Our horse camps are another sure way for your child to create wonderful lifetime memories! Open to children of all experience levels from ages 5-18, we encourage you to check it out! Every camper rides twice a day and will have the opportunity to learn about horsemanship, grooming, tacking the horses, the parts of the horse, horse care, and may even get the opportunity to paint the horses!
We encourage parents to sign their kids up sooner rather than later as spots are limited and they tend to fill up quickly. Contact us for more information.
When are camps offered?
Summer camps are offered in June, July and August from 9am to 3pm. We also have school vacation week camps, during Christmas vacation, February vacation, and April vacation, from 10am to 2pm.
What does a day at camp look like?
The first part of the day is spent learning how to groom and tack up the horses, with every child getting an opportunity to help. During the morning, campers have daily lessons in groups of 2-4, depending on age and experience. The midday and early afternoon hours are spent doing everything from eating lunch to playing in the pool to catching frogs at the pond. During the winter camps, campers enjoy sledding whenever possible, making snow men or snow angles, and snowball fights. In the afternoon, all campers ride again, this time without saddles. Bareback riding is not instruction time, but the kids have fun trying new things and building their confidence on horseback.
What age/experience level is required?
Children from ages 5-18 are welcome, regardless of whether they’ve never touched a horse before or if they’ve been riding for years. We simply meet each camper where they are at, and build from there.
How large are the weeks of camp?
We usually have around 12-15 kids per week. Regardless of the total number, every camper will have an equal chance to ride both for morning lessons and afternoon bareback. Handwashing is encouraged throughout the day and no camper is ever completely by themselves, whether they are in the barn, at the pool, by the pond, or playing in the ring. A counselor is always nearby to keep an eye on things and to make sure everyone stays safe and has fun.
Will I get to see my child ride?
Yes! Every Friday, on the last day of camp, we invite all parents (and/or other relations!) to come at 2pm to watch the campers as they present their skills, showing their family what they learned in a mini horse show. Everyone is a winner, regardless of age or experience!
What should my child bring to camp?
All campers should come ready with:
- An extra set of clothes
- A pair of long pants to where while riding (Note: these do not need to be riding pants. Any sort of full length pants will be enough to prevent pinching)
- Close toed shoes (Campers may bring sandals or flip flops for use at the pool, but they will be required to wear closed toed shoes at all times while in the barn and around the horses)
- Shoes with a slight heel (~1/4 to 1/2 of an inch), if available. Note: Heeled shoes are not a necessity for riding, but, especially for older or more advanced riders, it will make life easier. Some boots will be available to borrow, but sizes are limited and proper fit is not a guarantee)
- A nut-free lunch, with lots of snacks.
- A water bottle, with their name on it
- Bathing suit and towel, also labeled
- Sun screen and bug spray
- Personal flotation device, if needed (Ex. Life jackets, puddle jumpers, etc)
- An ASTM/SEI horseback riding helmet, if available. Helmets are also available to borrow if a camper does not have their own or forgets it.
Note: All personal belongings should be labeled with the campers first and last name or initial.
What are the prices?
All summer weeks are $450 per week with a $50 non-refundable deposit per week due at the time of reservation. The remaining $400 may be paid upon arrival for the child’s week of camp.
School vacation weeks are $350 per week with a $50 non-refundable deposit required at the time of reservation. For school vacation weeks, we also permit campers to pay by the day at a rate of $70 per day.
Aside from riding, what activities take place during camp?
Every child will have instruction time in the morning, as well as the opportunity to ride bareback in the afternoon (without saddles!). All campers are given picture frames to decorate, and on Friday are given pictures of them throughout the week for them to take home and show to family. They will also get to tie dye their own T-shirt and fabric markers are provided for the kids to sign each others shirts, if they wish. They are allowed to go to the pool during almost any point of the day, as long as there is a counselor there to supervise. Same goes for the pond; any time can be pond time as long as there is a counselor present. During some weeks, depending on the number of campers that week and the weather, the students may also have the opportunity to watch one of our draft horses, Sampson, get harnessed to the carriage and they will each get to have a turn riding in the carriage and even get to drive it themselves!
Note: Whether or not the carriage is used depends heavily on the weather, the number of kids present, and the additional workload of the horse that week. It’s a lot of work to pull the full cart through the sand and the safety of our horses comes first.
How do I sign my child up?
The best way to sign your child up for camp is to contact us through our Facebook page, linked below. If Facebook is not an option, text and email are options as well.