Pizzawheel

Hey fellow parents

Anyone have any experience/ recommendations for a horseriding camp in summer? As a day camp it would need to be in the eastern half of the city of close by in Durham. I've just seen two weeks at sunnybrook stables is $1600....

cheers!

Oakvillian

can't help with east of the city. But girl-child did attend one last summer in north Burlington, I'll ask the keeper of the purse strings how much damage was done by that. I don't think it was anything close to $1600 though, I'd have had words...

Pizzawheel

Thanks!

Sunnybrook is in the pawshest part of town. I'm suspecting anything will be too expensive. Just seen a golf camp at $450...

Tirytory

That sounds good.. No idea about prices though! I'm thinking through the summer camp plan at present...funny it's not something I would have done much of in the UK..

Teaandtoday5

!!
My daughter has been to the same camp for the last two years, this year it's $369 for 5 days (she's done quite a lot of riding so we do pay extra on top of that for an extra hour of riding a day).

They run buses from Toronto (also extra) so some people must travel, but you may think we are too far north, but even so $1600!! Wow, I'd expect to ride Shergar for that!

Oakvillian

Ah - I'd forgotten about this thread. That seems much closer to the mark: I think we paid around $350 plus tax per week last summer, this summer we shall be doing the same. Daughter goes once a week for a group lesson, too, and is still too small to be able to earn out some of the cost of that by mucking out. Early on a Sunday morning the stables are crawling with teenagers wielding forkfuls of dung; the offspring apparently can't wait until she's allowed to do the same. I do not pretend to understand the inner workings of girls' brains

Teaandtoday5

Daughter (12) has just started to do this. Not paid though.
(When I was 10/11 I used to cycle 2.5miles to do the same, also unpaid. Inherited madness?)

Pizzawheel

Could you PM me details Teaandtoday5?

Tirytory

My daughter wants to have riding lessons, since she was three... Goodness knows where she got it from. We took her for a lesson last autumn and she loved it but she looked so small on the horse and of course it was a horribly cold winter..

I am waiting for the inevitable request and until she becomes more persistent about it.

What age did your children start Oakvillian and Teaandtoday?

Teaandtoday5

Sent pm.

She was 9. And I know what you mean about them looking small, as there didn't seem to be any starting on Welsh mountain ponies like I did, she went straight onto horses.

Oakvillian

Apart from wanting to clarify that T&T5 and I do not have children together - mine had a couple of goes as a "bring a friend" guest aged 6, did a week of camp at a small local stable that summer, and has been riding regularly since turning 7.

Tirytory

Ha ha I can see how that can be misconstrued but that's not what meant

I do want her to do something she clearly wants to do.. The topic comes up regularly but she's only four. I feel like it will be a long expensive road if she starts this early and with little benefit? Of course, there are horses on a farm in our road so we have frequent reminders on the horse topic..

Pizzawheel

T&T5's suggestion looks perfect for me in terms of location. Now I just need to see if I can find the cash, as it's a bit more than the usual surrogate childcare camp.

If you were coming to the 'Yard tomorrow evening I would buy you one of the pints that James will say I owe him.

Teaandtoday5

Oh I am glad, hope it works out. I think James should keep his drink, I'm not much for pints (provided of course that all the Hooters comments are just ironic postmodern social commentary). Have fun all