EVR 4 Week Overnight Extravaganza

08/12/2015

Session 4 is in full swing! On Monday night the four week girls had an overnight in the barn! For dinner they cooked pita pizzas over an open fire and enjoyed s’mores before pushing the hay wagon into the barn. The girls even packed their mattresses on the wagon to make one huge mattress. It was pretty much an awesome giant slumber party in the barn! In the morning, the girls stayed in their sleeping bags and watched all the horses come in for their breakfast. Seeing their favorites horses first thing in the morning, made the girls day and added to the magic of the overnight experience.

The four week girls have also been working hard on their drill team. There are more than a few creative thinkers in yurt 4 and you can tell by the decorations they are making. There are tepees, rivers, arrows, fake fires, paper chains, and flags all coming to life! The girls also found out who their partners for the drill team are. For a drill team performance to be fabulous each pair of riders needs to be in sync and working together. So it is a special moment for the girls to learn who they will be working with over the next week, because they are all so excited to make this the best drill team EVER!

The four week girls have also been learning about natural horsemanship, which is a style of horse training. Here at Frost Valley we use natural horsemanship techniques such as ‘joining up’ to create a trusting and mutually respectful relationship between horse and rider. This session the girls have the opportuinity to ‘join up’ with the horse that they are riding for lessons! They can’t wait!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Lomauro

Nick Lomauro is a lifetime lover of camp (overnight and day), outdoor recreation, and value-based programs. Nick grew up in the YMCA and discovered his passion for working in youth development as a summer camp counselor. Full of curiosity, Nick graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in General Humanities. Immediately following graduation Nick set off to Spain to hike the 500 mile ancient pilgrimage trail, El Camino de Santiago. Nick then returned to his childhood YMCA in NJ, of over 20 thousand members, as the Director of Youth Development. In this role he designed, developed, and implemented day camp and teen programs. In 2015, Nick returned to Frost Valley and he is now the Director of Camp Wawayanda. This is Nick's 16th summer at Frost Valley.