Our Horse Program

Posted By: Kelly Marston

Plantation Farm Camp's horse program offers a unique experience to first time, beginning, intermediate and advanced riders.  Our bareback curriculum emphasizes safety, riding skills and total horse care.  The program is taught by experienced counselors and supervised by a CHA certified instructor.

Campers attend an orientation which covers basic horse anatomy, getting to know and how to work with your horse, basic knots and how a bridle works. They are also introduced to our three tiered riding program. Activities take place in the corral, the Alpine Meadow and on various wooded trails.  Different skills are evaluated at each level and must be mastered before the rider can advance.  Campers will learn good ground awareness and skills such as catching, leading, and grooming their horse.  Depending on their confidence level, they will learn to steer, walk, trot and canter their horse.

Our goal is for any camper to be able to participate in, learn from and succeed in our horse program.  For some, just being able to be around a horse, brushing them and talking to them in the corral is a growth experience.   Perhaps a camper has had a negative experience while riding and is able to overcome that fear and ride in the meadow. For advanced riders, an all day ride to and from the beach may be the highlight of their summer.  Each of these experiences is equally valuable to that child and helps grow their confidence, self esteem an awareness of the world around them.