Pony Farm Blog

Tuesday Morning July 7th, 2009

Dearest Moms and Dads…and All Kinds of Other Family Members of Pony Farmers,

I surely hope you are well and enjoying your summer, rainy though it is. We are fine here at Pony Farm and I can’t wait to catch you up on all of our happenings. We have been very busy and happily involved in the life at the farm so I have tons to report.

Let me begin by apologizing that you have not received a blog since last Wednesday. We did not realize that our webmaster who hosts our PF site was going to take a four day break over the 4th of July weekend. We sent a blog last Thursday and it bounced back….Since that blog was all about the rain, we decided to just start fresh this AM and let you know the more recent news of Pony Farm. This is the first time ever that the web company was closed and we apologize if you have been worried about not hearing from me!

However, getting back to reporting the news of Pony Farm, let me say that your kids have been troopers…as have the staff. Never in my 38 years of directing Pony Farm has it ever rained as much, as hard and for as long…or as many days in a row. I don’t know about your weather, but if you are in New England anywhere, I think you will know what I mean! I have heard the weather has been awful all over New England. The news reported that we have broken a 100 year record for the state of NH. Never in over 100 years has it rained so much or for so many days as in the month of June. It really does make a camp director want to roll over and go back to bed!!!!

That is not to say however that we have been idle or not had a great time. The sun did show its beautiful self on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and yesterday….We packed in a huge amount of fun during those four great days….but...it is raining again today, darn it!!!! These poor kids deserve not to have to wear flippers to get to the barn!

Going back to the end of the last blog, let me begin to paint the picture of how great your kids have been…and our staff. We have all been upbeat and creative in what we have chosen to do with the campers. They have dutifully trooped out to get their ponies in the rain. They have smiled as they slogged through the mud to do their stalls and feed…and groom and tack up and ride anyway. We have made the decision, with the kids in agreement, that short of thunder and lightening, we will ride anyway…and ride they have. Our dear Farm Manager has raked the five rings twice a day every day. He has also used the tractor to literally pile the mud into a corner of the turn out paddocks so the kids can safely get in the gates. It has really been amazing. Do look for the piles when you come on Saturday! It will give you a graphic sense of what we have been dealing with all week. It will truly make you shake your head.

The kids are excellent riders. We have grouped them according to levels of experience, from Level 1 being the least experienced, to Level 8 being the most. The riders in Level 1 are all cantering and jumping. They are also more than capable to go on a zippy trail ride. Although it has not been as much fun to ride in the rain, I think you will agree that they each have made progress. I will tell you however, that they have not been able to jump as much as usual due to the mud. The Riding Staff knows how important it is to keep the kids safe and the horses sound. Trying to leap over large jumps just plain has not been the wise thing. Also, they have missed the experience of being able to use our Outside Courses. In other years, we have had three courses of fences out in a lovely, large and level field below the barn. This has provided great opportunity for the kids to experience riding outside of a ring, which many facilities are not able to provide. This has been one of the riding highlights for many kids. Sadly, the field is under water. I think we might canoe easier there than jump!

To meet this challenge, we have modified the typical week day’s schedule. Instead of all lessons being in the mornings and the 8 to 10 afternoon activities offered in the afternoons, we have had to split the day. Half of the kids rode in their lessons in the morning, while the other half choose between the many other types of activities usually offered in the afternoon. They would then switch and do their lessons in the afternoon. This allowed all the kids to ride in a sand ring which drained nicely, thus ensuring their safety and riding progress. So, the kids have never missed their lessons, they just had them at different times.

Among the many other horsey riding and farm fun, were lots of time with the Small Farm Animals…grooming them, playing with them, jumping with them, taking them to the creek to wade. They have also done a lot of Vaulting, which is gymnastics on the moving horse. They have been able to ride bareback several times, this being a big camp favorite. They have also done Catch Riding, which is switching to ride each other’s horse. We have been able to take a lot of trail rides, mostly staying on the dirt roads which we are so fortunate to have so many of around Pony Farm.

One of the highlights of the farm was that four baby chicks hatched out last Thursday. The kids had been so carefully watching the mother hen sitting on her eggs. They were so hoping that they would hatch while they were still here. They were delighted to go to the barn on Thursday morning and see all four little ‘fuzz balls’ walking around under their Mom’s watchful eye. This adds to the other two that were born during the first session. What fun to have these little Banty chicks grace our presence and add a smile to our faces. The kids love all the small animals but many love the chicks the best. They also love gathering the eggs and eating them for breakfast. Our laying hens, 24 of them in all, give us at least 20 eggs a day. What fun to eat these totally fresh eggs…and salad greens out of the garden. The tomatoes are growing like gang busters, too….but sadly, they will not be ready by the time your troopers leave!

In addition to the riding, we started the camp favorite of “The Battle of the Boy Bands”….In Olympic years, we host the Pony Farm Olympics…but in the off years, it is this Battle that we enjoy. The kids are all divided into teams, six in all, which are named after various popular bands. You will get a kick out of it however because the Beach Boys are in there too! Makes me feel not quite so old!!!

They then compete in various different activities, some horsey and some not. As each team goes through the various contests, they gather points for their team much like Harry Potted did in the Tri Wizarding Contest. The various competitions included tack cleaning, Stable Management, ‘Fitting and Showmanship’, Fashion Show of the Decades, Lip Sync to songs from their bands they represent, Capture the Flag, Personal Scavenger Hunt (which is a game that truly makes me feel old as I know none of the answers about popular songs, TV shows, movies, kids books and general info on popular figures to the kids!!!) and a Gymkhana (games on horseback). All of the information from all of these events is tabulated to add up to points for each team. The kids live and die over it all, amid gales of laughter and tons of creativity. They are characters, that is for sure!

The one event that is a highlight of their time here that we have not yet done is the Hunter Pace. This is a team event where the two most experienced riders are the captains for the team. They, dressed all alike, lead their team mates on a 5 mile dirt road track. Together, they decide the spacing, speed and order of the ride as they go up and down hills and over dales. The staff is spaced out with cars, walk talkies and cell phones all along this trail as Safety Check Points. They record how the team was organizing itself and working together. They also are there in case of need! The track has an Optimum Time. The team that gets closest to this time…while keeping the team happy and the horses calm, cool and collected, wins a prize. They love this dearly. It was slated for last Thursday, which is went we have the most staff to spread out over the five miles. Sadly, this was the day of total torrential rains. Clearly, it was not to be on that day.

However, we are keeping it in reserve for this coming Friday. We hope so to swim with the horses, the other total highlight of each session. However, due to the amount of rain, there is Blue Green Algae in the pond where we swim the horses. My brother owns the pond and is waiting for the results of the state environmental tests to come back to tell him what kind of algae it is and how to treat it. He is more than ready to apply the herbicide that is required….However, until this is taken care of, it is not safe for the kids to swim….The state has closed several NH public ponds and lakes for the same reason. So, we have our fingers crossed that this can be taken care of by Friday….If not, we will put the Hunter Pace on that day as a close 2nd!

So, all of this takes us up to Friday. The heavens blessed us with a beautiful sunny day. It was decided with both the kids and staff that it was best to get in some solid lessons that day. Again, the kids have lots of input into decisions. So, everyone enjoyed getting to finally jump a little higher as the mud seemed to disappear quite well.

Saturday, the 4th of July, dawned beautiful again. The camp has gone to the Temple 4th of July field games and parade, followed by a big cook out done by our local fire department. They do everything from the egg toss, to lots of sprinting games, to the wheelbarrow and sack races. The best game is the Tug of War with the rope being a honking big one used by the fire fighters. The rope is divided by a wall of water coming from the biggest of the hoses. The winning side definitely gets soaked…Of course, they then fall away and the hose quickly soaks everyone. This was followed by dressing up in complete fire gear and getting rides around the town field in Annabelle, the old fire truck. Following the cookout, the kids came home for a short rest and then rode again in the afternoon. This was followed by barn chores and a movie night. Kris is the star at picking out the right movie to delight the littlest kids to the biggest…They all lay on the lodge floor in their PJs and sleeping bags and watched to their heart’s delight.

The next morning brings the day of rest….and no riding. They get to sleep in late and “Chill” as they say. Of course, the Early Birds get rewarded by the homemade coffee cake…with the Sleepy Heads getting the crumbs! This peaceful morning of chatting was followed by a good through room clean up and gathering of all wet, muddy clothes for laundry. Once this was done, a nice Sunday Brunch was served and off the kids went to do their relaxing Sunday afternoon.

They were able to swim with the Life Guard looking out…play with the Farm Animals to their hearts’ content, make bracelets and necklaces with their ponies’ names on them, create door hangers for their rooms at home, and generally enjoy being together. The staff does all the barn and horse care. The kids also started working on their Talent Show, slated for Sunday night. Many of the girls went out for ice cream with the few parents who came to visit. For those of you who did not come, please know that this was not an official visiting day at all. Some of the parents who came had had their daughter’s here for two weeks already. Others were about to go away and wanted to just touch base in person…So, if you were not here, worry not!!!

The other excellent news of Sunday was that a lot of the kids got to go for ice cream due to super clean rooms. Each day the rooms get inspected for order, beds made, lights out and trash cans emptied. We take this very seriously as it does not take long for it to be a mess with this many kids and so much mud. The winning room usually gets to go out for a treat/bribe of Ice Cream at the local dairy farm. This session, Kris could not break the tie between three rooms, all with a perfect score….So, Tree House, Room 6 and Homestead #1 were our big winners…all of them getting to go out for Ice Cream. FYI, it is rare that the older girls win, so parents, you should be proud…and it should bode well for you as they grow into their teen years to come!

Sunday night was the Talent Show. The list got longer and longer of skis, songs, gymnastic feats, Staff Impersonations, Horse Impersonations, music and dancing. It is really a great parade of fun, silliness and simple pleasures. It certainly showcases all the talents of your children…and honors all the hours of driving and cost of lessons in various different venues. It was a great evening of enjoyment under sunny and then starry skies…All trooped off to bed with a happy heart and a smiling face.

Monday again dawned beautiful. We did lots of group planning….deciding about the camping trips, the All Day Ride, the Driving, and the Hunter Pace. We also selected the ‘Specialties’ that we will be showing you on Saturday. The kids each signed up for either Carriage Driving, Gymkhana Games, the Puissance (High Jump), Vaulting or Jumping Courses. We will be practicing these over the week and honing their skills for your viewing pleasure!

Yesterday afternoon was Portrait Day…The girls got their hair combed, donned a clean shirt, groomed their pony to a tee and posed for a beautiful picture with Donnie our camp nurse and resident photographer. Wait until you see the pictures. I swear there will not be on bad one. These pictures will be available for purchase on the closing day of this session. I think you will like what you see.

Last night, the kids and staff played Capture the Flag, again in their Boy Band Teams…With only a couple of skinned knees, and lots of laughter and running, a good time was had by all. We then settled into our evening routine of Vespers, Good Night Circle and Singing before tucking the kids into bed. You all would have laughed as the poem that was read was all about a little girl begging her parents to buy her a pony! As you can imagine, after a full day, it was truly all quiet at 9:30 sharp.

Today is slated to be the first of a two day camping trip. Over 20 kids signed up to go with me up the mountain with 6 ponies to camp over night. I woke up this AM all excited to go….only to hear the sound of raindrops falling on my head….ARGHHH…

So, I am off right now to organize with the staff as to what we can do to give them fun without being caught in the thunder and lightening. My hunch is that we will sleep in the Homestead, my former home, and cook over the big fireplace….Rest assured that I will absolutely NOT put your kids in harm’s way with a thunderstorm!!!

The kids are all back from barn chores so I will leave you…Sorry this is so long but we had several days to catch up on for you. I do want to say that the pick up day is Saturday, in case you had forgotten….Please plan to arrive between 9:30 and 9:45. We will do a brief intro of the mornings activities and an overview of the camp session. You will then see your daughter ride in her riding lesson….with explanation from her riding counselor. She will then move to her specialty and you can see her doing some of the fun extra things at camp that we do on a horse. That will be followed by a picnic. Please bring your own food. We will provide drinks and desserts. In the past, we either cooked too much or too little because we never we able to get an accurate head count. This year we have decided to not be wasteful and ask you to bring the right amount of food for you and your guests. The more, the merrier. For your planning purposes, it is estimated that you will be free by 1:30ish…who knows how long it will take for your daughter to say goodbye to her friends and staff…and her pony of course!

Until then, stay well. Please know how hard and how creatively we are working to make this a terrific experience for your daughter. If any of you have some pull with the Good Lord, please ask for better weather….

Most warmly, Boo