Howdy from Camp!!

June 19th, 2008


Dearest Pony Farm Families,

I bet you are missing your daughters!!! Wow, are we lucky to have them. It would truly be great with me and the staff is they just stayed all summer long. They are such wonderful children that I fear we may be spoiled for the rest of the summer!!! Thank you for sharing them with us. Also, thank YOU for being such great parents. We have not had a complainer or whiner in the whole group. They are simply ready and willing to do anything and everything. It has truly been a pleasure to have them.

We have had glorious weather. I have told the kids that they are so great that they made the Weather Gods want to give them sunshine. Truly, after that first day we have had cool, sunny and breezy days with not one bug. It has been perfect riding weather. Having the right weather especially in a one week session makes it sooo much better. We always work so hard to give them the highlights of the Pony Farm Experience. With ‘raindrops falling on our heads’ it is much harder to do!

I left off on Tuesday….can’t believe it is Thursday already. Wow, where does the time go…Guess we must be having fun! On Tuesday night, the girls did one of the favorite camp events…The Fashion Show…They are given various themes like dressing up as “Hicks” or “Punk Rockers” or the staff….They spend all sorts of time running around getting the right clothes from each other to get the right outfits to go down the ‘runway’. It always amazes me that they love this so much. Mostly, I am glad that they are having good clean fun without the TV, computer or Game Boy…That has become one of my life’s goals since reading “No Child Left in the Woods”…If you have not read this book, please go out and buy it today. It is both frightening and hopeful…Your kids are definite examples of the hopeful side of things…again, a tribute to YOU!!!

I am happy to report that after the uproarious Fashion Show, the kids went off to bed in good order….No one bit of homesickness, for which I am most grateful. I bet you are too. There is nothing worse than a tearful phone call to Mom and Dad…with them and me not knowing what to do to help!!! Thankfully, we have had none of that this session! Again, a mark of what great kids these are and why we would be happy to have them all summer long!

Yesterday, meaning Wednesday, the kids had the luxury of riding all morning long in their riding groups, again in the perfect sunshine and breeze. Each morning one of the groups goes on a trail ride…Yesterday it was Group 2. The rest of the campers honed their riding skills with their instructors in the various rings. These girls are lovely riders and it has been fun for the staff. The least experienced group is trotting round and round the ring with glee and beginning to learn to canter. The most experienced groups are jumping like mad and enjoying riding through grids (jumps all in a row) to hone their positions. The horse matches have seemed to work out really well with the girls and the staff helping Jessy and I place everyone in the appropriate group and one the right horse.
After lunch time and Rest Hour, the girls went to their afternoon activities. These activities are chosen from the big list of “What I Most Want to Do At Pony Farm” which we make on that first night. We choose all the best and most fun activities and try to give them these for their precious one week with us. Yesterday’s fleet of activities included Carriage Driving, a Trail Ride, riding the new horses to try them out, a Free Ride (where the girls plan their own ride to practice three skills they want to perfect and three exercises to improve their horse), Bareback riding in the ring, and Natural Horsemanship with rope halters. The girls chose their most favorite activity.

I was lucky enough to go driving with a lot of the kids. We hooked up four ponies and horses and off we went down the dirt roads. Each girl got to try her hand at driving. We luckily have such quiet, good driving horses that this is a relaxed and peaceful time. They really did a great job at driving. I have two friends who do this with me so that we can keep it safe and organized….We went for nearly an hour and a half and covered some ground. The kids really loved it.

After unharnessing and untacking for the rest, the girls fed their horses and then went up to get the afternoon snack at the lodge. Everyone is well versed now in barn chores so they went slick as a ribbon after the snack. With the horses turned out, the aisles raked and the stalls clean, the girls went up to shower and get ready for dinner. I left them at that point and took the night off. I wanted to catch up on my sleep and correspondence, like writing you, so that I am ready to take them on the camping trip this afternoon. We have the ponies selected and the food being readied as I write this!

About half of the kids chose to go on the camping trip…At first all but two had signed up and I was nervous to take that many kids….So, being the seasoned camp director I am, I offered to let all the kids ride the new horses or the lesser experienced horses while we were gone…That pulled half the kids away, much to my relief….It is just too hard to have that many horses to tend and that many kids gathered around one camp fire. With only half the group, we will have a great time and keep it all safe!

So, as I go off to camp this morning, I send you all my best. The girls will ride in their lessons this morning and then off we will go this afternoon to the camping trip or more riding in lessons. I am happy to report that everyone is well and smiling. I hope your day goes wonderfully. We all join to send you our best.

We also will look forward to seeing you on Saturday. Just to remind you of the timing…Please arrive about 9:30…We will start with a Community Meeting…then the girls will go to the barn to tack up…We can chat and you can ask questions about your child’s stay. We will then do a riding demo of their lessons and prowess…with the staff explaining what they have been working on in each lesson. We will then untack the ponies, feed them and then all gather at the lodge for a picnic….Please do bring your own picnic…We will chat some more and just enjoy being together. Then, sadly, the kids will leave….with us missing them for sure…

Again, thanks for sharing them with us…We love them dearly. Best, Boo & Staff