Equestrian Jumping at Summer Camp

summer equestrian camps

One of the most common questions we receive about our equestrian summer camp for kids is if girls can learn how to jump.  Naturally, equestrian jumping is an advanced skill and it requires a great deal of practice and knowledge to do it safely.  That’s why, while the answer is “yes, you can learn how to jump,” you must first be good at most other horseback riding techniques.  Equestrian jumping requires a high level of accomplishment that you have to work up to.  At our pony camp, step by step, you’ll have the right amount of challenge added to your lessons, and eventually you’ll be ready for jumping.  With good personal instruction and well-trained horses like those at the Rockbrook summer equestrian program, kids can learn how to jump.  Over your time at camp, you’ll be really good!

What is the Camp Stable Club?

Rockbrook Girl Riding Camp

“What’s the Rockbrook Stable Club?”

Beyond the Saddle

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!

Rockbrook Horseback Riding Video

Riding video girl

OK, are you ready for an awesome video of horseback riding from camp last summer? You can poke around the Rockbrook Camp web site and see all kinds of great photos of girls riding, taking care of horses, and enjoying their time at camp.

But, nothing beats a fun video of all that action. Here is a riding video! Watch closely, and you’ll see plenty of people you know, lots of jumping, views of the upper and lower riding rings, and of course a bunch of the Rockbrook Camp horses. A little Rockbrook summer horse camp fun. Enjoy!

Advanced Riders at Rockbrook Camp

Horse Riding Girl at Summer Camp

“Can I learn more advanced riding skills at Rockbrook Camp?”

The director of our riding program, places each camper who wants to ride at camp in a class with girls of similar ability, and assigns each camper an appropriate mount. This could be a gentle pony for a younger beginner, or a schooled hunt-seat horse.

With outstanding horses from St. Andrews College and Sweet Briar College, as well as the camp’s own horses, and with skilled instructors who work with horses and teach riding year-round, Rockbrook horseback riders are set to learn. It’s so great to ride an excellently schooled horse, and have fresh, appropriate instruction for your riding. Advanced riders can learn to post the trot, canter and jump. No matter what your level, the horse riding program at RBC is ready.

Advanced riders have a special advanced riding camp at Rockbrook!

NC Equestrian — Camp Photos

Here’s a set of photos taken one day last summer during our equestrian program. It was a particularly nice day, so we took quite a lot 🙂 .

Girls Only Horse Camps

girls only horse camps

More Than Just Riding

There are all kinds of horse camps for girls out there, so we often get the question, “What kind of horse camp is Rockbrook?” Well, first of all, we’re a girls only horse camp (no surprise there!). Secondly, we ride and teach lessons in the American system of forward riding, mostly hunter jumper and some dressage. This is different from horse camps that ride western. Like other horse camps, girls at Rockbrook can ride every day, are placed in lessons according to their ability and horsemanship experience, and can spend extra time at the barn learning more about the horses and their care. At the same time, girls at Rockbrook don’t spend all of their time riding or being with the horses because there are so many other activities going on at camp. Rockbrook is primarily a traditional overnight summer camp for girls that also has one of the finest riding programs around. You will ride a lot at Rockbrook and learn a lot about how to ride better, but you’ll also have an amazing time doing camp.

Equestrian Camp NC

NC Equestrian Camp

Going to an equestrian camp, a summer camp that offers a quality horseback riding program, is one of the best things you can do to improve your riding skills. It gives you a chance to ride new and different horses, learn from new instructors, to hear about different techniques, and to simply practice everything in a new environment. Along these lines, riding at camp introduces you to new horses and their different personalities. Overall, attending a horse camp program helps diversify your riding skills, experience and horsemanship knowledge. And of course, it’s a lot of fun too! 🙂

Horse Games for Girls

Ready to learn about some horse games? I’m not talking about a video game, or something that’s only on a screen. What about a game that can be played with a real horse, riding it in the real world? That’s SO much better!

Toward the end of each session at camp, we have a day of “barn games.” It’s when we come up with fun activities a little different from the regular summer camp riding lessons. Here at Rockbrook we are learning to ride, but also having great fun playing games at the barn.

Girls Horse Equestrian Camp

Red Light, Green Light

A classic horse game is “red light, green light.” This is a mounted game where girls learn to control their horse, starting and stopping on command. The goal is quick responses to the commands.

Apple Hunt

One of the most popular games is the “Apple Hunt.” This is when the riding instructors hide several apples out in the fields, and the girls are challenged to ride around and find the apples. One apple is marked, and the rider who finds it gets a special prize. They’re all great fun!

Hand Painting

Another popular horse game we play at camp is hand print painting. Colorful water-washable paint goes into a tray and then girls take turns dipping their hands into the paint to paint hand-prints on a light colored horse. It can be really creative and fun to add your hand to the horse!

Relays

Finally, Rockbrook Camp girls really enjoy the horse game that is essentially a relay. Each rider takes turns carrying a baton or other object and then riding across the ring to hand the baton to another rider, who then rides it back to the original side. This game is fast and fun!

Do you know any horse games that are fun to play? Let us know.

Be sure to check out the comments for this post… More than 300! Wow!

Girls Horses

Painted hand print horse

How many horses did Rockbrook have in its horseback riding program this past summer? With all those girls at camp wanting to ride horses, you might guess we had a lot! Some from St. Andrew’s College Equine Studies program, some from Sweet Briar College Equine Studies program, and some of Rockbrook’s own horses, we had 26 in all. Enough horses and ponies to let every rider, at every level of riding experience, ride almost every day.

Read more about the equestrian program at Rockbrook Camp.