Ekone Summer Camp: All Levels Horse Camp (ages 10-16)

This is Ekone’s most famous program for going on 38 years, with an emphasis on horses and tons of other ranchy fun mixed in. We’ll ride every day, and there will also be firewood, crafting, kitchen projects, secret pals, games, swimming in the pond, rope swings, and maybe even a Supreme Adventure! 

Our approach to horsemanship emphasizes the special relationship between children and horses. Everyone spends time grooming and caring for the horses, learning safe ground habits, and building relationships with horses from the ground while taking care of their minds and bodies.

As for riding, we ride primarily bareback, especially with beginning riders. 30+ years of experience have taught us that children learn to ride much faster bareback, gain their balance more quickly, develop a more empathetic relationship and better communication with the horse, and are actually safer without the trappings of tack to get tangled in and distracted by. For more advanced riders, we may progress with our wide selection of western and english saddles. We ride primarily in bitless bridles, keep our horses barefoot, and work toward providing the most species-appropriate lifestyle we can for them. 

All riders can expect to get out on our beautiful trails, best seen from between the ears of a horse. All riders will gain balance, rein skills, and learn the gentle progression of cues that we use at Ekone to communicate with horses in a respectful and collaborative way. Many riders will practice trotting. Very few will canter in this short week, unless they ride extensively at home (we just don’t have enough time in a week to develop this advanced skill).

Campers can expect to spend time with the horses for half the day, and to spend the other half playing, working, crafting, exploring, and adventuring around the ranch. We never know what we’re going to do until we make our Possibilities List on the first night, and see where the enthusiasm of campers and staff takes us!

Learn more and see our our full summer camp session schedule at our website - www.ekone.org