My daughter is going to horse camp soon, how to prepare her?

My daughter is almost 13 years old and has never been on a horse larger than a county fair pony that just walks in circles. This a Girl Scout horse program that lasts for 5 days and I want to be able to find out what I should tell her to expect? Or if there is a helpful link that anyone has?


The horse camp has 6 different levels and this is the first- for beginners. Also I need to buy her a good pair of shoes with a heel (for the stirrups) and don%26#039;t want to spend a lot of money on boots, so is there something else that could work?





Thank you

My daughter is going to horse camp soon, how to prepare her?
My suggestion is to call the horse camp and ask them what your daughter should bring with her and what she should be expecting. This is also a good chance to ask them if it%26#039;s okay to bring shoes for the stirrups other than boots (they may be required by the particular camp). If you can%26#039;t get a hold of them, try their website or email them.
Reply:I attended and assisted at a girl scout horse camp for many years. The beginner or first year we had was Appaloosa%26#039;s and it was a week. The camp I went to was Camp Daisy Hindman. We slept in tents (or cabins depending) each night. We had showers but no hot water. We had two unit counsilers who were like big sisters really. The horses are bigger than fair ponies. They are calm and extremely well broke, however they are animals and unpredictable. In about 10 years we only had 2 slip ups and that was with the %26quot;wranglers%26quot; (adults in charge) and new horses. The wranglers will not put your daughter on a horse she isn%26#039;t comfortable in. Camp Dasiy had a %26quot;conession stand%26quot; where we could by everything from candy and pop to t-shirts and beanie babys. Our councilers each night would give everyone in the unit a hug or high-five, their (the campers) choice. We had a nurse on hand and registered lifegaurds. We had a lake to canoe on and a swimming pool. Camp was my favorite week of the summer and really the only reason I sold cookies. It helped me with independce (and moving to college).





As for the boots I would try a vanderbilts or orchalen or tracter supply and tell them you are looking for cheep boots with a smooth heel that she can wear to camp. Make sure she wears them before the week of camp. Boots can be cruel if they are new and your walking for long periods of time.





Tell her to have as much fun as possible and make lots of friends!!!!
Reply:Hi, Lyn! Thank you for the email. I%26#039;m glad to help!





First off, congrats on you%26#039;re daugher going to camp! I bet she%26#039;s excited.





OK, even though your daughter has hardly been on a horse, it%26#039;s no problem. Camps like this are designed especially for children like yours, who have hardly ever or never ridden before. The horses that the camps use are usually older, and EXTREMLY well broke animals. They always have a camp counselour around the kids and the horses so there is no possibility of injuries.





Tell your daughter to be cautious around these animals (She will be lectured and taught when she arrives at camp, but there is not harm in telling her yourself first). It will be fun for her, of course, but make sure you remind her that horses are unpredictalble animals (No matter HOW well trained, horses are bigger than people)


But not to worry, I%26#039;m sure your daughter will have NO problems with the camp horses! :)





At camp, you%26#039;re daughter will surely have plenty of kids her age to hang out with. The group will probably learn about Equestrian grooming, feeding, taking care of, owning, and riding horses. They will probably go on trail rides and have %26quot;horse play days%26quot; with their counselors and team members. Alert, your daughter should NEVER be left unattended when riding a horse. There should and will always be a consouler with the kids. But all in all, your girl will more than likely have plenty of fun and make new friends......Equine buddies and human buds!





For the shoes, there is no reason that you have to go out and buy an expensive pair of riding boots. Go to a second hand store and buy a simple pair of flat toed, heel cowboy boots. You don%26#039;t want anything that has a rubbery or choppy surface (Ex: like the bottoms you find on sneakers or normal shoes.) They need to be smooth and hard. The reason for that is incase your child gets thrown or falls off a horse, her shoes will not get caught in the stirrup, she can just easily slip them out. Just DO NOT let your daughter simply bring sneakers....they probably wont allow her to ride if that is what she is equipped with. Like I said, a second hand store should do fine. No need to get fancy and expensive. I hope this helps, and if you have anymore questions, just ask! Hope your daughter has fun!
Reply:Hi!! Since I am a camp Councillor, you should bring the following to the Camp:





- snacks


- riding helmet (certified brand such as Troxel)


- a pair of boots that have a deep heel - you can use workboots too


- grooming supplies to the horse she will be using have healthy hair and skin condition (optional)


- drinks


- extra cash incase they go somewhere


- health card number


- clothes and a bathing suits


- towels


- toothbrush with toothpaste


- Shampoo and Conditioner


- Your talent


- Insect Repelent


- allergy - antiflammitory medicine just in case





You should expect her to learn the basics on steering, keeping her balance, the importance of grooming, and the gaits such as walking, trotting, if she is really good, loping. Since she is in level 1 they don%26#039;t expect her to do much in doing things - just having a good time and learning about the horses. She will be assigned a horse to use all week or when she is at camp and it will be her responsiblities to make sure her horse is okay and happy. She may go on and hour or 2 trail rides with her fellow campers.





There will be crafts for your daughter to do and maybe painting horseshoes and making things for her room. Also I think that there will be pictures taken on the first day riding her horse. She will have a blast.





I can give you a helpful link as well just for you to help with your question





www.ruralroutes.com/healeyfalls and this link have a horse camp pictures of campers and all the horses. I don%26#039;t know what saddle your daughter is riding in so this is making it a little difficult.





If you have any questions you can e-mail me - megs_905@hotmail.com and I will be more than happy to help your questions or concerns.





Good luck and I wish your daughter all the best and believe me - she is going to have so much fun.





Meaghan
Reply:For the camp, since you dont really know a lot of horses, I wouldnt telll her anything. It should be a lot of fun though! Just be prepared for her to ask if she can have a horse when she gets back! For a show, I got a show that I cant remember what the brand was. But in the mall mens department, I bought a pair of $20 that had a heel. They work but they only last a year if you have 4 lessons a week like I do. Or I would also consider an ariat paddock boot. I think one of the very common but not expensive paddock boot and the ariat paddock. If you order a catologe from doversaddlrey and statelinetack when you see them you will know what im talking about. I think they are at $100? But not sure. Also, you mite want to consider to buy her riding pants. Then it will make her look for.... I dont know what its called. But she will be the only one wearing them in her group I bet! Hope this helped ~Grace
Reply:I LOVE horse camp. Don%26#039;t freak! Make sure she has a bed if not provided. Water bottle,snacks,and she WILL NEED boots. Try E-bay.com There%26#039;s always some deal on there. If you have any more Q%26#039;s e-mail me at kirstenw1993@yahoo.com





Good luck and God bless,


Kirsten
Reply:Your daughter can ride in anything with a low heel (about one inch) that doesn%26#039;t restrict her movement. Have her stand with one foot on a chair with her heel down. If her boots allow her to do that she should be fine. For safety, avoid boots with thick soles or have soles that look like running shoes. The heel and sole reduces the risk of her foot getting caught in the stirrup in such a way as to cause a fall or be dragged in the case of a fall.





Too high heels are almost as bad as no heels because they interfere with the riding position she needs to learn. I rode for years in totes slush boots, but they are easier to find in winter. the camp will probably have safety stirrups (if its an English camp;no horn) that will fall off or open if the rider falls, freeing the foot.





I never did girl scout camp, but I would expect the do learn about grooming and tacking and safe handling of horses before they ever get on one. They will probably spend a lot of time learning to control the horse at the walk, and MAYBE progress to a trot.





If she doesn%26#039;t come home begging for a horse or more lessons, she%26#039;ll be unusual. Lessons are the best bet until she has more experience.
Reply:First of all, congratulations on your decision to send your daughter to camp !!! This will be a wonderful experience for her, and she will come home with memories that will last a lifetime. ( I am an adult in my 40%26#039;s, and I still have very vivid memories of attending my first horse camp when I was 10, over 30 years ago.) I am sure that your daughter is practically jumping off the walls, she is so excited to be going. I know what that is like- I felt the same way all those years ago myself.


There are some things that you will want to consider before your daughter leaves, however, that will help to ensure that her experience is all that it should be and that she has a happy, healthy, and fun time. The first on the list, and perhaps the most important, is proper attire for riding and working with horses. Your daughter needs 2 things that will keep her safe: a pair of closed toed, sturdy shoes with a heel of at LEAST 2 inches, AND an approved riding helmet. ( It%26#039;s possible that the camp she%26#039;s going to will provide helmets, but if they don%26#039;t, then you need to have a backup plan for your daughter%26#039;s protection and safety.





I want to address the helmet issue first, because it is the most important factor in ensuring that your daughter has a safe experience. Everyone who rides or is on a horse, no matter what they are doing, MUST wear a safety helmet at all times WHEN MOUNTED. That is the rule at most camps, stables, and barns, and it should be the rule in all facilities where there are horses. Helmets protect the most vulnerable part of the body in a fall or accident- the rider%26#039;s head and brain. Helmets save lives. There are several companies out there that sell and make top quality helmets, but the 2 that are the best are the International Riding Helmets (or IRH, as it is often called) and the Troxel company. I use an IRH myself when I ride ( I have a mare that I am training in dressage, and my sister keeps a string of polo horses, and we also board horses on our farm) and they are really nice. They are light weight, are vented for comfort on hot summer days, and come in a wide variety of colors and styles. IRH helmets are NOT that expensive- I was able to get mine for about $25 from one of the vet supply companies. But perhaps the most important thing is that all the IRH helmets are ASTM/SEI certified, and meet all the applicable standards and rules for showing and safety on the trail. The Troxel helmets are also certified, but they do tend to be a little more pricey than the IRH%26#039;s. You can buy either type from one of the tack companies like Stateline or Dover saddlery, or from a vet supply company like Valley Vet, which sells them at a discount. Go online to these companies%26#039; websites ( they are all a www. company name. com type sites) and check out the prices- they should range anywhere from $25 to as much as $70 for a top of the line Troxel. This may seem like a lot- but I can tell you from personal experience that it%26#039;s a LOT cheaper to pay for a good helmet than it is to pay expensive hospital or even funeral costs in case of an accident. Bike helmets DO NOT WORK for riding, because they aren%26#039;t designed for the sport. I know this other writer probably meant well, but a bike helmet does not provide the kind of padding and protection that a riding helmet does.





Helmets must fit correctly in order to maximize the protective function. Your daughter%26#039;s helmet should sit squarely on her head, and should NOT move either back or forward when the safety harness ( which is rather ignorantly called the chin strap by some who aren%26#039;t familiar with such things) is fastened. There should be enough room between the harness and your daughter%26#039;s chin or jaw for you or her counselor to comfortably insert one finger when the helmet is fastened. If your little girl has long hair and wears a pony tail, like I do, then you will need to remind her to push the fastener or holder down out of the way when she puts her helmet on. Lastly, it goes without saying that the safety harness must ALWAYS be fastened when the helmet is on- a helmet without this is a helmet that will provide NO PROTECTION whatever in case of a fall, and it may even come off !!!





A final word on the helmet issue- DO NOT attempt to get a helmet from a discount online broker like e-bay !!! The reason I say this is because you will not know the history of any helmet you may get from them, and there is no way for you to tell if the helmet has already been through a fall or not. Modern riding helmets are designed so that when a fall occurs, they protect the wearer by partially self destructing on impact with the ground. Any helmet that has been through a fall of this type should be immediately destroyed, as it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to wear it again. A helmet like this will provide no protection at ALL, and because the damage is internal and not visible, there is no way to tell by looking if the helmet has this problem or not. If you buy a helmet on e-bay, you are taking a considerable risk with your daughter%26#039;s safety- and I know from having worked with kids who have been through falls and accidents that it just isn%26#039;t worth it !!! Your daughter%26#039;s safety is your first consideration as a parent- she is your most precious possession.





As far as footwear goes, you can get sturdy closed toed shoes just about anywhere- but I would agree with one of the other writers and recommend that you get your daughter a pair of paddock boots. These can be purchased either on line or at a local tack store ( check your local phone book for the number and name of one where you live) and are also available in a wide variety of styles and colors. Your daughter can wear jeans for riding and working in the barn- I do this all the time for my lessons, and jeans are much less expensive and more comfortable than breeches, not to mention easier to keep clean. Your daughter DOES NOT need jodphurs- she is TOO old for them at 13. Jodphurs are worn by little kids under the age of 8, and your daughter is a teenager now. You will want to make sure that your daughter has a variety of long and short -sleeved shirts to wear, as well as a rain coat, before she leaves for camp. The rain coat needs to be of a type that is close fitting, and it should NOT rattle or make any noise when she puts it on. ( This is because horses will sometimes spook at strange noises, and a rattling raincoat is one of the things that can set a horse off.)





Some final thoughts on preparation for camp before I tell you a little more about myself. First, before your daughter leaves for camp, she needs to see her pediatrician for a complete check up. It is vitally important that she be up to date on her tetanus immunizations, as anyone who works with or around horses is at risk for this disease. Make sure that you tell the doctor that your daughter is going to a horse camp, so that he or she can check on this for you. Your daughter will need to take along plenty of bug repellent ( Deep Woods OFF works really well, and so does the Cutter Insect spray) and sunscreen or sunblock. Another hint for you- make sure that your daughter has been given at least a basic explanation of the menstrual process BEFORE she leaves for camp, and make sure that she has the necessary sanitary supplies with her. I have taught riding in the camp setting for many, many years myself ( I%26#039;m a certified instructor with over 20 years in the horse business as a whole, including several seasons of teaching) and I can%26#039;t begin to tell you how many times I have had young girls come to me crying and scared because they suddenly started their first periods and no one ever told them anything about it. Camp is a prime place for this to happen, because of all the excitement and stress that the experience typically brings to a young girl%26#039;s life. So take a hint from an experienced professional and tell your daughter the facts of life before she leaves. You will both be glad for it later, believe me.





Camp will be a very busy, rewarding time for your little girl- she will have lots of other girls around her own age to be friends with, and they will have lots of fun things for her to do. She will get lessons in how to groom, tie, saddle, bridle, mount, dismount, and starting and stopping a horse. She will also learn something about horse breeds and colors, horse care and feeding, stall cleaning ( a necessary evil that all horsepeople face) and horse health care. Depending on how quickly she picks things up, she will learn to trot, and may even get a chance to try her hand at the canter. There will be swimming at the lake or pool in the afternoons, trail rides, and campfires at night, with lots of songs, stories, laughter, and jokes. This is what horse camp was like for me- and she will have a similar experience. She will grow as a person, and if she is at all like I was, she will make friendships that will last her for the rest of her life. ( I did this- I still keep in touch with my first instructor from that camp I attended as a child, and we are still friends- more than 30 years later !!!) Good luck to you, and I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful summer !!!
Reply:Groom her twice a day and feed her oats.
Reply:Most beginner camps will start riders off with the basics: brushing the horse before the ride, explanations of what different brushes are used for, demonstrations on tacking up correctly and the function of each piece of equipment, the proper way to hold the reins, placement of the foot in the stirrup, etc. In the beginning, it%26#039;s likely she%26#039;ll be learning the fundamentals of a good position. She may do simple walk-halt transitions and practice steering the horse in a circle. It may take a little while before she%26#039;s comfortable enough to begin trotting.





The best thing to buy her would be paddock boots, as they%26#039;re designed specifically for riding. I don%26#039;t recommend work boots, as the toes can be too thick to fit comfortably in the stirrups. Sneakers are always a definite no. The reason we ride in boots with heels is to prevent the foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup and getting caught, which can be fatal if she falls. You don%26#039;t have to pay a fortune for boots at this stage, either. There are a few companies that put out leather-like boots for between $25 and $40. You can check them out at Dover (http://www.doversaddlery.com/category.as... ), where you can order them online. A local tack store might carry some less expensive brands, too.





When she rides, remember to have her wear long pants, preferably jods or jeans. If she picks up the riding bug, you may want to invest in additional equipment like half-chaps (which will help prevent her lower leg from sliding), a helmet, and proper riding attire. Also remember to pack lots of water for her, as riding especially in the hot summer can be exhausting.
Reply:it may be better not to tell her what to expect as it may not be the right information from anyone. it should be an experience for her to remember as she learns the ropes of brushing and combing out an animal that will be bigger than she is not to mention the fact that no one can tell her how she needs to act around the horses because everyone responds to horses in different ways. she will learn first how to care for them and may even have to clean out their stalls.


when i went to buy my horse %26quot;Mystic Majic Lil Lady%26quot;i didnt pick her. i stood out in the paduct amongst 9 yearlings and let them pick me. Lady was the only one that came over to me and we bonded. she trusted me and i trusted her.


hopefully when the kids get to the camp they will have that oppertunity to let the horses choose them and your daughter will have a great experience when she finally gets to ride. i beleive that a bond between the rider and the horse is important. there has to be trust. even if the horses are older.


also she would do well if you made her unafraid of them as they will more than likley beable to sence fear and will not perform as well together.


i was always told not to sit high up in the saddle and to always use my thighs to help me stay on the horse better. thigh strength is important.


as far as the boots go its best to get second hand boots because they will get very dirty if she has to clean out the stalls. dont spend a fortune on them as she may decide this is only a phase and may walk away from it and never do it again. also her feet are still growing so she wont be in them long... there are a lot of second hand stores that may have these boots like saint vincent de pauls..





hope this helped


cheers


josie





ps please let me know how she goes at camp. send me a photo as well on her horse if you can.
Reply:I work at a horse camp and we always get all sorts of beginners-- We teach them how to groom, tack, ride and forma great bond with these wonderful animals =) Don%26#039;t worry about sending her there, tell her to expect FUN! They wont make her do anything, what we do is generally give them a little test to see how well they can ride and then put them on a suitable horse after that and group them all together! At our camp we allow tennis shoes just fine, as long as the riders are wearing helmets and long pants! So pack full length jeans!
Reply:You will need to protect her head from injury. If they do not provide one, buy a CSA helmet. A bike helmet will do in a pinch if it can be secured tightly. Warning! DO NOT BUY A SECOND-HAND HELMET!Your daughter will come home bugging you to buy a horse-so get ready to be bombarded with pleads. Better horses than boys, at this point! Good luck and safe riding. Happy Trails.
Reply:I am a 13 year old Girl Scout from Broward County that is also going to attend a GS horse camp. I started riding last summer and the best advice I have for you is for the both of you to relax. If she follows the rules of camp she%26#039;ll be fine. I have been camping for a few years and the ladies running the camp will guide her around and answer all her questions. I recommend calling the camp to answer your questions. I bought a great pair of boots at Pet Smart for about $40. I guess you can%26#039;t put a price on saftey I guess! If you would like to talk to me about anything, email me at skellington924@yahoo.com.



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