Horse Camp

Noah has been incredibly busy this summer!  Last week he was able to participate in the horse camp at the facility where he rides.  And let me tell you, they worked hard at putting on quite a good time for these kids!  His instructor was different from the woman he usually has, but Miss Kat was just as terrific. Noah did very well under her guidance and loved every minute of it! It was only 2 hours every morning, but that as just enough for Noah.  He was able to do quite a few new things and earn some new responsibilities, he learned some new things about the horses he rides and he was able to be himself where he's easily accepted and liked while having a great time.  As his mom, I can't tell you how grateful I am for these moments and everyone who works so hard to make them happen for him.  



On the first day, they learned about the anatomy of a horse and some of the breeds.  They also got to feed the horses, which Noah loved doing.  One of the foods is called 'Happy Hoof,' which we found hilarious.  His instructor said Noah asked a lot of questions (duh!) and they were all good ones.  Noah was able to ride a little more independently than usual (no lead and only one walker), which he also did very well with.  It was up to him remember what physical and verbal commands he needed to use to make the horse go where he wanted it to.  Miss Kat, told me that she was going to allow him more independence throughout the week because he was definitely ready for it.  Yay Noah!  At the end of their day, Charm was nice enough to allow the kids to paint her!

Another day, Noah learned how to ride bareback!  Noah liked the feel of this better than riding with a saddle; up until now, he's liked the English and Dressage saddles best.  He says the Western saddle isn't comfortable and is too stiff.  It's all about sensory input with 'these kids.'  Miss Kat noted that Noah seemed more sure and his posture seemed better while riding bareback.


There were also lasso lessons, water gun fights while riding the horses, bobbing for apples, painting and throwing horseshoes, making special treats for the horses and feeding them to the horses, and cleaning up after the horses.  Noah was able to have new experiences, meet new people and make new friends.

On the last day, I allowed Noah to take one of my cameras with him so he could memorialize his camp experience in the ways that he wanted to.  When he got home, we downloaded 124 pictures to our computer!  Many of them he took were of his new favorite horse, Scarlet.  We laughed at this picture because it looks like she's smiling!          

I am truly grateful for the experiences Noah is having with this program.  He is making great progress and benefitting from it so much.  It is an amazing relief to see Noah (finally) excelling at something naturally.  It makes me a much happier mom to see him happy and successful.  I don't know if the instructors, walkers, caretakers, volunteers, office workers, horses and everyone else who makes this facility happen will ever completely understand how much their hard work and dedication mean to me.  They are the kind of people who help make this world go 'round.