Ekone Summer Camp: Young Rider (age 8-12)

This session is designed for our youngest horse-crazy beginner riders, and is an especially nurturing program for campers who may not have spent much time away from home before.  Campers will spend time with the horses every day, learn horse handling and riding skills, go on trail rides, practice in the arena, and shower the horses with love (maybe literally, with a Horse Spa!) We’ll also do lots of crafting, music, fun ranch projects, swimming, slip & slide, games, rope swing, kitchen projects, and whatever else inspires us!

Our approach to horsemanship emphasizes the special relationship between children and horses. Everyone spends time grooming and caring for the horses and learning safe ground habits. 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.

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. Some riders may practice trotting, though cantering is not included in this program. This camp is focused on beginner riders—campers with more riding experience should choose an All-Level or Advanced Riding Camp!

Learn more and see our whole summer camp session schedule at our website: www.ekone.org