Pony Farm Blog

Exciting times at the farm

2011-05-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

What a lot of exciting things are happening at Pony Farm, Horse Power, Stepping Stone Lodge and our new Touchstone Farm!!!! Hearing from so many people from across the country is a daily thrill. I keep smiling and being so excited about all the fun and good energy. Thank you for your interest and lovely emails. Keep them coming!!!

As I stroll around the farm, the activities just beg for picture taking. I hope you enjoy these pictures of why I love this little piece of land. Seeing the ponies plowing the gardens with Dave, our “Driving Guy”, and Chris, our Farm Manager made my day. Having the Colonial Garden by the Homestead, the sweet corn garden, the herb and the salad garden all getting prepared to plant was a treat. We will soon get the rich compost from the company which provides the containers for all our manure. My dream has been to have all of our gardens chemical and fertilizer free…and this is the year we have finally accomplished this. Our goal is has been have organic fresh salad, herbs and vegetables for camp and visiting groups until late fall. I am delighted to report that this will happen in 2011.

I also adore seeing the Horse Power and Touchstone lesson students and teachers enjoying riding in the rings and down the dirt roads. Seeing their faces and big grins warms my heart. The ponies and horses are shedding out and getting fit. The rings are now all raked and smooth, while the grass is green and lush. The newly painted jumps are a lovely back drop to it all. The horse show programs are being made for our summer shows on July 2^nd and 23^rd. As you can imagine, it is a busy but productive time at the farm.

Along with the gardens, new ideas are being planted as well. The summer Touchstone lesson program is ready to be in full swing, allowing our students to ride with us year around. Sarah, our Head Trainer, will be available to not only provide lessons but to take those who wish to compete to local shows. We are excited to re-enter the horse events in our equine community. We are eager to get out there and showcase our wonderful horses and riders.

We are also starting to offer Birthday Parties beginning in June. We have created a ‘birthday party haven’ down at the Cottage. We will be letting folks know more about this on the website but for those of you who are local, do consider hosting your child’s birthday party with us, complete with pony rides, piñatas, pictures, farm animals, and arts & crafts.

The major thing we are gearing up for is Pony Farm summer camp. Becky and Carrie will be joining me in co-directing the summer fun of camp. The lodge, horses, staff and facilities are ready to greet our campers from all over the world. This will be our 40^th Anniversary so we are planning on making this summer a true banner year. A big celebration is being planned for SATURDAY JULY 16^TH, beginning at 3PM and ending at 8PM. We will have riding demos, carriage rides, music,. Speeches and awards, a raffle, and lovely food. It will be our thank you to our farm friends, local business people, as well as alumnae. We want to truly celebrate our 40 years of fun and friendship. We hope you will mark your calendar now and join us.

Finally, we want to publicly thank all those who attended our Strategic Planning Retreat this past weekend. It was a most productive work session which included such good planning for the future of the farm. Over 20 people, each representing a different section of the farm, came to give of their wisdom, experience and input for the future. Ed Tomey, our consultant, designed a rigorous and most helpful agenda, allowing ample input from all participants. The plan incorporating all the input will come together over the next weeks, and will then be posted on the website. We are proud of the direction in which we are moving. Great change is coming as we marry Horse Power and Pony Farm into Touchstone Farm, while fulfilling our mandate with the money to fuel the mission. It was a joyous and most helpful process.

I end as I began by expressing my most heartfelt gratitude to all of you. Thank you for loving this farm and being a part of the past, present and future. Do not be a stranger to us. The welcome mat is always out for YOU. Something exciting and interesting is happening all the time. Come and be a part of Touchstone Farm as it grows!

Most Warmly,

Isabella (Boo) Martin

The Birth of Touchstone Farm!!!!!

2011-01-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

It is with immense joy in my heart and a huge smile on my face that I write this blog. After diligent work and tremendous effort over the past year, we have combined the business entities of Horse Power and Pony Farm under a new non-profit called Touchstone Farm. Combining our two separate but intimately intertwined businesses under one entity makes terrific sense as we move forward into the next generation on the farm, and ensure that our outstanding programs can continue to grow and thrive under a consolidated organization. The new website www.touchstone-farm.org will be online shortly.

I cannot begin to thank the hundreds of people who deeply believed in this farm, its mission and its future. I will be forever filled with gratitude for the hours and hours of work that have been so generously given to get us here to the official launch of Touchstone Farm this January 1st 2011. We have been on a most exciting and challenging journey together.

At the expense of sounding like I am making a speech at the Oscars, I really want to focus in and especially thank four people who have truly made this launch possible. It is a fact that without all of them, we would not be here with the future shining bright and exciting.

The first of these amazing people is Trish Twining, our Pony Farm Advisory Council President, who stepped up into the void filled by my serious illness and hospitalization, not once but twice, with asthma. Using her amazing people skills, business acumen and good old common sense, Trish has lead the parade through the tough spring months during which time the economy was tanking and I was still unable to take a deep breathe. Under her fabulous leadership, we now come to the launch of Touchstone with a happy staff, a balanced budget, all bills paid, a herd of well cared for and nicely trained horses, and a facility which has received a terrific face lift. Words can never adequately convey what Trish has bought to our midst, week in and week out.

The next amazing person is Harry Healer, a board member, long time camp parent, and eternally wonderful human being. Harry not only attended planning meeting after meeting, but he lead the way in being the key donor in a major fundraising campaign to launch Touchstone Farm. Thanks to the massive donation given by Harry and his wife, Cynthia, other donors gained confidence to follow suit. This matching grant eventually helped us to raise over $200,000 for Touchstone. This is a miracle in today’s economy, and proves the strength of the human spirit and what teamwork can accomplish!

The next amazing person that helped make all of this happen in the correct, legal order is Jim Callahan, Esq. of Bowditch and Dewey Law Firm in Peterborough. Using common sense, sound thinking and good legal training, Jim helped us to unravel the complexities of trying to operate three businesses side by side on the same piece of property. Thanks to him and Jeff Crocker, the new lawyer representing Touchstone Farm, we are on our way to transparency, solid fiscal management and solid business planning.

Finally, I extend my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to Nancy Cook, the current Touchstone Board President. Nancy has been ‘there’ since the beginning of the farm, buying and selling horses to my family, serving as one of the founding instructors for Horse Power (as a volunteer of course!), helping start the Horse Power Instructor Training School (as a volunteer of course!) and now as our fearless leader as we move into Touchstone Farm. Her sense of humor, commitment to what is right and good, as well as her vast expertise in children and disabilities, makes her the ideal first President of the Touchstone Board.

With these people in the lead, we can not help but to continue to succeed as we celebrate our first year of Touchstone and our 40th year of the farm itself. We invite you to join us at any point along the way. As we celebrate the rich history of our past, going back to 1754, and we look forward to our exciting future, we hope you are part of our story, part of our farm family and part of our future. A warm welcome awaits you here at the brand new Touchstone Farm!

Please Save the Date for the Pony Farm 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Wellesley College Club in Wellesley, Ma. on March 19th. Details to follow shortly!!! We will be hosting a similar celebration for our metro New York campers and alumni this fall. Stay tuned....

Fondly,

Boo

Wednesday July 28th, 2010

2010-07-28T10:49:00.001-07:00

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all Other Pony Farm Favorites,

Welcome to my first Blog of Session Four. I was sooooo very sad not to be with you to greet you on Opening Day of this session. With so many returning families, I was just plain dying to be there with you to catch up. I also love to see how grown up the girls have gotten over a year. Camp remains my most favorite time of the year. I hate to miss even one minute of it….But, I really did need to be in the ICU for my breathing. They are trying hard to let my asthma and airways relax after so much exposure to horses, kids, dust, hay, and this muggy, heavy weather. I felt like the boy in the glass bubble, looking longingly out into the sunshine and wanting to ‘go play’ with my kids and friends!

However, I am much better…and my spirits are great. I get all the news of camp, and who is riding in which group and on what horse, so I am not yet in withdrawal. The entire staff report what a great group of kids this is….the horse matches and group placement went like a piece of clockwork, thanks to your good paperwork, and us knowing so many of the kids ahead of time. We only have four new kids in this session, and two of them are from the same family…So, with good care, the groups happened easily and everyone says she is happily being challenged without over doing it. So that is music to my ears!!!

I must also say that we have such a great group of staff this year…What a difference when they are all really excited to be here and watch ‘their’ kids succeed. It makes an old camp director’s heart happy! Another unexpected perk is that we have lovely horses from all over the country. This was really the year to get out there and be pro-active. We have gotten such lovely mounts for your kids that it is a pleasure to watch them go around the ring or get lead out to the field. I guess I will be forever a ‘horse lover’…a beautiful, shiny, fit horse with a beautiful, healthy girl just makes my whole being happy! I get the pleasure and luxury of seeing this every single day, even if just by my window!

Tomorrow, I am venturing down to Boston to Brigham and Women’s Hospital to finally get a real set of experts. It is my birthday so I hope I get great news that I can venture out and play with your kids again….and NOW!!!! Enough of this” in the house” stuff….

However, regardless of what happens, I will see you on Saturday July 31st. It is supposed to be a glorious day filled with a cool breeze and a nice sunny day without too much heat. In short, perfect summer riding weather. I am most excited to tell you about this event as it has been in the works since last winter.

As we all know, there are many house and garden tours available in many towns. Each garden or house gets showcased for its special features. Well, our Temple Historical Society decided to do the same thing, but for the barns in our town, of which there are sadly very few still doing any kind of production or animal husbandry. As we all know, we are working to bring back the local produce and re-instill the values of the family farm. This is what this group of townsfolk wanted to do by honoring the existing barns.

They have met dutifully and scoped out 9 barns, our barn being the oldest as it was built in 1754. They have also found several barns that are brand new which are using green technology such as wind power. It will be a diverse group and is designed to raise money for more Temple Historical Projects such as refurbishing our old One Room School House! As you might imagine, I jumped all over this idea.

We were the first barn to sign up and we are so excited. The staff has been working for several months to upgrade a lot of our barn facilities and to organize the equipment. I hope you noticed our efforts on Opening Day! We certainly are taking better care of the horses and doing a better job of training and teaching, due to good solid organization of the facilities!!! All this is to benefit your kids, of course…There is always room for improvement in my book and in my barn! We have taken this event as a catalyst to do just this kind of organizing.

So…here is the scoop for you if you would like to come yourself. First, there will be a lecture at the historic center of Temple beginning at 10AM. Feel free to attend should you be a history buff and want to learn more about barns and their coming into fashion. However, meanwhile, back at camp, we will be getting ready for a full day of riding fun and exhibition. All the girls will be participating in the day’s events….Here is how it will work for them…and hopefully for you.

The morning will be like a Parents’ Exhibition Demonstration…with a good solid riding lesson, with some warm ups over jumps for groups that are ready to do that .Each riding group will be ready to be in the ring about 10AM and will ride for you and any spectators. One of the counselors from each group will speak to you and other visitors as to what we are working on in terms of skill building and progression. For riding parents, they can see what the kids have been learning…but, we also love to really help the non-riding parents and guests because we feel that the kids really do learn a huge amount of riding skill while they are with us, not only on the horse but off the horse as well .We are proud of this progress and like to showcase it when we can. If you want to come see this, plan on being here at 10AM….This part will go on until about 11:15AM, when they will go to their “Specialties”…meaning things that are not usually done in more traditional riding programs. These specialties include things like driving the miniature horses, Vaulting or Gymnastics on horseback, Games on horseback, Pair and Team Jumping, Jousting and jumping a course of jumps. For these specialties, the campers themselves will select which one they most want to do, and then start practicing that special skill tomorrow. It should be a fun and different display of riding skills and abilities.

Lunch will then take place between 12:30 and 1:30PM up on the long front porch of the lodge. We will have it nicely decorated so it is a pleasant place to dine while looking out over the gardens and the fields. You are welcome to bring your own picnic or purchase an old fashioned lunch box lunch from the Ladies’ Aid, at a reasonable cost of course. Those old gals sure know how to put on a spread! We will provide bag lunches for your kids so worry not about them and bringing food for refrigeration, etc.

During lunch we will offer pony rides for the town’s kids….and also a Parade of the Farm Animals…Let’s hope they all behave and stay in their halters and out of the lunch boxes! This should add a farm-y touch to the whole day….

Following lunch, the kids will mount up again and begin an actual “in house” competition that will continue on for the rest of their stay…It is our version of Pony Farm Olympics, which they have renamed “Battle of the Boy Bands” so that they can include music in each of the many events. Each team will be made up of one rider from each riding group, who will garner points for her team. The events will include Gymkhana Games, Trail Class, Jumper Courses, the High Jump, and Gambler’s Choice for this afternoon. All the points gathered will then go to the various teams. Other events coming up that will be included at other times during her stay will be tack cleaning, stable management, Counselor Quest, Personal Scavenger Hunt, Lip-synch, Casino Night, a Know Down of Horse facts, Hunter Pace and Talent Show….so, this is a theme that will carry on throughout the whole week, with the official Kick Off being the afternoon of the barn tour!!!

We hope that you might enjoy joining us for this fun day….the other eight barns are very interesting as well. We happen to think that we have the most fun activities taking place, but you can be the judge of that!!!

Should you want to come for lunch and then see just the afternoon activities, that is fine too. You would be most welcome to take your daughter out for ice cream or for dinner following the Barn Tour. The only two things that we ask is that you let us know you have her and when you expect to return….and that she surely finishes her part of barn chores on Saturday afternoon before she leaves. It is pretty hard on the ones who get left behind to do all the work alone….We try to make this fair all around. You are also welcome to take out a special camp friend, too, as long as we have the OK from the parents in our paperwork that she is allowed to leave camp with another family. Kris and Becky have all of that at their fingertips.

Following the Barn Tour, we will have a relaxing day for all kids and horses. The campers get a ‘day off’ from barn chores…We will swim, sleep in a little late, clean up rooms, gather laundry, and plan our exciting next week. We have so many fun things to do that it is hard to fit them all into two weeks…..We will also play with the small farm animals, pick our garden salad out of our home grown gardens for Sunday night dinner, swim like made, do arts and crafts and crafts with a lot of just good old chatting….and then have Talent Show under the stars….Can you see why I think I am the luckiest person in the whole world!!!!

I hope I have answered your questions and let you know just how much I missed seeing you on Opening Day….I will be back ‘in the saddle’ soon. I have great confidence in this Boston Doctor tomorrow and hope to get great news….I will let you know the results…In the meantime, thank you sooooo much for your many kind words. So many of you have sent me good wishes for health and healing….Together, it is going to happen and NOW!!!!

Thank you and don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions. I am probably the one that can answer them the easiest as I have been involved in the Barn Tour event the longest.

Until then, have a great day. Stay well and know that your kiddos are having a blast, getting their nails dirty and not caring how their hair looks….just how we want them at this age.

Most fondly,

Boo

Tuesday July 27th, 2010

2010-07-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dearest Session Three Kiddos and Parents,

I am still sooooo sad not to have been able to say good bye to you all and to be with you for everything from swimming with the horses, to the Candlelight, to the Parents’ Exhibition. Camp is soooo much my favorite time of the year that I hate to miss any of it…especially the show and all the fun night time activities. Please know that if I could have been with you, I would have been.

I try not to focus on my asthma, but it is a major piece of my life in the last 20 years. What seems so mean is that I am allergic to all the things I most love….animals, hay, horses, dust, dogs and kids straight out of the barn after hugging their pony! Most of the time, I keep it under pretty good control due to lots of medicine. However, there are times when the weather and the circumstances just conspire against me….That week of really humid weather, when they cut the hay across the street from my Cottage, and the lack of rain which produced a lot of dust, to just plain being in the barns and at the lodge, all built up to ‘get me’. I had hoped tha,t if I was ‘good’ and stayed in my asthma free, air filtered house, that I could at least see you for the horse show….Sadly, as you know, even that was not possible. I did get to see all the glorious pictures though…You looked terrific.

Please don’t feel badly for me as my spirits are great….I am not a woman to ‘get down in the dumps’. I know I will get better and be back to enjoy camp with you very soon. I am excited that I am about to go to a world famous asthma doctor in Boston this Thursday….I know he will make me better. He has done it before and he will do it again…so, fear NOT, for you have not seen the last of me yet!

Besides, how can I be sad when I get this writing from one of you during Good Night Circle!!!!???? With words like this circulating around in my head, rest assured I feel better….Thank you, “Spidey” for writing so eloquently. I love you! (PS…She did give me permission to share her words with you!)

“Wake up to the smell of horses in the morning.

Grab my boots, I’m out the door.

I’m gonna hit this farm.

Before I leave, I coat myself with some fly spray and block

‘cause when I leave for the day, I ain’t a’comin’ back till Rest Hour!

I’m talking horse steppin’ on my toes, toes,

Tryin’ on ridin’ clothes,

Flies going up my nose, nose….

Ridin’ all those cutest of ponies

Never lettin’ out those groanies

Sometimes, I’m a little bit STINKY!

Don’t stop, never drop

Ride the ponies to the top

Let’s play, in the hay, every night and every day.

Havin’ fun in the sun, Hope this camp is never done.

Ain’t got a care in the world, but got plenty of friends

Got no worries on my shoulders

I hope this camp never ends.

Now the ponies are lining up ‘cause they hear we got treats

But we are turnin’ ‘em away if they step on our feet.

I’m talkin’ ponies, getting cute, cute

If they’re soar, we give ‘em bute, bute

Shining my own boots, boots.

We ride until we get real soar, soar

Pony Farm, Galore, galore

Pony Farm, Galore, galore

You put up the jump

I don’t knock it down

My heart starts a’ poundin’ when I jump it.

With my reins up

Put your reins, put your reins up!!!!

Isn’t that quite a poem or saga of life at camp. Those words encompass all of what I love about Pony Farm…the freedom, the fun, the energy, the right amount of risk, the safety, the ‘no worries on my shoulders’….I think Spidey did an amazing job!

So, I do hope the rest of your summer slides smoothly, happily and healthfully by. Please know that I am thinking of you with a great big old smile on my face. I loved our time together but only wish I could have been with you more.

Do watch our website as we will be announcing lots of fun family and camp kinds of events coming up this fall and winter. We have big plans for lots of good times….We are just now working on creating a new website…so, stay on the look out for all our news, as there will be plenty of it coming down the pike.

Please do stay in touch and know how much you are loved at Pony Farm. Hurry up and come visit…Better, yet book a family or friend weekend at the lodge. Becky, Kris and I are really trying to increase the off season use of the lodge for birthdays, slumber parties, family reunions, anniversaries or other special occasions. Get a gang of your camp friends together and come ride for the weekend…. Think of us as you start planning for that special family event. We have just the right place to welcome you!

Happy Trails to you that come with all sorts of love and hugs. Thanks again for choosing to spend part of your summer at Pony Farm. We hope we met our promise of making this the best two weeks of your year.

Tons of love and hugs and smiles,
Boo & Oscar & Martin!!!!

Wednesday July 21st, 2010

2010-07-21T05:34:00.001-07:00

Dearest Pony Farm Families, One and All!!!!

Top of the morning to you, on this most beautiful day. I am sitting here getting ready to go to camp to greet all your precious ones, watching the birds flitting around deciding what seed is going to be their breakfast this morning…while I watch Bravo, our big Belgian, wander around my lawn, doing a good job at being a lawn mower….a riding one at that! I swear he gets lonesome for company and just wiggles the fence enough to get out and go a’visitin’ He never goes in the road or does anything bad except wait for the kids to come down for morning hug. It is getting to be quite a routine for him now….one that suits me just fine….a cup of coffee, the sun peeking out over the hill side, my dogs at my feet and a horse poking his nose in my door. What a way to start the day!!!! I am the most blessed of people….thanks to having your daughters to enjoy…and enjoy them we are!

I believe my last blog to you was all about the horse show on Saturday, the fun things we did together on Sunday, and the plans for the Family Exhibition on pick-up day…So, I will now begin with our day on Monday and go from there. I do hope you enjoy these blogs and seeing what we do at camp with your kids…..Do let me know if any one of you out there is actually reading this! Also, let me know if this is what you would like to read…or should it be more factual and shorter???? Kris always tells me that I go on toooo long but I love recounting all that we do here at Pony Farm….so what do you think???? Fun, helpful or too detailed????

Monday dawned a little gray with predictions of isolated but pretty heavy thunderstorm activities. So, we kept all the activities close to home in case of lightening. We did lessons on Monday morning because we made several horse switches due to the horse show….some wanted more of a challenge…some wanted to get an easier horse to learn to jump higher….we also moved a couple of groups around to even out the numbers…all in all, it is always good to re-group once all the staff is on and organized. Lessons went well, and then the kids came up for lunch to sign up for afternoon activities….Here is where the fun begins…Their choices were Team Jumping, Catch Riding, Swimming and small animals, Gymnastic/Grid Jumping, Bareback, two trail rides, finishing up Arts and Crafts started on Sunday, Greenies (the lesser experienced horses, ridden by the more experienced kids), and Vaulting or Gymnastics on the moving horse. The only hard part for the kids was that they wanted to do all the activities!!!

In the end, they did choose one…and off they went for a glorious afternoon of fun and easy living…That night, they played one of their favorite games “Counselor Quest”. The counselors all get assigned a certain number of points which relate to how long they have been here…thus they know the best and hardest spots to hide so no one finds them!!!! This game goes on until all counselors are caught and everyone troops back to the lodge for our Good Night Candlelight Circle….and sweet dreams of the next day…..

Tuesday was slated to be Gymkhana Day at PF…..The morning was all games done on the flat, meaning without any jumping. We had everything from bobbing for apples, sit a buck, ride a penny, musical stalls, relay races, soda burp relay, eat a marshmallow and whistle, string reins ( where the girls used yarn or thread to steer their mounts, obviously needing to rely heavily on their voice and seat to help control their horses)….others did Dizzy Bat, Sack Races, Barrel Racing and bareback relays….in short, each group had a ball….not one fall off, one tear or one pony jerked in the mouth….They were super about caring for their beloved four footed best friend.

Right after lunch, my Mom, all 88 years old, came to move the baby chicks to their new digs….A whole flock of children waited for her to arrive….and the Great Chicken Roundup got started. First, they had to catch the mother banty chickens who were fierce about guarding their babies…They had to have their wings clipped so they could not fly out of the new pen…Then, all the babies needed to be caught, gently of course, as they are so little. They almost look like bumble bees, all fluff and fuzz….Once all the moms accounted for their chicks, everyone quieted down and started pecking in the dirt and playing in the sunshine…The kids were thrilled. Mom was thrilled and the chicks were finally in a good safe and healthy place….Well done, ladies.

After a good lunch and rest hour, the afternoon of Gambler’s Choice began. Again, this is a real favorite. The kids and staff for each level build a course of jumps or obstacles that are of varying difficulty…some are spooky, some of easy, some are high and some are just funny looking. They then assign point values for each obstacle or jump, the harder ones obviously having the higher numbers….The kids then all went to tack up…We used four rings and doubled up the groups so they were jumping at about the right height for each level.

One by one, the girls each planned their course….They were given two minutes to complete as many jumps as possible, choosing their own line. The ones with the highest points were the winners….To my surprise and delight, they voted not to make it a competition with one winner….they just wanted to have fun and not worry about prizes….

We had no mishaps….no serious spooks on the part of the horses and all good planning on the part of the kids….So, the afternoon ended with glee and lots of good riding took place. It is one thing to look pretty on a horse….we aim to have them look nice while having an effective position that really can be used to ride the horse!!!

Dinner and an inside game took place last night with Becky and all Senior Staff in charge….I am happy to tell you that I was honored to be at my own parents’ 60th Anniversary Celebration Dinner…..With corsage and black tie…a photographer, champagne and the whole family gathered, we had a great time celebrating my most remarkable parents. It was fun to get dressed up and eat ‘grown up food”!

Today, we are going to do some more trail rides and some lessons so that we are ready to show you some cool stuff when you arrive on Saturday…..but this afternoon is when the fun ‘extras’ really begin as these are the specialties….Riding dressage, riding Western, driving the minis, Vaulting, learning to lunge and do natural horsemanship, to name just a few….I am dressed in my cowboy hat and boots to make the western thing fun….The driving equipment is all ready to roll, and we should be ready to give you a great demo on Saturday….

It is hard to believe that we only have a few more days with your girls…With Cascino Night of games tonight…swimming with the horses, an all day rid,e and more driving, it is going to fly by….The jury is still out on the Camping Trip….the weather is not being very cooperative…Having kids in tents under trees with ponies tied up on the mountain side when along comes a thunder and lightening storm does not conjure up a pretty picture in my mind’s eye! I bet you agree!!!! So…we will wait and see.

I hope you are having a great day….I also hope you are glad you sent your kiddo to Pony Farm. We are having a blast and wish this session would just go on and on,.

If I don’t get to write again, we will see you on Saturday between 9:30 and 10AM….we have a great show in the planning for you.,

Stay well and know that we are taking good care of your kiddo(s)!

Warmly, Boo

Horse Show Times for Third Session

2010-07-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

Below is a list of times we are estimating your camper’s first class will start for the Horse Show on Saturday, July 17, 2010. These estimations are on the conservative side. We would rather have you here too early rather than miss some of the show.

9:00
• Olivia G
• Naomi K
• Lucy A
• Natalia K
• Alexandra N
• Svenja O
• Grace W
• Julia P
• Olivia D

9:15
• Mackenzie D
• Kortney A
• Katherine S
• Isabelle R

9:30
• Olivia M

10:00
• Sofia M

10:30
• Taylor B
• Nina R
• Kyra M
• Rachel F
• Mackenzie S
• Tara L
• Lia K
• Sophie K
• Ellie M

10:45
• Natalie B
• Shira H
• Sklyer L
• Kirsten M
• Madison G

11:00
• Emma S
• Emily S
• Anna D
• Clare D

11:30
• Becky O
• Jessie T
• Madie M
• Maggie R
• Adrianna M

12:00
• Nora M

Wednesday July 14th, 2010

2010-07-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all other Pony Farm Friends & Families,

I am happily writing to say a great big hi from Pony Farm. Your ladies are all well and happily settled into their life here on the farm. It was a surprisingly smooth beginning, due in most part to the fact that you have bequeathed us great kiddos. It also helps to have so many who stayed over from last session….or who have returned again and again to camp. With us knowing their riding levels and hopes for their stay with us, it is a pleasant way to kick off the session. All the head teachers, Kris, I, and the riding staff, and kids feel like they are on the right horse or pony, and in the right group. The weather has nicely cooperated with it being cool and overcast. We did get a little rain today, just enough to help the gardens without making it sloppy in the rings. For those of you who were with us last year, you will surely remember that we had over 18 inches of rain to deal with during the first two sessions…that is no fun for man, woman, child or beasty! This year has felt like a piece of cake.

We did indeed do the Bag Skits, as promised, on that first full night of camp, Monday evening. They seemed particularly great this year. I love it when the kids actually plan ahead and bring some props with them to make the skits even more special. This seems like such a great way to get everyone ‘loosened up’ within their rooms, and then get them collaborating on doing something fun and frivolous in their lives…I am all about fun and frivolity….I think many of us are working so hard to make our stake in life, do a good job by our families, and help our kids ‘get and stay ahead’ that we sometimes forget the simpler things in life which really are just plain fun and silly. Trust me when I say that your girls were silly that night. Not one homesick tear was seen, and all tipped toed off to bed after riding twice and doing barn chores. For those used to sitting at desks, these are active days for sure!!!

Yesterday dawned lovely. I even snuck out of my little Cottage to take some early morning ‘misty’ pictures as the sun was peeking out over the tree line.. A deer was doing her last grazing on the far edge of the field in front of my house but she was too far away to get a good picture. She did help me remember how deeply blessed I am to be here on this farm, enjoying your children….and appreciating such a great staff who truly care about their young charges.

Speaking of wonderful staff, I am sincerely impressed by our core of teachers this year. They are eager riders. They begged me to go off and ride some of the newer camp horses and get them going a little more smoothly in preparation for the horse show instead of sitting on the couch watching bag skits…a much easier job! With their weekly staff lessons and lots of riding on their free time, the horses are coming along beautifully. It is such fun to watch the changes in muscles and development of necks & hindquarters as the horses get fitter and fitter. It is like a little miracle that unfolds for me each day.

Yesterday, the girls did the final ‘look see’ to make sure that they were correctly placed on the right mount and the right class. The teachers and assistants were divided up now into coaching groups so that everyone can begin preparing for the show. So far, it seems that all the girls want to show on Saturday. Each class had a lesson of real skill building. The coaches seemed pleased and began considering which divisions in which to place each rider. It is no mean feat to get 48 girls here on a Sunday afternoon, and have them dressed, pressed, clean and in the right classes….not tooo easy, not tooo hard within 5 riding days. So, they spend a lot of time speaking with the girls and getting it done right.

Sadly, I missed the afternoon activities yesterday due to a doctor’s appointment. Much to my dismay, my asthma is acting up again, despite all sorts of good doctors and medicines. I went for a check up and they found that I had a partially collapsed lung on one side and some pneumonia on the other…..Darn, this is not what I want to have happen. They swore to me that if I kept in my air filtered house for a day or two, it would blow over so I can be at the horse show…..Therefore, that is exactly what I am doing. I am in total touch by phone and email…..plus, camp is in super hands any way. I can really help organize the show and get all those details done for camp that I let go because I would much rather be with the kids and horses….So, I am already better with the antibiotics and should be rearin’ to go by show time or before. Please worry not about your daughter as she is in terrific hands and I am only a few yards away!!!

I did have to miss Personal Scavenger Hunt last night however….not much of a loss to me as I NEVER know any of the questions….The staff gathers up all questions about the newest “Hottie” movie star or singer…the best summer reading books or the latest TV diva. They then pose the questions in teams and whoever can run up the fastest gets to answer the question by singing, dancing or imitating the ‘star’ of the day….I fear that you, too, would not know the answers quickly enough either! It is a big hit and one most eagerly anticipated. Believe it or not, the staff spend time on their free time coming up with the questions or categories….Again, good clean fun under the stars.

This morning, despite moderate rain, Kris and crew decided that they should ride again and get ready to sign up for classes after the morning lesson. This afternoon, with thunder and lightening predicted, they are entering the classes by each group. Kris, Karen and Chelsea will check over the staff and kids’ picks and the entry blanks will officially go to get entered tomorrow. We should be able to send you the estimated time of your child/ren’s riding time so that you can plan your travel schedule accordingly. We do say this is our best guess as we never know how many to expect from other barns. We are generally pretty accurate. We also love having time to chat as we wait for classes.

Here are some show logistics for your info….The show itself starts at 9AM. We will have coffee and muffins for you…Your daughter will be all dressed and pressed to ride. The show goes on pretty much non- stop all day long. Please park in the Lodge and Homestead parking areas, preferably off the grass, so that the visiting trailers can park in the lower field. We expect that the show will wrap up mid- afternoon. Do not hesitate to bring a bathing suit and go for a dip…or use the swing set for younger siblings…We do ask that you do not let your other children ride your daughter’s pony, as we sure don’t want an accident while we are focusing on the show. Also, you are welcome to bring dogs, but please do keep them on a leash.

Our food concession truck friends are no longer able to bring their lunch wagon to serve visiting families and outside competitors. Sadly, our longtime friend Sandy is in the final stages of cancer. So, as much as we will miss them, we will be serving burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, desserts and watermelon up at the lodge. Your camper ‘eats on us’….However, we are asking that you help defray your cost of your food by making a donation to our money jar….We are working hard to earn enough money to buy a brand new miniature horse harness for our littlest mini Pizazz. He was our rescue baby three years ago. He is now ready to grow up and be a big boy with his own harness….The total price is reduced by a great sale from $325 for the entire harness to $269…It is a biothane harness…just what he needs to be safe, learn well and start ‘pulling his own weight’ around here. It will be such fun to get him driving…and have all four miniature horses be able to be enjoyed by one and all. Wait until you see the other one’s driving for your exhibition. If someone gives over $50 toward this harness, it will also be a tax deduction for you….So, help us get good food for you, while working toward the purchase of a great new harness for our little man. Your kids can even help get him started driving….now all we need is the harness!!!!

As I go on and on about the horse show, do let me make one thing very clear….should you live far away, or be on a fun trip, or need to work, PLEASE DO NOT WORRY THAT YOUR DAUGHTER WILL BE THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT SOMEONE AT RING SIDE. We will take extra good care of her…She will be well coached…and we already have a fun evening planned in your absence. We will, if you have given written permission in your camp forms, allow her to go out for ice cream with a friend or two…or even dinner. She just must check out with Becky or myself before she leaves to make sure we have the appropriate permission. The other fun thing is that we will shortly post pictures of the show up on our website….or You Tube, so you will not miss any of the action. I love the blend of high tech with the fun of getting gritty in the show ring…and cooling off in the pool….so, a little something for everyone.

Sunday will be a peaceful day for all. We will put away all the ribbons, clean up our rooms, gather laundry, play cards and have a sleepy brunch. I also bet we will have lots of tales from the show. On Sunday afternoon, I have promised them the Ice Cream Trough…more on that after the fact so that you don’t think I am a derelict camp director….Lots of time to play with the farm animals, swim, bring out the baby chicks, replant some garden stuff that will produce second crops later on…and make a great big yummie salad out of what we have grown so far. I also hope to hook up the carriages and take them on a real farm wagon ride. As you can probably tell, Sunday is my favorite day with the kids because we get to do some of the more ‘farmy’ kind of things. I am hoping this Sunday to also make butterfly houses and bat houses….plus set up the baby chicks better for night time….So, as the girls are planning their Talent Night acts….we will all just enjoy being together and relaxing by the pool and on the farm.

The evening will end with our Talent Show, complete with MC…I adore seeing all the great talent that your kids possess….You sure have given them a great start in life by providing such a diverse set of skills. I do wish you could be a fly on the wall for these nights under the stars and around the bonfire.

Next week will be devoted to the other parts of riding…..a camping trip, driving carriages, natural horsemanship, vaulting, an all day drive or ride, a Hunter Pace….jousting and broom polo being new requests, culminating with swimming with the horses….so the riding and horse fun will not stop with the show.

We hope you are pleased that your child is under our care. We all send our best and with great wishes that you, too, are having some good summer fun and relaxation. Ain’t life grand!!!

Most warmly and with a great big smile!!!!

Boo and the whole Crew!!!!

Thursday July 8th, 2010

2010-07-09T07:52:00.001-07:00

Thursday July 8th, 2010

Dearest Camp Families and Friends,

A hearty good morning to you all….I am delighted to tell you that the heat is starting to break….none of the kids or horses have been broken….spirits are high and lots of fun has happened. We are happily expecting a rain tonight to cool things off…and my asthma is already a ton better….so we are all in great shape.

What a great group of kids…Despite truly record heat and 100% humidity, they have not complained once. They have not fussed, whined or been hard to please. They are just truly a great group of girls. I hate the thought that they are leaving us on Saturday…at least some of them. I could happily keep the whole crew here for the rest of the summer. They are a delight.

The session however does end on this Saturday. Plan to arrive at the lodge between 9:30 and 10AM. They will be dressed and pressed to ride, with their luggage on their beds ready for you to load up. For those staying for next session, they will not need to be packed so you won’t have to come if you don’t want. They most often will switch rooms but we can help them accomplish that. The Parents ’Exhibition will begin at 10AM with each lesson group demonstrating what they have learned while they were here. The Counselors’-In-Training will conduct the lesson while the Riding Instructors will speak with you about your child’s riding. We will then split into Specialities which will include driving, vaulting, the high jump, courses, games and dressage. The kids are signing up for their specialties today and beginning their practice. The whole thing concludes about noon. The kids will hay and water their ponies….at that time, we ask that you really help them to collect things from the barn. It is so easy to leave a hat, boots, saddle or grooming kit….and then we are faced with mailing a really bulky package. Your help will be greatly appreciated at this time….

We will then all eat lunch together and share stories of camp….We will provide desserts and refreshments, but we ask that you bring the lunch part for your family. In the past, we tried to do the whole thing. We either had tooo much food and wasted it…or not enough and felt embarrassed….This seems like the right middle ground.

The picnic time gives us a great opportunity to share camp moments with you. We will also settle up for your daughters’ laundry and showing expenses. You can also see her camp photo with her horse. They will be available for purchase if you wish. Donnie, our camp nurse, is a truly gifted photographer. I bet you will love these camp keepsakes.

For your travel plans, we usually wrap up things by 1 or 1:30…..We begin cleaning for the next crew so that we are all ready for their arrival. The kids that are staying over will swim and have a movie night….and extra TLC! We are also going to hook up the new Welsh Cob driving ponies…so they will not be bored…

Let me go back to yesterday so that you can know what we did to survive the heat wave. My thermometer on my Cottage, mind you it was in full sun, read 120 degrees….It has never been this hot in all the years of camp….all 39 of them! But, onward we went…We did bareback rides in the indoor and the shade so that they did get to ride, as we know that is what they love best. We had water in the rings and drenched them in sunscreen….

We also moved room clean up to rest hour so that we could get riding as quickly as possible for it to be as cool as possible. All the morning rides ended well, with the favorites being the trail rides, of course. We are so lucky to have such good tree/shade cover to be able to ride in the woods and dirt roads all around Pony Farm.

The much awaited camping trip with the ponies was scheduled for last night….We went up to check the usual spot on the mountain brook, only to find that the stream which is usually rushing cold, was a mere trickle…..we would not have had water to swim or water for the horses who were to spend the night. We were also foiled by the fact that we could not get a burn permit for the camp fire for singing or cooking….thus, not to be daunted, Kris and crew decided to have the camping trip on the front lawn, right by the pool to swim….and the small animals…and to use my fire pit for cooking….all made much sense to me and to the girls. We hate to cancel the camping trip as it is such a high light for so many.

Nineteen of the kids signed up to camp…The rest of us split into more swimming groups with games in the pool, a training session of Natural Horsemanship, and driving. I do love carriage driving and a whole gang worked with me to create a poster to explain the steps of harnessing and unharnessing. We got the ponies ready for the driving part of the exhibition for you…and the numbers and the carriages…so it was a great afternoon. We drove down the shady road with the girls at the reins. I do love seeing how much they enjoy this quiet, peaceful, ‘old fashioned’ mode of transportation. It really does take us all back to those ‘olden days’….

The camping trip ended this morning as a hit….I bet the kids will actually snooze at rest hour today. This morning all the groups had lessons, modified again for the heat, for the well being of both kids and horses….and staff too ! They rode well…..and again, not a complaint was heard….Bless their hearts!

This afternoon they will be doing vaulting, training the greener horses, doing catch riding of each other’s horses, team jumping, pony dress up, a trail ride, and “Time with their Horses”.

Tonight, in the cooler part of the day, they will be doing Counselor Quest….this is a long time camp favorite as the counselors each receive a point value, depending on how long they have been here….They then go hide and the kids try in teams to amass the most points by finding the most counselors and with the highest points. To my amazement, the staff love this every bit as much as the kids!!!!

Tomorrow is the final time to school for the Exhibition and to swim with the horses. We divide the camp into half….so your child will ride in a lesson in the morning and swim with the horses in the afternoon, or visa versa….It is a great time and one of my personal favorites. They do love it!!! I promise that I work hard to keep it safe for both kids and ponies. We also never use personally owned horses, so worry not.

Tomorrow night, we will gather at my little Pavillion with torch lights, twinkling lights, my little water fountain, and all the song books for our closing ceremony, called Candlelight. By the light of the candles…and hopefully a moon shining bright, each member of camp will express what their camp experience was. The staff and kids, not to mention, me…really get into this. We sing all our favorite songs and have such a lovely time together before the session officially ends for this year. I promise you that you would love to be a fly on that wall. It is just a beautiful evening, filled with love, joy and bright & smiling faces.

So, that my friends, is my version of the happenings’ at Pony Farm. It has been a great session and I will be sad to see it end. Thank you for sharing your wonderful daughters with us. Do look at our website to see the You Tube pictures that will be posted after the Exhibition. We think this is a fun new feature of our camp!!!

Stay cool and know that we are smiling just thinking of YOU.

Fondly and with a big smile, Boo

July 5, 2010

2010-07-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Monday July 5th, 2010

Dearest Pony Farm Followers, Moms & Dads, Grandparents and Friends of the Farm,

Whewwwwwwwwwwwwww, it sure is a hot one here today. I bet you are sweating like mad wherever you are. It is a true heat wave. The girls are all fine…but rest assured that we are taking great care to keep everyone well ‘watered’ both inside and out. It is truly a hot one.

Let me begin by saying what a pleasure it was to have so many of you here for the horse show. I know it is a lot of miles and an early morning or late evening for those of you who have to travel far. You are good sports to come and share in the festivities, especially on the 4th of July weekend. However, for all of you who were not able to join us, fear not, your kiddos were well loved and cared for with swimming, extra ice cream, a peaceful movie with fans, and a good quiet night’s sleep.

Sunday started off peacefully too with the kids reading and staying in bed longer due to it being their ‘day off ‘ from all horse activities, including barn chores. The girls enjoyed neatening up their rooms, getting their laundry organized, and of course stroking their horse show ribbons. I am happy to report that everyone got at least two ribbons….I always breathe a sigh of relief when that happens. I know life is not supposed to be ‘rigged’ and ‘sometimes you lose some, and sometimes you win some’. We just like Pony Farm to be on the time when ‘you win some’!!!!

This Sunday was a little different than most Sundays that are during the middle of a session because of it being the big 4th of July! The kids and staff were eager to go to the Temple Ball Field where all sorts of athletic games of prowess were held, complete with more ribbons. The Temple gang does a great job of this fun, farm community event with a delicious lunch cooked by our fire department, and the games run by the town rec department and policemen. The old fashioned fun games like the egg toss, wheelbarrow race, three legged race, grain sack race, and the Firemen’s Relay were all still popular with the kids of both camp and the town of Temple. With race heats for all ages, our girls did an amazing job of winning a lot without taking over the event. The running games ended with a huge long tug of war with a fire rope…..The fire hose, full blast, was held exactly in the middle of the rope. Everyone pulled and pulled as hard as she and he could, trying not to get drenched. With both sides winning and losing, everyone enjoyed a good soaking and gales of laughter….Just the kind of thing that should happen on a beautiful summer day. If you want to see the fun in action, take a look on the Pony Farm Face Book where you can see the festivities as they happened.

I am truly dazzled by my adventure as a Camp Director as I seek to balance the best of the” old” while allowing the fun and excitement of the “new” into the young lives invested in my care. I love so dearly to see the kids all running, getting strong and tan, and learning how to be part of a big group in an historic old town like Temple, which was incorporated 5 years after my farm was built. This farm started with one little log hut in 1754….Temple was soon thereafter incorporated and became a ‘real town’. To have the kids celebrating the birth of our country on the 4th of July in a town that is older than our country, really thrills me….Conversely, it is such fun to be able to share the fun of the moment by posting some happy pictures on Face Book….It seems like just such an oxymoron in all the best ways possible. I hope you are able to find them and enjoy them.

We are also just about to post a slideshow of our horse show on Saturday up on UTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-84p1mANAg ) or Pony Farm July 3rd 2010 Horse Show) for your viewing pleasure. One of our great staff who is a good ‘techy’, as well as good rider and teacher, spent the morning honing the pictures she took. We believe that we got at least one shot of everyone into the slideshow…..We sure tried! We thought this would give all of you a sense of the breadth and depth of what kind of riding goes on here at Pony Farm. We are mighty proud of our horses, ponies, campers and teachers…We think it all came together pretty darn well with only one week to practice and get everyone on the right horse and in the right class. Take a look and let me know what you think!

So, as I laud the marvels of technology, I also stick to my guns about the importance of just plain relaxed fun and ‘down time’. Yesterday afternoon, the kids played in the pool….and it was finally sparkling clean! They groomed and played with the farm animals o’plenty, as well. All the while, they were creating skits, songs, dances, gymnastic routines and impersonations for the upcoming Talent Show. By dinner time, we had a whopping 18 acts on our roster. I was worried we might be sitting under the stars as we watched the sun come up….but they were all cute, sweet, appropriate and to the point. We have some good talent out there, a testament no doubt to hours of driving to lessons of every variety by YOU….!!!!

However, just so that they had enough energy to strut their stuff, I did one of the favorite desserts of all time….THE TROUGH….Kris and the camp nurse, Donnie, frown at me as I work with the staff to fill up a 20 foot long gutter (I promise it has never been used as a rain gutter!) with four kinds of ice cream, fluff, whipped cream, sprinkles and all sorts of gooooooey toppings, minus nuts, of course. The kids then rush forth with their spoon in hand and literally dig in….Last night every morsel was lapped up….and my own favorite ending, a water fight of course, with me at the helm of the hose, closed down delicious, drippy, delightful decadence. I hope you are smiling and don’t think I am the world’s most derelict camp director for instigating this….I also promise you that kids are given the option of getting their ice cream delivered the civilized way, in a bowl and a spoon, individual, that is!

We then went in and I led a little bit of a celebrate America and its birth with the kiddos. I read a few oldies but goodies poems about our country and its vision. I then shared, that while we have a lot of still fix and we are not a perfect country, that we are a kind and most noble people. We shared about this country’s willingness to volunteer both at home and abroad, and our generosity with money. I also shared a little about the men and women I work with in our Horses for Heroes Program with Horse Power….and how much we love our animals. In short, it was a patriotic reflective moment. The girls then added things that they loved about their country or things that made them proud to be an American. We ended by singing “This Land is Your Land, this Land is My Land”. It was a sweet and lovely moment in time. Your ladies are most articulate. I was also pleased that so many of them were willing to express their feelings in a whole group.

Bedtime followed with not one peep….Kris and I finalized the planning for this week….and everyone went to sleep well after a long and lovely day.

Today, dawned hot, hot and hotter….So we decided to modify the Hunter Pace so it was only a walk and trot ride…..with the times slowed down for the weather. Several kids chose to be Safety Spotters or Movie Watchers as they felt queasy in their tummies. We obviously do not want to send kids out on a 5 mile ride if they are already a little dizzy….All the teams had a blast and everyone of the teams came in with nice cool horses, and big smiles…..They are in rest hour now….

This afternoon, the kids have the following choices….to going swim, take the farm animals wading in the creek, to paint the parts of the horses on their ponies and then give them a bath, do arts and crafts inside, or to drive the miniature horses with me in the indoor. We want to get the kids driving and can do it out of the hot sun by using the indoor. Yipee, for lots of options.

Tonight, my Mom, who is 88, is coming to dinner and to tell her stories of her early days working on a cow ranch in Wyoming, on a horse farm in hunt county in Potomac, MD, and as a volunteer ambulance driver during World War II. Her tales are just fascinating and a real staple of camp life once each session. She does kid that she worries that the campers remember the stories better than she does now….but she loves coming to tell them and they love hearing her….and I love the combination. We will all sit out in the cool night air, watch the stars start to shine, and enjoy a fabulous evening of living, oral history….What could be better!

I should end now…but let me just say that we will also be having lessons the next two mornings….the camping trip is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, evening and Thursday morning. We will be doing a lot of driving, vaulting, Gymkhana Games on horse back, training greenies, riding Western, team jumping….just to mention a few of the fun things in store for this week. I can guarantee you that no one will be bored…..and we are paying close attention to dehydration and wellness….with lots of sunscreen and shade in the offing.

I must end as I need to get back up to camp but I do love writing you to let you know all the fun and varied things that we do here together. Do look at the slideshow and the face book so you, too, can share in the great adventure we are in together, heat or no!

Thank you for lending us your Treasures….We are taking good care and having a blast….Also, I will FINALLY be back on email tomorrow. They have promised to come hook me up in my new air filtered office so that I can be in better touch….I can’t wait to be able to dash off an email to answer a question. I only apologize that this took so long. I just did not realize my asthma was not going to work well in my usual summer office space…or I would have made the conversion much sooner before you all got here. I apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused you.

Most Sincerely,
Boo

Horse Show Update for July 3rd!

2010-07-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Friday July 2nd, 2010

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all Good Pony Farm Families,

It is another glorious day on the farm. The sky is as blue as I have ever seen….the kids are smiling and all busily getting ready for the show. The courses are set, the jumps and trail class decorated, the manes trimmed and the classes are entered. Everything has gone so smoothly because your kids are sooooo great. They are doing their last practice over the courses and trail course as I write this, with lunch starting a little late. We will do baths, boots, final grooming….and top off the afternoon with swimming for all great kids. We will have a yummy dinner, followed by the final show coaching meetings, and the overview of the day of the show. We will all fall into bed a little early as tomorrow will be an early start to what is supposed to be perfect horse show weather….Aren’t we lucky with this run of great weather. It is cool, no bugs and beautiful all day, every day.

I did want to get you these time estimates so that you can plan your travel if you are coming. So I will not write much more of a blog as you can find all about it tomorrow yourself, straight from the ‘horses’ mouths’ , so to speak! However, I did want to take a moment to explain why I have not been on email. Last week, my asthma started acting up because of working in the office at the lodge which is down in the basement. I have always moved down to that office which is so cool and lovely in the summer so that Tree House can be used for a bedroom instead of my winter office…..However, for some reason this year, my asthma lungs did not like working down there and I had a flair up….So, I seized the opportunity to get a new lap top and upgrade all my software so that I could use my little air filtered Cottage for my summer office work.

NEVER did I believe that it would take them from Sunday to tomorrow to switch over my documents and install the new software….I feel completely out of touch without email. I am sooooo sorry if you have emailed me and waited for a reply, only to be disappointed. I just plain did not know that this was going to take so long. I do NOT want you to think I am a sleep at the switch. I promise I have been with your kiddos….and camp is going great guns….Staples is just slow! I should be back on by Sunday….and easily assessable that way.

I can’t wait for the show tomorrow and to greet those of you who are coming. If I don’t see you tomorrow, I will be here to greet you next Saturday for the closing day. For your planning purposes, you should expect to arrive at about 9:30AM. The Exhibition will begin at about 10 and end about 12 Noon. We will then all eat together….and you can pull out anytime after I give your daughter a big hug! All closing festivities will surely be over by 2PM.If your daughter(s) is/are staying over, you are welcome to hang out with us or take her out for ice cream or dinner….We will surely have lots of staff and a good dinner with a movie for Saturday night. She will have plenty to do!

We all send our very best. I hope you are having a glorious week. Once again, I thank you for bequeathing your children to us for this session….Our 39th year of Pony Farm is a real winner with YOUR girls here!

Hugs and love, Boo

Below is a list of times we are estimating your camper’s first class will start. These estimations are on the conservative side. We would rather have you here too early rather than miss some of the show.

9:00 am
• Hope C.
• Lucy A.

9:15 am
• Maisie L.
• Katherine S.

9:30 am
• Olivia L.
• Sofia M.
• Sterling D.
• Emory B.
• Victoria K.
• Rachel W.

9:40 am
• Lida C.
• Jessen E.
• Louisa B.
• Nora M.
• Louisa S.

10:00 am
• Adeline C.
• Natalia K.
• Antonia ‘Coyote’ F.
• Kayla H.

10:30 am
• Maggie R.
• Ashley W.

11:00 am
• Maggie M.
• Ellie C.
• Charlotte K.
• Tara L.
• Rachel F.
• Siri W.
• Miranda D.

11:30 am
• Ellie S.
• Olivia M.
• Elsbeth W.
• Lindsay L.
• Clare C.
• Mackenzie S.

Start of Camp, Summer 2010

2010-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday June 22nd 2010

Dearest Camp Families,

I am sitting here smiling in my office as I listen to the footsteps above me in the lodge as your Treasures are having their rest hour time. They have finished the quiet half hour, and have just stared the card playing and crafting part of their day. Of course, the older campers love to listen to their music and just chat during rest hour…but they are all getting a good rest after their start to camp…

What a great start it has been, too. They are super kids, every single one of them. They listen intently to every direction because they want to do it ‘right’. They are sprung loaded to get to ride their horses or bring them in from the pastures. They seem to love all the food and, most especially, being together with a bunch of fellow horse lovers. It is just so fun!!! Thank you again for ‘lending’ them to us.

As my letter indicated, we did all sorts of introductions to the farm and each other on the Opening Night. We started teaching them some of our favorite camp songs…you know the kind that you remember years later! While none of us are going to end up in Carnage Hall, we sure did make a joyous sound that first night. We also had Vespers, which is the time of day when either staff or the kids from each room create poems, songs or stories about something special. The first night the Counselors-In-Training say what about Pony Farm makes them come back, year after year. It is certainly a sweet sound to Kris and my ears as it makes all the preparations and planning worth while! We love having second generation kids and staff. I guess that is probably why I have all these smile lines and gray hair. After Goodnight Circle, which is when we all hold hands and everyone says what they were thankful for that day, each room tip toes off to their bunk. While they change, the staff give out any evening medicines and review the day with me. Following that, all the room counselors go to their rooms and say good night. Many good stories are told and all the stuffed animals are introduced!

I had to catch up on some correspondence so I stayed in the main room until well after 10:30….Not a peep was heard and not one drop of a tear of homesickness was spilled. I think everyone lay in their bunk beds, dreaming of their day to come.

The day dawned bright, clear and cool without a bug in sight. The kids were up and eager to go when Kris got here at 7AM! We did hold them off until a decent hour. Off they went in their muck boots and shorts to catch and feed their ponies, eagerly getting ready for the big first ride. A yummie breakfast followed with a Community Meeting to announce the whole process of tacking up and mounting up. The first attempt at getting everyone grouped into appropriate classes was announced and off everyone trooped in their lovely riding clothes, buckets and hats swinging in the breeze. It is fun to feel the energy and good spirit abound now that camp is back in full swing.

Three of us went to watch each group with their counselors and counselors in training. We compared notes as to who liked her horse or pony, which skills each needed to learn and where they were on the range of levels for this session. The kids did a great job of letting us know if they liked their pony or wanted a change. They were nicely articulate and most of the time, dead on! It was fun to be a part of it all. It is quite like the ‘sorting hat’ time in Harry Potter and Hogwart’s School! We not only have to see if they are on the right horse but also what group to put them in so they learn to ride well without being overfaced!

By lunchtime, we had all but 4 kids on the right mount. They happily were game to try again that afternoon…The rest of the kids divided up into three stations in their barn teams. They took turns learning Natural Horsemanship and Horse Handling a la Pony Farm, doing Pony Spa (a fun name for extra good grooming and playing with their new found friend0 and getting their picture taken. We have a great camp photographer, who doubles as our Camp Nurse!!!, who does a lovely job of taking camp portraits. All the girls’ pictures will be available for your viewing, and possible purchase, on Saturday’s pick up day. (More on that to follow!)

By 4PM I saw lots of hungry little faces, even some big ones, who were eager to feed their pony the evening grain and to get a snack for themselves. During this relaxing time on the front lawn by the garden, they learned how to do barn chores and how each barn team took care of their section of the barn. The old adage of “Many hands make light work” is truly true if all hands know what to do!

In fact, barn chores and turn out flew by and they were up in jig time to take showers and get cleaned up. Dinner was served promptly at 6:30 with everyone all freshened up and smiling. Again, no homesickness or roommate troubles…I do believe that all the kids were thrilled with their PF horse or pony. It seems to really make all homesickness disappear for good if we can find just the right pony! Funny how that works!

After dinner, we played an all time camp favorite called Bag Skits. Each room collects 6 items from their room and places them all in a big dark garbage bag. They then switch bags with other rooms. The counselors for each room join with the campers and create a skit using everyone in the bag. All roomies play some kind of part or prop! The results are darling, funny and sweet. It is not only a great way for them to all get to know each other, but it really helps me to see a different side of each of the girls that what they do or say upon their pony!

We then used our well loved PF Songbooks and sang a whole bunch of favorite oldies but goodies. The kids are great singers and we sure made the rounds. Rooms 1 and 2 had the Vesper couch and did a great job, small as they are! We concluded with Goodnight Circle and off they went to bed. Tonight, it sure quieted down quicker than the night before…They were pretty darned tired!

Today again dawned beautiful and bright with a gentle breeze, in short, ideal camp temps. The girls now knew what riding group they had and which instructor and horse. It makes for a much smoother and quicker morning meeting. Again, staff went around to watch all the lessons and to make any last minute changes. I can honestly say that I think the kids are thrilled with their groups and their matches. Even the littlest kids are trotting happily around the ring…and the oldest are already jumping and doing lines.
The staff are really turning out well. We have a couple of new ones this year and they are just fantastic, so we are delighted. The combination of the right horses and the right staff truly are the making of a great summer!

We had lunch followed by rest hour. This afternoon they got to choose between 8 activities. To my amazement 16 children signed up to do the Small Farm Animals with me. This includes three goats, four miniature horses, one miniature donkey, two wooly sheet, four rabbits and chickens o’plenty! I got lots of pictures of this for future slide shows. Two other groups of the older and more experienced kids chose to work with the new ponies and horses that have just joined our camp string of horses. They are cantering and jumping them as we speak. This will be the first time that the campers will have ridden the new borrowed, loaned or consignment horses and ponies. We spent all of orientation organizing them and assessing them. I can’t wait to hear at dinner how they all went for the kids themselves.

Another whole two groups of kids chose to go on a trail ride. That is such a fun thing to do on a summer afternoon. We are so blessed to have so many great places to ride that are not on any highways….We have so few cars that go by, it really is only beautiful and safe. Gotta love New Hampshire!!!

Tonight, they are going to play Capture the Flag, another camp fav. Tomorrow will feature more lessons in the ring in the morning with lots of activities to choose from in the afternoon from Western riding, Dressage, vaulting and more trail riding to get ready for the all day ride with a picnic on Thursday. I will be leading this and we will be going up the mountain to the high field overlooking all four mountains in our area. It always reminds me of Jackson Hole. It is a real favorite ride of mine. We will take saddle bags and tote our picnic along with us for a yummy full lunch with our horses.

So, all is well with your kiddos. No one has been anything other than wonderful! They are polite and lovely children…gung ho and sweet….funny and silly….young and beautiful….just what we hope our children are! So thank you for sharing them with us here at Pony Farm.

One final word….We forgot to outline the pick up process on Saturday….not that we are happy that you will be arriving to take ‘our’ children back!!!! However, for your planning, please plan to arrive between 9:30 and 10AM. We will do a riding exhibition for you. Your child will show you what she has learned this week. She will also show you a ‘specialty’ that she wants you to see her do like driving or vaulting. The morning will wrap up about noon when the girls will show you how they do their barn feeding. Please bring a picnic lunch for you and your family. We will provide all drinks and desserts. We used to do the whole lunch but found that sometimes we had way too much food…and other times, more came than we expected, and we embarrassingly ran out of food…so, do bring a picnic and let us provide you with drinks and desserts! You can have a chance to speak with your child’s instructor and room counselor, plus Kris, Becky and myself for a full update as to how she was while we were privileged to have her! She can also say good bye to her friends and her pony.

The one week session goes soooo fast. I will try to sneak in another blog after the all day ride….I do hope this gives you a sense of all the fun and interesting things that we do here. It is such a great way to spend my summer….its just hard to believe I have been doing this for 39 years…I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!!!! Thanks for having such fun and interesting and smart, capable kids. I will be sad to give them back to you!

Hope you are well. We are thinking of you! Enjoy this beautiful day.

Warmly,

Boo!

FOUNDER’S SPRINGTIME BLOG

2010-03-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

First Day of Spring 2010!!!!

Spring has sprung here at Pony Farm. As I sat outside my little Cottage yesterday, overlooking the beautiful hay field in front, the paddocks of ponies on all sides, and a ring full of horses being schooled to start lessons this week, my heart was brimming over to welcome spring this year. The robins, all 18 of them, mightily picked the worms that would help the hay grow tall and firm. The clouds rolled by over the drying up mud puddles and the snow banks ebbed away, leaving greening grass, tender sprouts of crocus and snow brights in their wake.
What more could a body want on a sunny Sunday filled with joy and wonder of the seasons on a farm!!!!

The only thing missing in this springtime splendor was YOU! We are ready, eager and excited to be kicking off our lesson programs this week. Despite depressing nightly news on every channel, I am delighted to announce that Pony Farm and Horse Power have a full lesson riding, driving and horsemanship program….with a waiting list! It thrills me that people are taking the time to join together to do something fun, interesting, healthy and outside. Hooray for our students and staff. The horses may still be shedding and getting into their ‘fit zone’ but they are most eager to welcome you a’board. Let’s all enjoy the coming warm weather together as we stretch those winter muscles, clear out the cobwebs in our brains, and rekindle lovely friendships with fellow animal lovers here at the farm.

Plans are also taking shape nicely for our upcoming Pony Farm residential summer riding camp, proudly in its 39th year of successful operation. Where does the time go?!? We have an excellent fill for camp this year. However, we do have a few spots remaining in the first and last one week session, so if you have not yet had a taste of the ‘crème de la crème’ of summer riding experiences, call the farm number today at 603-654-6308 and snag one of those last bunks for your kiddo. I guarantee you will not regret your decision…..

We are also gearing up for our Annual Father Daughter Weekend (April 9th to the 11th) and Family “Spring Fling” Weekend (May 14th to the 16th). Young or old, or somewhere in the middle, we highly recommend taking a ‘weekend away’ and experience the sights, sounds and joys of the farm from early morn to the starlit night. We will eat yummy food, ride with gusto, jump, trail ride, vault, carriage drive, have a picnic ride if the weather permits, play with the small animals, eat some more, build a bonfire, cook S’Mores and sing our hearts out to the moon. What a simple, fun, pleasant and refreshing way to welcome in the spring and the season of earthly delights.

One of my personal favorites of both weekends is to prepare the three main farm gardens using the draft horses and a plow. Imagine walking behind one of the big, friendly draft horses, holding the reins steady while we steer that plow straight and narrow, making the furrows which will soon grow flowers and vegetables for us to enjoy together…. Join us to share in the special magic of these weekends. For first time campers, it is a great way to get ‘your feet wet’ at the farm with Mom or Dad right by your side. For older campers, it is the perfect way to come
‘back one more time’ before that resume building summer job beckons. For family, friends, and relatives, it is just plain a good time to share the simple, peaceful joys of being on a working farm. Do call today to reserve your spot. Kris or Lauren will happily fill you in on the details. The number is 603-654-6308. Join us for a great time.

Pony Farm is also offering two professional development clinics/workshops this spring. The first is a Centered Riding Workshop (May 7th and 8th) to be facilitated by well known and revered Heidi Potter, Level IV Centered Riding Clinician. Heidi is top drawer and a truly gifted teacher. Whether you wish to hone your skills to the next level, or are dealing with fear and anxiety as you return to riding as an adult, Heidi is the clinician for you. Bring your own horse or use one of ours…..Lodging is on site at our wonderful log cabin lodge, filled with all the comforts of home. Call Lauren or Kris today for more details and sign right up….The price is right!

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) is also hosting its annual five day clinic (June 7th to 11th) and certification workshop here at Pony Farm. This is an exquisite educational experience for anyone wishing to learn how to teach group riding lessons more effectively. It covers all the topics needed to truly excel at teaching riding and horsemanship in either the English or Western disciplines. In a supportive, warm, welcoming and knowledgeable atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, teachers of all levels will hone their skills and greatly advance their knowledge. Do find out more about this important clinic today. Call 603-654-6308 and let us talk you into coming. You will not regret it for one minute.

I hope that the whole spirit of this Blog makes you glad that springtime has sprung! Hurry up and come visit. As the ring footing dries out, the fences get painted, and the horses leg up, we can’t wait to ‘sit a spell’ and visit with you, catch up on your news, tell you about all the many exciting changes in the works here at the farm and dream of the coming of our 40th year of successful operation. Wow….there are great things in store and we will surely be letting you know about all the creative, important, exciting, challenging and thrilling things that are bubbling just under the surface of the farm….Like the beautiful flowers about to bloom, the farm is alive and well….just waiting to burst forth with new life, vim and vigor. It is all most exciting. I can’t wait get back up on a horse with YOU!!!! Hurry up and come visit.

Warmly and with joy,

Isabella (Boo) Martin, Founder & Executive Director

Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

Dearest Pony Farm Families,

It is with a happy heart and a big smile that I write this New Year’s letter to you all. I surely wish you the best in 2010. I also hope that you will be with us in the coming year…whether it be for our upcoming Summer Camp Open House next weekend…or our special adult “Women Only Weekend” in January, or our new Winter Camp in February or winter an spring riding lessons or shows or family weekends or clinics or trail rides or family weekends ….or summer camp. Whew, the list just goes on and on!!!! We surely do a lot of fun things here. It makes me so excited for the New Year to start so we can do a lot of these things together. Mostly, we want YOU to be here at Pony Farm!!!!

We are especially excited to be getting ready for our Summer Camp Open House on Sunday January 3rd from 1 to 4PM. This open house is the perfect opportunity for new, potential camp families to see the farm, get a feel for the spirit of Pony Farm, meet some horses, staff and campers, get a tour of the whole farm and get lots of answers to questions about how camp works. We welcome all new families and hope to see you from 1 to 4. You do not need to pre-register for this open house. Just look at the directions on the website and come on out to Pony Farm!

Our Holiday season here at the farm was so special. We started it off with our two Mother Daughter Weekends in early December. What a lovely group of moms, daughters and even some grandmothers we had…Wow, we rode, drove, made cookies, sang, read stories, exchanged traditions, rode some more, ate some more and just truly had a lovely time of it all with good weather to boot. I happened to mention that I was doing a party for veterans who were just returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. I explained that these men were struggling with re-entry into civilian life due to the tough economy. The idea emerged that the kids would go through their closets and find old ‘gently loved’ toys, games and books so that the veterans’ kids would have a better holiday. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the generosity of these campers and their families….The boxes and bags started arriving. The idea then spread to two basket ball teams who were looking for a service project…and then to a girl scout troop. What an avalanche of presents.

With Santa giving out presents at the party, having been brought up to the lodge by a horse and cart, we were able to provide a huge Christmas for 15 families….plus another 10 who were not able to come…Then, we passed out the rest to other veterans’ families through two other veterans’ counseling centers….In total, our Pony Farm lesson, camp and ‘friends’ provided a fabulous holiday to over 65 families who would not have had anything under their tree…Now, that is the kind of spirit the farm has!!!

Our holiday then continued as we brought our farm animals to a local church for a truly living crèche…The donkey, Duncan, the two sheep, Morgan and Megan, the goat, Ears and Punch, the mini were a huge hit….Thank you, Pony Farmers, for training them to be so good! They were just perfect.

Christmas was made perfecto by the snow that fell and the beautiful weather. Seeing the horses and ponies all snug in their blankets and out frolicking in the snow banks is such fun. I love our four footed friends!

I also love having everyone get the farm ready for the Open House for camp. It will sure look different than when the campers actually get here with the grass all green. However, I do love meeting new perspective campers and their families. It will be such fun to dream of summer and the newly painted jumps out in the rings! So, as I close this first blog of 2010, let me say a heartfelt thanks for being such an important part of life here at the farm. May our paths cross soon and often. I look forward to seeing you and enjoying horses, being in the country and outdoors with YOU!!!

Happy New Year to YOU!!!

Warmly and with excitement,

Isabella (Boo) Martin, M.Ed.
Founder and Executive Director
Master CHA and NARHA Instructor
ACA Certified Camp Director

2009-09-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

September 2009

Dearest Pony Farmers, Both Camp and Lesson Families,

As the fall leaves start turning colors and the air gets crisp, I feel a mixture of sadness that summer camp is over and an excitement for our fall programs. The farm is sure alive during all times of the year and I love it all!!!

I hope that those of you who were with us this summer had as much fun as I did. What a great season of summer camp we had. I still smile as I think of all the fun things that we did, from the horse shows and pony camping trips in the moonlight, to the rainy camping trips cooking over the fireplace in the Homestead, to the trail rides and jumping, to the carriage driving and Puissance, to Gambler’s Choice to the Trough….The swimming was glorious and the small animals a blast…What a staff we had…and truly no injuries or illnesses, thanks to healthy kids, good, home cooked food and fresh air. Thank you all for joining us! We truly miss your sweet and smilin’ faces.

For those of you who joined us this summer for riding lessons, we sure enjoyed having you here too. Several of the families bought horses, often their ‘first horse’ ever. Many more of you ‘loved on’ your four footed Treasure and enjoyed learning the many details of being with horses and riding well. We were so glad that you stuck with it even when it rained or was hot. Your progress was great. We are looking forward to welcoming you back this fall to enjoy the autumn weather atop your favorite horse.

We have such a full and happy schedule planned for this fall and well into winter. We are hoping you will join us for lots of exciting happenings….We have just finished our Fall Lesson Open House…We have a real sell out for Pony Farm and Horse Power Lessons for riders of all ages. We are also going to be starting a Pony Farm Horse Show Team….and a Pony Farm Pony Club….We can not wait to add these wonderful horse experiences to our repertoire of activities. It is our goal to offer ‘something for everyone’ who loves horses here at the farm. Between what Horse Power offers by way of national Instructor Certification, Workshops and week long Intensives, and all that Pony Farm does, we really are well on our way to truly having what you, our devoted customers, want!!!

The Pony Farm Horse Show Team will be for riders of all ages. It is our intent to get this going this fall with aspiring team members getting to ride a lot! Early on this winter we will be offering an inexpensive ‘On Farm’ Winter Lease Program. More details will follow about this but it will be open to both lesson students and campers, as many of our campers live close enough to join the show team and to ride on weekends.
During the winter, we will also host several information sessions about everything from appropriate horse show attire, to what a judge looks for when selecting the winners, to what is required in each type of class. We will even have information for parents!

Next spring, we will host several showing clinics with some judged schooling shows so that people will really be ready for the official show season. Our goal is to go to about 5 or 6 shows in the coming year. We will not be ‘wild and crazy’ with costs but will prepare families ahead of time so that kids and parents can be ready when the season hits. Together, we will make this a fun, exciting experience without breaking the bank.

We will also be starting up a Pony Farm Pony Club this fall. Pony Club is yet another great way for horse lovers under the age of 21 to learn more and get to ride outside of a single lesson program. Pony Club emphasizes good horse care, horsemanship, sportsmanship and low level competition, both mounted and unmounted. It is our hope to get a number of both lesson and camp kids who might want to join our new club and attend some New England competitions sprinkled throughout the year. Members of our new club are also welcome to lease horses on the farm over the winter to improve their riding and horse care skills. Pony Club is less expensive and competitive than showing. We want everyone to be able to share in our love of horses.

We hope you will be in touch if you have any interest. We will get you lots of information and look forward to beginning this journey with you and your family, whether you are a new camper, lesson family or neighbor! You won’t be a stranger for long here at Pony Farm.

We will be opening our popular “Early Bird Registration” for our summer residential riding camp program during the month of October. Back by popular demand, this early registration assures that you will get first priority next summer. We know that we will have waiting lists this coming summer for the middle sessions…so if you already know that you want to return, we suggest that you sign up during this Early Bird opportunity….The added bonus is that you can register at the 2009 rates…so look for information in the letter that is about to arrive on your doorstep…We want YOU with us in 2010 to help celebrate our 39th year of operation!!!!

One of the fall events that I most look forward to hosting is our Fall Family Harvest Weekend which will begin on Friday late afternoon after work on October 30th and end on Sunday November 1st. This fun ‘get away’ weekend will center around riding and driving. People who wish to ride, can ride both days, all the time. For those who might wish to do things other than horses, there are fabulous walking, biking, hiking trails, and tons of antiquing and shopping opportunities. We help you find just what you want in the local environs. We are delighted to announce that the weekend will culminate in opening the Homestead’s brand new “OLD” Keeping Room. We will have redone what used to be my living room in my former home into a typical family’s kitchen and gathering room, called the Keeping Room. We are working with a school and will be doing fieldtrips and research at both Sturbridge Village and Strawberry Bank. Both places feature life in the 1830’s. Although the farm itself was started in 1754, we have chosen the 1830’s because it was at the peak of farming and prosperity for New Hampshire. We will actually cook a completely locally grown dinner over the open hearth, eat by candlelight with tin reflectors, using no ‘modern day’ conveniences. We will enter through the Stage Coach Waiting Room door and truly experience life as is would have been back in these magical times. We are most excited to do this unique and rarely created experience with you!!! We hope you will join us. Camp or lesson families are welcome….or new folks who we do not even know yet…Don’t be a stranger here!

We are also eager to welcome you to one of our two Mother Daughter Weekends. These are some of the most popular things that we offer here at the farm. In fact, that is why we have two offerings of the same thing…We know from past experience that lots of Moms and Daughters make this a holiday treat…In fact, it has become a lasting tradition for many Mothers and Daughters. We do lots of riding, driving, vaulting, trail riding, jumping….plus lots of sitting by the fire, crafting, cookie making, drinking hot cocoa for kids and vino for the grown ups…plus we have massages and picture taking galore…so, join us for this specialty, one of a kind event this year to help usher in your holiday season. The 2009 dates are December 4th to the 6th and 11th to the 13th….We recommend not waiting too long to reserve your spot as these weekends fill quickly.

The actual summer camp brochures will go out right after Thanksgiving. We know that families start planning their summer early on to fit in all the summer fun! We have the dates ready for you so you can find just the right session for you.

One final note is that we wanted you to know early on that we will be hosting two February Vacation Residential Camps this year. We have selected the week of Monday February 15th until Friday February 19th and the second week of February 22nd to the 26th. It is our hope that kids who loved camp may join us while parents work…or just join us because they love being here. This is also a good short version of camp for new kids….So, the more, the merrier. With the big indoor arena, lots of heated classroom and the lodge itself, we will have a ball in all kinds of weather….So, look ahead and see if this might help you during these cold, dreary months when we are all dreaming of summer time fun. Kris will be in charge of all the camp things and the weekends. Her email has changed to Pfkris@hotmail.com….. due to a virus…So, do be in touch with her to find just the right spot for you and your loved ones….

So, with camp, lessons, showing, Pony Club, clinics, riding, driving, specialty weekends, and events galore, life here on the farm is fun, exciting and ever changing. We love all the things that happen here during all four seasons. We are never lonesome and we love it!!! Do be in touch with us and let us know how you are doing.

I did want to end on one note of thanksgiving….I do not know if you are aware that we have a hard working, dedicated and smart Pony Farm Advisory Council. They are a 16 member team of parents, staff, workers, and customers who help direct the farm and lead us forward. I want to thank these people on behalf of all of us…the students, the campers, the horses, the farm animals and the gardens. They help us to run a good, solid, creative and healthy business. We are most grateful for their input as they have lead us strongly forward during an unstable economy…no pun intended!!!
Thank you again for your friendship, your presence and your love of horses. Stay in touch.

Most fondly,
Boo

2009-08-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Dearest Pony Farm Family Members,

I am in mourning that this is my last blog for camp for the summer of 2009. I can not believe how the summer has flown by. I guess the old saying that “Time flies when you are having fun” is truly true. This marks the 11th week of camp related days…The first week was a national instructor certification week for our camp counselors, as well as for other camps, too. We then moved into a week of Staff Orientation for camp…and then, this is the ninth week of camp itself. So, I guess it is a tribute to the campers and staff themselves that I am still feeling fresh and ready for more. I am truly going to be sad when the last car pulls out of the driveway bearing wonderful kids. I have adored this summer and all of you who have shared your daughters and granddaughters with us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

Wow, these girls continue to be so fantastically fun. What a great bunch with whom to end the 38th summer of Pony Farm. I swear these kids have not skipped a beat. On that first night of the camping trip, I took the Evening Ride. As I am leading a little girl who was riding bareback on her pony out in the woods as dark descended, she told me that she was a little nervous. I urged her to have courage…and then I realized what a tall order that was…She had arrived not 24 hours ago, and already I had her out on the mountainside, camping in the dark, and on a ride through the woods….Bless her heart, she loved it and did indeed have courage and grit….Not only did she love the whole thing but wanted more!!! So, that is a theme that runs through this whole week.

You all should be so proud of the job you are doing as parents. These girls are spunky, fun, funny, interesting, gutsy and just plain GREAT. The days have been mighty hot so we have done a lot of swimming in both the pool, the mountain pool and the Wilton Falls. It has been just such fun to ride and then swim, to then ride again and then take a dip….Thankfully no one has gotten a ‘tummy bug’ from the heat and we are glad to have fans cooling the air at night…but all is well.

We think you will be pleased with what the girls have learned despite a bit less riding due to the heat. We really hate to ride when the temps get into the mid to high 90’s. With those black riding helmets on and the sun beating down, it is just plain a good way to have a kiddo faint off her pony. As you all know, we are such sticklers for safety that we choose to ride as early as we can manage and then break at the worst of the heat…However, we feel like the girls have really made progress. We hope that you enjoy what you see on Saturday….

Speaking of Saturday, let me just remind you of the plans and timing…FOR THE SATURDAY PARENTS’ RIDING EXHIBITION AND PICNIC, PLEASE ARRIVE BETWEEN 9:30 AND 9:45am. Kris and I will greet you. We will let you know where your daughter is riding. All of her stuff will be packed and on her bed for ease of departure. The actual riding exhibition will start at 10AM. Each senior riding instructor will gather you at ring side to do a verbal explanation of what she has been working on in lessons this week. The Counselors-In-Training will conduct the flat portion of the lesson so you can both see and hear what has been learned. This portion of the exhibition will conclude about 10:45 and we will move to specialties. This is the ‘fun’ and different part of the horsey stuff the kids do at camp…We will have Vaulting, Carriage Driving and courses, as well as Games on Horseback. The kids have signed up for their specialties and will be eager to show off their new skills. They love the different things that we can offer with the facilities we have. This will end about noonish, with the driving taking a little longer as it takes a while to harness and unharness.

If you could bring a picnic for your kiddo and however many people you are bringing, we will provide the refreshments and desserts. We have evolved to doing it this way as we either would have too much food or not enough in the past as we never knew how many people were coming with each family. We hate not being prepared so we settled into doing it this way.

We will also have any expenses that have been incurred, although with the ones that just got here, they did not even have time to do laundry…so it should be minimal. We do encourage you to really chat with the riding staff, Kris and myself to get the ‘scoop’ on your daughter(s) stay. We love bragging on the girls….

Many parents ask me about tipping….Just so that you don’t have to wonder, we neither encourage or discourage tipping for staff….Should you want to contribute to the End of Summer Staff Party and gifts, we would love it and it will make for a better party. If not, please rest assured that no one will ever know or care. The staff is just so happy with it all that either way is fine with us and them….

Now that the logistics are all done, let me say that the two camping trips were just fantastic. I don’t know when I have ever had a more peaceful, relaxed and happy time. The weather was just glorious with the stars twinkling at night, the sun shining through the leaf canopy and the mountain stream refreshingly cool despite the heat. Usually at this time of year, we do not have enough water to slide into the pool off the smooth rocks. Due to the immense amount of rain earlier in the summer, the stream was still nice and full for both swimming and a lovely sound of rushing water. The kids and staff and I all swam lots and lots…enjoying just playing in the water. We explored the creek up and down while the rides were going on. It was just a glorious way to spend extra hot days up in the woods. We did not even have one bug…

The kids all worked so hard at doing the cooking, gathering the wood, setting up and taking down tents. I swear there was not one cross word or one kid that did not jump right in to help with everything from watering the ponies during the night and helping stuff sleeping bags back into their sacks. All the set up and take down was done with smooth efficiency and every hand on deck. It was a real pleasure to do this trip with them.

Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’ kids rode and swam, and then rode and swam some more. The only change up was to ride and then do Slip and Slide on the lawn. This is a favorite among the campers on a hot day. The pool was well used too. Capture the Flag, Counselor Quest and tack cleaning also took place. Today, they are doing several field trips and another Trip to the Falls as this is the last full afternoon of camp….Tomorrow, we are wrapping up the summer with a great all Day Picnic Lunch Ride and Drive. The whole camp will either ride or go in a carriage where they will drive to a lovely open field with a picnic. I love these days and it seems like the best way to end a spectacular summer. It is not going to be so hot, so it will be a great way to spend the day together.

Following the picnic ride, we will probably go swimming and then get ready to pack and write our Candlelight Ceremony for our upcoming special dinner and closing ceremony around either the pool with torch light or a bonfire with torch light. I am sure this particular Candlelight will be a real tear jerker as it is so sad to have it all be done for the year. Now, Kris and I will start the planning and preparation all over again for next summer. Camp is truly our favorite time of year, bar none other….

After our fancy dinner, with all the girls dressed in their dresses and their hair all done up pretty, this Candlelight Ceremony will happen. This will be followed by lots of hugging and smiles…and then you arrive.

In case I do not get to see each of you on Saturday, please, please know how blessed I feel that you have chosen Pony Farm for your daughter. With so many wonderful opportunities out in the big world, I am most grateful that you feel Pony Farm is an important part of your daughter(s) life. I hope you feel that you made the right choice…and that it was a great experience for her. I dearly love camp and summertime at Pony Farm. After 38 years of doing Pony Farm, I really realize that it is my life’s work. I can not imagine doing anything else. I am as passionate about the quality of the girls’ experience as I was 38 years ago. I sincerely hope you have felt that passion…and commitment to kids. So, thank you again for joining us this summer. I look forward to a strong connection with your daughter and your family for many years to come.

Most happily and sincerely,

Boo

2009-08-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

Dearest Moms and Dads, and all other PF Followers,

Happy Day to you all. I am writing with a big smile on my face and a happy heart. We just returned from our beautiful camping trip and are awaiting lunch and a shower! We have had a blast with these girls….what troopers they are especially in the heat. Everyone has truly jumped in with both feet and all the new girls are adjusting beautifully. We have not had one shred of homesickness or anything other than getting along beautifully while forming great friendships. It has been a pleasure to be with the girls. Thank you for ‘loaning’ them to us for a week or two. Its been terrific.

On Sunday afternoon after you all left, we did as much quick orientation for the new kiddos as we could squeeze in while the other kids and staff did the barn chores, shortened version. With everyone having passed the swim test with our life guard, we then had them troop off to dinner. Lots of skits had been worked on during the afternoon and we decided to host the Talent Show even though the new kiddos had not had much chance to practice. They got included in the skits that took place and several of them did something fun themselves or with a friend with whom they had arrived. A good time was had by all at the Talent Show which was held under the stars right outside the lodge. It sure is easier to run a summer camp in the sunshine!!!!

Monday dawned bright and beautiful but with predictions of hot temps…So, we all got up and quickly went to try out the horse matches…and organize the girls into riding groups. With only a few ‘newbies’, this was done in jig time and by lunch time everyone was thrilled with her mount and placed in riding groups.

Twenty eight kids signed up for the camping trip on the mountain with the ponies. We divided the group into two sections, one for Monday night and one for Tuesday night. During rest hour, armed with the packing list, the ones for last night packed in good order. With food packed for an army, the ponies selected, and the run down on how to set up tents, off we went. The other half of the kids swam, went on a trail ride, and had more lessons here. I just got home and so don’t have much to report yet as they are all feeding their ponies as I snuck off the write this!

With five ponies leading the way, we loaded into two vehicles with all the gear. Setting up the tents went smoothly with three different teams working on three different tents. Firewood was collected for the evening meal and story time, and then off we set to swim at the mountain pool. The smooth rocks make for a beautiful slide into the cold mountain stream that is crystal clear. It was so fabulously refreshing to have a dip. We all took turns and even slid into the pool by twos and threes…The kids and I worked to make the dam of rocks higher so that the water would rise…It is truly my idea of the right way to spend a leisurely, lovely summer afternoon.

The horses then arrived and we tied them to trees and fed them. They seem to enjoy this change in scenery too. They were good as gold and all got stars in their crowns for not escaping in the middle of the night! One camping trip several years ago woke up in the morning to find no ponies there at all!

Dinner of snacks, chips, baked beans, hot dogs, PB&J sandwiches and many many S’Mores were scarfed down in good stead. Everyone worked together to keep the fire burning bright and hot…Also, everyone was most respectful of the fire so that no one would get burned. What a team of great kids…not one cross word…tear or worry!

Many stories later, and not one of them about ghosts, everyone bedded down in their cozy tents and almost instantly fell asleep. By about 10 o’clock all but two were dead asleep…by 10:01, the last two were quiet. It is pretty easy to get a good night sleep with the stars shining bright, the campfire burning low and the stream rushing past…I might even say it is idyllic.

This morning everyone here at the farm had regular riding lessons…and we woke up on the mountain about 7:30….Eggs, sausage, toast and juice graced our tables in both places…The kids especially love the eggs from chickens they know. I can’t believe how much little girls can eat on a farm. Makes my heart glad…

Lunch is being served, all the bags are unpacked, and the kids are returning from their morning lessons. Someone is being sung a birthday greeting as I conclude…so life is great on the farm and your kids are all being terrific. We will set off again this afternoon for trip #2…and I will write again tomorrow afternoon to hopefully tell you that all are safe and sound. In the meantime, thank you again for lending us your Treasure. We are taking good care of her and having lots of good old TLC all around camp. The weather is great. Everyone feels find and lots of solid friendships are being made with two and four footed critters alike. So life is GRAND.

Thank you again and happy day to you.

Most fondly, Boo

2009-08-12T06:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon August 11th

Dearest Moms, Dads, Grandparents…and any other Pony Farm Fans!!!!

I am writing you with great glee but also with sweat running down my cheeks. We wished for good hot weather with sunny days, and, boy did we get them. It is so hot but great swimming weather. Everyone loved jumping in this afternoon…but, I am ahead of myself…Let me start from the beginning and catch you up!

First of all, what a sweet, dear and cooperative group of darling girls you have bequeathed us. They are soooo eager to please and ‘do it right’. Kris and I sit at a Community Meeting and all eyes are focused on us so that they can hear each and every direction we give and do what we want. It is just so sweet to have them be so sincere and forthright. You have done a masterful job, all of you good parents, in making them so dear. I love this group!!!

On that first night after you all left on Sunday, we did lots of staff introductions. As the parents’ letter said, the kids all went down to give their ponies and horses their evening feed. Everyone marched right down to their barns, armed with their shiny new buckets and ‘closed toed shoes’! We work so hard to have everyone be safe and not get stepped on….We have a fabulous record so far this summer but those big, tall rain boots have proved to be a good addition to the ‘what to bring list’ for campers. All barn teams, as they are called, worked together to get everyone their evening grain.

The campers who had already been here for a session stayed down with the staff to do the turn out and stall rotation for the evening. Aisles were raked and all horses bedded down for the night. While this was happening at the barn, Kris and I did an orientation for the arriving campers. This includes everything from where to put your wet bathing suit, to how we do meals and the caper chores by room, to Vespers at night, to mail and medications. Kris and I have done this for so many years that it is pretty well sprinkled now with funny stories and silly things which have happened that caused us to make the different procedures that we have adopted all these 38 years of camp. By now, it is a pretty well honed machine….The only PF rule is really “Take care of each other, your pony, the land and the farm.” All else is really just under that umbrella of respect and care. We try hard to run PF just like a big happy family with everyone doing a little of the work, putting their shoes in the right place, and making their bed! I was once told that I was the luckiest person in the world as “I got to live as the world should be while most other people had to live in the world as it is.” I think that just about sums up why I always feel such gratitude for my life and these kids, staff and the farm itself…

We then all chowed down on a yummy chicken dinner with some delectable dessert that I just couldn’t resist. It sure is hard to every try to lose weight here at this camp! We then all gathered again to play the “M&M” Game. I had given them a slip of paper with a question that correlated to a question like what is your favorite animal, who would you most like to have dinner with, what was your favorite present ever…things like that. Each girl got to eat the M&Ms of the color of the question she answered.

I love this game as we do it by rooms. It is a simple and easy way for kids to start getting to know each other. We then all rejoined after about a half an hour and each girl introduced one of her ‘roomies’ to the whole group. We also assigned numbers to each girl so we would always know if we had the whole group…and who was missing. Again, we like to put things in place to keep everyone safe and well accounted for right from the start. We then moved to Vespers and Goodnight Circle….

I love this more peaceful time at camp. The Counselors-In-Training all spoke about what kept them coming back year after year at camp. Several of them had been here for 6, 7 or 8 years….I am always moved by their words and reasoning, not the least of which is their life long friends that they have made. One such combination spoke of only missing talking on the phone three times total for the entire last year…meaning that they spoke all 362 days of the year between the end and the beginning of camp. That is pretty remarkable…they live many states away from each other and that to me is such a great tribute to the friendships that are formed here. Such fun!

We then all joined hands, which we do every night, and spoke of the things that happened during the day for which the girls were thankful. This is not religious in nature but rather just a good habit of gratitude to have….You would be pleased to know that several of the girls were thankful that they had great parents who cared enough to send them to a camp where they could ride and be with horses and other horsey people. I always like to pass this on as its nice to know when us parents are appreciated!

The girls each went to bed after singing a couple of songs. I am happy to say that the girls got tucked in nicely and we did not have one incident of homesickness or tears. I love that. I stayed until “all was quiet on the PF front” and then tumbled down the hill to fall into bed too. I sure do sleep well at night!

The next day dawned bright and clear…but with hot weather predicted. The staff was ready with water for lessons….and all sorts of water bottles came with the girls themselves. This was the first morning of lessons…The girls each got tacked up, some needing a lot of help as they were really new at this part of it all. We added several other staff members to help this process and get everyone ready to try out their proposed horse match. True to form, we did quite a bit of switching. The girls were good about giving the riding staff feedback as to how they felt about their matches. By the end of the morning, with the sun hot on everyone’s head, most of the girls had the right match for this week at least. About 8 girls needed to ride again in the afternoon, but that is a pretty good average for 48 girls.

The staff spent all of their lunch hour and Rest Hour going over the groups and matches, proposing alternate horses. We are lucky to have so many horses because we know how critical the right horse match is to the successful experience for each girl. Armed with the list of re-rides, the staff set off for the afternoon for these girls. The rest of the kids and staff did their swimming tests with our Life Guard…and played non stop with the farm animals. Those goats, sheep, miniature horses and donkey, not to mention the rabbits and chickens sure get a ton of attention here. The obstacle course and jumps provide hours of ‘good clean fun’ for two and four footed folks alike. The pool has been much warmer this summer (and cleaner) because we lost all the beautiful old trees that blocked the sun and let the leaves fall! The pool has sparkled and been such a pleasant relief for all of us.

Following the swim tests, small animals and rerides, the kids had snack time and then began to learn the evening barn chore routine. This is the more complicated time of barn chores as it is when the stalls and rings get cleaned. Water and hay is set up for morning and tack rooms get re-organized for the next day. The kids all work hard in teams with their staff members to get this done as quickly and well as possible, with the ‘carrot on the stick’ of a cool shower and clean clothes!

Dinner then got served, a little frantically, I might add. It was to be hamburgers and veggie burgers…but to our dismay, our Dinner Cook, a good friend of the farm, got in a car accident on her way to cook…She was not hurt, but her car totaled….So, true to form, everyone pitched in to cook…and dinner came off on time…However, with the lag, the dessert did not get made…So, we had our Ice Cream Trough…with is a clean gutter (only used for that purpose, I swear!!!)…We create a 12 foot long ice cream sundae for the girls to enjoy with gusto…and enjoy they do. This always ends in a fun water fight to get clean…Spirits were high and homesickness was no where to be found!

We then went in to do Bag Skits, which is where each room gathers 5 objects from their room and puts them all in a paper bag. These bags are then passed around and another room needs to build a skit around the items in the bag. The kids take great care to put fun and random things in the bags…and the skits are really fun and creative. I love watching them as it is such a good ‘look see’ into the rooms and the make up of the kids in each room. You do have characters!@#$$%% All the kids really got into their skits and it was great fun. We moved from this silliness to the Vespers from Homestead and Goodnight Circle with everyone. We sang some more songs and again, off everyone went to dream of their ponies….No one peep was heard when we called All Quiet at 9:30!

Today, was beautiful again…and a little less hot…Each camper was carefully placed in a riding group by the whole staff at our breakfast meeting. The lesson group assignments are done in great detail. This morning was dedicated to getting the right girl on the right horse in the right lesson. Again, this is no mean feat.

I am happy to report, and I know this is true, as I just asked the girls during their snack time….EVERYONE loves her horse or pony. They feel that they are correctly matched, as does the staff. We will continue to sort out the groups for the final look see tomorrow AM…but, I can safely report that we have happy campers thus far.

This afternoon, we did a combination of trimming for the horse show…portraits of the girls with their horses…swimming, the final swim tests, more running and jumping with the farm animals and generally enjoying a nice, hot, happy summer afternoon. They are all at the barn right now doing their barn chores after they had their snacks.
Everyone is most excited about Chicken Pot Pie, homemade that is…and a certain kind of brownie called Blondes….Where these names come from, I know not…but they are most eager for showers and dinner. Tonight will feature the Fashion Show….where the staff give them a Decade…and they have to create characters and dress and music to go with that decade. It is a riot and the kids love doing this kind of singing, dancing, and acting.

Tomorrow, the teachers will again assess riding groups and begin placing kids in the right show classes. We will also have some of the fun camp activities like carriage driving, vaulting, bareback, Catch riding and some trail rides tomorrow afternoon. We are going to go camping tomorrow night and hope to catch the Meteor shower at midnight. I won’t wake them up if it is not brilliant as I am mindful of how young they are and the coming show, plus the heat….

So, that is my update to you for now. I hope you enjoy all my meanderings of what we do each day. I think probably your kiddos don’t tell you as much as they are too busy having fun. Everyone sure seems to be getting along well and the love of their ponies and horses is evident everywhere…

Thank you again for choosing PF…We are working hard to accomplish our mission of making this the best week or two of your daughters’ summers…if not their year. That is a tall order, but that is what we shoot for….Thanks for giving us the opportunity.

Happy Evening and all my best,

Boo

2009-08-03T07:23:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-30T08:35:00.001-07:00

Dearest Darling Ones, Pony Farm Families, One and All,

I send great salutations from Pony Farm to YOU all. I am so very sorry to not have written you sooner. I especially feel badly for the few new parents as I think it is always nice to hear sooner rather than later about how things are going….But, the honest truth is that we have just been having sooo much fun that I hate to tear myself away from them…Plus, getting them all on the right horses in time for the show, plus having the Cheshire Fair today slightly interrupting the riding before the show, all has colluded to making me not as much sitting at my desk….So, I will apologize once and then go on to tell you how fabulous, fantastic, fun, funny and just plain GREAT your kids are….

Last Sunday went as we outlined in your Letter from the Directors’ which we gave you upon departure on Sunday afternoon. The girls have been such a superior group to get oriented and acclimated. They are just plain easy going, already love each other, and have worked well with us in determining the right horse match and lesson level. The riding on Monday to determine this took place first thing after breakfast and room clean up. The girls were divided into five big groups, each with a Senior Riding Counselor and two Counselors-In-Training. The most experienced of the Senior Staff went around to watch each group and to make the necessary horses switches. With so many returning campers who come from riding programs that we know and know us, this process is much easier than in other sessions with more new campers.

By lunchtime, the vast majority of the kids were thrilled with their mounts (“Their” own pony or horse for their stay!). We thoroughly involve the kids in the decision as to which horse fits well. We try to balance safely, success and excellent learning in the balance. To have the right “level” horse but not be in love with it, just doesn’t work as well. Conversely, having a horse that you adore that can’t jump or is too inexperienced, also doesn’t work effectively. Our goal, which we share with the kids, is that we want them to adore their horse, learn a ton and have a great time doing it, while staying safe and sound. That goal of course is no easy feat in any event, but having good weather has surely been a huge perk this session…..Doing this intricate process in the pouring rain surely leads something to be desired in other sessions.

We all gathered for lunch and the kids who needed to ride again to try a new match were announced. The rest of the girls were asked to come back after lunch and rest hour, dressed to swim and to play with the small farm animals, both all camp favorites for sure. Swim Tests were conducted to make sure everyone was Water Proofed! Again, this was fun because it was hot enough to really want to go swim. Thank you to the Heavens Above for great weather…

With lots of running, jumping, splashing and laughing, everyone at the pool and small animal barn had a great afternoon, while getting to know each other again! The rest of the girls and staff worked hard and well to get the horse matches finalized. They did so with good cheer and gusto. By afternoon snack time, everyone had a great horse and a smile on her face. Barn Chore Teams were introduced and explained, with each girl knowing which barn she was going to join. Again, everyone met the daunting task of taking care of and feeding and turning in and turning out and cleaning the stalls for 71 horses, which is how many we have on site at present….It is a finely tuned machine, this Barn Chore Time at Pony Farm….The US Government and Military have nothing on the PF teams of Barn Chore Kids and their staff….!!!! It is such a pleasure to watch the kids all digging in and helping each other. What a real life experience of collaboration!

Dinner followed cool showers and lots of chatting…This was then wrapped up and Bag Skits, the all time first full night of camp’s favorite….Each room of girls collects 6 items randomly to put into a bag. This bag is then delivered to another room where that set of girls creates a whole skit around the contents of the bag….I usually catch up on my copious emails while they are planning their skits….then speed upstairs to the lodge to watch them ‘do their thing’…and what a thing it was….They were so clever, imaginative, funny, creative and just plain adorable with their funny clothes, accents, speeches and skits. It is a perfect way to spend a summer evening in my book….We all roared with laughter and every room got to know each other better.

This was followed by the more quiet, cool down and relaxed activity called Vespers and Goodnight Circle. The Senior Staff who were ‘on’ that night shared with the girls what make them keep coming back to Pony Farm year after year. This simple ceremony always gives me goose bumps and makes me so glad that they love this farm so much. Sure makes a body want to get out of bed in the morning to make kids this happy! This is followed by Goodnight Circle which is when we all hold hands in a big circle. Kids and staff randomly share something for which they were grateful that happened during the day. It is a great way to make the gratitude and blessings bubble up! This is then followed by our routine of singing two songs and then off to bed. I went around with the staff to say goodnight to each room. We also checked that each fan that was plugged in was safe and secure for the night. It was darn hot in the rooms and we wanted them to be comfortable!

Tuesday dawned again bright and beautiful…A bit hot but just glorious. I may only be thinking that the day was so spectacular because it was three days in a row when it did not rain! But, yesterday was our best weather day of the summer….Cool, breezy, bright sun and no dust…Sooo fantastic for riding.

During the two riding sessions of the day, each camper got a formal lesson in the ring where she will be likely to show on Saturday. She then also got to choose during the other activity period, either morning or afternoon, between a trail ride, “Pony Spa Day”, more small animals and swimming, Vaulting and Lungeing. The whole riding and horse time activities went smoothly with kids truly loving their horses. One or two final horse matches were made and I can surely tell you that everyone, to the last child, reports that she “LOVES MY HORSE”….Whew, that is good news to us!

The other big news of the day was that we officially converted to 100% recycling here at the farm yesterday at 2:30PM. This is a personal project of mine that has been in the works since February last winter. It is quite a project to have this many kids living on site, with this many kinds of animals, gardens, manure and composting. The men at the Recycling Center commended us on our first formal trip to the center. They said it was very well done and even chipped in to help us deliver our bags, boxes and milk jugs, to name but a few of the many categories….

We are proud of the 100% recycling effort that has been instituted. All manure is being composted, as is all pre-preparation refuse for cooking, and post meal composting. All in different places and not one thing going to waste. This not only is a savings of about $6,000 for us, but returning over 450 tons of manure back to create better soil. I bet you can see why this has been a huge project and one behind which I am standing firmly….

With part of this savings, and by encouraging kids to not take more than they can eat, we are also on our mark with our partnership with Heifer International. We will be using the money saved by the reduced food waste to buy a heifer cow which is bred. This purebred Heifer will be sent to a third world country in the name of the campers at Pony Farm. I think the kids are really proud of themselves and they work hard to not waste food! A win win for everyone.

So, with lesson groups now organized, horse matches, and the teachers all thinking about what classes the kids should be entered in, it was evening time again. Because some of the kids had not gotten to swim yet, we had dessert at the pool for an evening swim. Another favorite all camper activity for the non riding times is to have my Mom, age 87, come to tell her famous “Bubba Stories”. She has a real collection of farm stories, driving the ambulance during World War II, and riding out West on ranches. She has some hair curlers…The kids hang on every single word. She always says she worries that they remember the stories now better than she does…but she never misses a beat. What a fun evening for me to see kids enthralled by her stories, just like I was when I was their age. Verbal histories surely beat reading something out of a book on a hot summer evening with your feet in the pool, a drooling popsicle in hand and “Bubba” on a roll!!!

Again, all kids went right to bed after Vespers, Goodnight Circle and Singing. Today, we sprang out of bed for a longer riding lesson because today is the Cheshire Fair. Kids plan all year long to attend this. We even meet some of the kids from other sessions at the fair…I am not quite sure why they love the rides, the junk food, the carny games and the mobs of people, but love it they do. I take the quieter ones and we do all the animal exhibits and 4H barns, plus the horse events. There is really ‘something for everyone’ at the Cheshire Fair, and we are not going to miss any of those ‘somethings’!

So, I hope you can catch a glimpse of why I have not been at the computer. Just too much fun. Tomorrow and Friday will be spent on practicing for the horse show, bathing, tack, boots, entering and organizing. For the couple of kids that are not wishing to show, please know that we plan extra special things for them to do so they get the full enjoyment. No one is pushed to show….They ride the same and do other special fieldtrips or activities…or get to swim more…
The staff will be letting me know which classes that the kids will be entering into for the show on Saturday by tomorrow night. We will email this to you all as well as posting it with first names and last name initials on the blog. (Don’t know if you notice, but I never put any one child’s name or identity on this blog…thus, why we do not include pictures too! Internet safety and identity safety is a huge priority and commitment on our part to you and your beautiful daughters!!!)

All parents are welcome to attend the show. We will alert you, to the best of our ability, as to when your child is likely to be competing. Please arrive and park at the Lodge or the Homestead. A concession truck will be on the grounds.

For those of you who wish to take your child out for a meal or ice cream, we have a poster on the lodge wall detailing types of restaurants in our area, complete with map. Please feel free to go out, but do sign out with Kris so she knows where everyone is and when they are expected to return! We like keeping close tabs on our cherubs!

Saturday is definitely the day to come to visit if you have the desire, time and interest…and live close enough, of course….We are not welcoming parents to come visit on Sunday as this is a great quiet day for the kids where we swim, do all sorts of non horsey activities, arts and crafts, gardening and the Ice Cream Trough…plus Talent Show…It gives the kids time to clean up their rooms, rest, relax and enjoy a simple day in the sunshine before the next busy week. Having parents coming and going interrupts this simple peace…not that we don’t love you, OF COURSE! Plus, you can keep your own Sabbath at peace and enjoy the quiet day yourself!!!

So, more to follow but I do apologize that I haven’t written soon. We do so much in a day or two that it is hard for me to keep up….Do look for your email with more detail.

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday or next….Until then, thank you most sincerely for loaning your Treasure to us. We are having a ball together.

Best, Boo

2009-07-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

Friday Morning July 17th, 2009

Good Morning to you ALL,

I hope your week has gone well…Our’s surely has. It is finally and truly summer here at Pony Farm. The sun has been glorious, a slight breeze has kept us cool, and no rain at all. What a treat after the month we just had. Your kids must be bringing us good luck! They are also bringing us a lot of smiles, hugs and fun. What a great group!

The kids have truly worked hard this week, along side our fabulous staff, to get ready for the show. They have been terrific. I hope and think you will be pleased with their riding. As today dawns, all the manes have been pulled, the bridle paths and chins have been clipped and the tack scrubbed. They have worked on lines of jumps, hacking in a group, their equitation (or form) and their transitions…..They put whole courses together yesterday. Today is the final school over the actual courses which they will be competing in tomorrow. That is a pleasant advantage of being a home show. However, it is no mean feat to get all the kids on the right horses and then get them ready to compete in 5 short days. They sleep well at night, as do the horses.

This week has been devoted to show prep, thus has not had some of the extra camp activities like trail rides, the Hunter Pace, the camping trip, vaulting, small animals, etc. We really concentrated on their lessons. We also worked hard to get each girl in the right riding group. We don’t want to have anyone bored or scared…that is no fun and is an easy way to have a fall off. We did get to swim twice this week! The pool with its new pump looks better than every and the kids do enjoy it on a hot summer day. This is the first session we have been able to swim, if you can believe that!

Many of your kids also volunteered one morning or afternoon to paint. We love to get all the rings and jumps touched up and looking sharp. The kids had the opportunity on Tuesday to do a variety of horse related things either morning or afternoon while some of the staff was scheduled to paint with me and the farm team. To my surprise and delight, they begged, truly begged, to be able to paint. They did a great job. I hope you will notice how spiffy things look and tell they what a great job they did.

Today, the sun is bright and shining again. It was a glorious morning with the mist rising up out of the fields. The birds were singing their hearts out and it was a great start to a good day. We will do the final school over the courses today to make sure that the kids are entered in the right class. Also, we want to get the horses over some of the new jumps we made. We will then spend the afternoon bathing all the horses, finishing pictures and polishing boots. The hair nets and ribbons are at the ready and all show clothes have been picked. We have loaned as many things as we had. So the tents will go up and the announcing system will be ready for tomorrow….Everyone will go to bed a little early as we will be getting up very early tomorrow morning. What fun! I do love the horse shows especially when we have all the kids riding. Yipee.

For those of you who are not able to come, please rest assured that we will take excellent care of your kiddos. Several of you have written asking if there are pictures of the day. The answer is YES…We have a show photographer coming who was a former camper and is now doing this as a profession. Her name is Jenna Leigh Teti and her website is www.jennaleighteti.com . You could look up the website and contact her is you wish to have an official show picture. She is terrific and could surely hone in on your daughter to make sure she gets her picture. For the parents who will be here, you can find her and ask her to take a picture of your child/ren. We have given her a list of the horse and ponies for sale or lease so she can take their pictures too….so she will have lots to do. It makes such a fun remembrance of the day.

For the parents who can come, we have a restaurant chart with a map for your decision making process if you want to take your kiddo out to dinner. It is hanging on the wall in the living room at the lodge. We also ask that you sign out your daughter and let us know approximately when you will be returning to camp. We like to keep track of our little chickens, you know!

We will also look at the permission slips as many parents take out the kids whose parents are not able to come due to being so far away. For those who are here, we have a yummy dinner and then a fun movie that is appropriate. My guess is that they will mostly fall asleep before it is over anyway!

The next day, Sunday, we will let everyone sleep in late. The staff does barn chores so it is really a ‘day off’ for the campers. They will do a good room clean up, gather their laundry, then we will have a full Brunch. This will be followed by swimming, playing with the small animals, doing some gardening, arts and crafts, and planning for the Talent Show on Sunday night. This should be a hum dinger show judging from the girls imagination and creativity!

Next week will feature all the other campy horsey things possible at Pony Farm…the Hunter Pace will start out the week. Then, I am taking two groups camping with the ponies as so many want to camp that it can’t be done in one night. We will also be vaulting, driving, trail riding and going on several field trips. The dear horses’ legs will get a break from so much jumping. It is a nice balance for both two and four footed critters. I can not believe that this session has gone by so quickly…We are half way through and it feels like we could keep these kids forever!

Thus, as we reach the half way point of our summer, let me again thank you for choosing Pony Farm for your daughters. We truly enjoy them….The staff and Kris & I are not even tired. We are having a blast and I think your kids are too. So, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow if you are coming…and next Saturday for the Parents’ Riding Demo and Specialties. We are proud of your girls accomplishments. We want to show you all they have learned! So, stay well until then!

Most warmly, Boo

2009-07-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 14th

Dear Pony Farm Parents and Family Members,

Let me begin by saying how sorry I am that I have not written sooner! I know that you all want to know how your kids are fearing but I have just had so much FUN with them that I have not had a spare minute to steal away to write to you…Plus, except for two kids, all of the rest are returning campers, so I felt like you would not mind if I was not immediately in touch.

However, let me tell you that this is a MOST TERRIFIC session already. Last night was Bag Skits, one of their favorites. They were the best, most imaginative, most creative, most fun and most entertaining skits of this type that have even happened at Pony Farm. All of us just roared at the characters this session….It was so much fun. I usually write the first blog right after these skits. Last night, they took such care to get ready and then each skit went on for quite a while that we never started our Evening Vespers, Good Night Circle until 9PM…Once I got all the kids in their beds and sleeping tight, I was just plain too tired to write to you. It sure was for a good reason though!

Backing up to the beginning, I am not sure that I have seen a session of kids who were more eager and ready for camp and being together. I just went through the line for lunch and found six girls all holding onto each other’s arms in a long line and just plain loving each other and being together. They are truly a camp director’s dream!!!

From the ‘get go’ all the kids seemed to just meld together. The rooms all are getting along beautifully. They get up when we ask, they go to bed, they do rest hour, their capers and their beds…so easy, so fun and so pleasant. Not one single tear of homesickness. It is truly a pleasure and an honor to have your children at the farm!!!

Yesterday, we sorted out horse matches and riding groups. Many of the kids loved the horse or pony that they were originally assigned, making the riding staff’s job easy. Others quickly switched and the match was better. Assigning horses ahead of time is kind of like ‘arranged marriages’…There is some practicality that is useful in terms of horse matches…things like size, experience, dependability, spirit, etc. that the staff use to determine the original match. However, sheer heart and soul make the match correct in the end. Only by riding the horse and taking care of it does each girl really decide that it is the right ‘horse of her own’ for the session. We have four kids who brought their own horses, all of which are fantastic.

So, after the morning ride yesterday, the staff separated out some of the girls who needed to have a re-ride to find a better match. While the majority of the kids took their swim tests, played name games, and had a riot of a time with the farm animals, jumping all of them over the jumps, several of the girls rode again to try yet another horse switch.
We surely try hard to get it right immediately on that first day so that the girls can get ready for the show on Saturday. By yesterday afternoon, everyone was on the right horse and everyone had passed the swim test, as well as knew each other’s names!

Camp store began and with it, the barn orientation for the main evening Barn Chores. The girls all listened intently and off they went to turn out their horses and do the chores to wrap up the horsey past of the day. Chores went quickly because so many of the kids ‘know the drill’ and all are such good team players. Plus, they know that the quicker they get done, the sooner they get showers!

Following a yummie dinner, the girls were most eager to do the Bag Skits. This is a game where each room collects 6 items and places them in a bag. The girls anticipated this old time favorite and even brought some items just for the game….so cute!!! The items were quickly gathered and the bags were re-distributed to other rooms. The girls then worked on using each item in a skit. These were the skits that were so creative and entertaining. It was a great evening, capped off by the Homestead girls reading a beautiful poem about summertime and fireflies…This was then followed by Goodnight Circle where everyone joins in to say what they were thankful about that happened in their day….You will be happy to know that many of them mentioned that they were grateful that you had sent them to Pony Farm….Wanted you to know that you are appreciated, even if they don’t often tell you!!! This was followed by a favorite song and then off to bed. I think this is just how the day should end with everyone happy, healthy and ready to ‘hit the hay’!

Today dawned beautiful and breezy, not a bug or cloud in the sky. What a relief it is to have nice weather. Several staff members were ready to start touching up the jumps and re-stripping the poles for the upcoming horse show. The plan had been to divide the girls in half and let each group start practicing over the course that they might be jumping on Saturday at the horse show. For the half that were not in their formal lesson and using the jumping rings, we planned to do Vaulting, Bareback, a trail ride and Farm animals (always a hit). To my utter amazement, the kids BEGGED to help with the jumps and courses. We have built a lot of new jumps and bought new things. They wanted to have a hand in preparing for the horse show. After consulting with the staff, we all agreed that when kids offer to work and work hard, it seems stupid to say NO! So, redressing in their oldest clothes for painting. Wow, did they did in with me…We got things scraped, washed, painted and primed for the upcoming show….I do hope you will look around and see their efforts. I love it so when kids really want to help and then do so with such gusto. We will never have had such well painted and pretty jumps!

This afternoon following Rest Hour, they will ride in lessons again if they rode bareback, on the trail or vaulted…or painted of course…The ones that had lessons this morning have the same offerings this afternoon. We will be in ship shape order for the show, as well as teach them balance with bareback, vaulting and a trail. Such fun…It sure is easier to be a Camp Director in the sun!

Tonight is scheduled to be the Fashion Show….This is again an evening activity of fun and frolic. They are broken into teams and given either Decades or Counselors to depict through dress, dance and music. This is another all time camp favorite. Tree House will be doing Vespers tonight.

Tomorrow, we will all practice over the courses while the horses also get trimmed and beautified for the show…We will be doing Camper Portraits tomorrow and Friday. I do think you will love to see these pictures of each girl and her horse…her ‘first love’ as many of them call their horse or pony…and a great first love at that! These are done by our Camp Nurse and are truly terrific. She hardly takes a bad picture.

Speaking of pictures, we will also have a Show Photographer for the horse show. It is my hope that you might speak to her if you wish to have your child’s picture taken especially if she is jumping. That is a hard kind of picture for an ordinary camera to take because it happens so fast…This photographer is a pro. She is a former camper, now all grown up, so it should be fun to welcome her back. Do see her if you wish to have a special picture of the competition side of camp.

So that is the shake down of what is happening now at camp. I promise to email you directly using your given emails as to what time APPROXIMATELY you can expect your kiddo to ride. They have all decided to ride at the show on Saturday so I will let you know about when to come. We will also have the map and description of the local restaurants and diners should you wish to take your daughter out for dinner. That is fine with us as long as your surely give her back to us for one more week!!!! We ask that no parents plan to visit on Sunday so that we can have a peaceful day and really get a great Talent Show put together for Sunday night….

I thank you once again for your terrific children, obviously the result of awesome parenting. Bless your hearts for sharing them with us. It is a real treat. Hope your days are as happy as mine! Stay well.

Best, Boo

2009-07-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday Morning July 9th, 2009

Dear Pony Farm Parents and Family Members,

I hope your day has started well and that the sun is shining where you are….It sure is here and we are just delighted. What a pleasure to wake up to the sun’s rays gleaming down on us. It just makes a body happy….or many bodies happy!

This will be my last missive to you before you come pick up your treasurers…. We surely hate to see them leave. They have been such Troopers in the weather that we have had…however, in many ways, they have also grown closer. Without the total emphasis each and every day being on riding, it has really promoted friendships and teamwork. It is a fun thing to watch, while I worry about the kids having a blast. The staff joins me working so hard to make every second count while they are here. It is not idle ‘chit chat’ to say that we strive to making this a kid’s best part of the summer, if not her whole year. We truly mean it. However, with the rain falling on their heads day after day, it is a little harder to accomplish! They have been a Camp Director’s dream however. Good spirits have abounded and we have tucked in riding each and every moment that is not pouring down rain or with thunder and lightening!

Yesterday dawned with blue skies and sun, so we quickly decided to reschedule the Hunter Pace that had to be postponed last week. They love this so. I think I described it in my last blog so I won’t go over it again, only to say that they all had a blast and all but the littlest two who were just not comfortable riding at the trot and canter with their teammates, rode off with gusto. The two who did not ride went as important Safety Patrol people with staff. They helped “Judge” the event. I think they felt great pride as they donned their clip boards.

Following a pleasant morning and the computation of the scores, lunch was definitely devoured as the scores were read. After a camping trip and then the Hunter Pace, the time at Rest Hour was well used. It was truly quiet throughout Pony Farm. The staff however had their own riding lesson, which they cherish as their reward for their hard work and good teaching. This was followed by the final event of the Boy Bands Competition which is the Barn Team Challenge….Each barn team, comprised of members of different teams, works to have their barn be the most spotless. The kids and staff always take this most seriously and wow, do the barns look great. It is surely a beautiful thing for a Camp Director to see!

This was followed by another night of Games….some quieter games in the lodge and some fun running games in the Indoor arena…Thank goodness for that arena. Meanwhile, off we set for the camping trip….

We did accomplish the feat of not one but two camping trips….despite the thunder and lightening on Tuesday night and the pouring rain last night. We usually take 6 horses and ponies, 4 tents and lots of food and camping gear up the mountain that over looks the farm. It is a real highlight of the session due to the ponies being there overnight with us, evening and early morning rides, and swimming in the mountain pool, complete with rock water slide. I love it and they love it….

Due to the dire weather forecast of thunder and lightening, we easily decided that was not in our future. So, we offered the trip to be on the lawn by the Homestead and to have the farm animals spend the night with us…and to go to the Waterfall to swim. This had worked like gang busters last session….We cooked up a storm on the fire pit, roasted the required S’Mores and had an equal blast…The kids said they liked it better…

So, my dilemma was ….How can I top that???? It was going to pour rain this week. I felt that I had promised them and HATE letting down kids. So, I put my thinking cap on decided to bring them to my old home…now called the Homestead. I jazzed them all up to cook over the big fire just like in olden times. We turned the lights down low and looked up Campfire Stew on the internet….a blend of modern and olden times…Off we all set with sleeping bags in tow, a few goats and sheep, and a bunny or two, plus my loyal dogs….and the two big Camp cook pots with lids to hang on the Crane of the fireplace. We built the fire as it rained…and cooked hot dogs! Then, we built the Stew in the cooking pot….complete with peas hand picked out of the garden. We also cooked the baked beans. Everyone was so proud of their cooking prowess. It really tasted terrific both times, although the second time, we didn’t burn it so it tasted much better.

Then, off we trooped to visit the workhorse Chip who is 18.3 hands high….that is one big horse, for your non-horsey folks…We were originally going just to visit him but the kids and the staff begged me to ride him. Because I had ridden him 4 or 5 times, as had a number of other folks, I decided to say yes. They were thrilled…that dear Beast ended up giving 18 rides that first night. He was perfectly behaved and the kids just loved it. Many pictures were taken.

The second night, last night, did not fare so well. We tacked him up with ease and led him out to the Indoor Arena. I had never taken him there before but it was getting dark and we had not ridden at all yet. Upon entrance to the indoor, he started shaking and being highly nervous. I right away got the kids up on the ramp and led him myself. I quickly realized that he must have done the draft horse pulls in competition as this was so completely out of character. He kept pulling me to the fall and did not want to leave. I realized that this is where they go to rest after the big exertion of pulling. He was truly afraid and had to have been very roughly treated. I explained it to the kids. We let him just walk around the ring without anyone bothering him. I patted him a lot and just let him relax. We then led him back to his field with him calm and fine once he left the indoor. Needless to say, I did not let the kids ride him last night….The kids were great about it and S’Mores won the day…We then told a ton of fun stories until they begged me to be able to go to sleep….So the day ended well.

They are all off doing fun things in the sun as I write. I for one am going home and going to bed! Two nights of sleeping ‘out’ is hard on these old bones but my heart is happy. I promise to you to offer your kids good, clean, honest, farm fun…that is what we are doing in spades….if not also in the mud!

See you on Saturday. Until then, stay well and rest assured that we are taking great care of your kiddos….

Most fondly, Boo

2009-07-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

All is Quiet on the Pony Farm Front

2009-06-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Monday Evening June 29th, 2009

Dearest Pony Farm Camp Parents and Families,

Good evening to you! All is ‘Quiet on the Pony Farm Front’. We have had a good day, despite the rain!!!! The kids are happily snuggled in their beds, dreaming of another day of riding and farm fun…but let me begin at the beginning!

After you left yesterday afternoon, we did all sorts of orienting to the farm and the Pony Farm way of doing things. The Pony Farm “Golden Rule” here is to take good care of each other, the animals, and the land. This rule is really our only rule. The rest is just how we all live together. So far, the kids have really lived into this and make friends already. I have watched kids that have been here a long time invite a new camper to come sit with them. I admired how they all helped each other during room clean up or at barn chores. I love seeing them playing and working together. This is how life should be. I once had a friend who told me that he had to live in the world as it was and that I got to live in the world as it should be! I think he was right. I am glad that I get to do this life’s work. It always makes my heart glad.

After the initial staff introductions, they went to the barn to feed their pony or horse, in the rain, of course! Then, while the staff did the evening chores, the kids who had just arrived met with Kris and myself to go over the daily schedule, safety procedures, mail, packages, and meal times. When the staff rejoined us, we had a yummy steak dinner. Lots of kids chowed down and the few vegetarians were happy with cheese and veggies. Dessert was minty cupcakes, even using some of our own home grown mint. Lots of good ‘getting to know you’ chatting took place as the rain fell on the roof.

We then sent the room counselors with their charges on an All Farm Scavenger Hunt. They had to answer 10 questions about different parts of the farm. It is a fun and silly way to get to know the facility and start to get together as roommates. We then had each camper introduce herself by either saying what her favorite trip was, her favorite gift, who she would most like to have dinner with, or what was a ‘fun fact’ that no one else knew about her. Each camper now also has a number so that we will be sure to know that everyone is present and accounted for during the upcoming Temple Games. Following this, we gathered everyone’s ideas as to what they most want to do this session. We tell them that we want to make this their best two weeks of the summer, if not their year. We gathered a mighty list. They would have to stay for 3 months to do it all but it surely won’t be boring, I can promise you that!

We then started Vespers with the Counselors-in-Training telling why they have come back all these many years. I am always moved by what they say. I think the campers also get inspired by their stories of friendship, fun, horses. Its seems like a great way to kick off a good session. We followed this with songs that are special to camp and Goodnight circle. Your daughters are most articulate and verbose! It was lovely with the Vesper Candles burning bright. I am happy to say we had not one sniffle of homesickness last night. Whew, the first night is always the one in which we are most attentive as we put the kids to bed. Each room counselor did a great job. I went around to hug the littlest ones. It was all smiles. We then planned the coming week’s schedule so it would be ready for them to see by morning’s light. It is a power packed week for sure.

Today, I must admit that we were all a little daunted to wake up to pouring rain. Adding MORE water to the already deep mud was of concern. We are such safety freaks that we don’t want anyone slipping in the mud in the rings. Our poor farm manager has literally had to take the tractor and push avenues for the horses to be turned out safely. He also raked the rings twice today to make the footing as good as we could.

However, true to Pony Farm style, we preserved and all ended well. After a number of changes, all the kids are on a happy horse. Before I came down to write this I asked if it was accurate to tell you that the feat had been accomplished and they said a resounding YES! My hat is off to the staff as this is no mean feat in the pouring rain with 48 campers. Jessy and her riding staff can rest easier now that the groups have been formed and the matches made. Match.com has nothing on us!!!!

This afternoon the kids who had a suitable, safe and happy pony or horse either went on a trail ride, played “New Games” or enjoyed the Farm Animals with me. We had all the bunnies, goats, sheep, donkeys and miniature horses out on the lawn. We groomed them, jumped them, hugged them and chased the ones that ‘got away’! I do love this silly and happy time. It seems just like the kind of thing that kids ought to do on a summer afternoon. The kids that did ride were able to ride in the rings that had been raked and in smaller groups. As of this afternoon, there are 8 riding groups with 6 kids in each. With the 8 staff and 11 Counselors-In-Training, everyone gets the benefit of a group lesson with lots of individualized time.

With a good solid intro to Barn Chores and a snack in their tummies, everyone trooped off to do barn chores. They did a super job and were up ready to take their showers in great time. We always know that it will be a good session when the first night of barn chores gets done in jig time.

I was so thrilled that we ate our first peas and salad greens out of the farm gardens tonight. We have been eating our chicken eggs all along, having fresh flowers on the table, and using the herbs in the cooking. However, tonight was the first real meal of farm raised produce. The kids loved the peas and ate all the salad. I was a proud farmer as we have created most of the gardens from seedlings that we grew with grow lights in the basement of the lodge. What fun! There is plenty more to come, too. Pray for sun!

Tonight they did their Bag skits…a silly game where each room collects 6 items and puts them in a plastic bag. The bags then get passed out to another room who creates a skit around the contents of the bag. The kids get most creative and silly in their skits. It is a real favorite of the kids. We then followed that with our Vespers from half the kids at Homestead. They read a poem together. It was cute and fun. Again, Good Night Circle and singing followed with a peaceful bedtime.

Tomorrow will bring lots of horse fun, riding, trail riding, probably some driving…maybe even swimming if the weather cooperates. Our life guard is standing by to give the swimming tests and the pool is ready. I bet it will be pretty cold though!

I will give you a run down of tomorrow once we have seen them all ride in their actual groups. We have promised them and you that we will ‘not bore anyone, scare anyone or work anyone to death….’ And we mean it. If the kids are in the wrong group, it is not for want of trying….We surely have told them often enough to let us know if its not the right placement.

Finally, before I end, let me tell you that if you want to come to visit this weekend, Kris and I think it is best to come on Sunday from 1 to 4. We will have finished Brunch, gathered laundry and organized rooms for the coming week. Sunday is a non riding day. They will be swimming, tye dying shirts, making bracelets, and playing with the farm animals. You are welcome to join in the farm fun. I think this is a better day to come than Saturday as we will be doing the Temple 4th of July Games and Fireman’s Barbeque. It is a tradition and is such fun. It is hard to know exactly when we will get back from that. We will be riding that afternoon but then you would miss the 4th of July fireworks back home…so, come on Sunday if you want….HOWEVER, please do not feel like you have to come. The kids have plenty to do….Most parents do not come as it is only a two week session….Your child will not be the only one without a parent present so if you live far away or have other fun stuff to do, rest assured she will be fine and well tended….We also have them practice for the Talent Show on Sunday night. Often times the kids whose parents come actually don’t get to go in the Talent Show because they were off getting ice cream….So, you are welcome to come but not expected to come!!!

So, I hope your day is ending nicely. I am still at camp and the kids are all asleep in their bunks. Rest well yourself and know that we are enjoying your children…and tending them well.

All my best, Boo

What a Fantastic Week!

2009-06-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

Friday June 26th, 2009

Dearest Pony Farm Families…Parents, Grandparents, Sisters, Brothers, Friends….

I smile as I think of you all. I sure hope you read these as I think it helps you be a ‘fly on the wall’ with your kids/sister or granddaughters. We sure are having a great time and love for you to know the happenings at the farm. We also hope you are well and have had a good week yourselves. We all think of you often and miss you…but just a little! It has been non stop action here and let me tell you all about it!

First and foremost, WHAT FANTASTIC KIDS YOU HAVE GIVEN US FOR A WEEK!!!! I swear you have done a fabulous job of raising great kids….not one single tear of homesickness, not one fuss, not one whine, not one complaint…it is a total treat to be with them, to the last one of them. Thank you for making the world a better place because of these children…They will grow up to do great things I know for certain. What an A+ you should get on your parenting report card. We are really going to be sad to say goodbye to the kids that are leaving tomorrow.

Secondly, despite the rainy weather and the mud, we have surprisingly been able to ride every single day and do lots of great outdoorsy, farm things both in the afternoon and the evening. The weather, while not great, has not been a damper on the spirits or the activities. We are grateful for the indoor and a dry bed. I truly don’t know how the tent and canoe camps do it with this kind of weather.

The riding has gone very well. We are excited to have you see the demonstration tomorrow. The kids have all worked really hard learning new skills. I have been so thrilled with the quality of the teaching that has gone on this week. Prior to Staff Orientation week, we hosted a national Certified Horsemanship Certification Clinic here. Five of our riding/teaching staff attended the whole week and became certified. The increase in their lesson planning, task analysis, skill building and teaching is really significant. I am very proud of the teaching that your children have gotten. I hope that you share my feeling when you come tomorrow. I also hope that you enjoy the quality of camp/lesson horses and ponies that we have. We are really proud of our string of mounts for a camp program. We like to think its “top drawer”!

Speaking of the Riding Exhibition and Demo Lesson tomorrow, we would love it if you could try to arrive by 9:30 to 9:45AM. We will have our Community Meeting and review with the kids what they will each be doing. Kris and I will then make some general remarks to you all while the kids are tacking up. We try not to have parents and visiting siblings in the barn while the kids are tacking up as it makes it too crowded. We can show you the week’s schedule and tell you a little about the week. We are also happy to answer any questions you might have. Following this, we invite you to go to see your daughter(s) ride. The Counselors-In-Training will conduct the actual lesson while you gather around the Senior Instructor. She will tell you all about what they have worked on during the week. She can also point out things to look for to parents who might not be ‘horsey’ in their own lives. We think the more you know, the more impressed you will be by the progress your child has made during only one week.

Following the group lessons, the kids will then regroup and do carriage driving, vaulting or jumping in specialty groups. They have had such fun doing the different things of camp that we love to give you a taste of what they have learned other than on the horse! We expect the whole Exhibition to end about noonish. We ask that you bring a picnic lunch to share with your child(ren). We will all have a picnic together on the front lawn, hopefully with sun shining on us! We will provide food for any and all kids staying over for next session so do not worry if you are not coming as we will take good care of your kiddo. (We even plan to have a Pizza Night tomorrow with everyone getting her favorite kind of pizza.) I think it is a safe bet to plan to leave by 1ish….Although, we sure won’t be glad to see you and your daughter leave. It has been such fun!!!

Speaking of fun, the Treasure Hunt/Hunter Pace was very well received by all. I actually was in NYC for a night to help my daughter move from the Upper East Side to Gramercy Park. The troops here set up a fun Treasure Hunt with clues to go to the next station. The kids were divided into 6 teams. They got all the clues with a little ‘help from their friends’…resulting in everyone getting a treasure trove of ice cream from the lovely dairy farm right down the road. After a fun trail ride, they all came back for lunch and to get geared up for the camping trip.

I had a crew of kids that were dying to go on this trip. Due to the threat of thunderstorms and lightening, Kris and I both thought it best to camp nearby instead of up on the mountain. We also checked out our usual site and the gentle little mountain stream over which we cross with all of our stuff, was a raging river. We would have washed whole children down the mountain side if we had gone there!

So, we ended up happily camping on the front lawn of the Homestead. We put up the tents in jig time and moved all our sleeping gear in. The food was ready for us and that too got set up ready for the campfire. We left the farm for our adventure and started by getting afternoon treats at the local little store. We then went to the Wilton Falls, a great big waterfall with fun swimming hole. This is a favorite of all of us ‘locals’ and a spectacular sight when it has rained a lot. Munching our snacks, we then ventured out onto the spray of the rocks in front of the water fall and helped each other cross the rushing water. The kids then jumped off a little rock outcropping and had a fun quick swim across the little pool. It was mighty cold so they didn’t stay in long! Following this little hike and swim, we came back to our camp site and started playing with all the farm animals. The kids brushed, hugged, grazed, and generally loved on the baby donkey, the lambs, the goats and the minis. We didn’t even get to the rabbits they had such fun!

After a long and leisurely time doing this, we started our camp fire and roasting our hotdogs and dinner. Much munching later, everyone was filled to the gills and ready to do the obstacle courses with the animals. They jumped, ran, went over a bridge and generally had a blast with the miniature horses. As darkness descended, we put all the animals away except for the one favorite goat. It was then S’More time…Curiously, the goat that was with us loves graham crackers. I don’t know who ate more of them, the goat or the kids!

Once everyone had eaten her fill, we all sat around the fire and the kids told massive stories, minus any ones filled with Ghosts…I don’t allow ghost stories in the dark!!! You surely have characters for children! They were great stories and well told, complete with accents. Several songs rounded up the night which was finished up with a lovely Good Night Circle with all of us holding hands around the fire and remembering all that we were thankful for in our lives.

Amid shooting stars, the fire flies and quiet whispering, the kids quickly fell asleep. I sat and watched the fire burning and reflected on how lucky I was…I too fell immediately asleep upon hitting my sleeping bag, flanked by staff and dogs!

As it turned out, it was good we were not up on the mountainside. The lightening and thunder struck about 2AM…Luckily, I got all the kids right into the Homestead, my old house, and we all went right back to sleep on the floor and the couches…so, I felt lucky not to be 2 miles away from camp with a bunch of ponies tied to a tree in the dark!

Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’ the kids had lessons and horse activities all afternoon and then did barn chores in good order. They had a nice dinner and then played all sorts of games for Cascino Night. This was preceeded by the Chocolate Game which is a fun game with dice, hat and mittens…Each person gets to eat as much chocolate as she can with a fork and knife….until someone else gets doubles on the dice. It is a real camp fav, for obvious reasons.

Today, the kids have done their morning lessons to prepare for their Exhibition for you tomorrow. They have also written their Candlelight message to read around the Bonfire tonight. We will do this with torches burning and as a great way to begin to end our time together. I always look forward to Candlelight as it is sooo sweet how much they come to love each other, their ponies and being here. It makes all the work, planning, care, energy…even sleeping on the hard ground well worth it!

This afternoon, we will be practicing the Specialties for the Exhibition. This will include carriage driving, vaulting, and jumping, lots of jumping….Showers will follow barn chores and our delicious last dinner together will start with all of us dressed up.

We will then greet you with open arms tomorrow, despite wishing our week was just beginning instead of just ending. We will be sad to see our first troopers leave… We really have enjoyed them…However, I would like to mention that we have had a zero minute cancellation from an incoming camper who has gotten “cold feet”. We would like to replace her if one of your kiddos would like to stay on. Let us know by emailing Kris at krisatpf@hotmail.com. Hopes this works out for somebody!

I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Hurry up and get here with your picnic. We have lots of fun things to show you. I hope you will be impressed. Until then, stay well.

Most warmly,
Boo

Update From Summer Camp at Pony Farm

2009-06-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Dearest Moms and Dads and PF Families,

Whew………the rain has stopped and all the kids are on the right horse and in the right group. That is a real feat with the puddles and mud! Your kids have been terrific and good spirit abounds at camp. They were such troopers yesterday riding despite the rain that it is a nice reward today to ride under cloudy skies. Tomorrow promises to actually be sunny and bright.

Also, I am happy to report that we have had not one drop of homesickness. Everyone is so spunky and fun. I just went around to each room to check on how everyone was getting along. In every single room (this being rest hour), I saw happy kiddos that were forging good solid friendships. I thought you all would like to know, especially first time parents. Card games, finger knitting, letter writing, listening to music, chatting and gentle reading were the activities at hand during this quiet time in the middle of the day.

This afternoon they have each selected from among 8 activities. The most experienced two groups are having a jumping lesson now that the rings have dried out and been raked. They went on a trail ride this morning to give the lesser experienced kids the drier rings. The other kiddos are going to do the agility course with the farm animals, or vault which is gymnastics on the moving horse, or Natural Horsemanship, or “Time with your Horse”, AKA braiding, trimming, brushing, painting their hooves with glitter, or grazing them with picture taking galore, or a walking trail ride for the littler ones, and finally bareback riding in the ring. Each kiddo has selected her favorite one of these activities and they are soon to be off doing this.

Tonight, the girls are going to do a Fashion Show by Decades. They work very hard to dress up like many of us did in the 60’s. They love this and all are so creative, judging from the Bag Skits of last night.

Wednesday will see more lessons and a whole raft of other activities. They are gearing up to do either a Treasure Hunt or a Hunter Pace (depending on riding levels of experience) on Thursday morning so lots of trail rides will be offered. We also will have the Pony camping trip on Thursday night. We have the menu planned, the tents at the ready, and the kids signed up….and the food bought…S’mores being a definite staple of the food! So, we are gearing up for that and also for the many other things that will be offered here at the farm so that the kids who don’t want to camp are busy and happy!

So, I end as I began, by saying that you have great kids…To the last one of them, they are getting along well…riding well…loving their ponies….hugging their staff and generally having a great week. The time is flying by…Thank you for sending them to us. We are having a blast and even getting over the mud!

Warmly and with a smile, Boo

First Official First Full Day of Camp!

2009-06-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

Dearest Moms and Dads, Family Friends and Extended Family Members,

Big Salutations from all of us on this first day of our 38th year of Pony Farm’s summer camp!!! It gives me great pleasure to write this first Blog of many. I love recounting all the fun things that we do here at the farm. The kids are so great and we surely have a staff to be proud of this summer. It is a Camp Director’s Dream.

First of all, thank you for bequeathing your children to us. They are such a bunch of ‘cutie pies’. It makes our job so easy when they all listen as we tell them about their riding groups or horse care…go to bed when we ask…get up when we ask... and generally just enjoy camp. So far everyone is getting along famously. It is always my job to ask each kiddo how things are going. The last one so far the answer is “Its great here.” Or “Everyone is so nice.” Or “I love my roomies already.” Or “My pony is the greatest.” These are all music to my ears, of course. We tell them that it is our goal to have this be the best week of their summer, if not their year. We are working hard to make it so! Thanks for parenting such good kids.

Last night on Opening Night we started with introductions from all the staff. Hearing how long everyone had been here made me so proud. It is easy to lose track of time but to hear that young people of today have been coming to Pony Farm for 8 year, or 11 years, or even as much as Jamie for 20 years and Kris for 31, sure makes me feel lucky! The kids listened intently as they tried to memorize all the names. We then moved on to how to feed the ponies and horses. Everyone trooped down to the barn with their buckets, boots and sponges. With all the ponies’ dinner in place, the kids then came back to the lodge to meet with Kris and I for a more formal introduction to the day in the life of camp. We talked about everything from dinner time to bed time to how we sorted out the horses. They were good as gold.

Once the staff came up from turn out and quick barn chores, we had dinner together. Staff mixed in with the kids so that everyone had a ‘buddy’ for sure on the first night of camp. We want everyone to feel welcome. After a yummie dinner with the ‘raindrops still falling on our heads’, they played a fun Scavenger Hunt all over the farm. Each room of girls joined with their staff to go on this expedition all over the property. They had to go as quickly as they could while still getting the right answers to all 10 questions and working together. We have found that this is a fun and energetic way to start getting to know each other. Most everyone found the right answers and got to know the farm a lot better. Luckily there was a break in the rain so they didn’t get too wet.

We then gathered and the kids introduced themselves to each other. We stress the importance of getting along and knowing each other, especially all names from the first day forward. We then wrote up a whole list of fun things they were eager to do during this week. They are a gung ho bunch…The list is too long for me to report in detail but you can see the schedule we made for the week when you come on Saturday.
This list making was followed by bedtime routines and ‘what ifs’ for night time. They all seemed genuinely up beat as we started singing songs by candlelight. The counselors in training did Vespers, our quiet reflection time of the day. It is moving to hear why they come back year after year. I think it sets a nice tone for the whole week. Following the singing and Vespers, they tiptoed off to bed. Each set of room counselors ‘tucked’ them in bed…I got to visit each room and ‘sit for a spell’ with them. I love this one on one time with each room. So often I am talking with parents or organizing something that I cherish my time with the girls. It is why I started this, after all!

We are happy to report that not one kiddo was homesick or worried on the first night. Bedtime went smoothly and without incident. I was here until about 10:15 and then tottled down to my little Cottage where I, too, slept soundly!!! The kids all slumbered through the night, and were up and ready to start their exciting first day when I got to camp at 8AM. The drizzle does not daunt these darlings!!!

The riders were each grouped in four biggish groups for their Evaluation Ride. We take a good deal of time and effort to match the right kiddo on the right horse and in the right group. Several staff went around to see each larger group and decide how to split them into smaller units of 4 to 6 children. We mostly made good matches but did do some switching. After lunch and rest hour, the girls will be told what groups they are in and what horse/pony they will ride. This afternoon we will then try the final matches and groups to make sure we did it right. Even after today, the kids can still change if the kiddo or the staff feels it is appropriate. We are committed to making sure that the kids are correctly and safely mounted, as well as placed in the appropriate group so they each learn a lot without being over faced or bored.

They will then learn how to do barn chores, take nice warm showers and have dinner together. We will then enjoy an all camp favorite… Bag Skits…a silly skit game where each room gets 6 items together and puts them in a bag. These bags are then spread around to other rooms, each of which needs to create a skit using all 6 items. For some reason unbeknown to me, they adore this game…It does get the rooms collaborating and creative, so its all good with me. I love seeing the results. Tonight, Rooms 1 and 2 will do their vespers and then we will end with more new songs. “Good Night Circle” will follow where the kids remember all the good things that happened during the day. It is a sweet and peaceful way to end the day.

The kids voted to go on a camping trip with the ponies on Thursday night…and to have the Hunter Pace too as the big main events. We have tons of other activities but they most wanted to do this so, Please push the right weather buttons so this can happen. I especially love the pony camping trips…

Mostly, I thank you for trusting us with your treasurers….We are all working hard to make this a most memorable time. Will write more tomorrow but knew you would want to know how the first day was going…Until then, stay well and enjoy some fun yourself!!!

Warmly, Boo

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

2009-04-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend of Pony Farm,

It is with great joy and happiness that I send this PF Blog to YOU!!! I adore letting you know about all the many exciting and creative things happening at Pony Farm, Horse Power and the Lodge. Mostly, I love to welcome YOU to come and visit…sit a spell or join us for one or more of the fun things that are happening here at the farm. It is alive with activity!!!

Our Pony Farm and Horse Power Spring Lesson series are well underway. The rings have nicely dried out and have been carefully raked for excellent spring riding classes. With over 100 students riding each week, it is a busy and happy place. The staff has worked long and hard to get just the right horses and ponies to mount the littlest to the oldest rider, regardless of ability. Everyone is welcome here at the farm to share our love of horses. It is my greatest delight to see each ring busy with good learning, whether teachers are working with riders on an obstacle course, a complicated dressage move, a jumping grid or simply learning how to trot. I am most proud of our instructors and the caliber of our lesson mounts. With certification for our instructors and accreditations for our various programs, we feel we offer one of the finest lesson programs in the country. If you are not already part of the “Farm Family, come visit anytime and see us in action. You are especially welcome to join us for our Spring Lesson Horse Show on Saturday May 9th. This horse show will offer three rings, lots of ribbons and good judges to showcase all of our riders. Come help us pass out some ribbons to our winners….We think you will like what you see!!!

Happily, our Horse Power Instructor Training School is also in full swing. We have three Instructor Candidates working on their national certification as therapeutic riding instructors. Each of these bright, hard working and talented people will return to their home state and will make the world a better place for people with challenges in their lives. We are immensely proud of the work these folks are doing and thank them for their deep commitment to bring the joy and health of horsemanship to people in need.

The summer camp staff for both the residential Pony Farm residential camp and the Barn Yard Buddies day camp are hard at work getting ready to receive their campers. We hope that Pony Farm and Horse Power will always be a great opportunity for children of all ages and abilities to enjoy being outside in the fresh air, learning new things and reveling in the love of all kinds of animals. The vegetable and flower gardens should add to their enjoyment, as will the swimming pool. During the summer months, it is hard to come to the farm and not catch the spirit of joy and fun that abounds in every corner of the barn, the woods trails or country lanes. Join us and catch this spirit!!!

We are also enjoying a terrific year at the Lodge at Pony Farm. We have had many different types of successful gatherings at the lodge. From Family weekends to Mother or Father Daughter Camp Weekends, to alumnae or family reunions, special Anniversary events, to Gardening Classes, to workshops on Soil Enrichment or Spiritual Awakening or Yoga, we have have enjoyed rich variety of meaningful events that have enlivened and awakened our thinking. We are even about to celebrate a Blessing of the Farm on Saturday evening May 9th. A real Shamen who is a true Native American and will be dressed in ceremonial attire will be leading this unique event. This is most exciting because it is strongly believed that the lodge used to be the site of a Temple hundreds of years ago. Honoring the true spirit and strength of the land will be a pleasure indeed.

Prior to the Lesson Horse Show, the Blessing of the Farm and the start of our summer camps, we invite one and all to come to our Farm Clean Up Day and Cookout on Saturday April 25th. This is a great day of celebration of the beauty of the farm, with many hands making light work. We will paint fences and jumps, wash windows, build a new ring, work on the new Farm Store and finish cleaning up the yards and plant some of the gardens. We will offer a great big yummie cook out and lots of time to chat and join together as a Farm Family. With your help, we can continue to make the farm beautiful and safe for all people and horses. Join us!

This farm clean up day is also geared to our upcoming celebration of Horse Power’s 20th Anniversary to be held on Saturday June 6th. Again, this day will be dedicated to the hard working board, staff, volunteers and horses of Horse Power, our therapeutic riding program. It is hard to believe that Horse Power is 20 years old…but it is indeed true. We are also wanting to honor the wonderful donors who have made Horse Power possible. The plans are coming together nicely for this most joyous of events.

In addition to the ongoing programs and special events, we have lots of other exciting news to share with you. This has truly been a time of expansion and new resolve. We have added several new programs that we are proud to share with you. It is our hope that you might become inspired to help out with one or more of these programs.

• “Gardening for Good”….joining with two wonderful local schools (RSEC Academy and Summit High School) we are creating or enhancing eight existing gardens to grow fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit. We will not only be feeding the folks who come to stay with us for camp or lodge events, but we will be selling our produce to the local community. These kids will learn everything from farming skills, to marketing and communication, to keeping a check book. A third of the profit will go to the kids, a third to the program for next year and a third to the world famous Heifer Project International. Instilling a work ethic mixed with entrepreneurship and philanthropy is all a good thing in this day and age.

• “Animal Ambassadors”…joining with Temple Elementary School second graders, an Antioch/New England Intern and a wonderful group of parents, we are in the process of a three month program with the kids and the farm animals. In March, each student selected his or her favorite animal from the sheep, miniature horses, goats, and rabbits. They then researched their animal, making journals, displays, written projects and verbal presentations. Following this, they have come to the farm to get practice in handling their animal and taking it through a training/agility course. They are also learning how to meet and be with elderly folks, some of whom may have hearing or sight challenges. In May, we will bring all the Animal Ambassadors, two and four footed to area Assisted Living and Nursing Homes for visits. We cannot wait to share our love of animals with older people, all the while being Ambassadors of goodness and happiness.

• “Horses for Heroes”…joining with the National Guard, the Veterans Victory Farm and Monadnock Family Services, we will be sharing our love of the farm, horses, gardens and farm animals with men and women who have served our country. It is our sincere hope to thank them for their service and make them feel welcome back from the war and to their lives. We will be offering riding, driving, employment opportunities and family activities. Again, we welcome you to help!

• Farm Store Opens….We will be expanding our usual summer camp store to a new ‘venue’…the Loft overlooking the parking lot. With this new space, we will be offering the usual fun summer time clothing, farm hats and water bottles. In addition we will be selling fresh produce, flowers and local products. This will be a fun addition to our farm while giving kids an opportunity to learn to run a business.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the renovation and refurbishing of the yellow farm house, formerly my house where I grew up and raised my own children. This lovely home was built in 1754 and deserves to be carefully and loving restored. We are very excited to be working with a well respected local historian to restore it. With lots of painting, polishing, waxing and upgrading of the bathrooms, this will be a wonderful new feature of the farm. During the summer months, it will house the oldest campers and half of the camp staff. During the rest of the year, it will serve as the lodging for the Instructor Training School and Interns. We will also be bringing school groups to the farm and having the house be an educational reenactment of an old Colonial Farm. With so much history behind it, and such a bright future ahead of it, the house is going to be an upcoming feature of the whole farm. So, as you can tell, we are busy and happy and working hard. We welcome you to join us for any of the activities or programs that might be of interest to you and your family. You will get a warm welcome and a friendly tour. We love having visitors and will enjoy showing you what is happening on that day. Until then, stay well and enjoy the coming of spring.

Warmly and with enthusiasm,
Isabella (Boo) Martin, M.Ed.
Founder and Executive Director
NARHA & CHA Master Instructor
ACA Certified Camp Director

PONY FARM LESSON PROGRAM & SUMMER CAMP BLOG

2009-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine’s Day to YOU All!!! I hope you are happy and well this winter. The horses and staff all join me in sending you our best. I love Valentine’s Day because I enjoy telling people how much I love them, whether they are near or far! We love having you here and our farm would not be the same without YOU!!! So, hurry up and come back to visit.

Winter here at Pony Farm has been a great one, despite the amount of snow and cold. All the horses are furry and fat. The snow is so deep in the Small Animal Barn that the minis keep jumping out to come see us. They, and all the bigger horses, miss having you around to pet and love them. We did have a sadness though as we lost Lexus to colic. She was one of our wonderful Quarter horses. We worked for two full days to try and save her but she had a twisted intestine. It made us all so sad. I want to assure you that she did not suffer and had someone by her side the whole time. She is missed but never forgotten!

Lots of good progress has been made this winter. We have nearly completed an All Farm Recycling Program, including the building of brand new recycling stations and a trailer for all the separated material to be taken to the local Recycling Center. Wait until you see the new Grain Bin in the downstairs barn….Not only will the farm look neater and cleaner, but we will help keep our world GREEN!!! We will not waste anything!

Next on our list of things to accomplish is to start Composting….everything from the food at the lodge to the manure in the barn! We just went to a workshop on composting horse manure…What an eye opener that was. We produce 80 tons of manure a year with our horses. Can you imagine if all of that was turned into terrific organic fertilizer for the area gardens and greenhouses…Again, we would be helping our world while taking care of any and all pollution from run-off into the streams…You will be hearing much more about this as the year unfolds but we are most excited to work on this new important project. If you have any expertise or know of anyone who does, please email me and let me know. The more good brains working on this, the better!

We are also excited to be upgrading the bathroom in the barn with a sink, washing machine and composting toilet to replace the unsightly and expensive portopotties. We hope to have that project completed by the start of our Spring Lesson Program. We want to be able to welcome our favorite lesson students back with a nice new bathroom!!!

Speaking of lessons, our Spring Lesson Open House will be on Saturday March 14th from 1 to 4PM. We welcome all of you, new or former students, to come and visit us. We would love to catch up with you and tell you about all the exciting classes that will be taking place this spring. Lorna will continue on as the head of Pony Farm lessons for both kiddos and adults…She is always eager to speak to you on the phone so call her at 603-654-6308.

Perhaps the most exciting thing that we are planning this spring are a Pony Farm Clinic Series….We hope that fellow horse owners, neighbors, summer campers and lesson students will want to come to one or more of these clinics. We want to have both unmounted horsemanship clinics like learning how to lunge and long line, as well as how to better partner with your horse in February and March. We are working on hosting a riding clinic with our favorite Joe Lombard in April and will let you know that date. We are then working on hosting a Parelli clinic this spring and next fall. In addition, we will be having a Certified Horsemanship Clinic in June to help our lesson and camp staff teach even better….We will wrap up the year with a Pony Boy Clinic…Again, as the snow falls, we are organizing all of these great educational clinics so that we can all learn more about the amazing world of horses. We hope you will want to join us for one or more clinics! Lauren will have all the updated information on the clinics so call at 603-654-6308.

We definitely have our spring weekends on the calendar, with several of them already full. We invite you to join us for the Father Daughter Weekend or the Mother Daughter Weekend that had to be rescheduled due to the ice storm in December. We will also have an Adult Riding and Driving Weekend in May….So, there is just lots of fun going on at the farm. Come and enjoy things with us! Call Lauren at the office to find out more….603-654-6308!

Last but by no means least is SUMMER CAMP AT PONY FARM!!! The Pony Farm residential summer camp is nearly full for 2009…We do have a few openings in our one week sessions at the beginning and end of the summer. Take a look at all the fun that we have on the camp part of our website….It is just a spectacular way to spend a week or two of your summer here at Pony Farm. This will be our 38th year of camp. We already have most of our staff !!! It will be nearly 100% returning staff….We are gathering horses now, too…so we will surely be ready. Kris and I only wish it started tomorrow! Confirmations go out this week for those already registered…Also, don’t forget that if you refer a friend who ends up signing up for a session at Pony Farm, you receive a $50 gift certificate for clothes at the camp store…So, tell all your friends about those first and last week session this summer! Call Kris if you have questions about your session at 603-654-6308.

We will also be hosting three weeks of PONY FARM SUMMER DAY CAMP. Due to popular demand, we will be offering a riding day camp for the first time ever. We will be building a new ring and small barn in front of the indoor arena. This will not only beautify the area but it will surely give both day and resident campers all the facilities that they will need to have a great time without bumping into each other. We will reserve four horses for day camp so there will be daily riding using the new ring. The PF Day Campers will have their own club house and tack room out there too. We just miss our lesson kids too much to say goodbye all summer long…Call Terri to find out more….603-654-6308.

So, as you can see, things are hopping at Pony Farm. We are about to fill up the Small Animal barns with baby chicks and ducks, Bantums, two new lambs and a new mini donkey. Springtime is one of my favorites here on the farm as we get in the new babies…and start planting the seeds for the gardens. I love all the seasons on a farm….I adore spring with lessons and the farming part…then summer with the campers….Fall is terrific with the harvesting of the crops and the pumpkins straight out of the gardens…Then winter for sleigh riding and snow showing and skiing….In short, I guess I just love the farm…and having YOU here.

I really do have the best job of all because I just get to enjoy being with you! Please do email me with any of your ideas for the farm….or recycling or the clinics or the camp or the gardens or the composting or the horses. I love hearing from you, almost as much as I love having you come to visit…So, don’t be a stranger here at Pony Farm. On this Valentine’s Day, know that you and your family are indeed in my heart and makin’ me smile.

Gleefully,
Boo McDaniel,
Founder and Executive Director &
Biggest Horse & Animal Lover of ALL!

Beautiful Words from a Camper

2009-02-09T07:27:00.000-08:00

Dearest Pony Farmers,

One of our fabulous campers, Mikaela, wrote this touching tribute to her experience last summer. I wanted to share it with all of you....

My Second Home

Imagine a place filled with ponies and horses and a smiling face wherever youlook. You know who everyone is and are friends with pretty much all of them..This is Pony Farm, my camp, the place where I am my best self and one of theonly places I feel entirely relaxed and comfortable. It’s a place where I feel completely undisturbed and totally at home. I have a really special horse and friends who are ready for me to lean on them at any time.

Pony Farm has the most remarkable people and the best friends I could ever have. Everyone is a friend with everyone and no one is ever mean. I rememberafter the horse show I thought I did really badly and my friends cheered me up completely. They explained you could not be perfect every time, and made me feelbetter. My friends talked and talked with me for three days about this until I was feeling all better. They were never negative, and always had something good to say. All my friends, especially Annie, were fun to be around. I felt like I could be completely myself. Best friends are one community, and my barn family is another. My room is just one more group of closely-knit people, and everyone is family. It made me feel like there was no one who would be mean. It was such an open community of forty-eight kids. Pony Farm would not be the same without my friends, because they make up part of the experience.

My barn was a really special part of camp. I spent more then half my day there, and it was where no one bothered me. Spending time with my horse was a stillness that was relaxing. Everyone was working there but no one made me do their jobs. However, if I needed help, they were there in a second. It always smelled like fresh hay. I loved the way that when we had to scrub water buckets, my friends and I would carry them together. It was teamwork without one person taking over. This showed me what it was really like to work as a group; you are all in it together. I loved how we always had music playing in the barn. Blasting music in the barn made me want to do more work when I was done.

My horse at camp, Alhana, is incredible. When I went in to her stall she would look up from her hay and would nuzzle with me pulling the treat out of my pocket. While riding her I had a soaring sensation. I would get off of her and give her a hug. She was more then a horse, she was my best friend. If I wanted to talk to someone and didn’t have time to find my friends, I would just talk to her, which was not weird because I knew she was listening. I would do anything for Alhana. When she peed in the aisle I would clean it up with out a single complaint. After riding her I would cool her down and this was the perfect time. I would talk to her and she would nuzzle me and we would just walk and talk until she was cool. My horse was like having a best friend who always was with me.

Here at tranquil Pony Farm I am my finest self. It is my Querencia. I have unique friends, an extraordinary horse, and a new family. Without it I wouldn’t have something to look forward to in the summer. I know I will always have a place at Pony Farm. I constantly think about going back. The limited time I spend there makes when I am there so special.

From Mikaela

2008-12-30T07:39:00.001-08:00

FOUNDER’S BLOG…

WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

On behalf of all the farm staff and the horses, I want to wish each and every one of YOU a most joyous, healthy and happy NEW YEAR. 2009 promises to be a great one here at Pony Farm. We want to have you share it with us!!!! We send all our best wishes to you and your family in hopes that you had a great Holiday season together.

We miss seeing you for camp or lessons. The farm is kind of empty without people all around. The horses and ponies are all so fat and furry. They are not the least bit concerned about the bad weather we have been having. They seem to be happily enjoying their vacation from being ridden. Each January they get the whole month off to just relax and rejuvenate their spirits and bodies. They work so hard the rest of the year that we like to give them this treat. We give them extra yummy food and lots of good warm blankets on the really cold days. I know they appreciate it.

Before we give you more horse news, we would like to tell you about several important upcoming events….First of all, we will be hosting the PONY FARM SUMMER CAMP OPEN HOUSE on SUNDAY, JANUARY 4^TH from 1 to 4PM. If you are interested in either our summer residential camp or our NEW summer Day Camp, we hope you will join us!!! We want to tell you all about the ways that we have fun with horses and ponies in the summer months.

The PONY FARM SUMMER CAMP is for girls ages 8 to 14, with a Counselor In Training Program for girls 15 to 17. We have one, two, three and four week options. Girls from all over this country and the world come to stay with us. They live in the lodge and, for the first time ever, this summer will also be living in the beautiful old farmhouse which used to be the Stage Coach Stop between Montreal and Boston. With the lodge and the farm house as ‘home away from home’ and 60 horses & ponies to enjoy, everyone has a great time….Take a good look at our website and see the new slideshow all about summer residential camp!!! Imagine YOU being in the pictures…swimming with the horses, going in a horse show, on a pony camping trip or an all day picinic drive or ride. We do it all!!!

This summer we will be officially beginning a PONY FARM SUMMER DAY CAMP as well. This will be for kids 4 to 10 years old. Day Camp will have its own headquarters out in front of the indoor arena. With their own little four horse barn, Clubhouse in the Caboose, riding ring and picnic lunch area, it will be a dream come true for local kids who want to ride and enjoy the farm in the summer months. The campers will enjoy the farm animals….goats, miniature horses, lambs, chickens, ducks, banty’s and miniature donkey. They will also get to swim in the pool, grow flowers and vegetables in the gardens, and enjoy the many trails, woods and fields around the farm. We don’t want YOU to be a stranger here in the summer!!!!

For kids that are not interested in either sleep away or day camp but want to come and ride, we will also offer riding lessons in a series for YOU!!!! We have had a big call for this from our lesson programs and feel it is very easily accomplished with a new riding ring and the use of the indoor arena. Adding the trails and dirt roads right out our ‘back door’, we can offer a full set of lessons when day camp is not in session. We hope you will keep us in mind as you begin planning your summertime fun!

Another new and exciting thing that we will be doing this year is that we will offer a variety of Riding, Driving and Horsemanship Clinics with great teachers from all over New England. We think there is a real need for this. I am going to be on the top of the list for each of them. I love to learn….as do the rest of the staff. All of the instructors are most eager to keep up their own riding and working to improve each and every horse. Keep reading this Blog for upcoming details about this. We will be beginning our monthly series in February, after the horses’ get their well deserved rest.

In preparation for the coming of Spring lessons and camp, as well as the exciting new clinics, we are getting some good training time in on the newer horses and ponies. The two stars of this training program are Ben and Jerry. Despite their rocky early life, they are truly in love with people. They adore working and being handled. They are going so well in harness too. We are about to do the last two steps of the tire drag and the PVC pipes to get them ready to really put to a training cart. They look most handsome. I am thrilled needless to say…I can’t wait to give you a drive in the lovely new Wagonette with Ben and Jerry in a beautiful new pair harness. That is my New Year’s promise to myself is driving them as a pair all over the countryside with lots of friends and lots of delectable picnic lunches….What fun that will be. I hope you will join me with Ben and Jerry in 2009!

Bonnie and Clyde are also getting some good schooling. Heather Wile, a long time lesson student then teacher, and camper and then counselor, is home from her last year at college. She has been riding both of them nearly every day. They are jumping like little troopers. It is such fun to see how much they, too, love the attention. Heather and the rest of the training crew have also been working on our lovely big new horse called Brooks. He is a steel gray Canadian Thoroughbred cross who is coming 4. He is about 17 hands tall and is a lovely mover. He too is so willing and eager to please. We are getting him ready for spring lessons and summer camp.

In addition to these bigger horses, we have been working on the “MIGHTY MINIS”! They are learning to lunge and trot round and round with a rider on them. Both of my Granddaughters, Morgan and Megan, have been riding them every day of their vacation, sometimes twice a day! They have learned how to post and just giggle as they zoom around. Their little western saddles fit both the girls and the minis. What a great site to warm a Grandmother’s heart….sure makes all the work totally worth it.

We will soon be getting Jazz, the pinto mini mother, going under saddle and driving the pony carts. She is so quiet and gentle that I know it will be easy to do. I can’t wait until we can also drive her baby, “Pizazz”….He, too, is such a little love that he will come to it easily. Won’t they be adorable as a driving pair!!! With Ben and Jerry, Bonnie and Clyde, and Jazz and Pizazz all driving as pairs, it will be quite something around here.

Speaking of other fun “horsey news”, we think that Willie, our newest horse that has been donated to Horse Power is pretty terrific too. He is a great big black horse who used to be a Caisson horse who pulled the caskets of important soldiers in Arlington Cemetery. Willie was one of the eight horse hitch which pulled President Regan’s casket to his final resting place. We are so excited to have him as part of our horse family. He is not only very beautiful and proud, but he is going to be a terrific Vaulting horse in addition to driving horse. He will do lots of good work at Horse Power, our therapeutic riding program….but he loves trail riding and all day picnic rides, too. He is a man of many talents…and handsome, to boot!!!

We are also eagerly looking for a few more horses and ponies to buy toward the end of winter so we have some fun new ones for both lessons and camp….We love our troopers but it is always good to get some new fresh faces to add to the farm family.

Speaking of adding to the farm, soon we will be adding two bottle baby lambs and a baby miniature donkey to our small animal family. We will get our chickens and ducks back once the weather gets warmer….Having lots of eggs and fun baby chicks for everyone to enjoy. We also are really excited to be starting our vegetable and flower seedlings for the gardens. We are thinking about having a small Farm Stand here at Pony Farm so that we can share our produce with our friends and neighbors….I am really excited about that project. I guess I am an eternal farmer and lover of all that is ‘farms’….goats, sheep, veggies, eggs, and even bunnies, all furry and cuddly.

Mostly, however, I love having people come to enjoy the farm….Seeing our boarders lavish their love on their horses, and the farm staff and students and campers pour out their hearts to the horses, makes my heart glad again and again. I surely am in the right ‘job’…a good life’s work for sure. Now…all we need is you. I do hope you will hurry up and come to visit. I also hope that we see you lots and lots in 2009, making the farm complete.

Until then, stay healthy and happy, knowing that you are welcome here anytime.

Have a great NEW YEAR…..

Most warmly, Boo McDaniel

Specialty Weekends- We Miss YOU!!!!!

2008-08-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

Pony Farm Fun and YOU are invited!!

Dearest Pony Farm families

Oh how I do hope you are still checking my blog!! I miss all of you soooo much and can not believe summer is nearly over!!
But the fun continues….we are excited to offer these special seasonal weekends to our fantastic Pony Farm families AND new friends, as well. Spread the word!!

We’re offering~

Harvest Festival Family Weekend Sept. 26-28
Fall Foliage Family Weekend Oct. 10-12
Mother/Daughter Holiday Weekend Dec. 5-7
Mother/Daughter Holiday Weekend Dec. 12-14

Bring your family, grandparents, best friends…come enjoy a wonderful weekend of riding in the indoor ring, the trail, English or Western saddles, lessons..

Driving carriage or sleighs…

Hikes to suit any ability…

Obstacle courses in the barn…

Charades…picture taking…sing-along camfires…

Much more!!!! Massage anyone?

These weekends do fill up, so register early. You can call Lauren Riccio at the farm office (603) 654-6308 or send an email to laurenriccio@yahoo.com for registration and pricing info.

I simply can not wait to see you all again, and fall on the farm is indeed special!

With much love,

Boo

Wrap up for Session Five

2008-08-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 14th, 2008

Dearest Parents and Family Members,

Here I am back again, with a whole day lapsed between when I promised I would write and Thursday morning. I feel so badly that I have ‘fallen down’ on the Blog job but it is because I ‘stood up’ for your kids!!! On Tuesday morning after I wrote you, I had the mental picture of coming back after a great day with the kids and writing to you while they did barn chores & before the camping trip….That was not to be and here goes the tale of weather….

On Tuesday morning, the kids were so eager to ride and try out their riding groups. As you may remember, the staff had really worked hard on getting everyone on the right horse—not too big, not too, too fast, too slow. This was the day to see if the changes and riding group placements had been accurate. We senior most people went around to the groups to check everyone out. With one or two more switches, the kids were all good to go. We sure do encourage them over and over again to let us know if the group is too easy or too hard….They really do feel part of the process.

So, after a good ride under their belt, we got planning for the afternoon activities despite a ‘possible thunder showers’ weather report. I had promised the kids from last session that we were going to have a pony camping trip….With the weather never letting up, I had not been able to come through on that promise. So, this time I felt I could not have been gone for the best two days while I was at the wedding and then not come through with my promises for this session….However, even if it had been sunny, it would have been sodden underfoot at the camping trip and the rushing river would have been too deep to cross with the horses who were going to come with us. In short, it would have been really unpleasant. So, I came up with the bright idea of a camping trip at my house, a Pony Farm version of a gigantic slumber party….They were thrilled and so excited, much to my delight.

So, we split the groups in half by rooms and the littler kids came on Tuesday night and the bigger kids on Wednesday night. So, as I was feeling good about this exchange for a woods camping trip, I went about the rest of my day.

On Tuesday afternoon before the camping trip, the kids had their camp Portraits taken. These are pictures of each girl with her horse or pony. They will be available for you to view them on Saturday and purchase them is you so choose. Many of our families have pictures of their girls each year they have come to camp. It is really a fun momento but we do stress that you do not have to buy them!!! While the kids were taking turns doing that, I got two miniature horses and two smaller ponies harnessed up and ready to go driving with little carts and carriages. I dearly love driving and am the main one who runs that activity. Driving can be darn dangerous if you are harnessed up right or hooked properly to the carriage. Having driven all my life, I like to be the safety checker to get it done right and keep it safe. I dearly love driving, maybe even more than riding, as it is so sociable! The kids all love it too.

The other option was for the kids to do “Slip and Slide”. With the weather having been sooo horrible, we have not done a mandatory Camp Swim Test. We just felt it was cruel to make them swim in freezing water. So, this is another ‘wet’ activity that can happen in lieu of actually swimming. What they do is take a huge tarp and I mean huge…and spread it out on the front lawn of the lodge which has a small slope to it. They then ‘grease’ it with shampoo so it slides really easily. Then, the hose is applied and vola, a huge hit on the farm….simple fun is the best kind! So, they ran and jumped and slid their hearts out in singles, pairs and trios…it was a big hit and they did not freeze to death luckily!

So picture this, everything is all set up, the harnesses on, the tarp readied and the photographer and assist with camera in hand….the kids poised…and guess what…more rain and some distant rumblings of thunder….I thought I really might shoot myself!!! It is sooo hard to feel like you are disappointing the kids but it is even harder to have to switch up activities and reorganize at the drop of a hat…60 plus people and 60 plus horses has a lot of moving parts!

But, we persevered and drove in the rain, the pictures got taken between rain squalls and the kids adored the driving, despite being all wet….Whew, I thought we are going to get through the afternoon without thunder and lightening…Not five minutes later I looked up at the sky and there was the biggest, blackest and most ominous cloud I had ever seen rolling in over Pony Farm….I don’t mind rain or thunder rumbles, but I surely do mind lightening and thunder and harsh rain pelting down on us….So, in we all hurried, having had plenty of fun doing as much slipping, sliding and driving and posing as we could squeeze into the moment…

Everyone got to the barn safely and we unharnessed and fed the horses. I thought well this storm too shall pass and I will continue on with my plan for blogging you. Little did I know the real boomers that were to come. We had to gather all the kids out of the barn and bring them to the lodge because the thunder and lightening was truly crashing down on our heads. It was a frightening storm. I felt I needed to be with the kids and keep them peaceful and thinking of other things. Also, I worried I might fry my computer. Thus….I “stood up for your kids” while I “let you down”…I think it was the right choice and I bet you do too…

So, with barn chores nearly done and the storm receeding, off we trooped with Rooms 1 though 5 for our big excursion to my house. I had told them that it used to be the Stage Coach stop between Boston and Montreal. On the way down I told them how the horses would rumble in and stop by my front door. Then, the horses would get quickly switched to fresh horses while the people got something to drink and went to the ‘necessary room’. They were so excited to come in the actual Stagecoach entrance laden down with their sleeping bags, PJs, sweatshirt and bathing suit….We immediately built a fire in my great big fireplace, with lots of helping hands….We cooked hot dogs, veggie dogs, with a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the side, of course. We had cucumbers out of my garden…a proud garden mother am I…ate chips, apples, carrots and lots & lots of ‘dogs’ roasted over the open fire on sticks we had picked. The kids were such fun…not one cross word, one butt in front of the line to get the food and no one got poked with the cooking sticks….Pretty great average.

Then, we divided into 4 groups and went out to play with the farm animals…One gang went to swim the ducks; a second to play with the bunnies and guinea pigs in my sunroom; a third to play with the new baby chicks; and a fourth to jump the goats, miniature horses and donkey (well, try to jump the donkey…they didn’t get ‘stubborn like a mule’ out of no where!). I have to tell you that it is a most delightful sight to see these kids simply and purely and abundantly loving these animals. They just really enjoy being with them whether they are sitting there gently stroking a bunny or tenderly holding a baby chick in their hand or gleefully running with a mini as they both fly over a jump. My grass in my front yard will never look manicured and perfect…but I sure would rather see these kids gleefully running and jumping and playing with the animals and each other than have a spotless lawn!

After that, I decided to bend the rules just this once and let them have an evening swim with the light on in the pool. So, armed with the baby goat on my lap and three staff people helping watch, they had a blast….They looked like a bunch of young seals cavorting in the water. It was really fun and a great way to get their hands clean for S’mores…What is a camping trip without S’mores! So, they bundled quickly into their PJ’s and we reused our sticks to cook countless S’mores. Man, can those kids pack away the chocolate….For both groups of kids, we ate 3 bags of marshmallows, 6 packages of Graham Crackers and 24 bars of chocolate…much to my pleasure no one threw up in my house….
So, with the candles burning brightly, it was time for story telling…I am very opposed to ghost stories as it seems stupid to have kids in the dark, in a strange place and away from family …and then tell the scariest stories we can think of to tell….Not happening on this lady’s watch. But, stories I did tell…They were so eager to hear about how we got this horse and what was the history of that horse and what was the bloodies time at the farm with a horse or how did this one die…so, we got our share of tales but not one ghost appeared to scare little ones. It was so funny as they begged for more I could also see kids silently dropping into dream land. Pretty soon only two kids were awake and we all decided to call it a night. It had surely been a huge success compared to camping out on the wet, cold ground in the trees next to a swollen stream….Here’s to lovely old houses with great stories to tell.

Wednesday finally dawned beautiful. Everyone was really jubilant about seeing the sun. Like milk, it does a body good and the mold and muck begin to disappear. The girls actually got a full lesson in rings where the mud puddles were not 3” deep. All the groups were great. Two more groups went on a trail ride to make sure they would be ready and comfortable for the All Day Ride which is just about to happen today…but more on that in a minute.

The kids had also been excited about seeing two of our newest horses driving. So, while they rode in the morning and had lunch, I gathered a team of some of our year around staff that do the carriage driving to hook up Willie and Alyanna…Willie is a Cassion horse that was given to us from the Army. He had been one of a six horse hitch who had driven President Regan to his final resting place in Arlington Cemetery . He had also done many military parades….So, without a “hitch”, we hitched him up!!! We have recently gotten a new carriage and he sure made a beautiful picture. By next summer, he can give families rides on the Parent visiting day. We also hooked up our beautiful Arabian which is on long time loan to us…She was a dream to drive and had obviously done it a lot….So, we are thrilled to have a total of 15 driving horses and ponies….It sure makes for a fun selection for driving activities at camp. I love to drive with the kids and remember one of my favorite little kids from the past saying this…
“You know Boo, if more people traveled like this there would be way less wars!” I fear, lisp and all, that she was right….but that’s for another discussion!

The afternoon stayed bright and sunny…for a fabulous change! The girls got to practice their “Specialties” which will be part of the riding demonstration that we will do for you on the Closing Day. Their choices are the High Jump called the Puissance, Vaulting which is gymnastics on the moving horse, Bareback Riding and maybe a little jumping, Courses and Lines of jumps, and Cones Driving with the smaller driving ponies. They had all signed up for their specialty event….Everyone got their first choice, although I was amazed that 13 children chose driving over the riding options….much to my delight, of course…So, off we all went, smiling in the sun.

The afternoon went off without a hitch….no lightening….We hardly knew what to do with a good day but it was all smiles. The horses got fed and snack time happened…and then I gathered up the whole group….I shamelessly bribed them into picking rocks for 15 minutes. In our efforts to ‘green up’ the farm through recycling and rotate pastures, while reducing the number of horses we have during the school year, we asked everyone to help pick rocks in this field that we are reseeding and resting for a year. The kids went at it and we called them “Rock Stars”….We picked three bucket loads of the tractor full of rocks…A job that would have taken the 3 maintenance folks all day and then some was done in 15 minutes. When you put 55 people to a task, its amazing what can happen. The kids were thrilled to be helping their horses and I was even more delighted to have the pasture that you first see when you come to the farm all green again….So, take a look at what your daughters did when you come on Saturday. It is the field on the right side of the road as you drive to the lodge….Yipee…Ice cream sandwiches and popsicles are the treat for this afternoon.

So….last night was Take Two of the Camping Extravaganza….The older girls came this time. I was alittle worried that they might think it was corny to come sleep on my floor instead of real camping…but they came, the very last one of them. What a total blast we had. Because the weather was great, we made our fire in my fire pit and lit torches to see….We played equally heartily with the farm animals after dinner….then had a great swim…everyone went in this time as it was warmer….the goat still got to help supervise and then it was time for S’Mores…They cleaned the cupboard again of every last marshmallow and piece of chocolate….How do they stay so beautifully skinny with the ability to down that much sugar!?!
This time we told stories, again with the goat in my lap, around the fire pit. There really is something magical about fires…It just sooths the soul in a way that TV or computers just do not….They begged for more stories and my voice was getting worn out…finally at 10:15 we all agreed we better hit the sack so we could be well rested for our All Day Ride….I checked that all the Farm Animals were fed and correctly put up for the night and fed my own dogs….by then, there was not a peep…All was quiet on the PF front.
I do want you to know that the kids that were not with me had a great time too. They played a great game in the barn called Personal Scavenger Hunt…This is a game where silly questions or requests to sing or dance a song are given by the staff. The kids then have to run down the aisle of the upstairs barn where we store the hay and slap the table…They then must try to sing their song or give the answer to the question. They adore this game. I however am really getting old because I can’t answer even one question….The only one I do know about is Miley Cyrus….put that is it!!!

So, today, we are off on the All Day Ride…We will ride in several Western Saddles and take saddle bags filled with our yummie lunches…with some added candy to spice up the day! We will ride about 11 miles. This is my favorite all Day Ride and it is one of the highlights of my summer. We will take 21 kids and 5 staff, so it will be a ride of 26 horses. I am leading in my cowboy boots, western saddle, rope and best horse…Yipee…I am going to be pretty stiff tomorrow as I have not ridden very much during camp because they always want to drive!!!

The kids that are either too little to come or chose to stay home are being treated to a big Gymkhana….meaning games on horses….There will be games like the Toilet Paper Game, Rock & Spoon, Sit a Buck, Slurp and Burp….to mention a few. There will also be Gambler’s Choice….one of obstacles for the littler ones and one of jumps for the bigger ones….The harder the obstacle or jump is the higher the points received for successfully doing it….The riders are given 2 or 3 minutes and they get to choose their own line, trying to guess what their horse will or won’t do….The one with the highest points wins…..and everyone has a great time…So, they will surely not be bored….

Tonight, after their Thank YOU Treats from yesterday….and a good dinner, they are going to play Counselor Quest….another all camp favorite (and one that I thankfully don’t have to play after riding all day long!). This is a version of Hide and Seek…the staff are assigned point values depending on their role at camp. The kids then are divided into teams and the teams have to track down and find the staff without letting other teams know any secret locations…Staff plan carefully all week where they think they can best hide not to be seen….The long and short of it is the kids love to find the staff and the staff pride themselves in great hiding places….Everyone loves it…

Tomorrow, we will have our final lesson in the morning and then one more practice for our Specialties in the afternoon….During Rest Hour, they will write their Candlelight Ceremony piece about what their experience here at Pony Farm has meant to them. We will then get started packing and get everyone dressed up for the last night of camp for the 2008 Season….wow, where did the summer go…It just flew by, making the statement of “Time Flies When You Are Having FUN” so true….

After a steak and special Veggie option with Goat cheese non the less, we will have our Candlelight Ceremony with the torches burning, the pool all decorated and the song books prepared….This will be bitter sweet for me and the staff as we have truly loved this summer. What a phenomenal group of kids we have had all summer….It is truly my pleasure and privilege to be a Camp Director ….Little did I know those 37 years ago when I started camp with my two best friends (at 17 no less!) and eight little girls that I would still be doing this!!! Wow, it has been a great ride.

Let me end by just quickly reiterating the plan for Saturday so you will all know the scoop. We ask that you arrive at 9:30AM, armed with a picnic lunch. You kiddos will all be at the barn tacking up with the riding and specialties well organized. We will give you a little Orientation at about 9:45 about where to go and what to see. You are also free to take a few minutes and load up the car while the lodge is not filled with kids. We will have them well packed with their ‘stuff’ on their beds…(I often think this is the biggest feat we accomplish each session!) You can also settle up with Kris is you have any outstanding bills or camp store purchases…The pictures that we took this week will also be available for you to see. If you like them, you pay the photographer directly. We don’t’ let the kids see them ahead so you don’t feel cornered into buying them…but, they are pretty darn beautiful!!!

Then, you can go off to enjoy seeing your daughter ride. I hope and think you will see good progress, despite lousy weather….Following the riding which should end about 11:30 to 12ish…the kids will do the final feeding and come up for lunch. We ask that you pack a picnic for your family. We have done the food in the past and can never guess how much or how little to cook because we did not know how many extra people were coming…so, at the cost of food and our new ‘waste not want not’ policy, we will provide the drinks and several yummie desserts for you….

Following all of that, we will say our fond farewells and “can’t wait to see you next years”!!! I can’t wait to meet the new parents and tell all parents how great their kiddo is….It has been such fun…

I am off to the All Day Ride….Am I not the luckiest person in the world….

Have a super day and see you soon.

Warmly, Boo

Happiest Hello from Session 5!!

2008-08-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 12th, 2008

Dearest Families of Pony Farmers, New and Old,

What a dear group of girls I was lucky enough to go up to camp to see this morning and for lunch. The new kiddos who came in on Sunday have settled in so well and seem all smiles. They all crowded around me like I was a visiting dignitary…It was such fun to come home to their welcome. They are indeed adorable. The ones that had been here last week are great too. They have kept such a great spirit despite our deplorable weather….It has rained off and on again today…What ridiculous summer weather we have had all season….But, to their huge credit, they have been troopers. They rode in the rain…..with some patches of sun…this morning with nary a complaint. They make it fun to be a Camp Director!!!

So, let me catch you up now that I am home from the wedding. Several parents wrote asking when I was going to write again…It made me feel great that folks read the blogs…I love writing them and giving you a bird’s eye view of the daily happenings. So, now that I am back from sunny Washington, DC, here is the next installment…

The kids that had been here last week were soooo great getting the farm and barns ready for the new kids to arrive on Sunday afternoon. Kris said that she tried to keep them dry and comfy in the lodge, but they insisted on helping do the prep for the new arrivals….(Yet one more example of a great group of children!!!) Kris also said that the Opening Day for only 11 new campers was a real treat. The difference of welcoming 48 kids versus only 11 ‘newbies’ was really a pleasant treat. She also said that the parents of the new kiddos for this session were so great…thus, no homesickness this time around! Hooray. The other great thing is that we have the full compliment of staff so each group has at least one Counselor in Training helping the Senior Summer riding instructors. The three least experienced groups have two CITS, thus a ratio of 3 staff to 4 to 6 kids…. A lot of teaching can get done with that much good help. So, I am thrilled that, by moving the dates earlier in the summer, we have been able to keep all our summer staff until the very end. Other summers we have tried to go one week later and it was just plain hard without the full number of teachers and support staff with the college kids going back to school. So, we are off to a great start…if only the weather would perk up!!!

After meeting parents and seeing the proposed match for their horses, the kids who had been here before did some feeding and turn out while Kris oriented the new kids. Everyone had a good dinner and then got to do some introductions. They also did Bag Skits which is such a camper favorite. How this goes is that each room of kids gets a bag into which they put 6 items. The things they gather range from a hair brush, to a sock, to a decoration or a book..to name a few usual items. Then, the bags get switched and the roommates are tasked with coming up with a skit that uses these items. The hairbrush becomes a microphone…and so on…The skits are really fun to watch as everyone is so creative. We also think this is a good way to get the roommates to know each other better and to start working together. Both kids and staff love this event…Staff even get into the act making up their skit…Everyone has fun and gets to feel more comfortable with each other.

After Bag Skits, they had Vespers and Good Night Circle. This is our way of ending the day on a peaceful note. We light the birch log with a candle for each room and each house. In the glow of candlelight, the CITS tell why they keep coming back to camp year after year. It always makes my heart glad when I hear their reasons. It also lets the new kids know what the camp experience can mean, now and later on! I do believe that friendships and memories are made that last a life time….Maybe this is why I have done this for 37 summers!!!

After this Vesper speaking, the kids then sing songs out of the camp songbook. It is fun to see the kids that have been here before helping the new kids learn the ‘old favorites’. Then, everyone holds hands and Good Night Circle begins. This is a time when the kids and staff tell what they were most thankful for that day. I love this time together as I so believe in gratitude and appreciation. These kids are sooo lucky to have the families they have…and each other…and good food to eat…and gardens, ponies, farm animals, etc…etc…They are so dear about remembering their families and their pets too. It is just plain a genuinely lovely way to put some closure to the day and settle the kids down to get ready for bed. It also makes thing feel cozy and comfy…making homesickness flee…

Then, on Monday morning while I was being held at the airport due to thunderstorms on the East Coast (arghhhh), the kids were broken up into several bigger riding groups to assess the horse matches and divide further into riding groups. We take this so seriously. Having the right mount…and then the right amount of challenge is critical to successful learning and a great camp experience. The staff works all morning long to make the necessary switches and then to place the kids in the right groups. They sure do take their job seriously.

Riding groups were announced after Rest Hour…and they tried to ride again…but the thunder (luckily without lightening) boomed and the rains poured…so, they were given the opportunity to do Natural Horsemanship (partnering with your horse using specific techniques and horse instinct practices) in the indoor arena…or learning how to groom and tack up more independently….or a movie….Kris said that the kids that had battled the weather last week were just plain cold, wet and tired. She thought that a movie would be just the right thing with everyone so that they could snuggle up and not end up sick!

Oopps, I get so involved in writing this and telling you all that is happening that I lost track of the time…I need to go driving with the kids and the miniature horses….all four carriages…right now. I will write a second installment to catch you up after I drive and the kids are doing barn chores…Stay well and I will resume soooooon…Off to play with the kids….

Fondly, Boo

Session Wrap Up Information!!

2008-08-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Friday Early Morn’ August 8th

Dearest Pony Farm Families, All,

Salutations and Good Mornings to you from the rainy north country….Like in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where there was the land of eternal white winter…I feel like this is the land of eternal rain and gray clouds, some of which produce thunder and lightening…These poor kids have been doomed with weather BUT…..they have been FANTASTIC SPORTS…What a bunch of troopers. As we head out again in the pouring rain to do some outside activities, they complain not at all. They are surely coming home with wet clothes galore but they sure have been super about it all. I am dazzled with them and the staff, who have also been terrific sports. Not one groan or grump when they have to go stand in the torrents AGAIN…..I give everyone a lot of credit for fortitude.
We have had a wonderful time despite the weather. I can see friendships forming that will last well into the future. We are going to be sad to lose our kiddos that are leaving on Saturday but glad they have been with us for one week. We hope they will return in a mighty way next year for two weeks…
I left off on Wednesday morning when, guess what…it was pouring…The staff and I divided up the kids into their riding groups. We rotated two groups at a time in the indoor arena and did Gymkhana Games that were ability specific. The group that was to follow got all tacked up and mounted so that everyone could maximize their riding time. It worked really well and the kids all got to ride at least for an hour and a half.
Meanwhile, the other activities that were rotated through all during the day were Poster Making (with prizes for categories, of course!), watching a Stablemanagement Educational video about Equine First Aid or playing with the Farm Animals (you are right, they ALL chose the Farm Animals in the rain!!!), and a combination of bracelet making, door room hangers and horse treat making at my house. We had a blast making “I didn’t buck today” treats and “Stud Muffins”…I downloaded the recipes off the internet that morning. The kids adored making the horse treats and begged to do more. It was too cute how eager they were to give their pony his or her treats. I loved getting to be with every single child that day. With the ACA visit on Tuesday, I felt like I had missed out on being with them…Also, I was supposed to lead the All Day Ride on Wednesday…so, I was happy to be in and dry while getting to be with everyone! I loved the day, despite the weather.
On Wednesday night, they played Personal Scavenger Hunt in the indoor arena…thank Goodness for that building. This is a great game where the kids get into teams and have to sit together about 20 feet away from a table at which the counselors are sitting. The counselors spend all sorts of time thinking up fun and funny questions or songs. The kids that know the answer or can sing the song or dance the dance have to race to slap the table. They then have to answer the question or do the dance. It is a riot…Of course, I never know any of the answers…Oh, to be 12 again!!!!
After our lovely Good Night Circle, the kids went to bed nicely. I am happy to say that all the vestiges of homesickness are GONE….Hooray…everyone has settled in nicely and is fully engaged….It is fun to see and a good tribute to the campers and staff.
Yesterday, (Thursday)…..we had our usual morning of lessons in the riding groups under cloudy-but dry, skies. Afternoon choices in activities were vaulting, carriage driving, bareback riding or taking the mini horses, goats, and the dear donkey swimming in a nearby creek. THAT sure was a hit and easily the most popular choice!!
Then last night we offered a Horseless Horse Show which is always hilarious. The girls act as the horses and have to jump, canter, etc while the staff decides who will win the trophy and ribbons.
This morning we have dry skies again and all the girls will be riding in their groups and practicing for the riding exhibition for YOU to enjoy on Saturday!! At our morning meeting, they all decided they’d like to chose from between a lesson in Natural Horsemanship this afternoon, or free riding (more practicing!!) or…something we call Catch Riding, which is when each girl tacks up her own pony, but then is able to switch horses and “try out” another horse or pony that she’s been curious about. It is a fun way to give someone else a try!! Tonight, which is the last night at camp for many of the girls, we will have a Special Closing Ceremony and Dinner. This is just a very sweet, special way for us to reflect on our time together, eat a yummy meal and dress up just a bit (clean clothes!!) Many of the girls will be going home tomorrow (tired but happy!) and if your daughter is one of them, here is what you should know: Please plan to arrive in time for their 10am Riding Exhibition. Once you get here, staff can tell you exactly where your daughter will be riding. Bring a picnic and enjoy lunch with us. Pony Farm will happily provide drinks and desserts. We will all eat together before sad goodbyes and fond farewells. Saying goodbye to their ponies might just be the most difficult!!
If your daughter is staying on for an additional week, you are most welcome to come visit and take her to ice cream or dinner. Just please let Kris know!! All of the girls staying the next week will have the opportunity to ride tomorrow afternoon and we will gladly have a picnic lunch for them, so if you can not make it—NO WORRIES!! Your treasure is in great hands!! Kris has a great movie planned for a lowkey Saturday night.
I have soooooo loved your daughters this week and have so much respect for how these awesome young ladies braved more than our fair share of rain and really came together as a group!! It has been such a pleasure this week for me as Executive Director to get to know and cherish each of them. Fond farewells indeed!!

Rainy Hellos!!

2008-08-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Morning August 6th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm Families, One and All,

I send all my best greetings to you from here at Pony Farm. I am smiling as I think of your kiddos still snuggled up warm and day in their bunkbeds. It is seriously raining this morning, ruining our chances for our All Day Ride. It sure makes me glad that I do not run a tent camp….arghhh!
But….back to the beginning. First, let me apologize for not writing sooner. With the Opening and Closing Day all in 12 hours of each other, Sunday gets hectic. I also knew you would want me to be with your kids rather than writing you! Also, I hope you read the letter that detailed what we did on Sunday night.
This group has the most new kids of any session of the summer. As you all know, our procedure is that once a kiddo comes to Pony Farm, she and her family can select which session she most wants to attend. It seems like the most popular times to come to camp is in the middle of the summer. The first session is too close to school and/or many kids have not yet gotten out of school by June 15th. This last session is often when families take vacation together, thus making it hard to have camp happen in the middle of that….thus, other sessions were practically filled with returning campers…and this session has way more new campers. Both things are good as it is better if you are new to be with other newbies. If you are the only new kid on the block, I think it is harder to get into the swing of things and we fly through the orientation because everyone knows the ropes…..
So, with this all in mind, we have spent extra time letting everyone really get to know each other and the ways of camp. On Sunday night, we each took a room of girls and played the M&M Game. With questions like “What is your favorite present ever?”, “What was your best vacation?” and “What was your most embarrassing moment?”, we passed the M&Ms around and munched as we answered the questions according to color of M&M….Following this, each room took turns introducing their roommates and staff member. We learned some fun things about each other and the friendships took root. After this, we all came up with a list of ALL the things they want to do this week and next. In order to do all the things, we would have to be here at least another month! Their list does show great energy and enthusiasm for the farm and the ponies!
With a bit more intros about bedtime and what to do if you need help in the night, we all gathered around the birch log with a candle for each room. The candles were lighted and our evening ceremony began. The Counselors in Training each spoke about why they come back to camp year after year. It always makes my heart glad to hear their words. It also moves me that they are returning for their 5th, 6th or 7th year. With all the great adventures to be had in this world, I am honored that they chose to come back to Pony Farm time and time again.
We then all hold hands to do Good Night Circle. This is a time when the girls are encouraged to voice their gratitude about their day or their time. Kids and staff alike thank each other for nice things that happened, or for their families (yes, they do love YOU!!!), their pets, their horse or their life in general. I am always happy to hear that they really are appreciative and realize how lucky we all are in a world which has such strife and struggle. I was once told that I got to live in a world which is how life should be and my friend had to live in the world as it is! I would pick this any day and any way…and have for the last 37 years! I do feel extraordinarily lucky. It is equally pleasant to hear that the girls feel lucky and grateful for their lives. Good Night Circle ended with teaching the girls one or two favorite camp songs and then they tip toed off to get ready for bed.
The staff and I wait until they are changed and in bed before we go around to ‘tuck them in’. Of course, the older girls don’t need this as much. They love to sit on their beds and speak of the bigger world….I focus on the little ones, many of whom this is their first night away from Mom and Dad….I admire their stuffed animals, their horsey quilts, their sweet blankets….They each get a hug and a kiss…and off they go to slumber land. On this night, we had only one kiddo who was homesick….The rest were troopers and everyone got a good night sleep…which hugely helps in the homesick department!
Monday dawned mostly sunny….It has honestly rained so much that any little rays of sun feels like a brilliantly sunny day. All of the girls hopped out of bed to begin their first real day of camp. All throughout the day, we do lots of orienting about how to feed, how to safely catch the horses in the fields, how to tack up and groom, and where to go for their lessons. The kids who already know this help with the intros…and are good sports hearing all of this again when they know the info like the back of their hand!
With the groups divided up into 5 larger groups, soon to be further divided into 8 riding groups, off everyone trooped after breakfast to get ready to ride. Three of us went around to each ring to help the riding instructors sort out who would be best matched with whom. It is like the Sorting Hat in Harry Potter. The kids are strongly urged to tell us what they think…The horses also help tell us who is right for them and who needs to find a new partner…By the end of the morning, we have made several switches of mounts for the girls. Everyone happily dismounted and went to feed their horses and themselves.
During lunch time, the staff and Jessy, our Head of Riding, along with Lorna, our General Manager, and myself, all sit down and pour over the lists and notes. We break all 48 girls into 8 riding groups according to experience. We have some super riders who have ridden all their lives with us this session. We also have kids that have only ridden a little…all of which is great. The kids in Group 1, our least experienced riders, are all able to Walk and Trot independently. The kids in Group 8 are more than ready to rumble and roll over big courses….so, it gives great variety for the staff and the right challenge for the kids.
After lunch and Rest Hour, we gathered the kids back together and announced the horse matches and riding groups. We again stressed how important it was for the kids to tell us if the horse was not right or the group too hard or too easy. We tell them that “we don’t want to bore them, scare them or work them to death”! I feel confident that most of the kids are able to express what they need and help us help them get the right horse and group. So, off we all went to try out the groups and matches.
By the end of this second ride, this time in the right group, we still made a few switches to make it all just right. Now, the kiddos could learn how to do the main barn chores and start taking care of ‘their’ horse. After good intros about turn out and how to do barn chores, and a good solid snack in their tummies, off they trooped to neaten up the barns.
Meanwhile, Kris and I, and the Key Staff, were busily organizing the final paperwork for the American Camping Accreditation visit which was to begin at 7:30 the next morning. We got each blade of grass clipped, each scrap of paper picked up, and each I dotted and T crossed. Kris had very much taken the lead in getting the reams of paperwork completed. The process has over 200 standards in areas such as Health Care, Food Management, Program, Employee Practices, Child Safety and Development, to name a few. Each standard has several parts so it is no mean feat to prepare. We have been gathering everything from the insurance policies summaries to the legal paperwork to the Pediatricians’ report, to the inspection from the plumber, electrician, fire chief and ambulance and police chiefs with their criminal background checks on every employee…..Every one of these standards or sub sections are geared to creating a safe, educational, creative, healthy and fun experience for YOUR child.
We take our ACA accreditation extremely seriously. It is our ‘report card’ if you will. This whole process is like a really good consult to make sure every single risk management piece is in place so that the kids are free to have ‘safe fun’. This happens every three years. This visit marks our 10th time of being accredited.
I am most pleased and proud to tell you that we received a 100% accreditation score. The ACA Visitors were most impressed by how articulate and capable your children are. They remarked several times that they were so poised and so fit, slender and beautiful. They were truly happy to see children that were bucking the national norms for obesity. They arrived before breakfast and left mid afternoon yesterday. I think they share our love for Pony Farm and our pride in running a good, tight ship!
With ACA done and done with a flair, Kris and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. We feel like we can truly enjoy the campers and staff for the rest of the summer! And…enjoy them we will.
During the paperwork review portion of the visit, the campers and staff all got their Camp Portraits done by Donnie, who doubles as our Camp Nurse. They also cleaned their tack and groomed their ponies, building that terrific bond that is so common for girls “between toys and boys”!
Camp snack time, barn chores, showers and dinner then took place. All of this built to the fun Fashion Show….a camp favorite. As the clouds built for the all day rain of today, no damp spirits were found in the lodge as the kids geared up for their trip down the Run Way.
The Fashion Show is one of the camp favorite evening activities….Each room is assigned a theme to dress to….the littler ones have to dress like Disney Princesses, the middle ones like types of animals or farmers or Computer Nerds, and the older ones get to dress like boys or the staff….They sure do have imaginations, you children!!!!
Each room picks a piece of music that is played while they walk the run way….meaning from the kitchen to the middle of the room…with everyone cheering and clapping. It always delights my soul that the kids can have such fun without one moment of TV, DVDs, computers or Face Book….Hooray for simple fun on the farm!
Following an excellent Fashion Show filled with great creativity, we then passed out the song books of all the favorite PF songs. We sang several of the long time favorites with the lights dimmed and the candles burning brightly. We had such fun and sang so much that I forgot to do Good Night Circle….might be because I was tired!
Again, after the singing, the girls all tip toed off to bed to get some good rest….and be ready for today….
And ….today is just plain gross out. It is cold and rainy….I am bending my brain as to what to do…With several kids only staying one week, I hate to miss riding. I was all geared up with my cowboy boots, western saddle and saddle bags to lead the All Day Picnic Lunch ride. All the kids had wanted to come and we had chosen the ones that were only staying for this week, promising the rest that I would take them again next week….However, with the rain pelting down, I surely can’t take them at all today.
My plan is to divide the girls into groups of two riding groups and rotate through the indoor arena…playing gymkhana games which are appropriate to their riding levels. While they are not riding, my idea is to make horse treats at my house while we do an arts and crafts project for part of the time. Another activity is to have a Poster Contest with prizes….the theme being Partnering with your Horse or Equine Safety….The final fourth of the time would be spent in the downstairs barn with the Farm Animals….grooming, leading, doing an Obstacle course all under cover….
So…with these plans in mind, I am about to troop up to the lodge to see what the staff thinks….Mostly, though I will promise you that we will work our level best to give your kiddos a great day despite the lack of cooperation from the weather. I am soooo sad not to do the All Day Ride as it is one of my favs of camp. I love packing up the lunch in saddle bags, riding western, tying the horses to a tree and eatting in a big meadow, looking down at three states….It is what kids should be doing on a summer’s day!
I hope you have enjoyed this rendition of our activities. I love writing this and savoring each moment. I hope it helps give you a birds’ eye view of what we do here at Pony Farm. We sure love your kids and enjoy doing camp….I guess that is why I am still doing this 37 years later!!!
I would like to update you about this weekend before I sign off…We will have a nice Lesson Demo for the parents who are coming to pick up their children on Saturday. You will be able to see your child in her class with her instructor. The only worry I have is that we might not be able to use the three Outside Courses due to such rain….I hate having to double up the groups in the rings…but with 8 groups and only 5 rings without the use of the 3 Outside Courses, I fear it might be so….We pride ourselves on small group lessons….so please know that this is not usual….
If you can arrive by 9:30, you can see the Community Meeting planning for the lessons. Then the kids will tack up while you load up your child’s stuff. Following the lesson, we will have lunch all together. We will provide drinks and desserts for everyone. Please do bring a picnic for yourselves and your camper. Following this picnic, we will all say goodbye and pass out address sheets so that the kids can all stay in touch.
For those of you who have children who are staying for the last week, feel free to come visit. You could see her ride, have lunch with us and then maybe take her out for ice cream. However, IF YOU CAN NOT COME, PLEASE KNOW THAT IT IS FINE….We will surely keep her happy and busy….We will have an afternoon swim with the life guard (it can’t help but stop raining by then!!!), play with the farm animals and generally have a great afternoon on the farm….We would love to invite you to be a part of life on the farm here!!!
So….I hope this helps you to know all that we are doing. We miss you but love your kids….Stay well and see you soon. Could you please turn off the rain button!!!
Most fondly,

Boo

More fun news for YOU

2008-07-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday July 31st, 2008

Dearest Families, One and All,

What a huge week we have had…My head is happily spinning, just like the lighted rides and the cascading fireworks of the Cheshire Fair. It has been quite something and your kids have been simply TERRIFIC. I could keep this bunch forever, I might even try to see how I would pay for all their colleges!!! They are such fun and so game for anything and everything. It has been a real treat for me.

I can tell that the staff shares my enthusiasm as they are usually beginning to drag as we head into Session 4 and 5. They are all giggles after the long days of teaching and horse fun. They are ready to go camping, on the all day ride or drive, set up the gymkhana or go play with me and the kids in the indoor during a thunder storm! It is such fun to see all the ages of camp get along so well. Anyone who tells me kids don’t want to work or know how can go jump in a lake somewhere. What a great group of young American women. The world will be in good hands when both the staff and the campers grow up and decide how they are going to contribute to the world….It makes my heart glad!!!

Let me back track to Monday and Tuesday night’s camping trips. More than 30 kids signed up to go so we surely had to do two nights. Actually, it is really easier to do two back to back as one group sets up the tents and the second group takes them down. It makes for a much more leisurely arrival and departure, leaving plenty of time to swim, sit by the fire and explore the stream…not to mention play with the ponies and horses we bring.

So…with high excitement and lots of organizing accomplished on Monday…there we sat with the rain pouring down and the thunder & lightening flaring all around us….The weather forecast was for a little cloud cover, not a flash flood. We decided to postpone the trip and do a little more PF Olympics. One of the events was to be Stable Management…which means that the kids use all their knowledge of how to do the Evening Barn Chores. With the staff helping as usual with the feeding and turn out, and then available on site in the event of an emergency, the kids are left to build a team to do the best job possible for the ponies and horses. Wow, did this gang do a bang up job…They figure eighted all the bridles, which is what they would do in a very fancy “yard” in Britain! They raked their hearts out, scrubbed water buckets, cob webbed!!! They even washed some of the windows…Never has the barn sparkled like it did after these kids really set to work. What a miracle to see. Now, if we as parents could only harness this power to get their rooms cleaned on a school morning!

As the sun peaked out and I rechecked the weather report, off we set at about 5:30PM. Never have I had such a late start to the trip but I felt confident that we could set up camp, settle in the horses, get dinner and cook S’Mores before the darkness of night descended too much. I surely was right. Those kids really tucked into setting up the tents. We had all three big tents ready, despite a mix up of tent poles from the last trip, by the time the riders arrived with the horses. We bring enough horses to have each girl get to ride in either the trip up to the site, an evening ride, a morning ride or the ride home. We also bring a counselor horse.…This time we needed 5 horses. These are carefully selected from among the horses owned by the farm as we do not want to risk hurting a camper’s horse or a leased horse. It is not mean feat to have to spend the night in the dark tied to a tree. Luckily there are truly never any bugs but it still is a different experience for a horse to spend the night camping. Certain ones love it because they get lavished with attention. Seeing the girls drapped over the ponies as they are lying down in the sunlight which is streaming through the tall trees is a picture worth more than a 1,000 words! It makes all the effort and sleeping on the hard ground worth it for me!!!

So with tents set up, sleeping bags laid out and the fire burning brightly, we set to cooking hot dogs over the fire. With chips, dogs, cole slaw and oranges, we were pretty full…and then the marshmallows came out. With the same sticks and lots of gusto, I can’t tell you how many S’Mores were eatten. No one went to bed with an empty stomach.

Next, we sang by the fire. We had also told countless stories by a previous night around the Fire Pit at the lodge, but there always seem to be more stories to tell. We focus on the horse stories rather than Ghost stories. It just seems silly to get them all nervous before I casually sent them off to bed in their tents. It is often the first night outdoors for many of the girls and I just don’t ‘do’ Ghost stories for that reason.

On the second night, we hosted Pony Farm Idol. The girls gathered together and came up with songs that they could perform. Again, seeing their beautiful glowing and healthy faces in the firelight, singing their hearts out without a moment’s self consciousness convinced me of two things. First, you all have done an amazing job as parents…and secondly, that the woods and fields and horses and farms are good for kids. I just love this time of singing and dancing. It is just plain simple joy…

Everyone tip toed off to their sleeping bags and went to sleep without a hitch. They were truly tired I think! The staff and I stay up until we are sure everyone is asleep and then we too fall into our bags, ready to dream up more fun for the next day.

On the Tuesday night trip, we had gotten to the grounds at the usual time so we were able to take the Evening Ride without it being too dark by the end of the ride. However, for the Monday trip, we had to do two Morning Rides before we left to go home. Sadly, I could not do those as my dad is still not doing very well. I had to take him with my mom to a round of doctor apt. to follow up his hospitalization, so I missed the fun of the morning of the first trip. The girls swam in the mountain pool, splashing in the cooooold clear water and enjoying taking exploration trips up and down the rushing mountain stream. One of the benefits of all the rain is that the stream is really rushing and there is a big fountain of water that runs over our smooth rock from which we slide into the pool. It makes for easy entry into the cooooold water but it sure is refreshing.

Each morning we love cooking breakfast over the fire. We eat scrambled eggs galore, sausage o’plenty, cook toast and drink OJ…Of course, there are a few left over marshmallows that go down the hatch pretty well too! Following that, we clean up camp and then are set to explore the area, ride some more and return to camp by 11:00 to get unpacked and help with noon feed. Luckily rest hour follows lunch, so it is a good time to store up some energy for things to come.

Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’, the kids had great fun as well. It is so funny that the older kids mostly choose to stay home from the camping trip. They get to speed through barn chores and then do more elaborate and slightly older evening activities. On the first night, they held a great sounding play. It even had some political overtones as one of our 3rd Year CITs has just returned from being a Senate Page in Washington. She is very into the green candidates and ready to save the world…so I guess it was very good and most entertaining. Good for her! On the second night of the camping trip, they played a rousing game of Capture the Flag…I am glad to have missed that because it sure entails a lot of running. I would much rather sit by the fire to hear them sing than to have to run after flags and capture territory…each to her own!

The campers who did not go on the trip also got a lot of serious, good instruction. With smaller numbers, they got quite a bit of individualized attention. One of the activities that happened was the Puissance, another big camp favorite. It is where the instructors set up two jumps with a very specific amount of space between them. It helps the horses and ponies find the right place to take off to jump. The first jump stays the same and the second jump goes higher and higher until the counselor stops the rider, or the kiddo says its time for her to stop, or the horse says it by running out. In all cases, we are very careful when we do this but it is great fun to test the limits in a well managed manner. The kids love it. The staff stopped it at 3’9”…so that is pretty darned high!

After morning lessons, lunch, a good job of barn chores and rest hour with showers….off we went to the Cheshire Fair. This is truly a highlight of the whole summer, with many staff returning from former years or sessions this summer. It is quite an event. We rent a large bus to get to the fair in Keene NH. With wild ride, carnival games, all the best junk food you can imagine and loads of horse and farm animal events and exhibitions, there really is something for everyone. The girls did it all….Not one girl missed a check in meeting and everyone stayed together in a great way. Not one girl was left to ‘hang with the staff’ because no one wanted to be with her…This is such a great thing for everyone. Hats were bought, fried dough and french fries were eatten, the horse show watched with delight….and then the fireworks set it all off. With a glorious display, we all were mightily entertained.

I took a car load of kids home who wanted to go alittle early. These were the kids that had spent all their money in the first hour and eatten a ton of cotton candy. They were happy to talk like magpies on the way home and then hit their pillows hard when they got back to the lodge. The other kids came in about 11, happy, tired and ready to retire too. A grand day with not one ‘boo boo’ was had by all.

Today, they are sleeping late, thus allowing me time to write this. These kids keep me hopping so it is hard to find time to write. Between all the kids want to do and getting ready for our big American Camping Association accreditation visit which is scheduled for next Tuesday and my dad, I sleep well at night!!!

I would like to tell you just a bit about ACA Accreditation as we are proud of the work that we do. This visit happens every three years, making this about our 10th time of being accredited. We feel this is so very important as it assures you of our good management of your children. It is not enough that the kids love camp. In this day and age, things like Criminal Background Checks, water samples, nursing procedures, sound, careful financial management, temperatures in the friges and vehicle logs are also most important. Although I knock on wood every morning and say my prayers every night, it is not just prayer and luck that keeps kids injury, sickness and accident free. It is detailed, highly organized and carefully thought out planning that goes along way to having never had a severe injury in 37 years nor had camp sued for anything. We are extremely proud of all that we do in the background and before camp even opens that makes camp what it is today. Thanks to excellent input from families over the years, the guidance of ACA, and the accreditation process, we are truly proud of the camp we run. We hope you might take a look at our materials that we have prepared for Tuesday when you come on Saturday. I think you will be impressed by the detail and depth of what we need to do to achieve a good score. We are shooting for a fabulous score….Let’s see what Kris and the team can do. We will let you know in upcoming materials but keep us in your thoughts next Tuesday when our visit will take place. It will last all day and we think we will do very well indeed!

Today, the girls will have one long ride instead of two. They will do their Gymkhana, which is games on horse back. They will compete as Olympic Teams and accrue points f or their team. The final scores are building for the prizes tomorrow night at our big Dress up Dinner and Candlelight. They will compete in games such as Gambler’s Choice, Sit a Buck, the Cracker and Soda Race, String Reins and more depending on their levels. They will compete within their own riding groups, bringing back the points to their team. This will end with a late lunch and rest hour. This afternoon, they will do a shortened afternoon of driving the minis, vaulting and bareback. These will be the Specialties that they will do for you on the Exhibition Day.

Tonight, they are doing the last of the Olympic Events…a game of knowledge of current movie, singing and dancing stars…This is a game I just can never play. I am definitely not in the swim of current stars for teens. They adore this game and it is hotly planned by categories by the staff. Everyone loves this and luckily I get the night off. My girls and grandbabies are coming, along with my sister and brother to see my dad and to celebrate my birthday tonight…Yipee…

Tomorrow, the girls will ride in their lesson groups for one last practice before you arrive. They will then swim, write their Candlelight speech about what camp has meant to them, play with the farm animals one last time and pack. This day will culminate in showering and dressing up for a special dinner. We will then gather around the pool to float candles out into the pool in heart shaped tins adorned with flowers. With the lights twinkling and the torches burning brightly, it is a beautiful site to behold. I love hearing what the experience has meant to the girls. It is most rewarding to an old camp director to hear their beautiful words and watch how much their love each other and their ponies. I sure beats the heck out of what else they could be doing!!!!

Then, Saturday is here. I am NOT eager to return these great girls to you but I guess you probably are as eager to have them back as I was to get them! We will expect you at 9:30. We will have the exhibition events ready for your review. We hope you are impressed by all that the girls have learned. Despite the rain, we sure have packed in a lot. We hope it shows.

Please do remember to bring your picnic. We will provide drinks and dessert for all. The entire event should be sadly over by about 1 or 1:30….With your kids happily packed and in the car, the tales will begin. I hope they are as happy in hindsight as I think they have been in reality.

I do hope you will also plan to attend one of our off season camp family events. We will have a Harvest Festival weekend in September, followed by a Fall Foliage Farm Weekend in October. The pumpkins for both carving and pies are growing like mad, as are all the decorative gourds and Indian corn. We will have lots of fresh veggies out of the garden to eat and loads of fun. We will then turn our attention to the two Mother Daughter Weekends during the first two weekends in December. Next year, we will have our Father Daughter and our Spring Fling….so, lots of fun times lie ahead. We love these weekends because we can see our favorite campers again before next summer…and we get to know the parents, too! It is a terrific time of riding, carriage driving, singing, sitting by the fire, fun theme crafts and events, some shopping if desired…therapeutic massage and reiki….and lots of good food that someone else fixes and does the dishes…Do try to join us…Dates will be forthcoming and …wait until you see all the work that is being done on the lodge right after camp is done. We think you will be impressed by the ‘facelift’ it is going to get.

So, I end as I began, by thanking you for lending us your children. They are truly terrifically fun. It has been a joyous and happy two weeks. Here’s to you as parents and them as kids.

All my very best and with huge fondness,

Boo & all the staff…..

Sunny Days Ahead!!

2008-07-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Monday July 28th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm “Extended Family”,

It is soooo fun to hear through the phone calls and emails that so many of you read these blogs. I have heard from people far and wide who are keeping up with the happenings here at Pony Farm. I am thrilled that you care enough to read what we do. I send my very best to you all…whether you are family members of the current campers or extended family, far and wide, it is a pleasure and a privilege to have you read this letter. I am so thrilled that people love this farm and our adventures as much as I do. Do come visit soon. Know that you will always be welcome.

I left off on Friday with my fingers crossed for a good weather day on Saturday. With the clouds clearing and some dry kindling from the barn, we gathered after dinner around the fire pit in the front of the lodge. With the fire burning brightly and the kids smiling expectantly, we were off on a story telling mission. Sadly, due to my dad being just released from the hospital, we did not have my mom. I was an OK “Stand In” but she really does spin a yarn! The kids begged for the most vivid stories to which I was able to comply as I have listened to these same stories since I was a wee one. We then had the staff chime in their horse stories including Jamie’s stories from representing the US in Mexico, Belgium and New Zealand. We really do have the best staff this year. They had great tales and the kids gave them all their rapt attention. We will be hard pressed to top this staff next year, I can assure you!

The kids trundled off to bed with nary a peep in anticipation of the Ride A Thon. We had the teams all organized with Captains and Co-Captains. Kids seemed most eager to begin their rides. We woke them a little earlier than usual on Saturday so that we could be ready for the whole camp to be clean, organized, correctly dressed & pressed and ready to roll by 10AM sharp. With great cooperation from kids and staff, we were indeed ready to go.

The day was absolutely perfect…sunny, cool and with a nice gentle breeze. The Good Lord must surely look down on us. All the Horse Power Board members on the committee and the many volunteers came right on time, making it a pleasure for all. Safety is, of course, our first priority and the safety check point people were all nicely in place, awaiting the riders. Everything went off without a hitch with all the kids and horses being cool, calm and smiling as they paraded back in. It was really fun to be announcing each team from my vantage point on the front porch of the lodge. To see all those healthy, happy children mounted on shiney, content horses was a pretty picture indeed. I will remember this as we are dealing with frozen water buckets, heaps of snow and below zero temps this winter…It is truly all worth any amount of work!

Following the Ride A Thon which culminated with all the teams proudly riding back in at 12:25…not bad for a guestimated timed of 12:30, we were really hungry and eager to eat. The chefs had the BBQ pit fired up and the chicken, burgers and hot dogs ready and waiting. The smell was enough to make anyone hungry. We had many local businesses sponsoring the event as well as the food so the eats were o’plenty. All the participants got the Ride A Thon tee shirts with the sponsors on the back. Everyone looked so cool with their matching shirts.

We then did a little thank you and awards ceremony on the front lawn of the lodge. We had a number of parents there to support the kids and to walk parts of the trails. With a good size audience, we thanked all the event sponsors, the volunteers, the committee members and the event staff. We also awarded the prize for the most amount raised. This ‘goody bag’ which included lots of fun treasures and a $25 gift certificate from Smart Pak, one of our event sponsors, was awarded to Sophie Shulman. She had raised $400 herself…She is also hosting a Yard Sale to benefit Horse Power when she gets home….What a treat to have someone of her age with a bent toward philanthropy. We really appreciated her efforts on Horse Power’s behalf. We also appreciated the efforts of Emily Selland who received the prize for the most sponsors. She had 10 different people who donated to her efforts on behalf of Horse Power. Again, it is impressive in this day and age when so many kids are so busy that she would take the time to recruit that many sponsors. Well done, ladies!

Following the awards, everyone changed out of their riding clothes and into their swim suits and shorts for an afternoon of swimming and playing with the farm animals. I always love this time as I am such a fan of seeing children gently and lovingly playing with the farm animals. With us losing a farm a day in New England, many children never get to actually collect a warm egg from a nesting box, touch a goat, ride a donkey or do an obstacle course with a mini. The rabbits and guinea pigs on leashes were pretty much favorites. The ducks also seemed to be a hit as they swam in their ducky play pond of a water trough and a child’s wading pool. With giggles of glee and lots of beautiful healthy bodies, the afternoon was a pleasant one for sure. I love sharing this peaceful time on the farm with the parents too. Lots of people went out for ice cream with the favorite spot being the dairy farm right down the road. Being able to meet and greet the actual cows who produce the milk for the ice cream is a treat in and of itself!

That night, the kids did their barn chores in record time so they could have a yummie dinner and see a movie. The feature was Over Board with Goldie Hawn and Kirt Russell…so cute! Many of them fell asleep during the movie after their three or five mile ride, swim tests and running with the minis…It sure is an active day here on the farm.

Sunday morning dawned gray and foggy. The girls got to sleep in as this is their ‘day off’ from horses. They then cleaned their rooms, ate a nice brunch and just ‘vegged’ for the morning. After a big lunch, we all split up to finish the swim tests with our life guard. We were unable to swim due to chilly weather or down right downpours….so, we finally have everyone through the swim test to make sure we are ready to do the camping trip and the swimming with the horses. The girls got to swim for a little while. They also got to play with the Farm Animals again. However, the thunder and lightening started up again with another drenching rain….arghhh…back to the lodge for arts and crafts, as well as Talent Show practice.

I took lots and lots of kids with me to have a fun afternoon playing with the minis whom we harnessed up and drove in the pony carts. We also drove Peaches who is a Welsh pony who is 10.1 hands high. With the girls having gotten a good intro to driving safety and procedure, I let them take turns driving together with me and several staff members standing ready to offer a helping hand. The minis are so good and safe that I felt it was fine to let the girls drive without a staff person as long as we were in a ring and right there ready to step in. We also harnessed up the new mini that we got from the NE Miniature Horse Rescue organization. She was busy nursing her baby last summer so we left her alone. We were most pleased to see how well she took to the harness and the cart, showing not one sign of nervousness.

We also got the donkey, AKA DQ or Donkey Quixote, and got him harnessed up. As we got to hooking him up, the thunder and lightening started in earnest. We moved quickly to the indoor arena, thinking this was the best place to be in a storm. We had a most joyous afternoon just playing with these five dear animals and darling girls. We ended up not hooking up the donkey but we did give rides on him for the littler kids. Such fun!

As the lightening stopped, we quickly went back to the barn and the lodge. To my surprise it was already 4:15. Where does the time go??? Not only can I not believe the day was done but where has the summer gone. I can not believe this session is nearly over and then we only have two more weeks of summer camp. I guess it is a good sign that both Kris and I, as well as the rest of the staff, are still eager for more. That is the mark of a great summer….thanks to your kids and wonderful horses….It certainly is not due to the weather!!! Argghhhh…

Last night we had a great Talent Show. I think it was the best on in many years. It might well have been due to the fact that the kids had more time than usual to prepare. We had about 15 or maybe more acts. We all went to the indoor arena and sat on the bleachers. It was a great combination of talent, fun, obstacle courses, skits and movement. I support anything to get the kids cooperating and moving. It was a great time for everyone. We finally finished at 9PM! Following Vespers and Goodnight Circle, everyone tip toed off to bed to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the lessons in the morning and the camping trip in the afternoon.

Today has dawned bright and sunny. It is just right for the camping trip. As I write this, the food is being packed and the equipment readied. We will be selecting the 6 horses we will be taking so that each girl can either ride up to the site on the mountain, do an evening ride, a morning ride or ride home. The dear horses stand tied to trees with lots of food for the night. We have to pick the right ones so they are peaceful and still there in the morning. On the first trip this summer, we did not pick the right ones and all but one beat us home before breakfast!

We will head out this afternoon while the rest of the campers stay here and get more lessons. They will also be practicing their specialties for the Exhibition for YOU on Saturday. This group will return before lunch to unpack and get showers. They will then have a nice rest hour tomorrow before they head out to ride again. The second trip will then depart tomorrow afternoon. It is perfect to take the two trips separately. A total of 38 kids signed up which is way too many for one trip. It is great because one group sets up the tents and the second groups takes them down. It is nice and easy!

We will leave from camp in cars with all the equipment and food in the farm pick up trucks. We will then set up camp and move in. The girls will then swim in the lovely but COLD mountain stream that is right by the site. We have dammed up the creek to create a pool. One of the smooth rocks is perfectly situated to be a great water slide right into the pool. They will surely scream as the water is really cold but everyone will be refreshed and happy by the end because we will then go dry off by the blazing camp fire.

Following this, we will divide into teams and feed the horses as the other team begins cooking dinner. We cook out both dinner and breakfast over the fire. This is followed by S’Mores, of course. What is a camping trip without S’Mores.

Meanwhile, the trips have been divided up so that no barn is left empty handed for barn chores and the horses left at home. The kids will do that this afternoon and then do Casino night. That is a camp favorite as they all play card or board games with glee.
Lessons will again take place for those who are not camping.

Wednesday will then feature the Cheshire Fair….then a big Gymkhana on Thursday after sleeping late…Then, it will be practicing Specialties for your exhibition. All of this will be interspersed with lessons galore. In short, we will not have a dull moment this week and the weather is even supposed to cooperate….

Let me review the details of the Closing Day for this session. We ask that you arrive about 9:30. Kris and I will hold an intro and wrap up meeting with you. Your daughters groups will be outlined and their specialties’ location given. We will then have you go to see them ride in their demonstration. This riding demo will then be followed by their chosen specialty. Everything should wrap up by about noon. The girls will feed their horses for the last time and then gather at the lodge for our picnic. Pony Farm will provide refreshments and desserts. We ask that you bring lunch for yourselves and your camper. Last year we never got the food amount correctly figured. We either did not have enough food due to extra guests or too much food due to less numbers. We HATE wasting food….so, we ask that you bring your own picnic to accommodate everyone who comes with you and your camper.

Following the meal, we will say our sad farewells and give out the address sheets for the girls to stay in touch with each other. You can plan to be gone by 1:30ish….sometimes the horse farewells take more time! We will say good bye for now but we are hopeful that you will join us for some of our family weekends sprinkled throughout the year…We will be sending a brochure about these specialty weekends to you soon but we sure hope to see you at least once before next summer! It is such a great way to stay in touch during the school year!!!

So, until Saturday, I send our best from all of us….We are happily enjoying the better weather, each other and our horses…What a great way to spend a summer day! You have awesome children and I thank you for sharing them with us. Happy trails until we see you on Saturday.

Most fondly,

Boo

Back to Blue Skies!!!!!

2008-07-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Friday July 25th, 2008

Dearest Families One and All,

Wow, what rains we have had….I kept thinking that it was a good thing that none of us had Ruby Red Shoes so we could blow to Kansas with Dorothy and Toto!!! The trees were whipping in the wind, the rain came down in sheets and ….happily, we are all just FINE!!!! Today, we woke up to bright sunshine. The whole world looks like it got washed clean so it was green and beautifully sparkling. It is a good day to be alive!!!!

I am going to camp right after I finish this letter to you all. I took yesterday off to get ready for our exciting weekend and the two nights of a camping trip on Monday and Tuesday (You have such gung ho kids that 39 campers signed up to go camping with the ponies, necessitating two nights. We just can’t fit 39 children around the fire or take enough horses to make it fun if we only do it in one night). Then on Wednesday the summer favorite of the Cheshire Fair. So, it will be a power packed next week with lots to do to make up for the days of rain!!!

I feel a little out of touch up at camp because I spent Wednesday late morning and all afternoon with my Mom and Dad. Dad had not been feeling well for about a week and it seemed to be getting worse…When I came to check in, he had a 102.7 temp. I scooped him up and took him to the Emergency Room at our local hospital. After many tests, they decided to keep him so they could control the temp and the infection…..much to my relief as he and my mom are in their 80’s. When all was settled down and he was tucked into bed, I came back to camp. They had had a great day and were all happily getting ready for bed. I even had one room decide to come sleep at my house….so I felt like I was indeed still a good part of camp!

On Wednesday, they were able to ride in the morning. With the Ride a Thon coming, the staff and I are most eager to have each group surely get out on the trail to make sure they feel comfortable and that the horse matches work in the woods as well as in the rings. So, despite some rain drops and everyone getting pleasantly wet, they were able to ride on Wednesday morning, some in the rings with sand footing and others on the trails. The horse matches do seem just right and the groups are nicely organized. Everyone seemed comfortable on the trails and sporting big smiles as they returned.

After lunch and Rest Hour, the rains really were coming down in sheets with a good deal of thunder and lightning. We had been planning the Pony Farm Olympics which will be a feature of this session. We had already organized the 6 teams with 8 members which would participate in 10 events over the entire session. The winners would be announced on Thursday evening with a big Awards Banquet of sorts! In short, the staff and kids were making a big deal out of these olympics. One of the events was to be tack cleaning…so we decided to start the PF Olympics a little early on Wednesday afternoon in the pouring rain. The tack surely was grateful to be clean and well oiled. It gets such a major amount of use in the summer that it is great when we have the opportunity to really take an afternoon to get it clean.
Thursday dawned with fog, reports of heavy rains, and high winds. Kris and I decided to give up the idea of riding yesterday as, even if there was a break in the rain and wind, the rings were going to be un-rideable. Safety is always first and foremost in our minds…So, the plan was to do event #2 of the Olympics which was an Equine Know-Down, fashioned after the Pony Club Know Downs. The girls divided up into their teams. The staff, armed with several Pony Club and general riding & stable management books, asked questions relating to horse knowledge and care. The teams were challenged to work together to come up with the answer or the response to a given scenario. Together, they know a lot of information and it was a big success. Again, another event was scored for the eventual grand prize!

The afternoon weather was still terrible so the staff decided to do the Lip Sync Contest ahead of schedule. This is yet another PF Olympics event…The team picks a favorite song….learns the song and dresses up to impersonate the singer or singers. Each team then created a dance to go with the song. You surely have creative children! Evidently, they took great interest in this and the results were terrific, according to Kris and the staff. The actual contest took place last night and kept everyone happily involved..

Today has dawned beautiful and sunny with cool temps. The girls will ride like mad today to make up for yesterday’s missed lessons. We want to insure that everyone is able to participate in the Ride A Thon tomorrow. It should be a terrific event for everyone.

Tonight, we are slated to have a bit of an early night so we can be ready for the Ride a Thon tomorrow. My mom was to come and tell stories around the camp fire. We will wait and see how my dad is. The kids absolutely adore having my mom tell her stories of riding out west during the round up days when everyone gathered the horses and cows with mounted round ups. None of the pick up truck round ups of today! She also drove the ambulance in Washington, DC during World War II so that the paramedics and professional drivers could go fight in the war. She has some hair curling tales, all of which are true. I have heard these stories since I was a wee one. So, should she need to take care of my dad, I can certainly stand in for her as I know these stories by heart!

Tomorrow is the Ride a Thon. I hope I have explained what it is in enough detail for you to understand what it is. We will have a course (3 & 5 miles) up on the new Temple Mountain State Park which is about a mile and a half from the farm. We do invite the camp parents or family members to come and walk up there. It is just spectacular trails and you can see Boston from the top of the mountain. We hope that riders from other farms will be joining us to ride up there as well. We have really worked to clear and mark the trails so it is a self guided trip.

Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’, the girls will go out on trails that we have ready here. We have a one, three and five mile loop. We thought it best not to have riders from other farms riding on the same trails as our girls as it was not as safe as we would like. Some of the girls will go out in pairs or small teams. We will have check points all along the way for fun and safety….some will even have refreshments. The lesser experienced girls will go with staff members…still with a safety & refreshment stop along the way. It should be great fun and the weather is supposed to cooperate nicely.

Following the ride, we have Horse Power board members who will be cooking a big BBQ of chicken, burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers on the grill in the lodge parking lot. We will have table and chairs on the lawn for the picnic. We will end with a few speeches about Horse Power and give the prizes for those who have gotten the most sponsors and raised the most amount of money for Horse Power.

In the prior summers, we had hosted a Horse Power Benefit Horse Show. We felt that we were getting a little too show oriented with a show for almost every session. The Board and Kris & I all felt that we should change to this Ride and Walk a Thon. It is the first time we have ever hosted this in the summer. Years ago, we did some similar events in the fall. It was a huge success then as we became the third largest Ride a Thon in the country. We hope to build it back over time into a great event in the summer months.

Several of you have written to ask what Horse Power is and why we are raising money for it. A group of us started Horse Power 19 years ago because we were moved by the many ways in which we saw horses helping people to heal. I had seen countless camp kids and lesson students really gravitate to their horse or pony when they were struggling with difficulties in their lives. I knew first hand children whose father had committed suicide due to a gambling addiction, several who had lost a parent to cancer, others who were hyperactive and could not learn, still others who had physical limitations or were either underweight or overweight. We had all seen children who had behavioral issues that made it very difficult on their families…or who had struggles with anxiety, depression, chemical dependency or attachment issues. In short, I saw day in and day out, the miracles that the horses worked in their lives. They truly helped them to come out of their disabilities and limitations to lead healthier and happier lives.

As I began to really see past the surface, I got more and more committed to having a program that addressed these issues. I got particularly interested in the mental health part of the horse therapy so I went to graduate school to get a degree in counseling. With many courses later under my belt, I began to understand the theory behind what I had personally experienced with these children. I began to ‘get’ why the horses were of such enormous help! Thus, Horse Power was born…

We are about to celebrate our 20th Anniversary of Horse Power. Much to my delight, it has become one of the largest and most successful therapeutic horsemanship programs in the country. Over time, we have even started a school to teach instructors how to plan their riding and horsemanship classes to meet the treatment goals designed by therapists of all kinds. We are now beginning to also gather a team to begin to train psychotherapists and educators how to ‘harness the healing power of the horse’ with their clients and students. I am proud to say that Horse Power has served over 3500 individuals with all sorts of challenges. Together, with their families and professional care givers, we have turned their disabilities into abilities, their challenges into successes.

Thus, you bet I am excited about Horse Power. The money raised at this event and through donations at other times of the year as well as grant monies helps us to serve more people….and to take better care of our horses…and to recruit and retain the best staff possible….and to get training and to have a volunteer corps, etc. etc. It is a most exciting time for Horse Power as we prepare for our 20th Anniversary of service.

Following Saturday’s ride, we will have the cook out. If parents want to attend, you are most welcome. Do let me know immediately if you are coming so we can plan the food. Then, you could take them out to dessert for ice cream. We will also have our life guard so folks can swim. The small farm animals are most excited to have some attention as they have been hating the rains too! We will then do Barn Chores and have a movie night at the lodge. We hope that parents can surely have their kids back by 9PM.

On Sunday we will spend our day with the small animals, gardening, driving the miniature horses, doing obstacle courses with the farm animals, seeing the new baby chicks, swimming and arts and crafts…Monday and Tuesday are the camping trips and more PF Olympics…Wednesday is the Cheshire Fair, hopefully Thursday is swimming with the horses…so the fun never stops now that we have sun!!!

I hope you are well and that we see you soon. I send all my best. We love your kids and can’t wait to show off their riding prowess….

Most fondly,
Boo

Settling In and getting ready!

2008-07-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

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…

Sad Goodbyes...and Details!

2008-07-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

Friday July 18th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm Families,

We are in MOURNING that this session is coming to an end. We are NOT happy that you will be picking up your daughters this weekend. They have simply and surely been terrific. What fantastic young women you have created. You should be so very proud. They are gung ho when it is time to go, they are peaceful when it is time for peace, they are sincere and forthright when it is time to focus, they are fun and silly when it is time for frivolity. I can not tell you enough how much the staff, Kris and I love these girls. I can not imagine that any session could top this one! Thank you indeed for sharing them with us.

Well, we have had quite a week. First of all, the weather Gods must love these girls because we have really had idyllic weather…just the right temperature to ride and be comfy, swim and be refreshed, and sleep nicely at night. It has been sunny every day so that we could do all the things we love to do….Here goes our litany of super things.

I left off as we were heading off to our camping trip. I love this trip and took a ton of pictures for a future slideshow that will be on our website. We trooped off with 17 girls, three counselors, five horses and moi with my two dogs. Sleeping bags and pillows, bathing suits and shorts was all we needed. Our food was packed and the sun was shining.

The campers were great about putting up the three tents. More of the girls in this group had been camping so tents were not foreign to them and the three tents went up in jig time. By the time that the riders arrived with the horses, camp had been set up. We tied up the dear horses who seem to love the adventure of the trip. They dutifully stand tied to a tree all night without a murmur. They munch on their hay and grain while the kids lavish attention on them. It is a most delightful picture I want to tell you…with the sun streaming down through the trees, the girls all healthy and happy, and the horses with shiny coats and ears forward….What a way to go…It sure is a tough job but someone has got to do it…and I am delighted it is ME!!!!

After a swim in the mountain stream with really cold, clear water, we had a nice big fire for everyone to warm up. The swimming is a big hit because they can slide off a smooth rock which is above a small water fall. They adore doing this and look like little mermaids sitting on the rocks waiting their turn to slide. The water is truly cold but they scream and holler but then go right back in. Youth is a wonderful thing!

With the fire burning bright and the horses stocked up on grain and hay, it was time to chow down on dinner. With mighty sticks, we roasted hot dogs galore. With chips, carrots, cold slaw, and the trusty old PB&J for those who didn’t like regular or vegetarian hot dogs, we all filled our tummies. S’mores followed with gobs of chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. To everyone’s credit, they were very careful with the sticks and the food. Nothing was wasted and everyone ate their fill.

I was then treated to a most glorious concert. The girls and two staff members all gathered around the fire and sang their hearts out. We usually tell stories, mostly about riding and horses, of course, because I limit the ghost stories so no one gets too scared. However, the right combination of girls and voices stole the show with their singing. We heard every Disney movie’s theme song and then some. With “This Land is Your Land”, to “Taps”, to “On My Honor”, we heard them all for about 2 hours. I was truly entranced by the girls’ voices. So clear and pure and bright…Wow, I loved that time by the fire. I also felt like I was doing the right thing and in the right place….It just seems so right to be doing these kinds of things as the world spins out of control. I know I should worry more about what is happening in Iraq or with the economy and the gas prices, but I get such hope from these girls. Watching them grow up so beautifully gives me great hope for the future for us all. With so much right in the world, how can we go wrong!?!

Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’, the kids who stayed home did their barn chores in a snap. The staff told me that they got done quicker with 17 less girls than usual. Shows what a small group can accomplish. With 60 plus horses here, that is no mean feat! They had a great time with Kris back at the farm doing Casino Night…a variety of games with cards or game boards. I guess they had quite a time with Spoons…..Sounded like fun but I think I got the better end of the stick!

The next morning dawned clear and bright again. All the horses stayed put throughout the night and the girls had a delightful sleep. I never sleep better than by this rushing stream. With the birds singing in the trees and the creek going by, it is a perfect symphony of nature’s noise. I sleep like a baby and wake up rearin’ to go.
We cooked a huge breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs and sausage with OJ to drink. Then, it was time to clean up camp and swim again….The girls were also eager to repeat the Evening Ride with a Morning Ride….As I say, they even wake up happy and ready to go!!!! The clean up and pack up went like a breeze and off we went for the day.

All the girls got home with all the gear and tents by about 11AM, leaving them time to unpack, put their fresh laundry away, and go for a swim in the pool to clean up before lunch. Everyone was pretty ready for rest hour when the time came.

Tuesday afternoon and all of Wednesday, the girls practiced for the Parents’ Exhibition….We have some pretty fun Specialties to show you. They will be divided up between the High Jump (WE do have CPR to help you through this!!!!), Small courses on the Outside Course, Big Courses on the OC….Games in the ring, Natural Horsemanship, Vaulting and Carriage Driving. We are excited for you to see the breadth and depth of the things these girls have been able to do at camp. We hope you like the exhibition planned and put on by your daughters!!!!

On Tuesday night and Wednesday night, the kids played Capture the Flag and did Counselor Quest…both of which I think I have already explained in the last email. On Wednesday afternoon, everyone cleaned the tack…with sponges and saddle soap, the tack was most happy to be cared for by the campers. We sure do use this tack a lot and it was great to see the leather all clean and oiled.

Yesterday, we were slated to go swimming with the horses….Much to everyone’s disappointment, including mine, we were unable to take the girls. We usually swim in a pond across the street on my brother’s land. We have been plagued by this blue green algae…It was bad enough in other ponds and lakes that it has been on the news. We are not sure what makes people sick….whether it be a skin rash or a stomach thing…but we decided to err on the side of caution. We did not take them much to all of our disappointment. The girls were great about it and happily went off to swim in the pool, play one last time with the farm animals, and to do carriage driving with me. We drove 4 rigs and had a ball giving everyone a chance to drive through cones and at the trot. This was good practice for our All Day Ride & Drive that is taking place this morning. We had such fun and the ponies and horses were so good. Wait until you see the kids drive on Saturday….They love driving as much as I do, I think!

Last night we took some time for each girl to write a letter to the people that help camp happen. We wrote letters to people who have loaned or leased or given us horses for the summer or forever. We also wrote the people who have done good things for us…everyone from the Camp Nurse to the lady who comes to clean three times a week to my Mom who came to do stories, to the judges who worked at the show. The girls took these letters very seriously. They wrote a first draft which the staff and I checked for spelling. They then did the final letter on farm stationary. The letters were charming and so heartfelt. I am proud to send them out under the farm name!

We had to hurry through our evening routine of singing and Good Night Circle because everyone took such care with their letters. However, true to form, the girls went right to bed and had lights out in a jiffy. Can you see why we are sad to have them leave!!!

Today is our All Day Ride and Drive with a picnic lunch. I adore this day…However, it is going to be quite a challenge as a record number of campers have signed up….38 to be exact!!! That is quite a procession heading down the road. We are going to break up everyone into a driving group (with the least experienced riders coming with us) and then two riding groups with longer routes and with places to canter. We are all going to end up in a big field and tie the horses to the trees on the edge of the field. Kris is going to bring us our lunch so it can stay cool in the refrig until its time to munch. It is perfect weather for this All Day Adventure.

When we return, we are going to have the girls start packing, take showers and write their Candlelight. This is a piece about what was most special this session. The littler kids tend to write about how much they love their pony. The older ones however write yards about their friends, their horse and their favorite memories. We usually have pretty many tears of joy during this wonderful closing ceremony. We will all sit around the pool by candlelight…We have the torches lit and the candles burning bright. Each room has their own little floating candle, complete with flowers, that they launch into the pool. While the candles float, the girls read their Candlelight writing. It is a most beautiful picture as each girl is dressed in a nice dress and with her hair all combed. Smiling, shining faces abound here and it is quite a sight to behold.

After this marvelous ceremony, the girls will troop off to bed for their last night of this session. Tomorrow will dawn bright again, according to the weather channel. We will hope to have you arrive at 9:30 to be ready to see your daughter(s) in action. The actual exhibition will begin with demonstration lessons conducted by the riding staff. One staff person will speak with you as the other one conducts the lesson. This is the perfect time to ask questions about your daughter’s riding progress. After the lesson portion of the demo, we will move to the specialties….You should just follow your daughter to her next activity. We hope you will be impressed and delighted with her abilities with horses….

Following the riding, the girls will untack and cool out their ponies & horses. They will then feed them and come up for lunch. During that time, it would be great if you want to check out with Kris. She will return meds at that time and let you know if you owe anything on the horse show or for laundry. We will also have our Camp Portraits ready for you at the same time. Wait until you see the pictures...They are simply great. I hope you will think this is a real momento of your daughter’s summer.

We will offer refreshments and desserts for your enjoyment. Please do remember to bring a picnic for you and your daughter. During the picnicking on the front lawn, we encourage you to speak with all the staff and Kris & myself to answer any questions or to hear about your individual daughter’s time here at camp. This is such a great way to end the session with us all being together.

You can plan on leaving about 1:30 ish….We certainly invite you to linger. I am sure there will be lots of good byes and hugs during this time.

I sincerely hope that my Blogs have been helpful in letting you know not only when to come but also what we did. I love writing about all the fun that we have. I hope it helps you to feel like a fly on the wall here at Pony Farm. I also hope you will consider joining us for one of our family weekends during the year. We offer two fall and spring Family Weekends…boys are invited as well. We also offer two Mother Daughter Weekends and one Father Daughter Weekend…I am happy to say that the Father Daughter weekend is getting so popular that we may need to go to two weekends for that as well. We love seeing you during the year and staying in touch. These weekends feature as much or as little riding as you desire. No forced marches here. It is perfectly fine to sit on the porch and read a good book while your daughter rides. We also offer lots of shopping opportunities as well as simple farm events….a true return to the olden days here at the farm. We will be doing a pretty major ‘face lift’ of the lodge, so we hope you will want to join us to see the exciting upgrades we are making.

So, good bye until tomorrow. I look forward to greeting you all. Until then, rest assured that we are loving your daughter and having a great time with her. Thank you for sharing her with us. We all have truly adored this session and every single girl.

Most warmly,

Boo

PS….One final note….Several of you have called or emailed me about possibly leasing or buying a horse from the farm. We do have a number of horses that have been sent to PF to be sold. We also are happy to free lease a number of our horses. We do not need all the horses we have so we are glad to have some go home with their campers…A win win for everyone. If you are interested in any of the above, please speak to Jessy who will be there tomorrow, Kris or myself. We are happy to tell you the details.

Session Wrap Up Information!

2008-07-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

Monday July 14th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm Families, One and All,

I surely hope you all had a good weekend. Everyone here joins me in sending you our best. We sure are having a great time and hope you are too!

We were delighted to see so many of you at our horse show this weekend. Thank you all for being so gracious and helping us to cheer everyone on at the show. We were thrilled to have such good weather. We also were pleased to have a good turn out. We want to hit the ‘happy medium’ with having enough riders from other barns so that the campers don’t have to compete with each other but not have so many that our kids get lost in the shuffle. I think we hit that middle ground nicely with this show even if it did go on until 6:15PM!!!

For those of you who did not attend, we missed you but completely understand and it was NOT a big deal to not have you here. We surely took extra care of the 10 plus kids whose parents didn’t come with hugs, ice cream and extra cheering. We had three kiddos who did not want to show. They were so cute helping me plant the front entrance of the farm the night before the show. They were tickled to make it look nice for the rest of the summer. On the show day, they were given official PF shirts to look spiffy and they helped me to announce, gave out ribbons, served as assistant Ring Masters and generally were of good cheer. We sure hate to force anyone to show is she doesn’t want to compete. There is plenty of competition in the larger world that is they don’t choose to do that when they are here, it is fine with us!

For those who did show, everyone seemed to have a terrific time. We did have one or two ponies who were less than thrilled with the ‘venue’, but that was taken care of and the girls either understood or got to ride a different pony. Everyone won at least two ribbons so the day ended on a good note. From where I sat as the Announcer, I was most pleased that everyone was safe and in good spirits. I care much more about that than any color ribbon.

Following the show and going out for ice cream or dinner, all the kids watched a movie. The movie was Cool Runnings…a cute movie about a bobsled team from Jamaica. Most of the kids were sound asleep before the end of the movie, having gotten up at 6AM…They always look so dear all snuggled up together with their stuffed animals. I think it is too cute that even the oldest, most sophisticated girls have stuffed animals right next to their make up kits and teen magazines, of course….I love thinking of them still as little kids…Someday I will make a fortune on researching the theory of girls loving horses and animals….between ‘toys and boys’!!!!

Sunday is a day when everyone sleeps in a little. The dear staff do the barn chores to give both campers and horses the day off. Sunday is often my favorite day because we have more leisure time to just be together. The girls also clean their rooms and organize their laundry duffle bags. I also enjoy clean rooms and freshly laundered clothes! We had a yummie lunch and then got to start planning our week and your exhibition….(More to follow on that in terms of timing, etc.). The kids signed up to do the Camping Trip with the ponies (tonight), the All Day Ride and Drive (Friday), Swimming with the horses (Thursday). They also selected the Specialties that they want to show you at the exhibition. Still others signed up to be on the Drill team which is a musical ride done with 10 kids and set to music. It will be the kick off to the Parents’ Exhibition…So, you can imagine that there is lots of planning and discussion about all of this. They also are talking with each other to see what their friends are doing. Heaven forbid that they don’t get to go on the Camping Trip with a friend!

Following this planning and organizing, everyone trooped down to the pool to swim, lay in the sun, read, write letters and play with the small farm animals. The chickens, ducks, goats, bunnies, guinea pigs and miniature horses are truly a hit. The girls are so funny about touching a chicken or running with a goat over a jump. They are lovely with the animals. Every time I watch our farm animals being enjoyed by kids, I make a wish that more kids got to do more with animals. It has such a wonderful calming influence on everyone involved.

The kids then went back to the lodge to have an afternoon snack and begin planning for their Talent Show to be held that night (Sunday). During that time (4 to 6:15PM) most all of the girls came to help me weed the garden up by the lodge. We are growing the winter vegetables there…the pumpkins for the fall family weekends, both to eat and to carve. We are also growing corn, beans, peas, ornamental corn and squash. We are so excited to find the little gourds and squash starting to grow. The weeds had kind of gotten ahead of the weeders, so many hands made light work. Many of the kids remarked that they had never weeded because they live in a city. I am so happy when I am gardening with children. We talk all about life and many stories are shared. We even had some riddles…none of which I was able to get! Mostly, we had fun weeding, watering and fertilizing, organic of course! Today they will get ice cream to thank them for their weeding work.

After dinner, the Talent Show began. We were treated to skits, a gymnastic demo, a lovely rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, a song and two pieces on the piano. It is such fun to see what talent we have in our midst. The kids are so respectful of each other when one of the girls gets up to share her music with the group. I always tell them that I could be locked in a room for a month and not be as good as they are!

We invited the three goats to share the Talent Show with us and then I got to hold the Baby Goat (AKA “BG”) on my lap for Vespers, Good Night Circle and our singing. We are about to get a new rug for the lodge living room so I guess it might be the last time that I can really let the goats come in….but the kids did get a big kick out of it all.
Everyone fell into bed and slept nicely in preparation for the fun filled week we have coming up here at Pony Farm!

The kids want to do everything so it is a bit of a struggle to fit it all in to one week!!!! Today, we have them doing a Gambler’s Choice (jumps with varying difficulties that have point values depending on that difficulty…We give them a 2 minute time to gather as many points as they can to determine the winner.). Other groups are going on trail rides to prepare for the upcoming Hunter Pace….Still other groups are riding in the ring to really get to cantering and jumping. So everyone is hard at work today…

This afternoon, the Pony Camping Trip will strike off with no less than 20 kids wanting to come. Luckily, the tents will sleep that many. The weather is also supposed to cooperate although it sure looks overcast right now. The kids that stay home will be doing the beginning practice for the Drill Team and the other specialties. Tonight, they will do Cascino Night, which is a lot of group board and card games. It is the perfect activity for those not coming for the camping trip night….

For us stalwart souls who are, we will head out with all the gear and the food this afternoon. The site is about 3 miles away, just close enough to be safe and just far enough in the woods to feel like you are ‘away’. We will take food for dinner and breakfast, with lots of stuff for multiple S’Mores for sure!@ We also take hay and grain for the 5-6 ponies and horses that we take. We pick these troopers with care as one camping trip this year all but one of the horses came home!

A quarter of the girls ride up to the site on the mountain, a quarter do an evening ride, another quarter a morning ride and the last group rides home. We also can swim at the mountain stream and go exploring like mad…It is the perfect site and we love going. Even my dogs, Martin and Oscar, go with us. I can’t wait to go to sleep with the moon shining bright, the fire burning and the creek rushing. What a was to doze off.

We will come home mid morning and they will swim here at the pool after unpacking. The rest of the girls will have ridden and the drill team will have practiced again. They will then all start practicing their Specialties for YOU! They will then go to bed right on time as they will be doing the Hunter Pace on Wednesday….

This is a big event at camp. We divide the girls into 6 evenly matched teams of riders from each riding group. Each team will have someone from the most experienced group #8 and the second most experienced group #7…These girls will be the Captain and Co-Captain for their team. They will all dress alike and make their plans for how to ride the Hunter Pace. Great strategy making goes into this.

The girls will ride at a safe pace over a five mile loop. It is all dirt roads. With careful explanations ahead of time, each group decided where to walk, trot or try a canter. All the girls know only to go as fast as the slowest rider feels comfortable. Staff members will cell phones and cars are spaced out around the track to serve as support people and to make sure everyone is doing well. The girls ride the ride without a staff member leading but there are staff members carefully spread out every little while.

The team that comes in closest to the Optimum Time with all members feeling comfortable and the horses relaxed will be the winner. We will have two sets of prizes and lots of input as to will be the winner.

Following the rather lengthy morning ride and later lunch, the girls will all gather to really clean the tack. We often skip this important detail as there is so much to get ready before a show. We will oil and really clean up the tack so it stays nice. That night, the girls will have their Counselor Quest….a hide and seek kind of game where each counselor hides. The amount the counselor is ‘worth’ is decided ahead of time. Kris, as Head Counselor, is worth the most points and knows the best hiding places. Counselors-In-Training are worth lesser points and so on. Again, the team that gathers the most points by finding the most counselors wins the game…Great glee surrounds this game.

Thursday morning the final practicing for your exhibition will take place with all the counselors. We will then go swimming with the horses…hopefully the weather and water will collaborate to make this possible. This is the all time favorite camp activity. For new parents, do not worry as I am there to help lead in each and every horse, making it as safe as humanly possible….That night we will do Charades, my favorite…With actresses like these, we can not help but have a blast….

Friday will be the popular All Day Ride or Drive….We will pack a picnic and off we will go into the wild blue yonder…I love this day. We will even go to the local store to get ice cream. Some day I want to ‘drive through a drive through’ with a carriage but not this time! Those who stay home will do a Gymkhana, or games on horseback….Both will last into the afternoon and everyone will enjoy a picnic lunch. We will then pack the rest of that afternoon and get showers for our closing night Candlelight Ceremony. More to follow on that….

I better get to the point of the last day so you all can plan….It will be a Parents; Exhibition. You can plan to arrive by 9:30 or 10AM. The girls will be all packed and ready to ride. The exhibition will begin with a Drill Team at about 10:15. We will then send you to a ring to watch your child ride. You will meet her instructor as the Counselors-In-Training conduct the lesson. She will explain what the riders are doing and have been working on for their session. She will be happy to answer any questions. We are proud of what we teach the girls in two short weeks so we hope to let you know what we have been working on and what will come next in her riding progress. These lessons will end, where appropriate, over a warm up couple of jumps. She will then proceed to her Specialty. We will be doing Bareback Trail, Natural Horsemanship, Cones Carriage Driving, Vaulting (Gymnastics on the moving horse), the High Jump and two Outside courses. In short, you will see quite a variety of events, one of which your daughter will have chosen and practiced.

After the riding, driving and vaulting has finished, we will have the girls untack, cool out and do the noon feed. During that time, Kris will check you out and settle up any bills your daughter has incurred. You will also be able to see and maybe purchase the Horse Portraits taken during this session. They are unusually good!
We ask that you bring a picnic for your family and your camper. We will provide drinks and dessert. We will all join together on the front lawn and/or living room of the lodge and chat. This is the perfect time to really find out how your daughter did and ask any questions of the staff…We will sadly say good bye to this gang…with a tear in our eye as they are terrific. We will have camper addresses for each girl. You can plan to depart sometime around 1:30 or 2 ish…no hurry to leave but we know you are probably on your way somewhere exciting.

I hope this helps you to plan you time and know what we are up to this week. Never a dull moment around this here farm. John Denver (who none of the campers even know!!!!) wrote “Life on the farm is kinda laid back”…Little did he know about Pony Farm…Each day is filled will all good stuff….and good kids…and good horses…and good staff, all of which sure makes my job a breeze…

So off to the camping trip I go…much to my delight. Someday I will be too old to sleep on the ground, but for now, I just love it.

Stay well and thanks for loaning us your daughters.

Mostly Fondly,

Boo

Horse Show info for YOU

2008-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Friday July 11th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm Families, One and All,

What a fantastic group of kiddos you have bequeathed us. Wow, they are game for anything, listen well, work hard, play well and are just plain delightful. Thank you for sharing them with us and sending us such great young people. The world will indeed be in good hands when they grow up!

I know you are eager to know when your child is riding tomorrow. The instructors and kids have finished the final decision making process as to which classes they will each enter. The horse show will be on the Outside Courses in the lower field from the lodge. This is the best way to have a horse show in the summer because it is on grass rather than in the rings which get so very dusty that none of us can breathe, humans or horses. However, it is more challenging riding because it is in a more open space and without the ring fence. Many of the riders that we get at camp have never ridden out of a ring much less jumped a course….thus, we take our time to make sure they are each entered in an appropriate and safe class. After reviewing each entry form, both the head instructors and I feel confident that your daughter is in the right class on the right horse with the right teacher…..So, please look at the end of this Blog to see when she will be riding. I hope it suits your travel and family schedule.

I also want to have you note that I am giving you an approximate time. It is my best guess. I just hate to have parents struggle to get here at the crack of dawn if their child is going to be riding in the afternoon. Conversely, I hate to have parents miss their child’s class because they arrived too late. So….it is my best GUESS…What makes it hard is that we never know how many horses are coming from other farms. So much depends on what other shows are happening or what special events are taking place in the lives of the various coaches from the local barns. Thus, I am doing my best to let you know…Please do look at the end of the Blog for this info. If you have any questions, please do email me rather than call as I will be out with the kids for the rest of the day following writing you. While they are resting or untacking, I will check my email and get right back to you. I do hope this helps.

Before I list the riders and show times, let me back up a moment to update you as to what we have been doing here at camp. I always like to have our parents know as so many of the girls don’t write letters because they are so happily engaged in camp. This is a good sign but also leaves parents with no information as to what is happening at camp! Therefore, I feel it’s a good use of my time to update you.

When I left off on Tuesday, we had organized all the riding groups and finalized the horse matches….Happily, we were mostly right about where the girls fitted into the levels and which horses were the right matches to make it a happy, learning and safe experience for each and everyone…two and four “footeds” alike. So all ended well on Tuesday with smiles and happy good nights following my Mom’s stories from her days in the Wild West and during World War II in Washington, DC. My mom is nearly 86 so she kids that the campers and staff know the stories better than she does! I must say that it is a pleasant way to spend the evening. We had planned to have the story telling around the campfire ring outside the lodge, complete with S’Mores. Sadly, the heavens opened up and it was raining hard so we all huddled together in the main room at the lodge and listened with great glee to her stories….all safe and sound inside. We had yummie Ice Cream Sundaes instead and all was well in the land of Pony Farm.

Wednesday dawned hot and humid, but we were not daunted. Everyone set off to ride after breakfast, room clean up and morning meeting. The groups spread out into all the rings and the Outside Courses to practice, practice and practice some more. The teachers all felt that the kids were making great progress and would be ready to show in the field.

Wednesday was the first Afternoon Activities offerings of the session. Before lunch and rest hour, the kids chose between the following possibilities. Trip to swim at the Falls, Swimming at the pool here and playing with the Farm Animals, Carriage Driving with the Miniature Horses and ponies, Riding Bareback, Individual coaching for Equitation (form of the rider for the show), learning to lunge a horse, and trail riding (two levels). Everyone signed up for one thing and off we went…The only changes were that we kept the activities close to the farm as thunderstorms were a strong possibility. I joined with them to do the driving, which is always a popular activity. Such fun!!! I feel so lucky that we have so many choices to offer the girls between trail riding, camping with the horses, swimming with the horses, driving and vaulting, plus showing….There is surely never a dull moment.

On Wednesday night, the girls played a game called Personal Scavenger Hunt…This is a game that I am hopeless at playing…and I might add, so would parents or grandparents be lost. It is a series of questions of modern day singers, actors and teen idols…It is a total camp favorite but I can not answer one of the questions…So much for old age and wisdom!!! Teen magazine is just not my thing!!!

Yesterday, the groups split into two and half the girls schooled hard over the courses and in the field while the other half cleaned their tack and organized their show clothes. We held dinner a little late so that everyone could get their turn in on the courses in particular. The weather was cool and beautiful so no one got overheated and everyone was in a great mood. Those kids and their staff sure were working hard. What a beautiful sight to see all the happy, healthy kids and horses enjoying learning in a sea of green grass and brightly colored jumps. A beautiful sight indeed.

Last night was another all camp fav with the Fashion Show….the biggest hit of which is when the kids each pretend to be a staff member. They sure come pretty darn close to acting and talking and walking like we do…It can be pretty scary to see one’s self in action.

Today, the kids are again out schooling in the field and on the courses. While one half is riding, the other half is trimming their horses, pulling manes and giving bathes. They are all helping each other so it is going nicely. At rest hour, the staff will give any final schools for any horses that need an extra amount of steady hands and confidence.

Tonight, we will get everyone into the shower, set out the clothes, explain the schedule and polish the boots…..We will all retire early and be ready for our big day tomorrow. I feel like I can report that the kids and coaches feel ready and eager.

We will invite you to arrive about the time your child is showing. You are also welcome to come early and stay late. We do ask that you park at the lodge as the field will be pretty full with trailers and riders. We will have a food concession truck for your ‘dining’ pleasure…Food will be served at the show grounds for all campers. Kris and I will take turns announcing so that I can ‘visit’ with everyone. You know how I love to greet people and chat!

Once your child has finished showing, you are welcome to take her out to ice cream or to dinner. You may also want to take a friend or two with you. Please do check in and out with Kris to make sure that everyone has the right parental permission to go out on the town. Kris and I can also tell you what might be a fun place to go to eat or enjoy looking around. We want this to be a fun day for you too.

Tomorrow night the kids will see a movie that is age appropriate. Kris is really good at finding ones that everyone will like. If you have taken your daughter out for dinner please do try to return before 9:00PM…The kids will have gotten up early and it is hard when a ‘roomie’ is coming back after lights are out. It wakes everyone up.

I hope that this helps you get a gist of what we have been doing. Next week will be much more geared to the ‘fun’, non showing part of camp…The pony camping trip, the Hunter Pace, the All Day Ride and the Swimming with the horses…So, it will be lots of fun and exciting things to do with our horses. I always love that week as I enjoy seeing the kids get out of the ring and see all the other ways to enjoy a horse!

I send all my best to you on behalf of the staff and Kris. We are having a blast with you kiddo and look forward to seeing you either this weekend or next. Until then, know that we are giving out lots of hugs and offering tons of fun in the sun!

Warmly,
Boo

SHOW SCHEDULE…APPROXIMATELY….

Kids who want to help but not show….Rebecca P. and Lea M-S.

9:00: Mia and Ava L., Keala G., Emma D, Louisa S., Tess J.

9:45: Avrille LaV., Jessen E., Marie W., Emma Montoya

10:00 Jill C., Hailey O’B., Nicole B., Olivia M., Anna F.

11:00 Caroline R.

12:00 Kirsten M., Grace J., Eugenie L., Mackenzie D., Katherine S., Laura McC.,

1:00 Erin M., Caroline R., Tess C., Molly B., Natalie B., April K., Hannah F., Emily S., Georgia M., Jill A., Emma S., Caroline R., Kelly C., Megan T., Bebe M-S.

2:30 Adriane M., Annie M., Allie K., Becca C., Emma Milford, Robin K., Mallory M., Mikaela W-S., Jessie R.

HAPPY DAY TO YOU ALL!!!!

Warm Welcome to Session 3!!

2008-07-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday July 8th, 2008

Dearest Pony Farm Families,

Wow, did I come home to a terrific group of kids!!!! The staff and I already know that this is going to be a super session. Friendships have already rekindled or been born…Horse matches have been made with ease…Riding groups have been formed and smiles abound. Whatever you all have done as parents has truly worked with these kiddos. It is a true pleasure to have them here at the farm. Maybe you could just leave them with us for the next year or so………….until college that is!!!!

I am happy to report that there is not one shred of homesickness amongst the troops. Each girl seems happy with her “roomies” and, I must say…I am so fortunate to have the best staff that we have had in years. The two new counselors have turned out to be absolute treasures. The rest of the counselors who have returned are really superior. It seems like we have just the right combination of staff for this summer. I wish I could bottle “it” up and save “it” for years to come as the exact right combination is so hard to achieve. Add a lovely group of horses and ponies, wonderful weather and a gung ho group of campers and my job is made easy!!!!

As the sun peaks over the horizon and the day begins, it is an idyllic picture. The farm animals are grazing, the staff starts the early morning chores and I begin my day with quiet reflection….how lucky am I!!!

We had a great day yesterday. I got to camp early so that I could greet all the girls and wish them a glorious morn. The riding staff and I ate breakfast together while the rest of the staff ate with the kids. We divided everyone up into five bigger groups to assess whether the horse matches were appropriate and how to further divide them into riding groups. With a serious introduction of asking the girls to help us make sure they were in the right group and on the right horse, we announced the groups. We explained how our goal was that this was the best two weeks or month of their whole year. We also said that being on the right horse and in the right group was one of the major ways that we accomplished this goal. I said how sad it makes me to find out in September or October when we send out the camp evaluation forms that someone was unhappy with their riding experience. I told them that Kris and I could do nothing about that in the fall….that we needed to know now and that it was all of our jobs to make it right for each camper right now!!! Armed with the promise of working as a team to get the right mounts and the right groupings, off we all went.

With great cooperation from the weather and the horses, by lunchtime we had finalized all but about 2 horse matches. We also had made the temporary riding group assignments. I am delighted to report that the kids were most appropriate when they requested a change from a particular horse or pony. They hit the perfect ‘happy medium’ of making a request or a suggestion without being demanding or whiney! You have taught them well to ask for what they need. It sure makes our job easier and everyone happier. Being in the wrong group or on the wrong horse is not what we want!!!!

After the horses were cooled out, the tack put up, and all the critters munching, off we marched to lunch. As we all shared our meal, I could see friendships happening everywhere. It was a lot of ‘happy noise’ all around me, making me glad I was a Camp Director these many years later! Rest hour followed with everyone taking quiet time for a half hour and then enjoying their roommates for the next half hour.

With a good pause in our day under our belts, we all went off to try the riding groups and horse matches. To my delight, everyone seemed in the right group. We did a couple of horse switches again just to get it just right. Our riding day ended with smiles and good lessons. We are set for the session with the riding heads being happy with the final choices, the instructors echoing the placement and the kids saying they are happy! What more could I ask for!

Snack time followed and with it an introduction to Barn Chores….With the horses chowing down on their grain and the kids munching their snacks and juice, each barn team head counselor explained how to turn out, clean a stall and neaten up each barn. In jig time everything was accomplished and all the barns were sparkling. Showertime is a major carrot on the stick!!!

Dinnertime arrived and all the staff spread out to chat with their charges. Excitement began to build around ‘Bag Skits’….After 37 years of being a Camp Director, I still marvel at why this is such a huge hit with all the kids! The gist of this favorite evening activity is that each room chooses 6 things to put in a bag. The bags are then spread around so each room gets a bag from the kids in another room. Much planning then takes place as a skit is built around the contents of the bag. I marvel at the creativity and energy that goes into this process. With my head I know that this creates a good opportunity for each group to bond together. However, I am amazed at how much they love doing it. I will truly do anything to keep kids off computers, away from TV and doing simple, fun ‘stuff’ together. This activity certainly fulfills all the requirements of simple fun.

Each skit was soooo cute. Several were just plain fun and funny. Even the youngest rooms put together a skit that ‘hung together’. We have budding actresses among us! I was glad this kind of creativity and energy is channeled in the right direction.

Following the skits, we had the kids from Cottage do the Evening Vespers. They shared why they had come back to camp for so many years. It always makes my heart happy to hear what they say. The friendships with each other ranks at the top of the list, right beside their connection to the horses. Their relationship with the staff also is always mentioned, as is their love for the farm itself. Hearing all their lovely thoughts as the candles on the Vesper Log burn puts a gentle and happy end on the active day.

Holding hands, we then all say what we are thankful for that happened during the day. Kids were most eager to share their appreciation. This was followed with singing two of the favorite songs. Kids then tiptoed off to bed as the songs ended, putting a lovely close on our first full day together. As I sat there in the glow of the candlelight, I too was grateful that I was part of this loving, peaceful and happy group.

Today has dawned bright and without a cloud in the sky. We are going to do riding lessons for each group this morning. During rest hour, the girls will prepare to get their camp portraits done with their horse. This afternoon we will do a combination of pictures, trimming the horses for the pictures and the upcoming show, doing the swim test in the pool and playing with the farm animals. The swim test is simply a matter of making sure that all the kids can swim the length of the pool and tread water without being winded. After this test time, the kids will swim a lot and we won’t have to worry that someone is going to have trouble.

Playing with the farm animals is one of my favorite times with the girls. They love jumping the miniature horses. We have small jumps set up on the lawn and wow, do the kids and minis fly. The goats and donkey don’t seem to love it as much as the minis. The bunnies all have harnesses and leads. They hop around like mad with their kids attached…the bunnies walking the kids in effect! The guinea pigs love to snuggle as do the chicks. Even the bigger chickens love to be held, having been handled since they were one day old. The favorite this summer however is swimming the ducks. They have one of the horse water troughs and wow do they splash around. The kids get just wet enough to think it is a riot…and love to watch the ducks as the water truly does roll off their backs. The expression is really true!

After this packed afternoon of fun and frivolity, the kids will again have snack time, barn chores and dinner. Tonight we will gather around the fire pit outside the lodge and roast marshmallows….what is camp without a good S’More?!? With the fire burning bright, we will tell stories. We are hoping my mom will come and regale us with her stories from her day in the Wild West and driving the ambulance in Washington, DC during World War II. The kids love her stories and she swears they remember the ending better than she does anymore. She gets such a kick out of coming…Again, how lucky am I to have both my parents living at the top of the hill.

The rest of this week will be spent on preparing for the horse show. We will be organizing what classes each of the kids will be entering. The show will be held out on the Outside Courses in the big field below the barn. I love the show out there…. No dust and lovely courses. Seeing all the beautiful kids and fat, shiny horses on a field of green is a lovely sight for sure. I do hope that you all might be planning on coming.

As we get closer to show time, I will write to you and let you know approximately what time your child is showing. We will probably have one or two who do not want to compete. They will get a morning lesson and then join us at the show grounds to help pass out ribbons. We welcome parents to come see the show and to spend the day with us. I do try to let you know when your child is showing so that you don’t struggle to get here too early or arrive after she is finished her classes. We will have a food truck on the show grounds. Also, you are welcome to take your kiddos out to ice cream or swimming if that would be fun for you.

So, that is the story for now and I’m sticking to it!!!! I end as I began by saying how delighted I am that this session has come together so quickly and nicely. Your children are a true pleasure to have.

I was sorry not to be here to meet you in person. I look forward to seeing you this weekend if you can come….If not this weekend, then let’s spend extra time together next weekend. I do appreciate your understanding and support about my being with my own girls and grandchildren this 4th of July weekend. I had a great time and came back to camp all refreshed and ready to roll.

Have a great day and rest easy knowing your child is happily engaged in good clean fun!

Most fondly,

Boo