A CO-ED HORSE CAMP FOR DEDICATED WESTERN BOYS & GIRLS!

Western Games Camp for boys & girls is designed for
both English & Western riders of all ages & abilities!
An excellent, fun camp for riders with some basics,
Western Games Camp is for those interested in
looking beyond just taking routine lessons.  We
believe that essential riding skills develop and
expand when immersed in horse camp life!
There's always great comraderie among the boys
and girls, and this fun & educational week long
program incorporates improving riding skills
alongside the western games format - with lots of
RIDING time. It's a full immersion camp, with great
educational & horsemanship features! English riders
always love the fun format and usually find a new love
for western riding that they didn't know existed!

Prior experience with western games is NOT necessary ~
and simply being able to walk and trot is all the skill level required!
Our camp is all about learning universally accepted riding and
conditioning techniques that are simple, straightforward, and
easy to learn and improve horsemanship to a whole new level!
Learning to game horses makes riding more FUN, because knowledge
is POWER!  It's not just about randomly tearing around on horseback,
out of control. Proper gaming technique is about 'precision'! We
welcome youths of ALL riding skill levels, including recreational
and English riders. Because games can be fun, and educational!

As always, we spend MANY hours in the saddle per day, on our safe and reliable school horses.
Riding both in the ring AND on the trail, and the boys & girls will enjoy and develop a special rapport with their
very own horse for the week.   Best of all, the information is presented in a fun, enjoyable format which
allows the girls to learn at their own speed and with the help of our staff and their fellow campers. 
Between camping and swimming & riding - what more could a girl ask for in a summer vacation?

With 3-5 hrs riding daily, this camp is open to riders from Western
or English that wish to expand their horizons, and have a bit of fun on horseback!
Best of all, they will be enjoying a horse of their very own for the whole week.

All good riding programs for
youngsters' start off with teaching
good barnsmanship. The boys n girls
will learn all about how to properly
care for our beginner friendly riding
horses. Our campers spend their
entire day with the horses and at
the barn - and they learn important
skills that will make their horse camp
experience a great one! From bits
to saddles to safety, the girls will
be totally immersed in our Western
Games camp program - awesome!

Our riding sessions, taken daily
in the paddock, help kids learn
using games and instructional
techniques developed here at
our farm over the years. OEF
standards for safe programs are
the foundation for our program.
And are horses are quiet and easy
to handle, and the campers are
matched with a mount that suits
their age, size and ability.
The 'gaming' is just part of a
comprehensive 'learn to ride'
program, & campers are in groups
suited to their abilities. Fun for all
levels & ages, a well rounded camp!

Some of the subject areas to be covered will include:

- Different Western Games & Patterns   - Safety during gaming
- Gaming Equipment and it's uses    - Practical 'conditioning' programs
- How to add speed safely!  - Bits and Bitting
- Riding Skills Improvement   - Training equipment 
- Trail riding AND other FUN stuff!

Campers do NOT need to be experienced to enjoy this camp!
By the end of the week, being better balanced in the tack will
usually lead to a beginner's first canter - but we handle all
riding and gaming situations with SAFETY as a focus!
And when everyone is in the mood, we'll kick back for a trail ride!
So that makes this camp suitable for all levels, and all ages

Of course, there will be campfires every night - what would
any self respecting cowboy do without a campfire? Roughing it in
style, we say! Summer in Maynooth is a hot time of year, so we'll need to
swim too! To see a list of what your child should bring to camp, click here.

Here you see one of our campers, enjoying a Barrel Pattern!
Our barrel racing sessions will be in depth, and designed to
teaching them balance and control.  They'll start off slowly, learning
how to turn the barrels effectively. Then, when they're ready, they'll
guide their horse through turns, approaching and t urning round barrels
in a more accurate and balanced fashion. Going as fast as their skill
level allows, of course! Barrel racing is a ton of fun, and these are clinic
type lessons, not actual competitions, so the kids can have a good time.
The goal of sessions is to improve riding skills to a much higher level! 
Because they are riding hard while playing a 'game', campers learn
more quickly how to sit, turn, run, and stop, all while keeping their
balance and keeping their eyes on the target!  Nothing improves
riding skills faster than having fun!  And barrels are definitely FUN!

Having been in the business for MANY years, we have designed
a program where FUN is the purpose, but LEARNING to ride
is the goal! Owners Matt & Penny Nicol have no end to their
creativity, and the games devised for this camp are always
a blast. It includes the 'standard' games of pole bending, barrels,
dash, and keyhole - but also includes some intriguing and skill
testing games that will improve riding skills in our campers.
If you can't have fun, what's the point!?

As always, we go for full immersion!  From our cozy cabin
with nightly crackling campfire in an on farm wilderness
campsite ~ to our nightly ritual of goofing around & relaxing
by a roaring fire or watching a movie - it's an atmosphere
that's proven itself to be a popular teenage experience!

Relaxing at night and enjoying crispy marshmallows and comraderie
with their new friends is a feature attraction of all our camps!

So if your young rider is comfortable around horses, is totally obsessed with
riding, is comfortable at walk jog or lope, and is keen on learning a
more in depth focus on these two unique western disciplines
- this camp is a perfect solution to liven up their summer!

Click here for a list of things to bring to camp,
and here for an application.
Best of all, for THIS western camp
clothing is quite simple - a couple pair of good jeans,
some cowboy boots, and a good attitude!

Follow this link to a page we've made highlighting all the greatest tack stores
just in case you wish to purchase something for your child's summer horse camp
experience.  We'd like to help you outfit your campers within budget!

For more information on how to sign up,
please contact

Highland Wilderness Tours
Matt & Penny Nicol, Box 211, Maynooth, Ontario, K0L 2S0
1-613-338-2330  or toll free    1-866-RYD-WILD
info@ridethewilderness.com

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