North York’s G. Ross Lord Park offers year-round amenities, home to CARD equestrian program

Drive by Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue West in North York, chances are you may have noticed signs of a reservoir at G. Ross Lord Park behind the trees.

But if you look a little bit further, there’s a nature lover’s paradise full of amenities that houses one of the few equestrian programs in Toronto.

“It does very much feel like you’re out in the country in terms of the sights and smells,” Seana Waldon, the director of therapeutic riding services at Community Association for Riders with Disabilities (CARD), said at the paddock behind the organization’s indoor riding arena.

“Now the city has grown and developed and it has come to meet us, so we are unique within Toronto to be here.”

The non-profit is the sole, dedicated, therapeutic horse stable in the city. Waldon said CARD has been around for five decades and they were able to setup at the park thanks, in part, to the help of former mayor Mel Lastman.

The 11 horses and the CARD staff are at the facility for people aged four and up with physical, mental, sensory or emotional issues.

“Despite being prey animals and therefore very reactive to their environments, they are tremendously grounding and calming to be around so that’s very reassuring to an individual who maybe tends to operate at a very high level all the time in terms of anxiety or sensory challenges. It helps them to calm down,” Waldon said.

“Horses are very honest and they reflect back to them what’s being sent out to them so they’re very in the moment which is very helpful for people who are working their emotions and their interactions because the horse is providing an immediate, non-judgemental reflection of what’s happening and what they’re perceiving.

“Horses are tremendously special. They offer a lot even if you don’t have a diagnosis. Our volunteers get just as much out of being here as our riders do, so it’s very special as well for the citizens of Toronto who just come to the park and enjoy seeing this.”

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The organization’s mission and the work at G. Ross Lord Park are as extraordinary as the setting it’s in, and they want to be as inclusive as possible. She said the staff hopes to broaden their outreach with schools and rehabilitation centres in the coming years.

“I mean there is a huge, huge special needs community here and so many of them don’t know that we’re here or how uniquely broad the application of therapeutic riding can be,” Waldon said.

But CARD is only a small part of this North York gem. The park was created 50 years ago and named after G. Ross lord, a former chair of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. While it and the prominent reservoir were mainly constructed to help prevent flooding, it has evolved in its uses.

“You do see a water reservoir and that’s to control the flow of water north of the city so we don’t have any flooding downstream,” Dennis Dametto, a parks manager with the City of Toronto, told CityNews.

“We have a great park that can be used 12 months a year. We have people that cross-country ski through our park, snowshoe, and if we’re lucky enough you can see some wildlife, which we do have deer in this park.”

He described this area as a destination park, which is accessible by the TTC or driving.

“Well this is a hidden gem because we’re the north end of the city maybe people don’t realize it’s here,” Dametto said.

“We’re very proud of this park. We have so much to offer any type of community. If you want to come here, we have plenty of accessibility options here. We have people with young children, we have elderly that come to the park and then we’re in the fall. This is a great park to enjoy the fall colours and the scenery there.

“This has everything a Torontonian would like to see.”

You can play soccer at the park, have a picnic, sit near a fire pit, or let the dogs loose in a leash-free area. There are also walking trails by the creek system available. G. Ross Lord Park also hosts some of the City’s few cricket pitches.

Back at CARD, if you’re walking by, Waldon said new park visitors are welcome to check out the horses from the fence line and say hello alongside long-time regulars.

“It’s tremendous the interest and investment that people have with the facility that actually have never walked through our doors. We are the best-kept secret in Toronto,” she said.