The Youngest Equestrian Riders

Can the youngest children at camp take horseback riding?

Absolutely, yes! The youngest girls at Rockbrook, who are 6 years old, are some of our most enthusiastic riders down at the equestrian center. Camp is a great place to develop girls’ interests in horses, even to take their very first ride. Rockbrook has several experienced, gentle ponies, perfect for these young beginning horseback riders, and our staff is well qualified to teach beginner lessons. There’s lots to learn— what to wear, safety rules, grooming, tacking up, how to mount, riding position, communicating with your horse, and so much more— but step by step, you’ll progress through it all.

Equestrian Riding is fun and rewarding: yes, even for the youngest girls!

Let's Canter!

After you feel comfortable controlling your horse in a walk, and learning to post while trotting your horse, the next step is to learn how to canter. The canter is a 3-beat riding movement of a horse that is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop. It’s a very natural gait where the first beat you hear is either the left or right hind leg. The second beat is the opposite hind leg and its opposite fore leg together, and the final beat is the fore leg opposite the first beat. Riding the canter involves the hips moving forward and backward slightly while keeping the rider in the saddle. It’s kind of a back and forth sweeping motion rather than an up and down motion like when you post. One important tip is to not pull on the reins for balance; this makes it more difficult for your horse to more forward as he needs. There are lots of types of canter to learn as well (“working,” “collected,” and “extended” for example), but in any case its great fun to learn this technique as you develop your horse riding skills at camp.

Horseback Riding Lessons at Camp

The horseback riding activity at camp is a nice combination of learning, riding, and fun with all things horse and riding related. With the great instructors and amazing horses down at the Rockbrook Riding Center, you learn so much about taking care of the horses and the operation of the barn (which is no small thing for 26 horses!). In the horseback riding lessons, you ride of course, but you also learn how to improve your riding skills and to become more comfortable on the horse. All of this is great fun, if you’re a little “horse crazy.” But even if horseback riding isn’t your number one thing to do, you’ll still enjoy being down at the barn with your friends, and you’ll learn a bunch too.

Ready for the Horses

This is the week the horses begin arriving at camp. It’s exciting because all spring we’ve been preparing the barn for their arrival. There are four new stalls on the big main barn (luxury accommodations!), a new wash pad for the upper barn, and new fence sections here and there. With 28 horses coming, we also need a lot of hay, so we’re really happy to report the main barn now has 550 bales put up. It’ll be fun to see the horses enjoying the fields. The camp horses are ready. Are you?

Equestrian News: Big Boy Gordon

RBC Riders! Get excited to meet “Gordon” from St. Andrews College! Gordon is a 17.1 hand gray thoroughbred gelding and is eager for his first summer at Rockbrook Camp. His favorite things are Jenna Branson (affectionately known as “JB” at the barn) and training for dressage. You’ll recognize him when you see a huge white face greeting you at the barn. This is one BIG boy!

Equestrian News: Meet Profound

Here he is! Profound is a 15.2 hand 12 year-old chestnut Oldenburg gelding. This will be his first year at Rockbrook camp and he’s excited to get to know all the campers. Profound was a show horse for several years before coming to St. Andrews College and still gets to do horse shows, like in this picture, with one of his favorite college students. Look for Profound when you come to the RBC barn this summer!

Girls Riding Camp Stable Club

“What’s the Rockbrook Stable Club?”

A riding camp for girls should be more than just riding; it should also be learning about horses. That’s why girls who are truly “horse crazy” love Rockbrook’s ground lessons, what we call the “Stable Club.” This is a chance for girls to have “extra time at the barn with their favorite horses and riding staff and to learn skills and take part in activities that a lot of riders don’t learn even at professional riding stables or until they get their own horse (such as polo wrapping, proper first aid, nutrition, etc.),” explains Cara Thompson, the Director of the Rockbrook Camp Equestrian Program. “I’ve not had a rider, (yet!) who hasn’t wanted to learn, and come away from Stable Club without learning something new that they appreciated,” she added. If you really love riding and want to learn more about it, you’ll want to be in the stable club!

Riding in the Mountains

Girls from Florida looking for horse camps often find Rockbrook. In fact, there’s a long tradition of Florida kids coming to the mountains to ride in the summer. Of course, the cooler climate is one reason, but it’s also because Rockbrook is known for its horseback riding program. Amazing horses, excellent instructors, and top notch riding facilities all combine with the main summer camp program to make Rockbrook a popular horse camp choice even in Florida. Besides, it’s really not that far away! Here’s a map to see exactly where we are.