February Camp Update!

 Just a quick update on camp!

We have been staying busy here - in January we had a large group of students from UW Madison out for the weekend, plus the biggest Wilderness First Responder clinic we've ever run. They usually have 18 to 20 people, but there were over 30 (needless to say that was a busy week!). We just house and feed those groups, but it keeps us busy!

We have been doing a few projects around camp now (some tree removal, fixing some windows, and a new furnace got put in HoofRoof). In a few weeks, we have two more Wilderness First Responder clinics back to back, so we are gearing up for those. In April, we will start back up with the Girl Scout programs and Saturday kids camps. That will take us to the end of May with possibly two more Wilderness First Responder Clinics and then right into camp. 

Camp is full for the summer and we have lots of returning staff from past summers.

We're excited to welcome Abi from Scotland  and Valentina who is joining us from Mexico! 

Here are a few pictures -  Noland saying hi, 

Whoopi the barn cat looking for snacks,

 Luna and Junebug (our two mini ponies) 

and then the Hoofbeat "ice sculpture" from the winter......okay so not really a sculpture.......just the pile of frozen water bucket left overs. We have some pretty cold temperatures for a while, so the pile was big! It shrunk a little with the warmer temps.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at camp again soon! 

Wrapping up Equestrian Week!!

Wrapping up Equestrian Week!

Happy Friday! We have had a great time here at Hoofbeat for Equestrian Week! On Tuesday, we had a full day of riding English instead of Western! The English saddle is a lighter, smaller saddle typically used in jumping and dressage. Campers got the chance to work on posting, two-point, and sitting up straight. For horse science, we learned about Horse Sports like jumping and barrel racing. Some groups practiced different patterns with this! For the craft, campers got to paint and decorate a wooden horseshoe. The afternoon riding on Tuesday was riding English. Campers got to continue working on posting, two-point, and sitting up straight.

On Wednesday, campers rode the riding lesson that they had planned. Many groups worked on their trotting and did some fun dismounts! Campers then had the chance to plan out their afternoon riding lessons! They picked some pretty cool activities! Wednesday's craft was making a Hoofbeat scrapbook page that included a photo of them with their favorite horse! On Wednesday, campers rode the riding lesson that they had planned with different steering and trotting exercises!

Thursday, we rode bareback! This is without a saddle and allows campers to really feel how their horse is moving. We also took a trip down memory lane, looking through old Hoofbeat photo albums, watching old RIT (Riding Instructor in Training) drill videos, and so much more! There were even "Hoofprints" from the 80s and 90s! Thursday was tie-dye day!! This is always a camper favorite! Thursday, we rode bareback! This allows campers to really feel how their horse is moving.

Friday afternoon, we had a second riding lesson, giving campers a final opportunity to work on their steering and trotting! We also had a very cool lesson about horse genetics and how we get the different horse colors. This included getting to follow the Hoofbeat family tree with Peter Pan and Tigger! Campers loved looking back at who their parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents were! On Friday, campers made clothes-pin horses! What a crafty week we have had! Friday afternoon, we had a second riding lesson, giving campers a final opportunity to work on their steering and trotting!

Thank you all for such an amazing week at camp, we hope to see you again soon!!