Something very exciting happened at the Morrison Farm this weekend! I hosted our farms first ever Horse Camp! Organizing a horse day camp has long been a dream of mine! This week I got to fulfill that dream and share my horses with 29 kiddo campers!
I am super excited to share what hosting a horse camp taught me, but first let me tell you a little bit about what went on at horse camp!
A Run Through of the Week
Kids ages 7-12 were invited to sign up for camp. The attending campers got a t-shirt and four fun days of horse riding and activities! The campers were divided into three groups by age and experience. Each group rotated going to three stations: Riding, Crafts, and Hands On Learning. With a fun group activity in the afternoon. Students brought their own lunch as the camp was from 9:00am – 2:30pm.
The campers learned correct riding position, balancing bean bags on their heads for posture, how to que the horse to stop, go, and backup, and got to weave their horse through the poles to practice turning. The last day of camp, they got to put everything they learned into practice by going through a horse obstacle course!
In crafts the campers made horse treats, horse collage posters, hand scrub, and a horseshoe picture frame. Learning horse markings and coat colors, the campers had a fun magazine scavenger hunt too!
During Hands On Learning they learned how to tack up and groom their horse. They got to braid their horse’s mane & tail as well as learn the basic body parts of a horse and basic horse care skills. I was surprised that so many students were really excited about learning how to tack up- it is something they really wanted to learn!
From horse relays and water games, to a hayride and painting the horses, the campers really got to have fun participating in the group activities. All the campers demonstrated patience and attentiveness that helped make the week run smoothly!
What Horse Camp Taught Me!
Horse Camp taught me a lot about my horses, kids in general, and myself!
- I learned to have faith in others (and my horses)! -This week I had to lean on others for help, and what great help I got! I was reminded what people can do when they come together with a purpose! I especially had to have faith in my horses, I worked with them a lot and prayed nothing would go wrong…. and nothing did. My horses did a great job around all the noisy, moving people!
- That things don’t always go was planned. -With kids this is always the case. My plans got changed, twisted, and some of them even got throw out the window, and that’s okay! I was reminded that being flexible is not only important, but that it’s not a bad thing for plans to change.
- I was reminded how fun kids are! I have lots of little siblings, yet children never cease to surprise me! You are sure to have a good laugh when hanging around kids; they make ya want to smile, scold them, and yawn all at the same time!
- I saw how much joy horses can bring! -There is just something about horses that draws us to them. This week I got to spread that horsey joy to others!
Hosting Horse Camp took lots of work; planning activities, buying supplies, getting the horses ready, however; the camp was an overall blast and I think that the campers that attended feel the same way! Seeing the joy that horses can bring to others was very inspiring and it made me want to share my horses with more people! *And encourage others to do the same! I am not saying you need to have a horse summer camp too, but how can you share the joy horses bring? I would love to help inspire you on how exactly to do that, so my next few posts will be on that topic!*
Tails & trails,
Reese
I wish I could have been one of your campers (even though I am not in your designated age group!). Looks like loads of fun with lots of horsin’ around. 🙂 Glad it was a positive experience.