Mustango join up with their horses!
Howdy Everyone!
Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine! Mustango have been having a blast the last few days!
They have been particularly enjoying waterfront the last few days, the trampoline is a firm favorite, as well as building sand castles and soaking the counselors!!
Yesterday the campers really enjoyed theater games, which was run by one of our Durango counselors, Jacob, who is doing a degree in Drama. I have uploaded some photos to smug mug of this, for you to see!
Their riding is all progressing really well and they are all creating great bonds with their horses. Because of this, we decided to do an activity last night called Round Pen. Horses are herd animals and quite often have a ‘top horse’, in our case that’s Kane, which means all the other horses are submissive to him. The purpose of round pen is not only to build a strong bond with your horse, but to also establish who is in charge between you and the horse. The activity involves going into the round pen with a horse with no halter on, the person will stand in the middle holding a lunge whip (which does not touch the horse), it is used as an extension of their arm. The person guides the horse around the pen, occasionally changing the direction of their trotting, until they show signs that they are listening (licking and chewing, bowing their heads and turning their ear towards the person in the center). The person then places the whip on the floor and turns their back to the horse. The horse should then approach the person and follow their exact steps wherever they walk. This is called ‘join up’ and means that the horse trusts you, has created a bond and also respects you as dominant.Â
All of the kids loved it and did a great job!
Today they will be going on a trail ride alongside the Neversink river, this is a great way to showcase their newly learned skills. As well as admire the scenery around Frost Valley! I will upload photos ASAP, of this!Â
This afternoon they are playing ‘sock rugby’ with Hamish our other Durango counselor, who plays rugby at home. It is similar to normal rugby but less contact and more fun!!
Tonight Mustang have pottery, so I am sure you will all have lots of creations to take home next Friday. Durango have a hike to high falls and will be playing camouflage en route. They also have a campfire story tonight about the lodge that they currently live in!!
Joke of the day:
Q: What do you feed a racehorse?
A: Fast Food
Hope you all have a great day!
Kayleigh
Categories
- Posts
- Comments
#frostvalleyymca
Comment