Kids Go for a Ride at Horsemanship Program

Children ages 8 and up gathered early Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Showcase Training Stables to participate in their annual summer camp. Parents dropped off their children at the ranch early Thursday morning for horsemanship classes which started at 9 a.m. Children ages 8 and older learn all about horses: how to groom them, take them out of the stables safely, learn about the different parts of horses, and of course, ride them. “We try to teach these kids, ‘If you owned this horse how would you take care of it? What would you do with it?’ so it’s like they own this horse for the day,” said Showcase Training Stables owner and trainer Gretchen Clark. Beginning at 9 a.m. the riders come in and learn how to get the horses out of the stables safely, groom them, ride them, do fun games and activities, and go on the trail if the riders are good enough to handle the horses on the trail and then break for lunch where we teach them about colors, parts of horses and how to clean tack, shared Clark. After lunch they ride the horses again, some bareback and others with saddles, learn how to bathe their horse, put fly shoots on, spend more time with their horses and then put the horses safely back in their stables, Clark noted. “We stay very positive. We help them so they can all partake even if they are different levels. I have some kids that do lessons all the time that are here and we have kids today that have never been here before,” said Clark. Clark ensures that the children who attend the camp have a love for horses to begin with. When one finds out he or she has a horse for a day, the child bonds with the horse. All horses that are part of the camp are very patient with the beginners, added Clark. Clark and her husband have owned the ranch for 18 and a half years and have run the camp for 15 years, added Clark. “Every year it’s different, depending on what my schedule is like,” she said. Since Clark trains horses and riders all year round—and they constantly go to compete in shows—they have less time to do a lot in camp. However, Clark asserts that her students and riders are very active with the camp. “I call on my students and my instructors to help with the camp, and they come out and volunteer their time and just help so the kids can all have fun and be safe,” said Clark. Summer classes are still available and will run until Sept. 5. For more information on the Showcase Training Stables and their summer activities, call 909-798-9479.