Get to know the staff!

This time of year we like to post staff bios so that you can get to know our staff!

Hi everybody! My name is Melissa and I’m already counting down the days until the start of another wonderful summer at camp! This will be my 12th summer spent at camp since I first came to Hoofbeat as a camper. I will be working at resident camp for my 6th summer and working with the RIT program for my second summer! During the school year, you can find me at UW-Madison where I am currently a junior studying Animal Sciences and Environmental Studies. When I am not at school, I spend most of my time adventuring with my horse, Sterling, or searching the nearby Culvers’ for the best flavor of the day! Some of my favorite camp activities are Capture the Flag, Numbers, trail rides and stargazing. I love all of the camp horses but if I had to pick some favorites, Jazz, Lightning and Indy would be at the top of my list! I can’t wait for summer to start and I hope you see you all there! 

Hi everyone! My name is Sydney, and I am so excited for camp this summer! This will be  my second summer as resident camp staff, but my sixth summer at Hoofbeat! I am from Chicago, IL, but I will be moving east to Philadelphia this fall to begin my freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania. During the school year, I love working on

photography and graphic design, playing my flute and piccolo, and riding my barn’s horse Oakley. At camp, I’m always looking forward to camper-counselor hunts, trail rides, applesauce cake, and of course, hanging out with my best buddy, Batman! I cannot wait to see everyone this summer!

Hi! My name is Katie and this will be my third year working at camp, and my ninth year at Hoofbeat! I’m from Glenview, Illinois and go to school at Glenbrook South where I run track, and play tackle football. When I’m not in school or at the barn you can usually find me cheering on my schools sports teams, reading a book, or out for a run. I’m most looking forward to group games, theme nights, and trail rides. I love all the horses at camp, but my long time favorites are Addie and Gandalf. I can’t wait to meet everyone!

Counting down to spring!

Hello from Hoofbeat!

We wanted to give everyone an update on what we've been up to at camp. In between snow and ice storms over the last few weeks, we've had several UW groups out for retreats, a camp fair in Illinois, and Ted has been busy hiring staff for the summer.

                                

The weather has been interesting to say the least. We got a couple of pretty good snowstorms and had snow piles that looked like small mountains all around camp. With the temperatures bouncing around and a little rain in the mix, we've had the horses in the barn quite a bit. The last time we let them out (after being in for 3 days straight), it was like a circus! There were horses running everywhere, bucking, snorting, and being wild. Even our 4 oldest mares did laps around their pasture. When they act like that, you'd never know that they can be well mannered enough to carry the youngest of our campers around on trails and for lessons! But to be fair, they have not been ridden since December and they've been getting corn (which makes them extra wild!).

The ice made things a little rough for feeding - we're really glad that our feed truck has chains on all of the tires. One of the crew that was out feeding and shall remain nameless , was seen sliding down a short hill (on his posterior) and under a gate with some hay. When asked what happened, he replied, "Well I started to slide, so I just sat down." Our miniature ponies reportedly took off after spooking at the large person sliding down the hill toward their pasture. Once they realized he had their breakfast  they came trotting back.

                                           

So, if you've ever wondered what life is like at Hoofbeat in the winter……now you know!

We are counting down the days until spring. It'll be nice to see the leaves on the trees and the horses out in their pastures eating grass again!