pastures and woodlands is nestled in Cutchogue and here we fell in love with horses!

A BIT OF HISTORY. How did a cornfield turn into a horse farm and nurture a Therapeutic Riding Non-profit? Our family lived and worked in Manhattan; to keep our sanity, we built a summer house in Cutchogue. In 1977 our young, competitive horse-riding daughter’s desire to own a Thoroughbred, prompted us to buy a near-by 25 acre cornfield surrounded by woodland. Then we built a year-round house; the cornfield gave way to a hayfield; the harvested bales of hay needed storage; the horse needed a barn and fenced in pastures. House, horses, hay, barn, pastures: Foxrun Farm was born!

NEW BEGINNINGS. Seems like a farm will never let you stop and say “finished”. Foxrun Farm has gradually evolved into an Equine Facility adding more stalls, grass pastures, shaded turnouts, riding trails, outdoor training and jumping arenas. Now we offer boarding, riding lessons, pony camp, school holiday programs etc. But it never occurred to us to become involved with a program for special needs children and adults until we learned about the successes of Therapeutic Riding from our trainer, Maryanne D’Auria, a certified World and Special Olympics New York Equestrian Coach. North Fork Therapeutic Riding Program (NoFoTRIP) is now the only Equine-Assisted Therapy Activities facility (EAAT) on the North Fork. And we also have been appointed an official training center for Special Olympics New York