MAIN STAY THERAPEUTIC FARM 6919 KEYSTONE RD RICHMOND IL, 60071 815.653.9374 CONTACT US

To encourage, enrich and empower individuals through the therapeutic benefits of horses, animals and nature in an uplifting and nurturing setting. Main Stay is a place where bodies are challenged, minds embrace possibilities, and spirits are renewed.

Success Stories

A Mother's Story

From the moment Stevie walks into Main Stay, he is the focus. Stevie has autism and is a long-time Main Stay rider. Being non-verbal causes shyness and apprehension in Stevie and often it hides his personality—however at Main Stay he shines. “Main Stay lets you get to know Stevie”.

During Family Week, Stevie’s mother gets the opportunity to switch roles with him and to ride his horse. She discovers Stevie’s experiences from atop a big, powerful, and to her, scary animal. But to her son, it is a treasured time. He gets on his horse Cassa with such ease.

Taylee

Meet 10 year old Taylee. She began riding after her doctor recommended Main Stay to her parents. At first, she rarely spoke, had poor coordination and lacked the confidence to do things on her own. According to her mom, riding made more of an impact on Taylee than school or any other therapy. Riding improved her physical strength, coordination and confidence, so much so, that after several months at Main Stay, she was finally able to ride her bike. Her mom believes this never would have happened without Main Stay. Having to use her voice to direct her horse, Beau, also improved her speech.

Kelly's Story

What would it be like to be born without a major portion of your brain? Kelly faced just that, being born without a cerebellum.

The cerebellum controls motor and balance, so she had no language and was unable to communicate to the world around her, barely able to hold her head up (let alone walk) and her entire body (including her eyes) shook and moved randomly.

It appeared as if Kelly had no ability to control any part of her body. No one expected much from Kelly and no one seemed to have a clue what she was capable of…no one, except the instructors at Main Stay.