If you have ever taught horse camp, what were some of the rules you were expected to follow as a counselor???
Maybe for those who have taken horse camps, what were fun activities you did in camp...and do you have any ideas for counselor rules?
Loves the Ponies
Favorite Answer
Here are some basics:
Safety first. Regardless of what is going on, safety needs to be the first concern of the camp counselor. They need to teach the campers about safety before proceeding with the event at hand. They need to be sure equipment is is safe working order and teach the campers how to check the equipment.
Trail and ring riding manners. There are rules for riding in the ring and for riding on the trail. Camp counselors need to know these rules and need to teach the campers the rules.
The buddy system. Camp counselors need to heed the buddy system rules. No camper or counselor is to go out riding alone.
No discriminating. Camp counselors need to treat all campers fairly. They will undoubtedly have their favorites, but the campers shouldn't be able to identify who is the favorite based on what that camper is allowed to do or how much more riding time or attention he gets from the counselor.
Camp counselors need to know how to be patient and how to be encouraging. They shouldn't tear down a campers self-esteem by only offering negative criticism, but should balance helpful tips with praise. Nobody likes for all their shortcomings to be pointed out.
No embarrassing campers in front of other campers. If a camper is giving an instructor a problem or needs to be disciplined, it isn't always best to reprimand in front of other campers. They need to be taught how and when to use discretion.
I hope these suggestions help! I worked at a summer camp for 2 years. It was great!
curly
We did a lot of neat stuff when I went to camp. First, the riders were seperated into groups depending on horsemenship level. The advanced riders had 3 seperate hour classes. Equitation, bareback class, and jumping class. We also had "cavalry" early morning once a week. We had uniforms (blue sweatshirt with yellow kerchief.) We would trail ride and ride back into camp in formation. It was a role playing game with the whole camp. The little kids loved it. The "non-horsey" conselors would be the "witches" and would chase the little kids and tie them to the flag pole. The cavalry would save them and capture the witches. At the end of the summer, we had a huge military style dress formation with around thirty horses. It was almost like synchronized swimming. We had formations called the Pinwheel and Thread the Needle. Everyone watched from atop a hill. It was pretty neat.
Counselor rules, I'm not sure about
kathy
I was an experienced horse person working at a camp where a lot of the counselors were not experienced horse people. Some of them were outright afraid of horses but got put there for the week so in some ways i took the position of an instructor. we told the other counselors that they needed to be able to catch, halter, and lead a horse without hesitation. I suggested that they wear close-toed shoes, but we never made it a rule. I set a pretty bad example by leading two hard-headed draft horses up at the same time every morning in my sandals. The inexperienced counselors had to wear a helmet if they wanted to hop on. The experienced counselors always had a to wear a helmet if they got on in front of the kids. we didn't let our kids feed our horses directly, we made them put treats in the food bucket. Kids were not allowed to ride without close toed shoes with some kind of heel, and had to wear pants. counselors riding horses in front of the kids had to practice what they preached, even though there is definitely a double standard in what staff can do and what kids can do. as a counselor i taught the kids to be as self-depended as possible in terms of preparation for riding. before we could go hang out we had to make sure all the chores were done. all the horses had to have access to clean water and hay during their break and i had to make sure that it happened. i had to be a friend to the campers and keep things fun. counselors who did not know very much about horses have just as much right to be counselors as those who do know about horses, they just have different roles.
Starlight 1
Are you an organizer or manager for a resident camp which has horses? If so, I would suggest you log on to the CHA's website www.cha.org, and take a look at their rule book and handbook. That will tell you all you need to know about how to make riding a safe and fun experience for your campers and staff. CHA is the oldest organization for horse camping safety in existence- and they have been certifying instructors and camps for decades. I hold instructor's credentials from them myself, though I don't use them any more, and I taught successfully at a YMCA camp for over 5 years. The main emphasis has to be SAFETY above ALL THINGS- for horses, kids, and staff alike. IF IT ISN'T SAFE, DON'T DO IT- that should always be your motto. CHA's motto is "safety, fun, and learning" and that should be the cornerstone of your philosophy as well.
As far as activities go, these are endless, and the CHA Instructor's handbook will have lots of ideas and suggestions for lesson and activity planning. You can get that from their website as well, along with information about clinics and what it costs to register and become certified to teach or be an assistant. There are also special certifications given to trip leaders and wilderness instructors, and you may want to check this out if you are interested in taking your campers on trips out of camp. One other point to remember- parents are much more likely to send their child to your camp if they know that all your instructors are certified, and if you make a point of telling them that everyone has had first aid and CPR training, as well as basic training in horse health care and first aid. The Y camp I worked at did just this, as part of their advertising, and it works wonders.
Good luck, and I hope I helped.
geralyn
How about learning the parts of the horse? For the older kids, you could get more detailed than with the younger kids. How about teaching them about the grooming tools and where they are to be used on the horse? I was thinking you could have a large drawing of a horse, maybe even life sized, and the kids could walk-up and point out the different parts or pick up the correct tool for grooming the area you select. How about having them learn how to assemble and disassemble tack? With English saddles, the stirrups are breakaway and they should know how to reattach them and so forth. For crafts, you could have the younger kids make stick horses and then have a stick horse race. The older kids could paint model horses over the course of a few days. You could then have the other kids (the ones who didn't paint the horses) vote on which one is the best. You could have the older kids design ribbons to give out during an event, like the stick horse race and such. The older kids could even sculpt a horse or horse head out of clay, that might be cool. How about doing a scavenger hunt for horse related items? Or start with a clue that leads to somewhere on the property and another clue would be waiting there...kinda like that TV show where those people travel across the world. I hope these help!