Live, Love, and Learn at Eden Farm’s Summer Horse Camp
Updated: Feb 21
The best summer horse camp in Ocala, Florida!
Summer horse camps offer your child the opportunity to learn and grow their horsemanship and social skills all while giving you a break during the summer! Located conveniently “in town”, Eden Farm offers a variety of horsey activities, including riding, grooming, safe horse handling, and recreational fun like water slides, pony painting, and crafting. On Fridays of camp week, we also hold a mini horse show so your child can share what they’ve learned in the saddle. (I usually have an estimated time for their class by Thursday morning.)
The Benefits of Summer Horse Camp
Teaches kids responsibility. Kids experience a true hunter/jumper show barn. All campers learn the basics of english riding and preparation for jumping. They also learn how to halter, lead, groom, bathe and safely handle the horses. Our camps are a great way to expose your horse crazy kid to the sport to determine if they have a passion to pursue it year round. We make sure they have fun, build friendships and learn all they can about the sport of show jumping that we love.
Enhances self-esteem. Learning new tasks and mastering these skills will help your child feel good about themselves. We choose age-appropriate goals, of course, and seeing a young boy master his first posting trot with a grin on his face makes us feel terrific! By setting small goals and accomplishing these goals in camp, your child will learn that working toward a specific goal is a skill that will enhance the rest of their lives.
Aids in fitness. Riding a horse is actually a workout (And don’t we know it!) All your muscles engage while riding. Core, legs, back, arms, hands, neck, and head. A rider is constantly moving and adjusting their body as the horse moves through various gaits and directions. Maintaining balance gets blood flowing, oxygen moving through the body, and the heart pumping.
Requires focus and attention to detail. Being around horses and riding them helps your child’s brain pay attention to what is right in front of--or underneath--them. There’s no texting or tweeting while on horseback. Controlling an 800+ pound pony or horse has to be done with hands on the reins, butt in the saddle, and mind on the task.
Offers a non-digital way to engage their minds and bodies. Interacting with a real live creature, one who listens to you and who responds, is a terrific way to help kids understand how the world works. Horses have minds of their own, personalities, and moods. Kids have to learn how to communicate with them, read their body language, and interact with them safely and with authority. You don’t get this kind of immediate, real-world feedback from a video game!
We offer a range of experience levels in our camps, from absolute beginner to more advanced riding. Summer horse camp is a wonderful way to explore a new sport for beginners. It lets them take a deep dive into the responsibilities, hard work, and fun of horses. For kids with a horse interest, the experience into the horse world for most of the week will give them a stronger background in horses and may help them decide about their future participation.
~ Watch to see THE EDEN FARM SUMMER CAMP Experience ~
A Certified & Experienced Instructor
Megan is a USHJA (United States Hunter Jumper Association) Certified Trainer. Plus, as a mother of three, she knows what it takes to inspire (and tire!) kids. Summer camps are a decade-long tradition here at Eden Farm, and they fill up fast. Call today!
Contact Us Today! Sessions are Filling Fast!
Call (352-572-7658) or text us today to find out more.
Our 2023 sessions are:
Summer Camp Advanced June 12-16
Summer Camp 1 June 19-23
Summer Beginner Mini Camp July 5-7 9AM-3PM
Summer Camp 2 July 17-21
Summer Camp 1 & 2 hours are 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday -Thursday and Friday, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.
We’ll need the parents’ name and cell number, and a non-refundable $75 deposit. You can mail it to: Eden Farm, 240 SE 17th St., Ocala, FL 34471. Total cost is $500 for Eden Farm students, $600 for Non-Eden Farm students for the week’s camp. The Summer Mini Camp total cost is $350. You may register for multiple weeks if desired. Download the Flyer below to sign up.
Click here for Summer Camp Flyer
*Remember, experience is NOT required, and beginners are welcome! Please provide riding pants (more comfortable) or jeans (less comfortable), boots are preferred but sneakers are acceptable, and please send plenty of sunscreen. Also, send shorts to change into for the afternoon activities. Please send your camper’s snacks, water and lunch. On Wednesday, we’ll have the water slide, so please send a bathing suit and towel.