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Community Corner

Ridgefield Day Camp for the Horse Enthusiast

This unique camp teaches about horse care while giving campers confidence.

 

Summer vacation is just over the horizon and if you have kids, chances are so is day camp. For the horse enthusiast in your life, may have the perfect summer program.

Ridgefield Equestrian owner Wendy Pola founded her camp 32 years ago because she wanted to give her students the opportunity to learn horsemanship.

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Pola said she had a year-round school, "but even back then kids had such tight schedules during the school year."

"They just didn’t have the chance to learn about horsemanship—how to groom or tack a pony," she said. "But once school was dismissed they could come for four hours a day and learn about horsemanship, in addition to having lessons."

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Camp is held daily from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The first of 4 sessions begins on June 18. Each session runs for two weeks and costs $895.

On a typical day of equestrian camp, campers are paired with a partner to groom and prepare a pony to ride.  Next, they have their riding lesson which is followed by after care for the pony. Campers then gather for a more academic lesson on horsemanship. “The lesson on horsemanship could be on pony color and breeds, on basic anatomy, or on pony care. Really, the topics for these lessons are endless and constantly changing,” Pola said. Finally everyone gathers for the picnic lunch before ending each day with a swim in the Center's pool.

According to Pola, her campers often gain a new confidence around the horses. “I notice the kids who have had summer camp come back in the fall with more confidence and a closer rapport with the ponies. They really get a chance to know each pony’s personality,” she said.  Often former students even come back from college to teach camp for the summer. “A few of my former campers have even become professional breeders,” she said.

Pola maintains a 5-to-1 camper to counselor ratio at her camp. There can be as many as 15 campers per session and as few as 5, but most often sessions fill up early. “We are almost filled already,” she warned, “we only have a few slots left per session.”

To find out more about Ridgefield Equestrian Center’s Summer Horsemanship Program, contact Wendy Pola at (203) 438-7433, or visit the Ridgefield Equestrian Center’s website here.

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