Settling In and getting ready!

Tuesday July 22nd, 2008


Dear Pony Farm Families, One and ALL!!!
I sincerely hope this letter finds you well and enjoying your summer. We surely are here at Pony Farm. Every single day I wake up and feel delighted to be here at the farm and doing camp. It just feels so right and so fun and so fulfilling and so important. It is truly my Life’s Work….

However…..I also feel like once again we have a terrific group of girls. I said in my blogs last session that I was not sure how we would ever again have such a great group of girls….yet, I surely think we do. This 4th session has gotten off the ground so smoothly. They all seem to really like each other. Everyone is surely into being at Pony Farm and into loving the horses…But, let me start at the beginning!

As we told you in the letter that we sent with you as you went on your way home on Sunday, we were going to first introduce all the staff. Then, we asked the girls to go to the barn with their buckets and boots to feed their horses. The new campers for this session then came back to the lodge to get an orientation to life at Pony Farm from Kris and myself. The girls that had been with us last session stayed in the barn to help turn out the horses and quickly pick stalls. They seemed proud to do this…It was raining pretty hard so they were troopers and ended up getting all wet….They came to the lodge with giggles and dripping hair. After a shower and lots of thanks, they got to go through the dinner line first.

At dinner, everyone was asked to find a new camper and make sure she felt included. We pay particular attention to this during a session with so many “Returnees”. We are sensitive to the fact that a new kiddo may feel like she is the only “Newbee”. So, everyone spread around, staff included, to make sure no one was sitting alone. I love how the former campers take this job so seriously on the first night!

After dinner, everyone gathered together around the main room. We divided into groups according to rooms with each staff member taking their bunk of girls. I was lucky to have the Cottage girls. We had come up with a list of questions like Who would you most like to have dinner with if you could pick anyone in the world? Or What was your favorite present ever…vacation ever….most embarrassing moment….favorite animal, etc. Each question was color coded…We then passed out bags of M&Ms…When you picked an M&M, you had to answer the question according to the color of the M&M…
Of course you got to eat the M&M once you answered the question! With the thunder rolling and the lightening flashing, everyone was so involved in the ‘Get to Know You’ Game that no one even noticed!

After a good while, we all re-gathered. It was time to introduce each camper. Starting with Cottage Ladies, we got them to each say their name, where they lived, and who they rode. They then had to introduce one of their roomies by telling one of the answers to the M&M questions. We have found over the years that this is a great way to begin to get the girls acquainted.

Following this game, which lasted a long time because the girls got so into it, we then had the Counselors-In-Training do Vespers. This is the quiet time at the end of the day which serves to let the girls wind down and begin to get ready to go to sleep. It is one of my favorites. All the girls sit around the main room with the Vesper log of candles burning brightly. The lights are turned down low. Each room (in this case, the CITS) come up with something special to read or sing. The CITS on this night told why they came back to Pony Farm for so many years. I am amazed at the depth of feeling that these young women express. Everything from making the best friends in the world, to loving their horse, to finding out who they want to be…It makes a Camp Director glad!!!

Following Vespers, we always have Good Night Circle which is the time when all the girls hold hands. We each take turns sharing the things that we are particularly grateful about that day. This most often goes on for quite awhile because they are really appreciative of all they have and do. Again, I wish you could be a “fly on the wall” because it is the sweetest way to end a day. We then usually sing 2 or 3 songs to finish up the evening and get them ready for bed. On this night, we only did one as we were running so late!

After giving the girls time to change, each staff member and I went to the various rooms to say good night to the girls. This ‘tucking in’ the first evening is so important. I am happy to report that, despite the thunder and lightening, not one girl came out to get help for being homesick. That is a true A on your Parental Report Card. Having the girls be able to be away from home and able to make it work is soooo important. I appreciate the effort on your part and the maturity on the girls’ part that made this happen!

Yesterday dawned overcast and with impending rain but the girls’ and staff were not to be daunted or deterred….They were ready to ride and try out their new horses. After catching their horses in the fields, feeding all four footed critters, eating their breakfast and cleaning their rooms, they were ready to ride by 9:30….We had each Senior Riding Staff introduce herself and her horse history….(By the way, I can’t wait for you to meet them. They are such a superior staff…Kris and I will never again be so lucky as to have this kind of caliber of teacher! They are really something!!!) We also did a good deal of safety orientation and preparation to saddle up….Everyone listened with good attention and we were off to find the right horse and the right riding group.

We had previously divided up the girls into five large riding groups. Our task, as the staff, is to see if the matches are correct. We also need to further divide the groups into 8 riding groups, each with their teaching team of two or three instructors. We had talked to the kiddos to ask them to help us find the perfect match for them! Together, over the morning, we changed horses, moved kids to different rings, checked out tack fit and generally got the groups into order. It is kind of like the “Sorting Hat” in Harry Potter! It does take time and care. We dread having a girl in the wrong group and either over or under challenged. We soooo encourage the kids to tell us what they think of their horse. Making the right match is like finding the right spouse….lots of chemistry and karma involved….

By 11:45, we were all ready to finish up riding and go to lunch. The riding staff and I met for lunch while Kris and the Counselors-In-Training ate with the kids. We spent the full rest hour organizing horse matches and groups. I can not tell you how seriously we take this task. We are most eager to ‘get it right’ for each and every girl.

After Rest Hour and another huge thunderstorm, we decided to let most of the kids ride to check out their groupings and horse matches. The top two groups were most surely correctly placed and mounted, so they did a stable management practicum of learning how to bandage legs and take Temperature, Pulse and Respiration of their horses. The least experienced group went on a trail ride close to home with their staff walking along on foot to help keep the ponies out of the green grass!

We made a few more “tweaks” of our groups and mounts, but for the most part, everyone is on the right horse and in the right group! Whew, I can relax after this important task is done…

The whole camp then fed their horses and ponies, and came up for an afternoon snack which is served on the front porch of the lodge. Munching away on juice and cookies, the girls then learned the details of turning out their horses and Evening barn chores. This is by far the most complex of the horse care procedures as this is when the stalls get cleaned and the extra chores like sweeping and neatening the tack rooms happens. Again, the girls gave us their best attention and it all got done in jig time.

Happily, it was then shower time…With raindrops falling on their heads all afternoon, they were happy to get clean and warm! Dinner was enjoyed by all. The favorite first full night activity called Bag Skits then began…It always makes me scratch my head that the kids love this game so much….but, they surely do. They are tasked as a room to put 6 things in a bag. These bags are then given out to different rooms. Each room then makes up a skit using all six things. It is a terrific way for the kids to get to know each other and come together as a room. The resulting skis are a riot and soooo fun. I love seeing how they get creative. Again, this is a fun ‘fly on the wall’ kind of event. When the skits are creative like they were last night, I can always tell that the session will be a great one.

The evening ended with lovely Vespers from the girls at Cottage. Song books were passed out and the girls all learned or re-remembered the favorite camp songs of many years. With the candles burning brightly, it sure is a pretty site!!!

Today, we will be finalizing the riding groups. We will also be starting on trail riding in preparation for the upcoming Ride-A-Thon! By the end of the morning, we are usually really organized with the right kids on the right horses in the right groups. With lots of input from the kids and staff, we are usually pretty right on!

This afternoon the girls will be able to choose activities. They can go on more trail rides, ride bareback, start learning Natural Horsemanship (a method of truly partnering with your horse through gentle handling and herd behavior), begin to Vault (Gymnastics on the moving horse) and do Catch Riding (tack up your own horse and then switch 4 or 5 times to ride other horses)…All of these are activities that were suggested on the first evening by both campers and staff. We use the kids suggestions for what they want to do to plan the whole two weeks….However, if we did all the things they suggested, we would have to keep them for 3 months….

Tomorrow they will ride in a lesson format for the morning and then we will take their camp portrait, give them their swim test and introduce them to the farm animals…So, we are busy, happy and thriving….I hope you are smiling as you think of all that your daughter(s) is/are doing.

I have had several emails from parents or other family members asking about the upcoming Ride-A-Thon this weekend. I am going to do my best to describe it but let me tell you that this is the first time we have ever done this during camp. Many years ago we did this event and it was a huge success. We did it for several years in a row and then decided to switch events. We are now bringing it back during the summer to insure better weather. A rainy day in July is much better than a rainy one in the end of October!!!

This is a fun ride with a one mile, three mile and five mile course. Some of the course is in the woods and some on the dirt roads around the farm. We have carefully marked the trails and turns. We will also have refreshment, hospitality and safety check points all along the way. We are hoping to have outside participants as well. They will ride or walk up on the newly opened Temple Mountain State Park. We are hoping to build on this event over the next few years, making it a ‘not to be missed’ day.

The event is to benefit Horse Power, our not for profit therapeutic horsemanship program that we run here at the farm. We serve about 100 people of all ages with a huge array of challenges during the spring and fall. We offer a small day camp program during the summer and private lessons during the winter. We have teachers, PTs, Ots and psychotherapists who work with us to serve our students. They come from many schools, residential treatment facilities and good, hard working families. We have people with physical, cognitive, emotional, learning and behavioral struggles. We try diligently to ‘harness the healing power of the horse’ to promote their wellness and health.

Horse Power has been ‘maxed out’ for the students. Despite careful planning and detailed organization, we simply can not serve any more. However, as we see the huge need for so many families and individuals, we are pleased to also offer an instructor training school at Horse Power. This school serves to train more instructors to be able to serve more people in need in other parts of the country. This is yet another way we can ‘think globally but act locally’….We hope to spread the healing benefits of the horse so that more people can be helped!

I am truly proud of what Horse Power has become. As you may imagine, we have a hard time making ends meet with the type of folks that we serve. This economy is not making it any easier….This is one of several fundraisers that we do during the year. The proceeds go directly to running Horse Power without a penny wasted!

So, we hope that you will join us. We would love to have you come and cheer on your daughter…She will be riding during the morning, beginning at about 10AM….She will then join us for a Barbeque done by our Horse Power board. We would love to have you join us….If you are coming, could you please let me know via email so we can buy the right amount of food. We will need to charge you a little for the BBQ…Rest assured, your daughter will eat on us. We would love to have you walk the trails. We especially recommend the trails on Temple Mt. They are just plain glorious and with quite a view!!! So, do feel like you are welcome. During the afternoon, the girls will be swimming and enjoying the farm animals while the event itself winds down. It should be a glorious day weather-wise and it is all for a great cause!!!!*

So, I end as I began by saying what a great group of young women you have bequeathed us for this session! I know it is going to be a great one. I do hope that knowing all the things that we are doing helps you to feel part of our experience. Stay well and know that we are taking good care of your Treasure(s)! It is a pleasure and a privilege….

Most sincerely,


Boo


*The Ride-A-Thon replaces the Horse Power Benefit Horse Show that we have done in the past during this session. Please know that your daughter may participate regardless of whether she has acquired sponsorships…