Monday July
2nd, 2012
Dear Moms and Dads, and Grandparents, Too!
What a
great couple of days we have just had. I
loved seeing some of you at the show. Thanks for coming. For those of you who were not there, we
surely took care of your kids and loved them in your stead. We can’t wait to show you all that they have
learned at the upcoming Parents’ Exhibition…or “Expedition”, as some of the
kids have called it! As a reminder, the
arrival time is at 10AM. You can check in with Becky and me to chat and then we
can all go to the riding rings to see the kids ‘strut their stuff’ for you. It
is better not to come much sooner than that as I always worry that someone will
get stepped on or bumped if everyone is hugging in the barn aisles with horses
moving by! As you know, we like to keep everyone safe and sound, parents
included. We look forward to having you
arrive and giving you a great time.
Please remember to bring a picnic
for all the troops you bring with you. We will serve dessert and will have plenty
of drinks for everyone. It is a great
way to wrap up a session.
Now for the
low down on what has been happening. We
had a wonderful show on Saturday. It dawned bright and beautiful without being
too hot. The breeze kept the bugs and sweat away. The blue sky was amazing. The kids who rode were just wonderful. It is
no mean feat in five days to get the girls on the right ponies or horses and
prepared to compete against kids who ride their own horse all year around and
are competing most every weekend. I was
so proud of the campers and our staff because, to my eye, they were all so
correctly mounted and in the right divisions.
A couple of kids were up against super stiff competition as they were
our better riders and were showing against kids who compete “down south” for
the winter and who were not on ‘camp horses’ to say the least. I adore our horses but with us having to
mount 36 kids, we clearly cannot offer the quality of mount that an individual
family can do for one child.
The entire
day really went smoothly and happily.
For the kids who chose not to ride (sparing you some entry fees!!!), they
happily helped their friends and cheered on the whole team. We opened the pool
area for their enjoyment mid-day and the sparkling waters were well used to
cool off. We all just enjoyed being on a
farm and with each other. Because your
girls are so delightful, the whole thing came together beautifully and happily. It was a treat to be a part of it all.
This day
ended with the Hunter Derby Classes out on the far field which we now call the
Derby Field. We are building a clientele of people who are drawn to enjoying
riding outside of a ring and over some fun jumps at a nice clip. This was a great gathering of all the kids to
showcase really good riding and horsemanship.
It was one of the highlights of my day!
At the end
of it all, I think all the girls had a great experience…some stretching
themselves…some winning….some not placing…some trying again…some helping
others…some cheering on and making decisions against competition…and some
getting all blues…a microcosm of life as we know it. I ended the day with a smile and went to bed
on a Saturday night by dark!!!
Sunday
morning was a peaceful, sweet and relaxing morning. With a movie to entertain the small ones and
the leisure to sleep in, the camp fully awoke mid-day to a rolling breakfast,
good books to read, friends with whom to chat, muffins to munch and generally a
campers ‘day off’! With a delicious
mid-day meal under their bellies, off they went to the pool with our life guard
and lots of arts & crafts to do. Several tanned while others read and still
others played with the small farm animals who live right next to the pool. I
drove the miniature horses and Peaches with pony carts for those who were dying
to try carriage driving. We had a nice leisurely stroll with CITS helping the
parade.
Meanwhile,
everyone was gearing up for the Talent Show…and Talent indeed was shown. In all
my 41 years of Talent Shows, this was the all-time show stopper! What talents
were displayed for all the camp to see.
Woweeeeeeeeeeeeeee…All those lessons and carpools and time spent away
from ‘home and hearth’ were worth it. The gymnastics, singing, piano playing,
dancing, skits, and cavorting were truly magical. In a day and age of obesity, physical
un-fitness and sloth, your girls are beating the odds in spades. They are
poised, positive, funny, capable, smart, witty, able and smarts all over again.
Wow and wow. I was dazzled as I sat there happily with the bugs munching on my
ankles! I would not have traded it for anything.
We then
went in to Vespers where such wonderful songs were sung and words were said. I
always wish that parents could be a ‘fly on the wall’ with us at Vespers every
night. It is so beautiful to see all the girls bathed in candlelight as they
read wonderful poems or stories that they have written. They are all learning the camp songs that
have been our tradition for now 41 years. It is the perfect and peaceful ending
to a day of activity.
Today
dawned beautiful and clear as Becky and I heaved a sigh of relief as it was the
day of the Pony Camping trip up the mountain.
To our delight and surprise, 22 kids signed up to come with us. We
worked with the kitchen crew to organize the breakfast and dinner meals, as
well as a yummy snack after riding there, setting up the tents and before
swimming in the mountain stream, complete with a natural waterslide. We had the
packing lists ready and everyone was excited as they dreamed of sleeping under
the stars.
Everyone
was also excited to do the Hunter Pace and Treasure Hunt. This is a great way to start the riding week
after a series of serious lessons to prep for the horse show. The girls are
divided up in teams with two team captains.
They then ride a five mile dirt road out through the countryside with
staff stationed all the way along the ride as safety check points. The girls
are scored on their teamwork and good judgment.
It is a great experience to have and the captains all take ‘their team’
to heart. All went well on the ride
despite one team getting lost momentarily and walking home in the rain on foot
leading their horses…but that is foreshadowing!
The littler
kids did a fun mounted Treasure Hunt with clues which lead them all around the
farm. They were great at guessing and ended up with a happy first trail ride
with staff on foot. They guessed things
quickly and a fun time was had by all.
As the kids
came in to eat lunch and begin packing, the heavens opened. Arghhh!
Becky had already loaded all the tents and equipment in preparation and
the kitchen staff had our meals ready.
We had to call it at the moment because we simply can’t be out there in
the pouring rain. As luck would have it,
about an hour after we decided not to go and rearranged the schedule, the blue
sky returned. We decided to keep to our
decision as the ground would have been sopping wet and the firewood too wet to
build a cooking fire. The kids were good
sports and we promised to take them on Thursday afternoon. With the help of the internet we were able to
see that there is 0% chance of rain! So,
camping we will go.
The kids
all chose activities…We offered Slip and Slide on the front lawn, training some
of the new horses to jump better, an actual lesson for both the more beginner
and more advanced riders, a Bareback lesson, and Catch Riding. All of the other things are pretty
self-explanatory, but Catch Riding is where they tack up their own horse and
then spend the time switching to ride the other horses. The girls love this as
they like to feel how different horses go.
It was a
fun and lively afternoon with a nice cool breeze. I am sad we didn’t go camping
but the thought of everyone’s sleeping bag being wet was less than appealing.
As I left for the evening to come write this and do some other farm business,
they were happily eating tacos and madly planning their Pony Farm Fashion
Show…a real hit with all ages. After a silly and fun evening, they will again
do Vespers and sing before tucking in for a peaceful sleep dreaming of ponies
and more fun the next day.
So, all
ends well that began well. The kids are getting along nicely. The couple of kids who were homesick are
thriving and all is well in the land of Pony Farm. Thank you again for entrusting your beautiful
young women to us. We are all having a
blast and enjoying every minute of the magic of summer on a working horse
farm. What could be better!
See you at
10AM on Saturday. I look forward to
welcoming you with open arms!
Warmly,
Boo
Once again, Thank You for keeping us so well informed! What you and your wonderful staff are doing for the girls is just priceless! I must admit, I'm feeling a bit envious, I wish I could be of camping age again. I'll have to save my pennies & join you for WOW! Please give every staff member, including yourself, a hug from me and a special squeeze to my favorite CIT and Camper! Fondly, Lynn co-leader of the Wasilewski Clan
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