Horseback riding camps?

Intensive horseback riding camps?

• Hey everyone! I was looking for a riding camp to attend this summer, preferably on the east cost and new england (but in that general area). I would love for the camp to be an intensive hunter/jumper camp (or a horse camp with a seperate, more intense hunter/jumpr program). I've tried googling it but so far Ive come up with nothing. Also, has anyone heard of forrestel? I saw an ad for it in Young rider but I saw mixed reviews for it. Please help! Thank you!!! PS: I will be15 this summer

• Answer:

  Arielle, I would recommend that you get in touch with the International Riding Camp, which is located in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. They are almost exclusively a hunter/jumper camp, although they do teach dressage and also polo. The camp is run by a polo player who spends part of each year in Argentina ( he's usually there during their summer, which happens during our winter months) and also in Florida. IRC is just about the best of the best- but I warn you, they are PRICEY. Tuition for an entire 10 or 12 week summer at that place costs between 12 and 15K, maybe a little less. Everything is included, however- and you can sign up to go on trips to places like the beach at Southhampton on Long Island and so forth. You'll live in an air conditioned dorm on camp. The rooms there sleep four girls to a room, and each has a private bath with a shower. You can also sign up to compete at local shows during the summer, and the camp holds some shows too. If you want a less expensive experience, do as the poster above me suggested and get in touch with the Grier school in Tyrone, PA. This is the home of the Allegheny Riding Camp, which is also another hunter/jumper program. I'm not quite as familar with Allegheny as I am with the IRC, but I do know that they run an 8 week summer program for girls ages 7 to 16 every year. They're located in Pennsylvania's scenic Allegheny Mountains, which are in the western part of that state. During the rest of the year outside of summer, the Grier school is a boarding school for girls. Still another option ( if you want a more rounded camp experience) is to contact Camp Tapawingo. "Tap" is another girls' camp which is located in southwestern Maine. They are on a private lake and their campus is about 1,000 acres, with the main part of the camp surrounded by grassy fields. Virtually all the rest of the land is prime Maine pine forrest, and there are MILES of trails to ride and hike on in it. "Tap's" program is more of a generalized camping experience, but they do have their own horses and stable, and they have a top notch hunter/jumper program at it. They are also rather expensive, but again, they provide everything, and have lots of other sports available in addition to riding. The websites for these camps are: www.internationalridingcamp.com www.grierschool.edu or www.alleghenyridingcamp.com www.camptapawingo.com. Good luck in your search- I hope this helps.