News | 18 July 2024
Camp 2024
At Ross-shire Pony Club, we feel that the camp should be enjoyable and sociable. Whilst it is a residential camp, we leave it optional so that you can stay if you wish but likewise, you can go home. The ponies can stay if you stay and parents join in and stay too.
It is a great way for members to spend time together and socialise but it is also a great way for parents to get to know each other better and socialise too.
First thing in the morning, the groups are assessed on turnout. The members clean their own tack every evening and so the instructors are looking to ensure it has been done correctly and they get marks for their tack, their ponies and themselves.
At the end of camp, there is a prize for the team with the highest overall score.
Camp is open to all our members, ridden and non ridden and our instructors are amazing with the members and join in with all the activities and fun.
One of our instructors scored the highest shooting score of the day when we done our taster session for the tetrathlon shooting. Whilst it is sociable and fun, there is also a bit of friendly competition.
We split them into groups – the Clydesdales, The highlands, The Shetlands and the Connemaras. We try and put groups together with an even split in ages, tests and experience.
Forming teams like this allows new friendships to form as they have to work together as a team to gain the top marks!
At the end of camp, we announce the overall points winners, the turnout winners, we had a combined training competition on the last day and the points were announced for that too.
Every year we have individual trophies for the “Best Combination” which went this year to Edie & Bart and to the “Most Improved Rider” which went to young Stella & Merrylegs who at just 5 years old is now off cantering about on her own with no need for mum now! These will be presented at our end of years awards ceremony.
We try and make the learning fun but informative. On the first day, we had a treasure hunt across the farm. Not looking for treasure but for trees, grasses and poisonous plants. All relevant for any horse owner.
They set off in their teams at different times armed with a list of plants/trees/grasses and they had to identify as many as they could whilst also identifying if it was poisonous or not. They then got bonus points if they could answer questions such as symptoms of poisoning and what sycamore poisoning was known as.
This is all related to badges and it is a topic that was also covered in the Pony Club Quiz this year so it was great to go back over the studying they done for that and confirm they had sustained the learning. In the evening, we had another quiz but it was more fun – name the disney film based on a picture. I struggled with that one!
The nice thing about camp is that whilst they are in teams and competing against each other, they still support and celebrate the other teams successes.
I made lifelong friends at Pony Club and it is brilliant watching new lifelong friends forming. Camp was full of learning & horsemanship whilst building friendships and showing sportsmanship.
We had 18 members come along for the 3 days to have fun and we were joined by 1 member from the Western Isles who had joined us for Easter camp and enjoyed it that much, she came back for summer. She also formed a lifelong friend and they have been chatting away since via text and email.