Wrapping Up Week Six

We can't believe it's already Friday here at Hoofbeat! We have had the most wonderful week here enjoying the time with friends and horses; we wish it didn't have to come to an end! Below is a summary of what we did in each class over the past five days as well as some more photos from our time at camp. We hope you enjoy-- have a great rest of your summer!

Riding

One of the highlights of each day was the groups’ riding class. We used our wonderful indoor riding arena and were able 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 the different parts of the horse and different parts of the saddle. This information will definitely help us when we ride! Next, on Wednesday, we learned all about how horses care for their young. On Thursday, we talked about horse illnesses and how to care for them. Finally, on Friday, we plan to talk more about caring for horses with a lesson on horse food and nutrition! 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 hanging out with Hoofbeat’s cutest residents, our miniature horses! We had so much fun treating them to some grooming and grazing time. On Tuesday, we worked on our horse color and marking skills with some horse identification sheets. For this lesson, campers need to write and color in their chosen horse’s markings with as much detail as possible. On Wednesday and Thursday, campers had a chance to either “ground drive” with our Clydesdale, Pippa, or to complete various barn activities. “Ground driving” involves steering a horse from the ground as you would on a horse-drawn carriage! On Friday, we plan to play some special Hoofbeat horse board games. As always, Horse Fun was great this week!

Skill Surprise

We had so much fun in our mystery “Skill Surprise” class this week. On Monday, we had a chance to work together to make a “rice fantasy map.” For this activity, campers spill a bag of rice onto a large sheet of paper, outline where the rice fell, and create a fantasy world within the outline! On Tuesday, campers went on a “nature walk,” exploring our beautiful surroundings and completing a mini scavenger hunt. We brought out our competitive side on Wednesday with an “extreme” version of the card game “Spoons” – in this version, the spoons are hidden around the room! The next day, we played with a game in which we had to work together to make it through a maze of tiles on the floor. We hope to end the week with a scrapbook activity, decorating photos of ourselves with a Hoofbeat horse! What a fun week of activities!

Arts and Crafts

We had such a creative week in Arts and Crafts! Because this week was “around the world” week, we created crafts that celebrated the countries of our lovely international staff. We started off on Monday by making some England-themed bookmarks. On Tuesday, we learned a bit about Mexico while we made paper plate sugar skulls and colorful “papel picado” banners! Wednesday, we made Spanish “flamenco” dolls out of cupcake liners and popsicle sticks, as well as some hand fans. Thursday was our special “tie-dye” day. We had a blast making colorful designs on our shirts - we love seeing them all hanging up on the clothesline after camp! On Friday, we plan to visit the camp store, Trading Post, and make flags for our own imaginary countries! Thank you for such a fun, creative week in Arts and Crafts, everyone!

Sports

Sports was fantastic this week! We got to know each other a bit on Monday by playing some “human bingo,” filling in each square with interesting facts about each other. On Tuesday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather by playing some soccer out in the sunshine (or football, depending on who you ask)! By Wednesday it was getting pretty hot, so we decided to cool off with some water games! The campers had a bit TOO much fun getting their counselors wet… Next, on Thursday, we spent some time at the “Hoofbeat Lanes” – a makeshift bowling alley we had set up in the Lodge! On Friday, we plan to play some group games such as “Grandma’s Footsteps.” Thanks for a great week, everyone!