English Or Western: We Ride at Birchwood
It begins with a love for horses.
That’s it. Maybe it’s a passion for their beauty or curiosity about their mystery. While most camps lease their horse herd for the summer only, with more than 200 acres of camp-owned field and forest, we keep a herd of our own horses year-round and in training throughout the winter months, so they’re ready for our campers during the summer. This keeps us intimately familiar with their dispositions, in direct control of their wellbeing, and all the more able to ensure we have simply the best horses for our campers and counselors alike.
At Birchwood we offer riding lessons in dressage, hunter/jumper, western pleasure, arena games, and trail riding. Girls are assigned a horse or pony that is right for their skill and comfort level, and ride in groups of six or more campers at a time, with two or more instructors (and often times multiple assistants) per lesson period. Riding fundamentals are taught with precision and fun. As your skills develop, your lessons become more dynamic. You’ll learn how to do everything yourself - grooming, tacking up, riding, feeding, and more.
The Horseback Riding program at Birchwood is about much more than just being able to ride. We teach a holistic approach to horsemanship that gives our campers a complete picture of horse care, including understanding common veterinary issues, equine nutrition, care for tack and equipment, hoof care, and more. Whether you are brand new to horses or an accomplished equestrian athlete, we’ve got a spot for you in our barn, counselors who are ready to cheer you on, and horses who can’t wait to meet you.
And unlike other camps - our tuition is all-inclusive! We keep it this way so that every camper in camp can ride - no additional fees or costs are necessary. We also provide everything you need - from the helmet right down to the cowgirl boots (though it is pretty fun to get a pair of your own)!
In addition to our regular lesson schedule, we will be offering limited specialty clinics with professional equestrian coaches! Come ride with us!
Horsepacking Trips
It begins with proper horsemanship skills, learned in camp. You gain confidence, begin to master fundamentals, understand your horse. The relationship unfolds as you work together. Over the hills and through the woods, under canopies of old-growth white pine forests, with a packed horse to sleep away from camp. You feed and water the horses and set up camp for the night. The sun sets over fields full of wildflowers, while laughter radiates around the campfire. All while on Birchwood’s extensive acreage.
What you learn at Birchwood you take home, whether it’s about the horses or yourself: these lessons last a lifetime. It’s your expedition, you create your own story.
