Wrapping Up Week Nine
Riding
One of the highlights of each day was the groups’ riding class. We used our wonderful indoor riding arena and were able to accomplish many fun things! Each day, we practiced Hoofbeat’s 5 S’s, which are starting, stopping, steering, spacing, and “squirreling” off your horse to dismount. We practiced these S’s every class with activities such as cutting across the middle of our ring, halting our horses, and even asking our horses to trot! Our instructors noticed a huge improvement in every camper’s confidence and riding ability from Monday to Friday. Whether riding a spunky, little pony like Batman or a gentle giant like King, they’re all leaving Hoofbeat as true equestrians! All the campers should be very proud of what they learned this week.
Horse Science
This week’s Horse Science was fabulous as well! We started off the week with a proper Hoofbeat horse introduction, learning how to be safe around horses as well as how to groom and saddle them. On Tuesday, we talked about horse psychology and the structure of a herd. We even got to observe horse behavior by watching our very own Hoofbeat herds! The next day, we talked a bit about the job of managing a stable. Our barn director, Isla, certainly works hard to keep the barn running and the horses happy! On Thursday, we learned a bit about different horse gaits. We talked about how horses walk, trot, canter, and even gallop! Finally, on Friday, we hope to learn about the process of buying a horse. We learned so much about horses this week. Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm in Horse Science!
Horse Fun
What would horse camp be without a little “horse fun”? We began the week by going around and getting pictures with all our favorite Hoofbeat horses. Check out the blog to see how they turned out! On Tuesday, we got to work decorating the barn by making stall tags for all the different horses. Campers had so much fun decorating tags for their favorite horses! On Wednesday, we played a game of Hoofbeat “Jeopardy,” learning all about the place and the horses we love. On Thursday and Friday, campers got a chance to “ground drive” our Clydesdale, Pippa. This entails steering her from the ground with special reins! When they were not working with Pippa, campers got a chance to become a farm hand for the day and complete various barn tasks. As always, Horse Fun was great this week!
Skill Surprise
We had so much fun in our mystery “Skill Surprise” class! This week, we were lucky enough to get to meet and learn about a variety of small animals. On Monday and Tuesday, we got to play with several bunnies, baby chicks, a guinea pig, and some chickens. We had so much fun watching them run around and getting to hold them! On Wednesday, we took a very special field trip to Peck’s Farm Market. There, we got to take a train ride, shop in the market, and feed animals like peacocks, llamas, cows, deer, and even a few buffalo! Check out the blog for more pictures of our time there! On Thursday, we were back at camp, this time learning about and interacting with snakes, a tortoise, and a very sweet bearded dragon named Hawk. We hope to end the week by meeting a chocolate Labrador dog named Peaches! What a fun week of activities!
Arts and Crafts
We had such a creative week in Arts and Crafts! We started the week off strong by making some parrot paper plate crafts. By cutting their plates in half to make a body and a beak, we were able to make these colorful parrots come to life! On Tuesday, we kept our animal theme going with some painted handprint animals. Since we spent Wednesday at Peck’s, we did not have Arts & Crafts that day. However, Thursday was our special “tie dye” dye, so campers got to spend the day creating colorful patterns and designs on their white shirts. We love seeing all the beautiful pieces hanging up on the clothesline after camp! We plan to end the week by making adorable frogs out of toilet paper rolls. Thank you for such a fun, creative week in Arts and Crafts, everyone!
Sports
Sports was fantastic this week! We started the week by getting to know one another, playing ice breakers and name games! The next day, we played a classic game of “Capture the Flag,” competing to steal the other team’s flag and make it back to our own side safely. On Wednesday, we spent a bit of time at Peck’s. Not only did we get to run around feeding the different animals, but Peck’s also has several different playground sets to enjoy! Back at camp on Thursday, the weather was getting a bit hot, so we decided to cool off with some water games. We think the campers may have had a bit TOO much fun getting their counselors wet… Finally, on Friday, we hope to get competitive with some rounds of the card game “Spoons.” We even have our own camp version of “Epic Spoons” that we hope to play! Thanks for a great week, everyone!
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