Horsesummer camp in America

Magicmillbrook

Magicmillbrook

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Has anyone worked at or had an offspring work at an American summer camp? My first born is jetting off to California tommorow for 4 months to work in the Equestrian team at a summer camp, its her first time away from home - how did you get on? If it was your child how did you manage to stop worrying with them on the other side of the globe?
 
I haven't any experience of Camp America, although worked abroad at 21 with horses, but I am sure that they will be fine and have a great time. Camp America is a well organised thing that has been running for years. I haven't ever heard any bad stories..

Best of luck to her, it will be a great experience for her.
 
Hi, my son got himself into a university in the US two years ago & set off to the other side of the pond with nervous anticipation. Although it wasn't a summer camp I just wanted to tell you that everyone he has met has been so welcoming & kind. He has made friends that will last him a lifetime and his friends families have all taken them in as one of their own. Your daughter will have a ball. Its the hole they leave behind at this end is the problem!!
 
I went at 21 and was one of the few that had a bad experience.I will say though that we are few and far between, and the vast majority of people that do it have a great, though exhausting, time.
 
I did this in my gap year between A levels and Uni. I had an amazing time, made some lifelong friends and it was a brilliant experience. Don't be surprised if you don't hear from them much, it is really hard work and you don't get much free time but its worth it :D
 
My daughter is rising 23 and didn't go to uni so this will be a bit of a rude awakening for me. I have a 2 & 5 year old so still plenty to keep me occupied. Her horse went to her instructors last week to stay whilst she is away and I am missing him too. I think she is in a bit of a rut in her work and home life so hoping this will shake things up and show her there is more to life than Norfolk (nice though it is), I just wish it wasn't so far away.
 
I went and worked on a summer camp in Michigan for two months when I was 20 (6 years ago), primarily in the horsey section. I enjoyed the experience, made a lot of friends and feel that being away from home did me the world of good. Having said that it was hard work!

Sometimes I had 15 ponies to get in from the field early morning (which was a challenge in itself), feed them all various proportions of different things, groom them, fly spray them and then go and get my cabin kids ready to breakfast on time. The ponies were primarily unhanded from one summer to the next and many were fat or old, though all relatively good natured to be fair to them. I had marked on my application that I had no teaching experience and would be happy to assist, but usually I was left alone with 2 or 3 children to entertain, on horseback, for an hour and a half in a round pen/arena (with no equipment). In the end I always managed and for the most part it was enjoyable (at least for the children!). I did end up pony squashing on several occasions as the ponies had to be ridden in the two weeks before the kids arrived in order to try and make them vaguely sensible again!

Despite the workload I think it was a very worthwhile experience... it teaches you to be independent and also responsible as these children depend on you to look after them. It was very satisfying when everything went to plan and I loved being out in the fresh air everyday, plus it was a pleasure to see kids enjoying themselves!
 
My niece jetted off about a month ago now and by all accounts is having the time of her life. She had previously worked as a groom on a couple of professional yards but this opportunity came up and she jumped at it.

I can't for the life of me remember where she is though (I must pay more attention).
 
I taught horse riding at Camp Walden, Michigan in 2010. It was great! We had so much fun, it was incredibly social and we got up to all sorts. I had limited teaching experience, but you pick up teaching kids really quickly and I came up with loads of games and exercises to help them learn. I recommend doing it to anyone, I'm so glad I did! I'm sure she'll have a great time, most people do! One thing I would say is you have to be pretty laid back and get a long with everyone and everyone's way of doing things. Some people found it hard to fit in to the social culture there and/or the way the camp was run, and they struggled more than the easy going people did by a long way. Also she's probably the safest she can be cause they aren't slack on their health and safety, especially at a camp like mine where the parents are paying $$$! So I wouldn't worry about her at all, hope she has a great time.
 
i too fit into the absolutely hated the experience. But again, i have never heard of anyone else hating it like i did either! The horse barn aspect was fine, but all the counsellors had been there for up to 7 years in a row and quite frankly werent interested in anyone 'new' coming in so that was the hard part, i also got landed with the 13year olds to look after in their bunk..... rather interesting things come out of their mouth lol.
But from a parent worrying aspect, your daughter will be fine, fed, watered, looked after and people will always look out for her, its just up to what the individual wants to get out of the experience!
 
Hi i loved my time at summer camp, was a great experience although hard work!! I was also in California, in the mountains on the edge of a national park (big trees) absolutely gorgeous place.

Main problem myself and the fellow cousellors had was that we were all from Europe and arrived to find western tack that we had no idea how to fit. Thankfully the camp secretary was an ex-barrel racer so helped us out lol.

Dont worry about safety, everything is well organized and the camps are strictly managed.

If she has time should definitely travel a little before heading home, so much to see in California alone!

Hope she enjoys.
 
Glad to see so many enjoyed it, Dinkz82, your camp sounds similar to the one Sophie is going to, hers is called Copper camp and on the edge of a national park and lakes. I believe they teach English riding so thats one less challenge and she has been in contact with several of the other equetrian team counselors in Facbook, I think they are meeting up pre camp to let their hair down. She has 3 weeks befoe her return flight so is planning to travel. I was a brave Mummy this morning and saw her off at the station at 3:50 am with a smile, cryed all the way home though. I also had a text to say she had reached the airport, sorted her boarding pass/visa issues and was heading off for security - next stop Dallas.
 
I did it for three summers 2003/04/05 at a camp in Maine and had an amazing time. We had eight horses and taught four lessons per day. It was hard work and some of the kids were real brats but on the whole it was brilliant. I cried buckets at the end of the season when the horses went back to the dealers......I wasn't so bothered about the kids going home! I'm still friends with lots of the people I worked with 10 years on. It was definitely one of the best experiences I've ever had.
 
I did a summer at a summer camp in Pensylvannia with the BUNAC scheme. It was an experience! A LOT of hard work, A LOT of hard partying(!!) and I spent a month tripping down the west coast afterwards. Hugely entertaining and I became a lot more streetwise that summer. It set me up to spend 8 months travelling the world on my own after Uni. My tips;

- Take more sunscreen and bug spray than you think you need
- Make friends with the kitchen staff- they have access to all the contraban!
- Watch your luggage like a hawk on greyhound buses as the driver will throw it out at a random stop for no apparent reason.
- Don't book into hostels in Harlem (or anywhere if your taxi driver freaks out when you give him the address)
- Don't let your travel companions accidentally buy anything with a Confederate flag on it.
- Attend at least one small town County fair/rodeo ideally wearing tye dye.
-- If the end of the word seems nigh (I was there over 9/11!) head to Utah- nothing ever happens in Utah.

As for how my mother coped with me going- well she did have a few extra grey hairs and wrinkles when I finally got back. That's probably just me though!
 
I have done in twice, 2008 and 2009. I posted on another thread about it and I will find it and copy and paste for you. Any questions you have, just PM.

biggest tip: send a parcel for around the 3/4 week mark - it's when you're missing home the most :( Send some Cadbury chocolate, USA chocolate is just not the same. Don't state on the packet that it's choc though as the post office won't let you sent it - call it 'photographs' or something ;)
 
Cheshire Chestnut said:
This is a link to my reply to the thread.

I don't know how relevant it will be to you as the OP was going to camp herself, rather than asking as a parent but it may give you an insight into what you do there :)

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?662674-First-Post!-American-Summer-Camp
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link cheshire chestnut and everyone else, will e-mail her your advice. She has booked her return flight but no further plans have been made, I will be sending her out some treats from home as its her birthday on 12 July. I have just discovered flight tracker so her little sister and me are watching her progress over the atlantic. Isn't technology amazing
 
I did it in 2002 and then again several times throughout my university life. I have also posted on other threads on here about it!

I loved it! I went away this shy thing who wouldnt say boo to a goose and came back with a renewed enthusiasm and confidence in life!

(My avatar is at camp in 2009, when i went over to help them out for a few weeks after they had to sack a bunch of staff for drinking or something similar)

It is super hard work though, but you work hard and party hard too. The horses we had were all like hollywoozle said, pretty much unhandled in between the summer period - this was made harder by the fact some of them had come from the Mustang round-ups so were very wild! All were over 15.2hh nd the most of the kids had never even seen a horse before. The camp i went to was a real mix of affluent and very poor kids, not the super rich that alot of camps cater to.

Your daughter will have a brilliant time! I travelled after working and made life long friends through it - in fact i went over to a wedding of one camp friend a couple of years ago, and have had americans stay with me here in the uk.

Definitely send a big parcel with chocolate and tea bags for her! I would recommend sending Fedex or other courier, US mail is notoriously rubbish for international mail! At least you have all sorts of communication now, when i was there the first time, people didnt have mobiles, the internet was dial up which was forever and intermitant at best - and anyway people didnt really use emails (facebook didnt exist then!) To call home, we had to go to the local mall, buy an international phone card, and queue up in our one free hour a day to use the camp phone! Things are alot better now!!
 
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