Monday Morning, Bright and Clear!


Dearest, Lovely Parents and Other Family Members,

The sun is shining, the kids are great, the horses being fed and the world is good. It is a great morning to be alive…I send all best wishes that your day is going to be as great as mine. I feel like the luckiest person in the world…..I love what I do and who I do it with, day in and day out! Thanks for ‘loaning’ me/us your Treasurers so we can have such fun! I can not wait to up date you on the Pony Farm happenings….Here we go. Grab a cup of coffee and read on, imagining the fun and simple abundance that we all have in our lives.

Let me begin by ‘backing up the bus’ and going to last Friday, the day before the horse show…..The kids were all pumped up for the show. The wonderful, hard working riding staff had done their very best with such a ‘short week’ to get the kids on the right horses and ponies, and in the right classes with the right clothes….With the arrival to camp on Sunday, the first ride on Monday morning, the ACA mandated Swim Tests on Monday afternoon, the Cheshire Fair on Wednesday afternoon (a total camp highlight!), and two afternoons of torrential down pours, they did a masterful job….With only Tuesday for two solid lessons….Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning for the other lessons, it was no mean feat to get the kids ready….but they DID and I am so proud of all the kids, horses and staff.

Several of you all asked why your kiddo was competing at a lower level than usual. I wanted to help you to understand what we were up against….With the rainfall that we have had…a record this summer for the last 100 years…the rings, despite our Farm Manager’s valiant efforts, have a number of sink holes….We also have not had the benefit of being able to use our entire lower field which usually has three full courses of jumps. These rings offer plenty of room to spread out so that all the riders can have a lesson at once. This field has had literally standing water in it all summer. Because it is so lovely and level, it just doesn’t drain. Also, the ground water is simply at the top of the ground with the rain that we have had….So, between the rings bordering on dangerous, and the rain itself making the rings even wetter….we have done the best we can. Even using the indoor full tilt, we simply can’t fit everyone into that space, dry though it is, all at the same time…so, please do not worry if your child jumped 3” less than usual, or was in an easier, less competitive ring…it was simply the safest and most successful option that we had open to us. I know you share my first priority of keeping kids safe….and that is what the staff did in spades….Thank you for your support of their motto “Better safe than sorry”!!!

So, with the rain drops falling on our heads, the kids were good sports…The tack was cleaned to a sheen and the boots were polished as best as possible with mud above their ankles….The baths for the ponies seemed totally and ridiculously redundant!!! Instead of our mental picture of the baths, the sun and the fun of all getting ready to show together….with the kids who opted not to show out on a glorious trail ride with ice cream as their treat, there we all were jammed into the barns dodging a water fall of rain off the barn roofs…Even the basement of the lodge flooded, which I have simply never seen in its 33 years of life…What a scene to have my summer office with 2” of rain on the carpet. It was almost funny and laughing seemed like a better option than crying…so that is what we did…Kids, staff, horses, and Kris and I all made the best of a ludicrous situation…..

The show day did dawn beautiful and Chris, our Farm Manager, was out at 5AM raking the rings to drain the water to make them each safe and ready as could be by 9AM. The kids were in high spirits despite the preceding rainy days…With horses and kids fed, hair braided and ribboned, and the show clothes donned, off they went to ride.

I will not go into the horse show too much because many of the parents were in attendance so I won’t bore you with the details…..The sun shone the whole day and the temps were pleasant..even a little hot, which is a first this summer. The pool was ready and inviting to all once the show day came to a close. Many parents took their kids out for lunch or ice cream because, sadly, our show concession truck never appeared for the show. This was a wrinkle as we did the best we could to provide drinks and snacks, but it was just impossible with no notice to have the camp kitchen feed the whole of the show grounds….But, I am sure the local businesses were delighted with the arrival of the camp parents…and I know the families enjoy catching up between the two week sessions…

Following barn chores, swimming and snacks, the kids had a great dinner and…if you can even believe this, they did a ‘horseless horse show’ in front of the lodge. We had woken them up at 6:15…they had ridden hard all day, swum and played together, only to then do a horseless horse show!!! I guess you have indeed sent them to the right camp…

This was followed by Saturday Night at the Movies….As I am sure you can imagine, not many kids made it to the end of the movie….They were asleep sitting up some of them…most of them were on the floor of the lodge snuggled up together in their sleeping bags or comforters, dreaming of the show day, their ponies and each other, fast asleep! Kris trundled them off to bed as I was already asleep in my own bed!

Sunday morning again dawned beautiful, although not as beautiful as Saturday or today….The kids slept in, this being their day off. The Counselors-in-Training did all the barn chores so the kids could have a relaxing and restful day of non-horsey fun! They did a good room clean up, gathering all their wet laundry. They had a cereal bar, make it yourself breakfast, with their favorite specialty coffeecake. They relaxed, made bracelets, chatted and generally enjoyed just being together.

We hosted several ‘room meetings’…most especially one room which was not getting along well. With lots of good guidance from the staff, input from the parents and a couple of sterner ‘this is not what happens at Pony Farm’ ….some room switches were arranged. This moving of belongings took a little time but is already proving to be a good thing. In the main room that was having ‘issues’, I had to really ride herd on them last night at bedtime because they were having such fun and enjoying the new arrangement of friends that I had to contain their fun! That is a good sign for sure and I was happy to do it. So, I think this week will bode better on the “friend front” but rest assured that we appreciate and value…and act on…parental input. From the get go, we have said it takes a whole team to make a camp of adolescent girls work!!! Thank you for being an essential part of that team, Moms and Dads…Together, we got things in order and with smooth sailing ahead. Yipeee.

After lunch yesterday, we launched into my favorite day of camp….Sunday afternoon. It was a little rainy and definitely cloudy for swimming, so we featured the small farm animals…and yet another horseless horseshow in the indoor arena with real ribbons….The horse show went well, but the farm animal fun went even better.

We started by making a 10 part obstacle course around the entire lawn of the Homestead (my former house). Once this was set up, the kids and I got all the farm animals out…from chickens and bunnies, to the goats, the sheep, the donkeys and the four minis…All of these animals lead and run and jump with glee with kids. We had a huge variety of classes…from gentlest animal handler, the best trainer, to fastest mini, to best collaborating pair with an animal, to wheelbarrow races with kids a foot, to running races, ‘muck boot’ races and piggy back races….I used the rest of the raffle prizes as the reward for the various events….We even ate ‘sheep and goat’ poop….aka Tootsie Roll bits and Technicolor “bunny poop”…jelly beans of course! The kids thought this was a riot and every one ended up with at least one prize….It was just plain, simple, fun, silly and good old farm fun in the fresh air. No one, even me, noticed that it was raining the whole time!

We then trooped down the dirt road that runs in front of the lodge to the creek. The kids were dying to take the animals wading in the near by stream. Little did I think that it was going to be up to my waist!!!!....Much water got in boots, we all got wet, and to the last one of us, we had a blast as the minis, goats and even the donkey and sheep ‘swam’…some more willingly than others, of course!

We then returned to the lodge and were ready to do the Ice Cream Trough…This is Kris’s least favorite and my most favorite of snack time…We have a real rain gutter that we use only for this camp favorite event…We fill it with all kinds of ice cream, chocolate bits, whipped cream and sprinkles galore….I stand and throw the spoons in the air, the kids rush forward and grab a spoon…and off they go to the trough….With ice cream smeared all over their faces and their tummies full, it is a real mess…a good clean mess! We always have some kids who don’t want to do this…and anyone with a cold is not allowed to do this so we do not have a germ fest….They get their own individual servings so they don’t miss out on their ice cream feed….

I then stand by with a hose to help wash off sticky hands…This always descends into an hilarious water fight with the kids and myself….My favorite comment was one of the kids said “I can’t believe I am in a water fight with my camp director!” They think it is a riot to soak me to the bone….I don’t know who loves it more, me or the kids!

Since we were already wet, a bunch of the kids came with me to the Penrose Garden, the one right to the left as you drive in the lodge driveway. We had two beds prepped to plant fall greens to replace the peas that we had grown which fed the campers for 7 whole meals. We also planted some more salad greens to keep up our record of serving fresh salad greens out of our gardens for every single lunch and dinner of camp. We are proud to have produced this much food by our own hands! I also swear that the kids themselves are eating more salad than in other years! Yipee, my plan of kids, gardens, greens and composting is working.

After showers and lots of practice for the upcoming Talent Show, we had a good hamburger dinner with yummie chocolate mind cupcakes…and then, it was Talent Show time.

We all marched out to the Indoor arena where we could sit on the bleachers and ramp and watch….What a show it was too…The kids sang, played piano, ran, jumped, danced, flipped and then jumped some more. They even created an obstacle course for the staff, which I did as well….Literally, everyone got into the show….younger and older kids alike…It was a real blast. It almost reminds me of the Tasha Tudor books where the kids put on a summer show in the barn. This whole event is exactly what I think kids should be doing on a summer evening….No one even thinks of watching TV, their cell phones, the internet, Face book, DVDs or Game Boys….It is my real mission to break the terrible statistic that most middle school children in the US today are on a ‘screen’ (meaning cell phone texting, computers, internet, TV or movies) for an average of 8 hours and 15 minutes a day!!! A day, ladies and gentlemen….This is NOT going to happen at Pony Farm!!!!

Following our Talent Show, we came back to the lodge for our Vespers and Goodnight Circle of Thanks….With beautiful vespers from room 6, great thanksgiving for friends, families and foor footed friends….the kids went peacefully to bed. I must say they were ‘out’ within 15 minutes….except Tree House which was finally having fun! So, with a smile on my face, I caught up on emails and hit the sack as well!

This week starts the ‘fun’ part of the riding….Today, is a Gymkhana, or games on horse back, for the morning…The favorite camping trip is scheduled for tonight…and the weather is cooperating so that we can do the pony camping trip on the mountain by the stream…This is the first time we can actually go up the mountain…and go we shall. We have so many kids who want to go that I am staying for two nights. I can’t wait. We will take about 6 horses and ponies…all the tents and cooking stuff for eating dinner and breakfast on the camp site. We will have evening and morning rides galore and generally have a blast…This is what camp is all about for me….

We also have the Hunter Pace, the driving with carriages, vaulting, Western riding, Catch Riding, trail rides, bareback and the high jump as well as Gambler’s choice. So they will definitely be riding, riding and riding some more. The weather promises to be terrific all week so we are just delighted to be here with them at this time and in this place….
I hope you can ‘catch the spirit’ of camp….I also hope you know how much we enjoy your kiddos. This is truly my life’s work. Having great kids, great staff, great horses and now great weather makes it truly terrific.

I hope I have not bored you with all our tales…I will let you know how the camping trips went but I will not be emailing for the next two and a half days as I will be out in the woods, my favorite place…I am even taking my favorite goat and my two loyal dogs…This is my best time of camp. I like horse shows and they have their place in kids’ riding…but to me this week is what Pony Farm does best.

Stay well and know that we look forward to greeting you on Saturday…As a reminder, you should arrive between 9:30 and 10AM for the riding demo…This will end about noon. Please do bring a picnic for you and your camper. We will provide drinks and desserts for your dining pleasure. We can’t wait to show you what your kids have learned….

Until then, thank you for sharing your kids with us.

Most warmly, Boo