Begining in the cool hours of the morning the children would arrive, excitment in the air, and begin thier day with 'their' horses. 9 year old Kennedy, from Angels Camp, explained that on the first day of camp Michelle Toberer, co-owner of Copper Valley Trail, had each child ride a different horse and matched each child's skill and personality to a horse. When asked which horse was hers, Kennedy's eyes sparkeld, her smile bumped up a few watts and she proudly pointed to a horse lazily drinking at the trough, "That's my horse...Teddy."
Michelle explained that the camp was set up to be a fun learning environment for children. They not only rode, but they learned grooming, saddling, parts of the horse, parts of the saddle, roping and more. As the days continued the children advanced to obstacle courses and horse games, along with trotting and trail rides to fishing ponds and frog filled streams.
8 year-old Jack from Alamo, a seasoned horse camp participant, said that "this was a much better horse camp" than his two previous. "We get to ride a lot!"
6 year-old Rian, also from Alamo, was excited that she learned how to saddle all by herself.
As the interview came to a close the children mounted their horses like pros, all clothed in safety and heat resistant gear, and showed the skills they had learned in 4 short days. Mike, co-owner and husband to Michelle, said that they had improved so much since the first day, noting the straight single file line formation as opposed to the scattering and uneven lines in the beginning.
Another horse camp for kids will be offered in August. For more information please visit their website at http://www.coppervalleytrail.com/ . If they have an abundance of children sign up they will consider hosting one more kids camp before the seasons change.
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