Foxfield Therapeutic

This time of year is very special to us at the stable — we reach out to our close community of friends, clients, and barn family to offer some extra special support to our therapy horses (and animals) and help keep our programs affordable for every child and every adult who come through our doors.

This Sunday before Christmas we’re highlighting the opportunity to “Sponsor a Therapy Horse” this holiday season.
Sponsoring our horses has been a vital part of maintaining our program and our animals for many, many years now.

By sponsoring our horses (or other animals) you’re helping with an array of expenses like our feed bills — whether grain or hay, our bedding bill — shavings keep our stalls comfortable for our horses daily, veterinary care — whether maintenance or emergency, farrier costs, and many other things necessary for keeping our animals happy and healthy: blankets, medication, first aid supplies, supplements etc

When we receive sponsorships it helps offset costs, meaning we don’t have to increase our programs costs to keep up the inflation of taking care of our animals, farm, and the upkeep of programs. It means we can look after all our necessary costs while keeping our programs affordable for all. Without sponsorships we’d have to increase pricing, which can price a lot of families out of our services. It also means every year any surplus funds our therapy program makes — from receiving sponsorships which offset costs — means we bank those funds and sponsor families in need who cannot afford to access our program otherwise. Your donations help not only our horses but also help many local families who use our services.
So this holiday season please think of our horses and our students at Foxfield Therapeutic when you consider giving back to your community.

The families who receive private sponsorships from Foxfield stay anonymous—everyone who has donated in the past have helped support 4 families in the last two years—but our animals who receive your sponsorships love a little spotlight! So until Christmas Day I’ll make daily posts with lots of snapshots of our animals over the course of this last year.

To donate:
e-transfers: [email protected]
- we are registered for auto-deposit, there is no need for passwords. We will know your donation when it comes in.
By cheque or cash:
- stop in and visit us at the farm at 10715 Guelph Line to drop off. We do ask you contact us beforehand to arrange a drop-off time — please call or text: 905-805-0438 to schedule.

Thank you so much to those who sponsor and donate to us. Your amount, whether large or small, truly makes a difference to our program, our animals, and our students. ♥️

Kindest regards,
Lindsey Palo

It’s taken a little while to make this post. On October 23rd we laid to rest a pair of very special boys. This was one of the most difficult, but one of the most important choices to ever make. Planning to say goodbye on a beautiful Autumn day, filled with grooming, treats, pictures, endless love, and everything in between was important to my mom and me — most importantly, there was no pain, no suffering, no panic, so rush. Planned euthanasia is a weird choice and a hard choice even when it’s the right choice. Emotions were messy leading up to this day for weeks: sadness, anger, grief, guilt, void, love, disappointment, and about a hundred other emotions you didn’t know you had.

These two very special boys taught so many not just to ride, but to trust and love. They’ve been a part of both my mother’s and my therapeutic program for nearly 20 years individually or 38 years combined. They were part of our family and they were my best friends. The greatest form of respect to them was not only giving them the most beautiful retirement together but also the most dignified goodbye together.

I hope everything is beautiful on the other side for you, boys. I hope the sun shines warmer and the grass is greener. You are missed so dearly down here, but I know you’re praised so massively up there. Enjoy your wings. 🤍

Please, to all of those out there with senior horses or animals, consider planned euthanasia. To give your horse a peaceful end if the most beautiful gift to them despite the heartbreak we will forever feel. Our job as horse or animal owners is to manage the welfare of our special friends. Allowing your horse to depart with dignity and without pain is the most compassionate way to say goodbye. I hope my post and my boys final chapter inspire others who are struggling to make the best choice. 🤍

Kindness: Let’s talk about it.

My stable is a community to many amazing people: boarders, lesson clients, part-boarders, and friends and family of all those I just mentioned — it’s a magical place.

My stable is *also* a community to many amazing coaches, employees, and it’s a community it me, the business owner.

This community, whether for lesson clients or coaches, for boarders or myself, equally demands kindness and respect.
With our actions, with our words, with our physical nature.

At Foxfield we will absolutely NOT tolerate disrespect to my coaches, my employees, or myself on any level. If you cannot abide by this then you can leave, and you can leave without your money. We will not serve you any longer, you forfeit your lessons, and can take your business elsewhere.

This is a kind reminder before it has to be a strong one:
Be kind.
Be kind to lesson clients.
Be kind to boarders.
Be kind to coaches.
Be kind to those of us mucking stalls.
And even be kind to me, the sole individual running this business 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Be sugar to this world. 🤍