The Southlands Foundation

The Southlands Foundation encompasses nearly 200 acres overlooking the Hudson River. Its unique history spans three hundred years. The property dates back to the original King’s grant to the Livingston and Beekman families from which Deborah Dows, our founder, is a descendant. She inherited the “south land” of Foxhollow from her father Tracy Dows. Combining her understanding of land, animals, and people, with her teaching interest, Mrs. Dows opened the riding school in the late 30′s. Her aim was to utilize horsemanship as a means to teach all ages respect and love for the land and its animals, both wild and tame. It was through this dedication to teaching students horsemanship and knowledge and love of the land that she built strong character, leadership, responsibility and confidence in her students.