Benbrook Stables Horse Camp - What to Expect
Welcome to Benbrook Stables Horse Camp!
Here is where you will find everything you need to know about our equestrian camp.
Sign up Now to make sure you have a spot!
Once enrolled, camp is non-refundable or transferable to another student or date
Horse Camp at Benbrook Stables is so much fun for campers of every age. We begin every morning by greeting our campers at their car and walking them to the group they will spend the week with.
We let each camper find a group where they will be the happiest. If their relative or friend is also attending camp and they want to be together, we make sure that happens.
After everyone is settled into groups and ready to go, we introduce the counselors, helpers, and volunteers. The Instructors give a few guidelines of what to expect in today's camp, and some important rules they will have to follow to be safe around the horses, and while at the stables. We also share a few useful tips for them like not picking up a barn cat, or feeding one of the barn dogs all of your lunch...lol.
Safety is our top priority at horse camp. We go over lots of safety rules at the beginning of each day and throughout the week. Most of our campers are a little younger, so we have plenty of helpers and volunteers to keep a close eye out and help them whenever needed to stay safe at all times.
Making sure they know to carry their water bottles with them to each activity throughout the day is always at the top of our list. However, we also let them know they are welcome to grab a snack, rest at any time, cool off or warm up, go to the restroom, or just sit for a few minutes is fine with us. All they have to do is let the group leader know, and they will assist them in getting to where they need to go safely.
As soon as all campers are here, accounted for, and situated in a group, we teach them their particular group yells. Our camp groups that will be following the Chisolm Trail are The Texans, The Sheriffs, The Outlaws, The Gold Miners, and The Lone Rangers. The Chisolm Trail will lead them to Horseback Riding, Arts and Crafts, Games, Lunch, All About the Horse, and back to Riding again.
Our second group of campers will follow the Oregon Trail. They are The Chiefs, The Tomahawks, The Mustangs, The Thunderbirds, and The Buffalos. Their trail will take them to the same activities at different times on different rotations.
Our Camp Groups:
Riding Class:
When they are in the Riding Class at horse camp, campers get to experience Western and English riding and sometimes even bareback. The instructor will start with a lesson on safety. Campers are shown how to approach a horse safely, mount, hold their reins, turn each way, how to get their horse to move forward, how to stop, and how to dismount. They will get to know the different types of saddles, bridles, bits, and blankets used in each of the different disciplines and learn how to use them. While in a grooming group, they will experience using all types of brushes and curry combs, how to properly remove mud or debris from the horse's body, mane, and tail. On warmer days, they will get to shampoo and condition, brush, and learn how to get their horse ready for a show or just turn out for the evening.
While learning all about tack, campers will get total hands-on experience tacking up their horses. We teach them how saddles properly fit the horse, how to make sure they have good blankets, and that all the tack fits their horse correctly. They will learn how to identify parts of the saddle and bridle, the differences between English and western tack, and learn what all the tack is used for as well as how to care for their tack.
Western Riding, Grooming, and Tack Classes at Benbrook Stables Horse Camp
Western Riding, Grooming, and Tack Classes at Benbrook Stables Horse Camp
Arts and Crafts:
In "Arts and Crafts" this year, campers will get to decorate their own group flag, build a cactus, a totem pole, make a dream catcher and a friendship bracelet. They will also learn to sing "Happy Trails" while out on a hayride. Arts and crafts time is a great time to have fun with new friends and make some fun things to take home from camp. Most go home singing Happy Trails on the car ride home, it is always a favorite activity among the campers. Depending on the day your child attends camp, they will get to do one or all of these activities.
All About the Horse and Anatomy :
In "All About the Horse", campers will learn to identify the different colors of horses and how we name those colors. For instance, a brown horse with a black mane and tail is called a Bay. A Brown horse with the same color mane and tail is called a Sorrel, and so on. They will learn to identify different markings on horses and get to draw and color those markings. They also get to see, touch, and feel all different types of grooming supplies, shampoos, hairdressings, brushes, curry combs, and more. One day may focus on learning how the environment in the barn works. From the job of a barn cat to cleaning stalls, we cover everything about the life of a horse living in the barn. They will get to feed horses and see and feel the different types of grain and hay. We will compare what an older horse eats to what a foal or filly may eat. Some campers even venture out and taste some of the different grains for themselves.
We will also explore horses' emotions and how to tell if a horse is feeling happy or sad or even a little sick. We will teach them to tell how old a horse is by looking at some horse's teeth and how tall they are by measuring them in hands. After all of that, we will learn the parts of the horses' anatomy and let the campers paint manes and tails and parts of a horse with hair coloring markers. This may sound like a lot for a five or six-year-old, but we teach all of these things in such a fun hands-on way that the campers don't even realize they are learning so much.
Games:
While campers are in the "Games" group, they will be having fun getting to run, play, and compete against other groups. We will have the all-time favorite barn tag day ready for them followed by obstacle course day, scavenger hunt, over and under, boot toss, field day, and then finally awards day where we award the most winning group of all five days.
On hot Summer days, we will pull out sprinklers and slip and slides, not just to have some fun, but to keep everyone cool while moving between horseback riding and other activities.
Nurse's Office:
If any bumps, bruises, stings, or ant bites happen, we have band-aids, topical ointments, ice packs, and sprays in the office. Two instructors are certified in CPR, and EMTs are only 2 miles away with a 5-minute arrival time. We always call a parent with even the smallest ouchies just to let them know and make sure they are informed.
Saying Goodbye:
At the end of each camp day, all campers head back to their designated area. We end the day with their camp yell and saying goodbye to their new friends. We hand deliver to each camper their picture and T-shirt if they have ordered one and make sure they have one that is a good fit. Everyone has a few minutes to round up their arts and crafts and get ready to meet their parents for pick-up.
Camp is filled with fun activities and gives us so many opportunities for some great pictures. We will try to incorporate as many pictures each day onto our social media websites so that parents can see some of the things their campers have done during the day.
We hope everyone enjoys their time at horse camp. Our instructors have a great time teaching and do everything possible to help every camper have a super fun experience.
They are here before camp and after camp to answer questions or help in any way they can, just give us a call and we are happy to help. If you are already signed up for camp, you will be receiving updates and informative emails each week leading up to your camp date.
Looking forward to an amazing camp season!
Hope to see you soon!
