Ontario Summer Riding Stables

FARM CAMP is a horseback riding camp with a twist!
It's all about having fun with farm animals, and at
week's end, our young campers strut their stuff with
their favorite farm critter in our

FARM SHOW.
Farm Camp is all about EDUCATION, and teaching
children about responsibility & caring. For example
-- can you guess what kind of beef cow this is?
It's a Murray Grey, and they hail from Australia!
And every day, he needs feed, and water, grooming...
A great way to teach your child important life skills.

The Murray Grey was developed by an
Australian farmer, to handle the hot
conditions of the land down under!

Campers learn about the different
breeds of cattle, with educational
games and crafts that teach how
to feed, care for, house & handle
calves for maximum well being.

These critters are South African Dorper Sheep.
They have a very good temperament, hardy and
have very short WOOL - which is why they are
so easy to care for. Babies are cute! And every
morning noon and night, this little one needs a
bottle of milk to help him grow. We even let our
campers NAME the critters here on the farm -
This one, they called BOOG - and all our campers
loved him so much they fought over feeding him!

Many people don't know, but Turkeys
and Chickens are FUN and easy to raise -
& so many different POULTRY breeds that
it's amazing to folks just how much variety
there is to choose from! We keep our
chickens for laying eggs, and my
favorite breed is the Salmon Faverolle!
They are a breed developed in France
that is a multi purpose chicken - good
for both meat & eggs. Our hens lay
LOTS OF EGGS and it's funny to see
them sitting in their nesting boxes,
concentrating. They stare off into space,
as if contemplating life. Funny girls!
Our campers will help collect feed the birds,
and help to collect their eggs every
morning. Then there's our very friendly
and sweet rooster, Henry, who makes
sure he wakes us up EVERY morning.
A good crower, this one!

And of course, there are the farm dogs,
George and Flex. Flex, pictured here, is
a springer spaniel. He is a very funny
boy and loves to hang around with the
kids. George is a bit goofy, and spends
his time following Matt around the farm,
trying to bug him by pestering the cows!
What child doesn't love having a dog
around to keep them entertained?

And of course, Matt Loves CALVES.
They are his 'thing' and we have a
whole herd of youngsters at the farm.
The campers will be in charge of bottle
feeding the growing calves every morning,
noon and night - and this keeps them
VERY busy! Baby calves LOVE their
bottle of milk and are small enough that
they make a great introduction for
our campers, young and old. And yes,
we even let the campers exercise them!

And of course, every spring we have LOTS
(and lots) of babies arriving at the farm.
The Nicols' breed Quarter horses, Appaloosa's
and Canadian Warmbloods' (big horses those!)
So, early every April the excitement mounts as the
babies come - they need LOTS OF ATTENTION!
This is where our campers come in! Brushing
babies is one of their favorite tasks every day.
And our special section on horses includes all
kinds of really great education material on foals.

Wait till you see what the farm campers do
with babies on Show Day!

And although we feel that ponies are God's revenge on
children (kidding) we have a few good ones and they
are here for everyone to baby. Its fun to see them
romping and playing. The ponies are part of our
show here at the end of camp, and we have a
GREAT show in store for our parents on show day!

But before you think that this camp is all
about farm animals - read ON!
There is ALOT of horseback riding on
the agenda for our Farm Campers! This
is, after all, a fantastic Riding Stables!
(it's what we do!)

All good riding programs for
youngsters' start off with teaching
good barnsmanship. The campers
will learn all about how to properly
care for our beginner friendly riding
horses. Sessions are limited to five
horses per lesson, which gives our
'newbie' riders some great hands on
instruction time with our coaches.

At this age, learning to ride is
alot about having fun while
developing balance and more
confidence in our campers.
Games, games and more
games is how it's done!
With plenty of experience
running Horseback Day
Camp in past years, we've
got plenty to go around!
Small groups means plenty
of one on one time with their
instructor and her helper.

Our riding sessions, taken daily
in the paddock, help kids learn
using games and instructional
techniques developed here at
our farm over the years. CHA
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.

It's not hard to entertain children when
there are cute farm animals, horses and
thousands of acres of riding trails at your
disposal! And not to be left behind, our
Farm Campers get to do some trail rides,
and participate in many fun 'in paddock'
games designed to develop skills! These are
fun, safe activities that were developed
at many of our other children's camps
We want our Farm Campers to get
the full value of what we have to offer
at our Ontario Summer Riding Camp!

We get a large range of riding skills
at all of our Summer Horse Camps
so groups will be split to keep like
ages and abilities together. That way,
everyone can enjoy and learn in
the right atmosphere for their ability.
Here, one nine year old camper and
' Cricket' work on their canter skills.
Our beginners work on control,
balance, and a variety of other
fun exercises - plus learning to
groom and tack their horse.
This horse camp is open to both
English and Western Riders,
with newbies beginning western
in order to develop their balance.

Our days might be hectic and full
of activities, but there is always
time to relax and enjoy some quiet
moments just grooming and fussing
over our beautiful camp horses.
And kids love nothing more than
spending time fussing over and
grooming their new buddies.

And that's not ALL! Our campers
get to enjoy the beauty of the Algonquin
area every day, with nature walks, swims,
and lots of time relaxing to enjoy the
fabulous surroundings. WE have such a
great spot to enjoy this festive camp,
and being geared to our younger campers
means they get to enjoy it alongside other
children their own age, with similar interests.
Nature means fun, and lasting memories
from our unique Ontario Summer Riding Camp!

Our Riding Stable is in a fantastic spot!
The Hasting's Highlands, at the heart of
Central Ontario's fun tourism & vacation
areas, is just minutes from Algonquin
Provincial Park! When we aren't in the
barn, taking a swim, the kids can enjoy
a pool, right here on the farm. A great
place to cool off on the hot summer day,
it's a handy way to spend a few hours.
We have such fun with our Farm Campers,
that many return every year to try it again,
or try a different camp, each one a unique
way of learning horsemanship skills !

Drawing on experience from past
Day Camp programs, we have a wide
variety of leadership and farm oriented
games designed to teach our campers
everything they need to know about
horses and riding, while keeping it
fun and geared towards creativity.
Visual aids, games,& other fun stuff
keep things moving between lessons.

There's always something going on here at the farm.
The farrier (blacksmith) and the vet are regular
visitors, and watching these horse care professionals
is one of the campers' favorite things to do !

Our Summer Riding Camp and Riding Stable
Lesson program has grown to be something we
are very proud of here at Highland Wilderness
Tours. We enjoy each and every crazy camper
that chooses our stable for their summer riding
fun. And there have been some truly fantastic
memories over the years. It's our campers
who have helped to develop this very diverse
and fun filled Ridng Camp Program!

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!

At the end of the week, our original, laid back,
but oh so Fun Filled FARM SHOW will absolutely
delight the parents & make them smile. To develop
a safe, fun and unique program for our younger,
less experienced animal loving riders was the
goal in mind when developing this riding camp.
If Farm Animals, riding lessons, and a love of
nature describes your child, you've come to the
right summer camp program to fill the bill!

So if your young rider is comfortable
around horses, is totally obsessed with
riding, is falls within the experience range
(see main camp page for description)
this horse camp is a perfect solution!
Contact us if you have ANY questions!

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Click here for a downloadable application form,
and a list of what to bring to horse camp.

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!