Rainmaker and the Summer Camp Ranch

Never has there been a horse-girl or boy who didn't dream of spending a summer at a pony camp, where all day, everyday, kids work with the horses and play with the ponies; get their hands soapy with coconut scented horse shampoo; ride along the trails under a canopy of trees, perhaps even down for a swim in a creek to cool off on especially hot days; learn about feeding, grooming, tacking; everything to send them on their way to becoming expert horse people.

This is a picture of Rainmaker, who is a favorite at Circle R Ranch in Long Prairie, MN. Circle R is an overnight camp where kids stay at the ranch for an entire week, or more. The camp days center around the horses and ponies, but there are other activities like swimming, a dance, and a horse show.

Day camps for horse-girls and boys are just as popular. An example would be the day camp at Columbia Horse Center in Laurel, Maryland, which runs in two week sessions. Besides the two riding lessons everyday the camp assures the kids learn while having fun with costume day, watermelon eating contests (where the kids vote on the horse/pony who eats the most watermelon), mock horse shows, trail rides, horse and pony crafts, and a graduation ceremony that includes a drill team performance by the kids.

Circle R Ranch is in need of in kind donations of supplies to keep their camp going strong. Anything from lead ropes to saddle pads, pony books to halters are appreciated.

You can find information about summer horse camps through your local horse association, or for these two farms in particular, their web sites are: www.circelrranch.com or  www.columbiahorsecenter.com.

* Do you know what the two ropes with clips at the end that hang from the walls in a barn aisle are called? They are used to hold the horses steady when they are being groomed.