The camps I am running this summer are for a 4 hours in the morning for 5 days and on an individual basis. I dont have the horses or staff to do more than that and be able to give the campers the attention they deserve - and paid for.
This week the camper is a teenage girl who has been riding with me for almost a year. She has not had any theory or hands on work with horses, so I have a blank canvas to work with. I have based the camp on the day to day work at a horse farm interspersed with theory sessions and riding.
The first job of the day is mucking out the stalls, cleaning the water buckets and refilling them. After letting the horses into their stalls, the student learns how to mix the horses feed and then feed them. I explain what the feed is, why I am feeding it and amounts. While the horses are eating and the time for digestion before riding we sat in the tack room and I gave her a new folder. I have lots of handouts covering almost everything for my students that I have made up over the years for the various courses I run. We covered colours, markings, breeds, the parts of the horse and being able to describe each of my horses.
Next was riding time. I have planned for this student to ride or drive each of my horses this week. She hasnt driven before and I am also letting her ride my competition horse. Today she rode Prissy, my paint pony, who is only 13.2hh. She is quite advanced for a school pony. This student hasnt ridden this small of a pony in a long time and found the short strides hard to deal with, but found it interesting anyway. Tomorrow she will ride the horse she usually rides, Wally.
After washing down the pony after the lesson we spent time setting fair the barn and horses and did some fun things in the tack room ad then it was time for her to go home.
I had to dash into the house, have something to eat, get changed and then off to the orthodontist with my oldest son. He gets a check up every six months. We are waiting for all of his teeth to come in before putting braces on. Not needed yet.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday 27th June 2010
Up nice and early to get the horses in and fed. As my husband is away so my children had to come with me to the show. I had to wake them up, make sure they had something to eat and had things to occupy themselves with while we were at the show.
Once they were set I went back to the barn and got my students organised and then we all got together and loaded the cars and horses.
The show ground was closer than I remembered, so it didnt take as long as I thought to get there. Another of my students was travelling there herself with her own horse and was running late and managed to get lost one road away from the show ground! I had to give her directions over the phone to get her to the right place. It didnt seem to effect her too much as she won one class and came second in another. The students riding my horses also did well. The young girl riding my paint pony Prissy won her very first class and got a certificate for having the highest score for the level she was riding in. She was very pleased with that. My other student did well as well.
By the end of the show my kids were very bored and glad to be heading home. It seemed a very long day even though we got home just after lunch.
Tomorrow my first camp of the summer starts!
Once they were set I went back to the barn and got my students organised and then we all got together and loaded the cars and horses.
The show ground was closer than I remembered, so it didnt take as long as I thought to get there. Another of my students was travelling there herself with her own horse and was running late and managed to get lost one road away from the show ground! I had to give her directions over the phone to get her to the right place. It didnt seem to effect her too much as she won one class and came second in another. The students riding my horses also did well. The young girl riding my paint pony Prissy won her very first class and got a certificate for having the highest score for the level she was riding in. She was very pleased with that. My other student did well as well.
By the end of the show my kids were very bored and glad to be heading home. It seemed a very long day even though we got home just after lunch.
Tomorrow my first camp of the summer starts!
Saturday 26th June 2010
A day full of ups and downs. My youngest son camp finished yesterday and my oldest sons camp finished today, so I sat around and waited for the phone call to pick him up from the drop off point. It was a long wait and then someone ended up dropping him off at home instead of me having to go and get him.
I had moved my Friday evening lesson to Saturday evening for two reasons. One was so I could go and visit my son at scout camp and the other so the student could get the pony ready, after her lesson, for the show the next day. So she had her lesson and then we spent time cleaning tack and washing the pony preparing for the show.
Two students will be riding two of my horses at a local club show riding dressage.
I had moved my Friday evening lesson to Saturday evening for two reasons. One was so I could go and visit my son at scout camp and the other so the student could get the pony ready, after her lesson, for the show the next day. So she had her lesson and then we spent time cleaning tack and washing the pony preparing for the show.
Two students will be riding two of my horses at a local club show riding dressage.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Friday 25th June 2010
I dropped my son off at camp and as soon as I got back home had a lesson to teach. I spent the rest of the day getting things together for my other son, who we visited in the evening.
The Friday evening of scout camp is a family get together and court of honour. We usually take dinner with us. First though I had to attend the ending ceremony of the invention camp for my youngest son.
They had a power point presentation and then we were able to look at all their inventions before taking them home. Then it was time to feed the dogs and horses before picking up dinner and driving for an hour to the scout camp. We arrived later than I had planned, because of feeding all the animals, but ate together and watched the court of honour where my son got his First Class and became a quartermaster. We left finally after dark and drove back home.
The Friday evening of scout camp is a family get together and court of honour. We usually take dinner with us. First though I had to attend the ending ceremony of the invention camp for my youngest son.
They had a power point presentation and then we were able to look at all their inventions before taking them home. Then it was time to feed the dogs and horses before picking up dinner and driving for an hour to the scout camp. We arrived later than I had planned, because of feeding all the animals, but ate together and watched the court of honour where my son got his First Class and became a quartermaster. We left finally after dark and drove back home.
Thursday 24th June 2010
This was a very quite day with only me at home and no lessons. I used the time to sit and relax and catch up on things and read. You need time like this now and again just to recharge your body and mind.
Wednesday 23rd June 2010
My husband left with a friend to drive down to North Carolina, I took my youngest son to camp, my oldest son is still camping with the scouts and the farrier came to do the horses nice and early! Busy time.
The only lesson today was in the evening. Again, the student had really missed the horses.
My sons invention camp has been fun for him. We had had to collect items that could be used to make things before camp and had dropped them off on the first day. The pile was huge. Each day it is getting smaller though, as the kids use items to make things. There will be quite a lot to pick on Friday!
The only lesson today was in the evening. Again, the student had really missed the horses.
My sons invention camp has been fun for him. We had had to collect items that could be used to make things before camp and had dropped them off on the first day. The pile was huge. Each day it is getting smaller though, as the kids use items to make things. There will be quite a lot to pick on Friday!
Tuesday 22nd June 2010
As usual I fed the horses early and then took my son to camp and from there I went to a teach at a students farm. As school is off for the summer her kids were with her. This will be the last time I teach her during the day, as I change all my lessons to early in the morning or late in the evening. This is an attempt to cope with the weather and flies.
I had another lesson in the evening. The student had really missed the horses and had almost come over while I was away just to see them.
The evening was spent helping my husband pack, as he leaves tomorrow morning for a wedding in North Carolina.
I had another lesson in the evening. The student had really missed the horses and had almost come over while I was away just to see them.
The evening was spent helping my husband pack, as he leaves tomorrow morning for a wedding in North Carolina.
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