My youngest daughter is almost 17. She came up with the idea that she wants to own a farm when she is older and wants to learn how to ride horses. She has never been around horses or really any farm animals since we moved to the city when she was 3. I've been online searching for camps all day but havn't had any luck. Can some one please help me find a summer or after school camp near Atchison county in Kansas or near DeKalb, Mo? Anything you could give me would be great
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Horse riding camps....?
- Thread starter victoria
- Start date
My advice is to try to find a place for riding lessons. A place that has their own stable horses that are used for lesson purposes. A summer riding camp will not teach everything that should be known and it definatley wont make a person competent in horseback riding. I know this wasnt what you were asking but lessons for several years is the way to go...then she will either love it or hate it, but she will have the skills she needs to make that decision
T
Tiger Lily ♡ Mom of 3
Guest
I too suggest lessons first. Most horse camps are designed for students that already have some idea of horses and riding, and most are designed for far younger kids. The best way for her to get introduced to riding and started on working with horses it to work one-on-one with a trainer in lessons.
I'd suggest asking around town to people who've taken or whose kids have taken lessons and ask about trainers, what disciplines they're in, what the reputation of the stable is, how the animals are treated, what the safety policies are like, and how the students have fared both in their experiences and in the show ring. If your daughter is serious about her career goal and you're serious about helping her get a foot in the door in the horse world, you've both got a tough road ahead.
Starting at 17 is an uphill battle if she wants a competitive edge and a profitable, successful operation as an adult, be it in training, boarding, showing, breeding or just teaching lessons. Or any combination of the above. It's possible and people have done it before and made it -- myself included, I started riding at 13, considered very late but I was extremely motivated and got in with the right people -- but will be a tough career goal for her to face. You have to be equal parts athlete, coordinator, businessman/woman, financial operator, salesperson in some cases, organizer, and many other things. It's a tough field to play even when you have every advantage from an early age. To give you an idea, I start my youth show students at age 8-10, all of whom have at least 2+ years of experience (very few have less than 4), and when I taught regular lessons, I took students from 5-6 on. The kids in my youth show group (8-18) are seriously motivated, dedicated athletes that work their butts off and give up a lot of their personal time to devote to learning everything there is about the sport and industry that they want to compete in, and most of my students do want adult careers in some area of the equestrian industry.
If she just wants a hobby farm... well, that's unrealistic in this day and age, really. Horse farms without a truly skilled head don't fare well and most sink and can cause financial ruin. Even ones with a skilled head can fail, very easily sometimes. Even if she has a great career in another field and income, it's foolish to start an operation on dreams and a little riding experience alone.
One good thing is that your daughter is college aged. There are many colleges out there that have equestrian studies, equestrian management, stuff like that, and that is one way in. Lots of these schools have their own equestrian teams, and it's not unheard of for beginners to be accepted on or get lessons at college, then join on the team.
I'm not in your area of the country, so I can't recommend anyone to you on reputation. The only place I know of in Kansas or Missouri is a breeding facility only and of no use to a beginner student. My apologies, and sorry this has been so long-winded. I'm just trying to give you an idea of the reality of this idea your daughter has, and what you can do if you and her are serious about giving it a shot.
You're welcome to PM me if you have questions about helping her in her goals, though. Or have her do so.
I'd suggest asking around town to people who've taken or whose kids have taken lessons and ask about trainers, what disciplines they're in, what the reputation of the stable is, how the animals are treated, what the safety policies are like, and how the students have fared both in their experiences and in the show ring. If your daughter is serious about her career goal and you're serious about helping her get a foot in the door in the horse world, you've both got a tough road ahead.
Starting at 17 is an uphill battle if she wants a competitive edge and a profitable, successful operation as an adult, be it in training, boarding, showing, breeding or just teaching lessons. Or any combination of the above. It's possible and people have done it before and made it -- myself included, I started riding at 13, considered very late but I was extremely motivated and got in with the right people -- but will be a tough career goal for her to face. You have to be equal parts athlete, coordinator, businessman/woman, financial operator, salesperson in some cases, organizer, and many other things. It's a tough field to play even when you have every advantage from an early age. To give you an idea, I start my youth show students at age 8-10, all of whom have at least 2+ years of experience (very few have less than 4), and when I taught regular lessons, I took students from 5-6 on. The kids in my youth show group (8-18) are seriously motivated, dedicated athletes that work their butts off and give up a lot of their personal time to devote to learning everything there is about the sport and industry that they want to compete in, and most of my students do want adult careers in some area of the equestrian industry.
If she just wants a hobby farm... well, that's unrealistic in this day and age, really. Horse farms without a truly skilled head don't fare well and most sink and can cause financial ruin. Even ones with a skilled head can fail, very easily sometimes. Even if she has a great career in another field and income, it's foolish to start an operation on dreams and a little riding experience alone.
One good thing is that your daughter is college aged. There are many colleges out there that have equestrian studies, equestrian management, stuff like that, and that is one way in. Lots of these schools have their own equestrian teams, and it's not unheard of for beginners to be accepted on or get lessons at college, then join on the team.
I'm not in your area of the country, so I can't recommend anyone to you on reputation. The only place I know of in Kansas or Missouri is a breeding facility only and of no use to a beginner student. My apologies, and sorry this has been so long-winded. I'm just trying to give you an idea of the reality of this idea your daughter has, and what you can do if you and her are serious about giving it a shot.
You're welcome to PM me if you have questions about helping her in her goals, though. Or have her do so.