Stay Camp is when the youth stay overnight at the camp Monday
through Friday. Students can arrive on Sunday evening if from out of town and
may leave on the following Saturday morning for additional fees. Dormitories and
meals will be provided. Students will need to bring clothes, health and beauty
aids and bedding. The student may bring their own horse with making arrangement
ahead of time, however the horse must have up-to-date health papers and negative
coggins test.
We teach English and Western style riding. Our riding program
focuses on training riders for excellence, no matter what level or discipline
they are at. All of our classes are taught inside an arena and safety of the
horse and rider comes first. All campers will participate in a daily
riding lesson every morning.
Our highly structured program provides excellent training by
certified instructors for those just learning to ride, while teaching the finer
points of equitation and horsemanship to the experienced rider. All students
learn how to handle themselves around horses and how to keep themselves and
their mounts safe.
All camps are required, as a group, to share the work in
caring for all the horses. All campers will be participating in daily stable
chores: cleaning stalls, sweeping, feeding and watering.
We offer our students, beginners as well as accomplished,
professional guidance proportionate to their experience. We hold two types of
camps based on the student’s riding ability and experience: Advanced Camp and
Beginner/Intermediate Camp.
Advanced Camp
Advanced Camp is for students who have ridden for over 2
years and have taken English riding lessons. Riders who can ride green horses
and who have or are ready to learn how to train young horses. These
sessions will take the rider further into their riding experience by allowing
them to train young and green horses. The advanced camp curriculum focuses on
riding and training but also includes but not limited to classroom teaching of:
Soft Hand Training using the Round Pen, Advanced Bits and Training Aids,
Veterinary Illness, Injuries and Prevention, Horse Show Preparation, Course
Design and Starting Horses Over Fences
Beginner and Intermediate Camp
Beginner:Campers who have never ridden
before, has attended camp or vacation trails. Little or no knowledge of
horsemanship.
Intermediate:Campers who have taken lessons,
walk, trot and canter. Beginning jumping and have ridden school horses. Campers
who have ridden in regular lessons for under 2 years. Moderate knowledge of horsemanship and stable
management skills.
For the beginner and intermediate sessions, all students will
be tested on the first day of camp for appropriate placement in any of the
riding specialty programs. Horses and riders are matched according to individual
requirements and degree of training and placed in groups for their riding
lessons, according to the riders age and level of experience.
Beginners and Intermediates are teamed up for non riding stable activities. Other than the individual daily riding
lesson, campers will be participating in feeding, cleaning stalls, and
classroom activities.
In addition to the daily horse care and riding, students will
learn about, talking and approaching horses using "horse language",
conformation, colors & markings, fitting tack, feet & shoes, mouths and
bits, first aid & safety, boots & bandages, feed & feeding and human
first aid. Specific topics set forth for a particular week will be taught and
followed up with "hands on" ground work with the
horses and equipment in the barn. The majority of the day will be devoted to the
horses and horsemanship.
From the program's start, students learn how to handle
themselves around horses and how to keep themselves and their horses safe.
Students learn how to catch, halter, lead, groom, saddle and bridle. All campers
will receive one class of riding each day. Time is allowed for students to enjoy
other activities both indoors and out.
Periodic evaluations are made so that each student has the
opportunity to advance as their ability increases. We encourage campers to stay
for more than one session, as progress tends to compound with each successive
week.
Play Time and Fun Stuff
Part of the day will be spent playing games and other fun
activities.
Evenings, after supper, will consist of games, movies or
spending time with the horses. Friday, the last day of camp,
consists of horsemanship and riding in the mornings. The pick up times on
Friday are from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Riding is more than just getting on a horse, there is a
lot of work in taking care of horses and equipment and our focus is to teach
campers the full responsibility of horsemanship both on and off the
horse.
Summer months in Iowa can be very hot and we reserve the
right to cancel outdoor events or re-schedule them due to extreme
heat.
Camper's dorm is in the horse barn as well as the
kitchen. Horses and barns experience fly and insect population. We
have installed automatic fly sprayers and ask all campers to keep doors closed.
After lights out in the evening, no camper is allowed to
wonder outside into the barn area. Any camper who violates this rule will
be sent home with no refund.
All campers will be asked to clean up after
themselves. This includes the bedroom area, bathrooms and after all
meals. Kitchen duties are shared throughout the group and take less than
10 minutes. Duties include but are not limited to: throwing their
paper plates away, washing cooking dishes, wiping counters, taking trash out,
sweeping floors (including bathroom). All campers will be asked to clean
up after themselves as well as their horses in the barn area. These duties
include: Scooping manure, hosing wash rack, putting all equipment away,
cleaning their tack, sweeping tack room floor. Campers will be asked to
fill horse's water buckets with a hose.
Due to the diverse tastes in food and morning riding
schedules, we offer self serve breakfast and lunch. Dinner is the only
meal that is cooked.
Lists of activities are offered to all campers and the
group votes on which ones they choose to participate in with majority
ruling. We will not force any camper to participate in any activity if she
chooses not to do so.
We have well water. Installed in the kitchen is a
water filter. Campers are encouraged to bring their own water if they are
not familiar with well water. A pop machine is present but at times the
machine becomes out of order. We provide gatorade and lemonade.
For more information on Stay Horse Camp, click these following links: (Each link will open a new window)
Forest
Hill Farms Equestrian Center