Saturday, July 28, 2012


                                                                                                Saturday July 28th, 2012
Dear Parents, Grandparents and “Pony Farm” Extended Families,
            I write this to you as the day dawns bright and beautiful.  I also write to apologize that I have fallen down on my job for you as Blogger! We have been having so much fun with your kiddos that we just have not had a spare minute to sit and write.  I also got a stomach bug for two solid days, so I felt I had to do some catching up with the kids.  Please accept my apologies…
            Let me first announce from the tops of the mountains what FANTASTIC children you have bequeathed us!  They have been truly superlative since the moment they arrived.  They are sweet, gentle, hardworking, devoted to their horses, kind to each other, attentive to the staff…and just plain a pleasure from the instant they arrived. I cannot remember a session that has clicked so easily. Roommates are right, horse matches were easy, riding groups came together smoothly, learning the ropes of taking care of their own ponies was a breeze…in short, it has been a delight for Becky and I to watch all this fun and loveliness unfolding so nicely. Thank you for being such great parents and having such fabulous kids.  It makes our job easy!
            So, let me catch you up on the festivities of each day.  Monday was partly cloudy with some sprinkles, but we rode anyway.  Matches were tried, riding groups determined and the general lay of the land of PF was spelled out. By lunchtime, all but 2 kids had found the right horse match, and by dinner time, we were 100% there with right groups and matches.  The girls had also done their ‘waterproof test’ at the pool.  The highlight of the afternoon was learning how to ‘partner up’ with your horse. Each girl got some “Cowgirl Magic”, aka Natural Horsemanship tips, as to how to handle each horse on the ground, paving the way for what the riders should do once they were aboard.  How a horse is treated on the ground definitely affects attitudes once mounted.  We have added this piece this summer and it has proven to be effective!
            Once barn chores, turnout and evening feeding routines were explained, the girls all trooped to the barn to be a part of their Barn Team. I love this time of day as it is so beautiful to watch all these healthy, strong and capable girls work together to take care of the 60 horses we have on site.  With good supervision, the work gets done with ease and everyone learns how much there is to having a ‘horse of your own’.  I wish you could be a fly on the barn wall as these girls dig in to get each horse turned out, every stall clean, buckets scrubbed and aisle raked.  It is a miracle of happy horsemanship.
            Bag skits were the next activity after dinner. We already explained this in our Opening Day letter so I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that they had a blast. This game really does serve to bring roommates together and showcase creativity.  It was a blast.
            Tuesday dawned kind of dreary and definitely rainy.  Each riding group rotated between stations about horse care.  One station was learning how to braid for a horse show.  Another was bandaging, while still another was about taking Temperature, Pulse and Respiration.  Yet another was learning how to lunge a horse in a big circle, while the last was a “Love Your Pony Spa Day”.  With a good solid morning of dry fun in the barn, the girls were then able to ride in their riding groups that afternoon. Thanks to the great new footing in all rings, there was nary a mud puddle despite heavy rain both in the morning and the night before.  Everyone was able to try out her riding group and make certain that she was on the right equine partner. 
            That night Kris Young, former Co-Director of countless years, came to do one of the big favorites…Pony Farm Fashion Show. For a bunch of horse crazy girls, they sure have a talent for doing the Runway and finding fun ways to strut their stuff.  Kris is such a huge addition to our camp and helps keep the old time favorites alive at Pony Farm.
            Sadly for the girls, but happily for the pastures and flowers, on Wednesday, it was still raining. We decided to have them ride anyway as we needed them to get ready for the “Jumper Palooza”, a new addition to our weekend favorites.  Good lessons were taught by all staff. We have a terrific team of teaching staff, as well as a huge group of Counselors in Training.  Anyone who says that kids don’t want to work these days should come watch these young women!  Our mandatory Staff Training weekends, Becky’s brainchild, are really paying off.  With between 3 and 6 days of training during the school year, these staff member are teaching much more effectively. They are also much more able to be room counselors and take care of the non-riding things that come up. As a result, the kids are learning a huge amount more, while having a far better time in their rooms and during at evening activities at camp.
            On Wednesday afternoon, the girls were able to pick from a variety of activities.  Sign up happens during Rest Hour.  Activities included a trip to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, Vaulting (Gymnastics on Horseback) on Gruffy, our 18 hand Clydesdale, Catch Riding, more Stable management and a mounted lesson on the greener horses.  With plenty to do, each girl had someone fun to be with and something fun to do!
            That night we were treated to a most exciting “First Ever” at camp.  For the first time in 41 years, we had a Hawk and Falconry Live Demonstration.  All the girls and staff went to the Indoor Arena right after dinner. They were met with actual hawks and falcons from the nearby Connolly Brothers’ Farm, home of the best ice cream in the world! With four young girls, the camp kids’ ages, presenting and demonstrating, the evening flew by.  What was supposed to be a 45 minute show turned into 2 hours of delight.  I am not sure who loved it more, the owner of the raptors, the girls who presented, or the camp community, but it was a huge hit.  Everyone had such a great time that they are coming back before camp ends so the campers can pet more raptors and even ride while holding one. What a rare and special treat this was for everyone.
            Thursday was supposed to feature the Camping Trip up the mountain with the ponies. Sadly it was too likely to thunderstorm to dare to take the kids and horses that far from the farm.  We have rescheduled this for Monday and Tuesday night of this coming week.  We are offering camping over two nights because so many kids signed up!  We were able to have lessons and really dig in to get ready for the jumping event this weekend.  Trail classes and courses were planned and practiced.  Everyone stayed safe, and the lightening and torrential rains only came during the night when everyone was happily slumbering in their warm, dry beds in the lodge!
            Friday morning dawned a little rainy but not so much so that we couldn’t have a last lesson before the weekend.  Again, thanks to the super footing, everyone was able to stay safe and secure despite the significant amount of rain fall.  We did decide to not offer the Hunter Derby and Outside Course jumping for the Jumperlooza as the footing would have been slippery and muddy.  All the jumps that had been moved down by staff on Thursday sadly had to be moved back yesterday to make the courses in the rings.
            During the afternoon, I took the two littlest groups of riders and some staff for a carriage driving trip down to Connolly’s Bros. Farm for ice cream.  I drove the beautiful new pair of Haflingers ,which we lovingly call Magic Mike and Beautiful Ben! These treasures were just donated to the farm and are proving to be a total success both with riding and driving.  They are so quiet and well trained that it is simple to drive a whole group of kids and be safe doing it.  We also drove four other turnouts of single ponies…allowing the kids to get a feel for actually taking the reins.  They did a beautiful job and all loved the ice cream. They so enjoyed driving up to get the treat.  They kept saying, “Where else can a kid do this on a summer day?” I had to agree!
            Meanwhile, ‘back at the ranch’, the older kids joined with the staff to create five different courses of varying levels of difficulty for today’s event.  They decorated and organized their hearts out as Andi, our Head Trainer, took each group of riders on a ‘course walk’.  She explained how to ride the corners, how to establish pace, where to look and how to negotiate the difficult bending lines and roll backs.  Andi has added so much expertise to our team that it was cool to see the kids figuring out their different lines on their courses for today.  I can’t wait to see the results of their new revelations.
            Last night, the kids did Personal Scavenger Hunt, which is a game like Jeopardy but with questions about Pony Farm and their favorite singers, movies, TV, etc.  We started the Pony Farm Olympics with this event. It is one of 8 events they will do over the next week, simulating the actual Olympics.  Each team is made up of one rider from each riding group.  They will ride for their team at their appropriate level and then garner points. Some of the events will be mounted, some with stable management, and some fun non-horsey things.  It will culminate on their last night.  Other events are things like Hunter Pace, today’s Jumperlooza, tack cleaning, Horse Know Down, and Gymkhana games.  It is a great way to get in lots of riding and team building!
            Next week will feature the camping trips, Cheshire Fair, and swimming with the ponies.  We will also practice specialties which will include Carriage Driving, Vaulting, Hunter Derby, the Puissance, Courses and mounted games.  We will not be bored!
            I hope I have given you a flavor of what a terrific time we are having together.  We can do all of this and more because your children are so organized and attentive! It is a pleasure to plan complicated things like camping trips with horses.  I am sorry that you got the whole load today instead of little bites during the week.  I really did fall down on the job of Blogging.  We will write about the Jumperlooza today in the next blog, I promise.
            As I approach my 60th birthday, I have to say that I cannot believe that I am so blessed.  I feel like I am the luckiest person on earth.  With such wonderful campers, loving staff, dear horses and a farm that sparkles, what could be a more rewarding or exciting way to spend my life!!!???  Thank you for sharing your daughters with me.  Thank you for choosing Pony Farm.  Thank you for making my life so bright and beautiful.
                                                                        Most warmly and with a big smile,
                                                                        Boo 

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