NKyTribune staff
New Day NKY has found a permanent home.
Dream Fields, Steve Cauthen’s prestigious thoroughbred training facility in Verona, was purchased by M&A Schmidt Investments, LLC for New Day NKY. Tony Schmidt of Bluegrass Metals and retired superintendent, Bill Boyle, wanted to invest in a farm and were excited to have found such an amazing program for the property.
Long
M&A Schmidt has provided New Day with a long-term lease and turned full management over to the New Day team.
With nearly 125 acres, multiple training barns and paddocks, and breathtaking views, New Day NKY will have the ability to grow the program to the level it has always envisioned.
New Day NKY has been providing equine facilitated psychotherapy for the community; such as, at-risk-youth intervention, grief counseling, anxiety and more for several years.
Striving to improve and expand the programs it offer to the community its leadership recognized the need for a larger facility, which facilitated the move.
“My wife Amy and I are thrilled to see Dream Fields continuing to be used for horses with such a special mission, said Boone County native and world-renowned retired jockey, Steve Cauthen. “We are excited to watch New Day NKY grow and the community benefit from these important programs.”
At Dream Fields, New Day NKY will continue to provide meaningful leadership retreats, breast cancer weekends, grief camps, special needs school programs and more. It promotes physical, mental and social health to individuals of all ages and abilities through accredited equine assisted activities and therapies. The focus is the creation of a therapeutic environment that individuals actually want to be in and where people are eager to volunteer.
New Day NKY has developed synergistic relationships with referring agencies, practitioners and the community-at-large. It currently works with organizations such as St. Elizabeth Hospital, North Key, Boone County School Systems, private practitioners such as Dr. Jean Deters, clinical psychologist and the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky.
Horses have been utilized as therapeutic aids since the early 17th century and studies indicate equine therapy has been successful in helping patients show marked improvements in areas such as:
- Assertiveness & emotional awareness
- Empathy
- Stress tolerance & self-regard
- Flexibility
- Impulse control & social responsibility
- Problem-solving skills
- Independence & Interpersonal relationships
- Overcoming grief & depression
Dream Fields, Steve Cauthen’s 125-acre thoroughbred training facility in Verona, i the new home for New Day NKY (provided photos).
Many of the benefits of equine therapy are simply due to the nature of the animals; horses are non-judgmental, have no preconceived expectations or motivations, and are highly effective at mirroring attitudes and behaviors of the people with whom they are working.
New Day NKY owns 10 therapeutic horses that have been donated from all over and has a full petting zoo designed to relieve stress.
“We seek to treat the whole individual using the expertise of our specialized staff, therapeutic riding instructors, and volunteers,” said Beth Long, the CEO and founder of New Day NKY. “Our goal within these programs is to enhance the quality of life of individuals of all ages and abilities, and their families by offering innovative opportunities for educational, social and physical development.”
Beth Long and New Day are Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) and Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) certified.
For more information, or to make a donation, click here. www.NewDayNKY.org
