Pony Farm Session 5B - Rocking a Rainy Day

Dear Camp Families,

This is my last blog of the camp season.  It makes me sad to think that Saturday we return your children to you and start sending our visiting horses home. 

People often ask me if I am glad that Pony Farm is over for the year. I am never glad camp is over. When the final session is done, however, I will admit I'm glad the responsibility of camp is over.  I love it, but it is a lot!  (And that is what they call an under statement.)

You might be wondering what your cherubs have been up to this week. We have been busy with riding lessons, camping trips, trips to swim at the falls, catch riding, carriage driving, hanging out with the small animals, and swimming in the pool!

You might also be wondering what we do on a day like Wednesday when it poured all day. I'm happy to report that after 43 years, Pony Farm knows how to make the most of a rainy day.

Campers find out the rainy day plan of attack

 
In the morning we started with tack cleaning. That's a job that comes with the sport of riding, and every rider needs to know how to do it. It's no one's favorite task, but it that makes it kind of a life skill as well!

After tack cleaning, we had a barn competition to get the barns (upper, lower, and outside) spiffed up.  The barn crew who cleaned the best, cleared away the most trash, and returned the most items to the lost and found won ... a whole candy bar.

Now you might think a candy bar isn't much of a reward.  But typically there isn't any candy at Pony Farm. A whole candy bar is a big deal in these parts.  In fact, the competition got pretty steep. Some campers took other team's trash and then were eventually disqualified because they continued to not listen to the rules when they were VERY CLEAR.  (Who knew trash could be so valuable? And that barn cleaning competition turns out to be a life skill, too!)

In the afternoon we played a horse trivia game with five teams of campers. The trivia topic was -- you guessed it -- horses!  (There might have been candy involved in this too!)

The horse trivia board: "I'll take Clydesdales for 500, Alex."

 Wednesday night we played Personal Scavenger Hunt, one of my favorite camp games. We divide the camp into teams.  Then, we ask a trivia question about the farm, horses, maybe pop culture, or the campers might have to sing or dance.  Each team sends one member up to slap the table to answer the question.  The first person to slap the table gets to answer.  We keep score and the team with the most points wins.  In good weather, we play on the back lawn, but it was too wet for that, so we played in the indoor arena. Not as pretty inside, but very dry!

Thursday, we swam with the horses and had lessons, and after dinner had another OAPF event -- Pony Farm's Next Top Model. Today your campers were busy with lessons, and packing, and working on the specialty they'll show you tomorrow.

We will be seeing you all really soon!

Best,

Becky
Co-Director, Pony Farm

PS Did you miss our amazing Session 5B campers taking the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge"?

Post by Pony Farm.

Pony Farm Session 5A - What, Already?!

Dear Camp Families,

It has been a while since I have written.  I do apologize.  I can only make so many excuses for why I haven't written -- but here is my list!

• Hanging out and getting to know your daughters! (Who are fabulous, by the way. Maybe you already knew that.)
  

  

  You know, just hanging out with Jordan

• Helping out at our home horse show
• Playing personal scavenger hunt
• Playing the Chocolate Game
• Holding community meetings with campers
• Going swimming
• Taking pictures of camp activities
• Playing Counselor Quest (I always get found.  What's with that?)
• Petting ponies, horses, dogs, goats, sheep, and the donkey
• Talking to the chickens!

Oh and running a camp. I forgot to put that on my list.

In all seriousness, Session 5 has arrived. It's hard to believe it's come so quickly. Your daughters are a terrific group of girls!  Horse matching, the first order of business, went very well on Monday, with only 4 re-rides in the afternoon.

Heading back to the barn: the only drama is in that sky

 While re-rides happen, the rest of the campers play with small animals and take their swim test.  We have a jam-packed week coming up with a fashion show (the Pony Farm version, of course!), riding lessons, bag skits, Counselor Quest, the ice cream trough, swimming with the horses, carriage driving with Boo, and a whole lot more.

Guess what's the quickest path to a pony's heart?

 So, if you'll excuse me ...

Session 5A has an agenda!

 Best,

Becky
Co-Director, Pony Farm

PS: Speaking of the horse show, check out some photos on Facebook:

Post by Touchstone Farm.

Pony Farm Session 1 is Off to the Races!

Dear Pony Farm Camp Families,

Roxy was up bright and early
this morning too!

First, your girls are fabulous!  What a lovely, outgoing, polite group of kids!  There was no home sickness last night as everyone got ready for bed, a sure sign of a great session.  Naturally some of them had a hard time staying quiet until 7:30 this morning.  (But really, who can blame them? I would have a hard time, too!)

It is a gorgeous day here in southern NH.  The sun is out, and it is a little cool. But it's going to warm up in time for swim tests this afternoon. Jordan Reynolds, our Barn Manager, is also a certified life guard. She takes care of swim tests on the first day to make sure everyone can be safe in the pool -- and when swimming the horses, which happens later this week!

Meeting at the big red rock for barn chores

This morning the campers are working on barn chores, and then we will have breakfast.  After breakfast, the girls will get dressed to ride and clean their rooms.  Yes, you read that right. They clean their rooms here!  

We have too many moving parts not to try to stay organized, and that includes camper rooms.  I will tell you our secret to getting our campers to clean their rooms:  We have a competition for room clean up, and everyone in the cleanest room gets Connolly's ice cream.  (Some people may call this bribing, others might call it positive reinforcement.  I just call it smart.)

After they are dressed we will have a community meeting going over how the day will run!  Then we send them down to the barns to get tacked up and test out those ponies and horses!

Best,

Becky

PS Like Pony Farm on Facebook and check out lots more photos. We'll be posting through the week!

Riding in Roxy's Posse

Me and my girl, Roxy

I told you last week about Dusty, my first lesson horse at Touchstone Farm. He was a quiet, genial soul, just right for a complete beginner. These days, I ride a sturdy little American Quarter Horse named Roxy.

At 19 years old, Roxy is a beloved mainstay of Touchstone Farm:

• She’s taught countless children and adults to ride in the Touchstone lesson program.
• She’s a trusted partner in Horse Power.
• She’s a perennial favorite in Pony Farm Summer Camp.

 

Touchstone Farm is full of well-loved horses, but Roxy’s fan club is particularly large and active. I can’t put Roxy’s star quality into words, but she surely has it. 

Roxy and Winter Keeler
team up for a Horse Power
lesson during black fly season

For example: Last summer, I shared Roxy with whichever Pony Farm camper was riding her each week. Each time I arrived for my lesson, before I could take Roxy, an entire receiving line of campers had to give her a pat, a hug, and a kiss on the nose. Seriously, this happened every week.

This summer, Roxy isn’t on the roster for camp horses. However, she pinch hits when camp needs a rock-solid horse for swimming or overnight camp-outs on the trail. I am sure that by August, a whole crop of 2012 campers will be life members of the Roxy fan club.

I SO want to swim with Roxy!

I’m just as smitten. Some days, I drop by the farm simply to scratch Roxy’s ears for a few minutes. She is very fond of ear scratches, and being in her company is guaranteed to improve my day.

So, to sum up: Roxy = trusted + talented + beloved

If this were a soap opera, Roxy would be just the sort of good character who turns out to have a mysterious Evil Twin. This twin would look just like Roxy but she sure wouldn’t act like Roxy. 

Well, as it happens … but that’s another story. Tune in next week for the tale of Roxy’s Evil Twin.

See you around the farm,

Kathy McDonald

Rider and Volunteer at Touchstone Farm