LUCY CORNISH - Instructor & Program Coordinator
Hi! I’m Lucy Cornish and I live in Carlisle with my husband,
two children, two dogs, one horse, one pony and one donkey. I have my
masters in social work as well as my therapeutic teaching license. I
have been working at Friends For Tomorrow since 2002.
Working at Friends For Tomorrow has been a wonderful opportunity for
me. What I find unique about therapeutic riding is that it is a rigorous
individual sport involving
many muscle groups, balance, coordination and sensory integration, but
it is also a team sport. The rider needs to form a bond with a large
responsive animal and learn to work together whether it is cleaning out
his feet and saddling up or steering him through a series of obstacles.
As a result learning occurs physically, emotionally and intellectually.
Furthermore, the skills learned around the horse and on his back are
not isolated to the time spent at Friends For Tomorrow. Our students
feel empowered as their carry their new accomplishments into their every
day life.
EMILY MOTT - Instructor
Spending most of my childhood as a Brooklyn girl, I didn’t get
much early exposure to real horses. I tried to make up for it with horsey
posters, models, books, and stories of my grandmother’s wild childhood
horseback adventures in Shanghai. Mine is a family of professional musicians—violinists,
cellists, pianists, singers. Through hikes with mom,
pastoral settings
at college and a dance camp, I fell in love with the outdoors. I studied
sociology, education, and music at Swarthmore and after graduation was
a Special Educator at Lincoln Elementary. Since then I’ve done
research and curriculum development and now run a fully-enrolled piano
and voice instruction studio called Songiver.
In the spring of 2000, already a volunteer at Ironstone Therapeutic Riding
program, I met Diane and leapt at the chance to meet the horses and kids
at Friends For Tomorrow. With loving mentorship and instruction from
staff at Berryfield and the honorable Palomino quarter horse Miss Jazzy
I progressed further with my riding and horse care knowledge. A few years,
formal training and several exams later I was a NARHA-certified teacher
for Friends For Tomorrow!
I love Friends For Tomorrow for its intimate nature. Mostly one-on-one
individualized instruction lets us support and celebrate the kids for
who they are.
I know that I thrive in this relaxed but professional and very creative
atmosphere. Time in the woods with the sweetest, fuzziest herd of Icelandics
you’ve ever met is a dream. I must say that I am truly grateful
for the time spent at Friends For Tomorrow experiencing and facilitating
the magic of the horse-human relationship.
ALLIE DINGMAN - Instructor
Hi! My name is Allie and I am so excited to be part of
the wonderful team here at FFT. I have known Diane since I was in middle
school, back in the days at Arrowhead Farm. I volunteered with FFT through
high school, always cherishing my time with the children here. I went
off to Bates College in Maine, where I continued my riding on the Equestrian
team. Through college and during summers I taught lessons and worked
in barns. I did an interdisciplinary major, including education, psychology
and sociology. I spent my senior year at Bates working on my thesis about
the effects of therapeutic riding on children with autism. I created
my own miniature therapeutic riding program and worked with 4 children,
recording different measurements of their progress. Part of the thesis
was focused on profiling successful therapeutic riding programs in New
England, including a chapter on Friends For Tomorrow. I am proud to say
that I was asked to write an article about my research to be included
in a book about children and the outdoors which will be published in
the beginning of next year.
I am now living in Cambridge, spending my time riding my horse in Lancaster and playing with the children and ponies here at Berryfield farm. I am so pleased to be working with such a fantastic program here!
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