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Davenport Stables Camps, 2010
We will be offering 4 camp sessions this summer. Three of the camps will be day camps, and will run Mon-Friday from 9:00-3:00. The campers will ride at least twice a day and we will have guest speakers that will educate the students on basic veterinarian and farrier care. On Fridays we will give a demonstration for our families and friends from 1:00-3:00. Each student must wear long pants (jeans or riding breaches), boots and have a helmet and bring a lunch. I recommend putting sunscreen on each morning, since we will be outside most of the day. The cost of each day camp is $300.00. $100 due at sign up with the balance paid on the first day of camp. If you would like to bring your own horse let me know and we can set something up. There will be a charge of $25.00 for "outside" horses. All campers must be at least 9 years old and each camp is limited to 10 students.
The fourth camp is for adults only and will be Friday and Saturday from 9:00-5:00. The cost of the adult camp is $120.00, $25.00 deposit with the remaining due the first day of camp. All campers must be at least 18 years old to attend this camp and this camp is limited to 10 students.
Camps
Session 1: Horsemanship June 14-18 9:00-3:00
The purpose of this camp is to teach the campers how to effectively communicate with their horses in such a way that the horse wants to do what the rider is asking, not be forced into submission. In this session we will teach the campers how to "read" their horse by being aware of their horses body language and how to use our body language to "talk" to our horses.The campers will learn how to ride bareback, how to feel the way a horse moves and how to let our body move with the horse in such a way that we become one with our horses. This camp is for all levels of riders. Students must be at least 9 years of age.
Session 2: Gaming June 28-July 2 9:00-3:00
The purpose of this camp is to teach the students the basics of gaming. We will learn how to barrel race, pole weave, and how to run the key hole race. If there is time we will work on additional patterns such as the jumping figure 8 and the pennant races. Gaming is not just about going fast, it's about being a balanced rider and doing the patterns correctly on a horse that understands what you are asking of them. It's really important that the campers understand how to become partners with the horse. This camp is for riders that have had at least one year of riding experience. Students must be at least 9 years of age.
Session 3: The basics of Horse Training July 12-16 9:00-3:00
This camp is for students interested in learning how to start a horse and basic horse training techniques. We will teach round pen techniques, ground driving, observe herd dynamics and demonstrate how body language is very important when working with horses. I will start my 2 year old filly Sassy in this camp and demonstrate the training techniques that I have found to work. The campers will then practice those techniques on the horses they have been assigned for that week. One important thing I want the students to learn in this camp is that each horse is an individual and training has to be tailored for each horse. Training is a continuous thing with horses, no matter how well trained your horse is, there is always something you need to work on. Students attending this camp should have at least one year of riding experience. Students must be at least 9 years of age.
Adult Camp: July 30-31 9:00-5:00
In this camp we will explore the relationship that we develop with horses. Each student will be assigned a horse and will be responsible for that horses well-being. We will work in the round pen and on the ground. We will ride our horses bareback at first so you can really feel how they move, and then on to riding with saddles. My goal for this camp is to provide support and feedback as you become aware of this amazing human/horse connection. If you open yourself up to your horse, you will be amazed by what they can teach you. This camp is for adults only and is open to riders of all levels and disciplines. Students must be at least 18 years of age.
Make sure you dress comfortably and bring gear for camping if you would like to stay the night on Friday. We will have a pot-luck dinner after the camp, pitch our tents, light the bonfire and talk about how horses touch us.It just doesn't get any better than that!
Please let me know at davenportstables@yahoo.com if any sessions would be of interest you.
The main goal of our lesson program is to help our students develop the skills necessary to make them part of a working partnership with a horse, whether it be their own horse or one of our lessons horses. We start from the ground level, teaching our students how to properly catch, tack up, and care for their horses and then move on in the direction they want to go. Each lesson is tailored to help our students meet their individual goals at a pace that they are comfortable with. Our lessons are available as private (1 student) and semi-private lessons (2-4 students). Listed below is our lesson schedule, prices, and brief introduction to our lesson horses. Each lesson is 45 minutes in length. Our lessons in the winter usually are relaxed and the students ride bareback to help them stay warm. In the summer we usually ride with full tack and also make it fun by teaching the students how to bathe their horse on those hot and humid days.
Summer Lesson Schedule:
Mon, Wed, Fri - 10:00-6:00
Tues, Thur - 10:00-7:00
Winter Lesson
Schedule:
Tuesday-Friday
- 10:00-6:00
Saturday 10:00-3:00
- Semi-Private Lessons Only (Sat. lessons available in winter
only
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Lesson Type |
Price |
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Private |
$40 per student |
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Semi-Private |
$30 per student |
Meet
our Lesson Horses
Sassy
Wow, a year has gone by and Sassy has really
grown. She had a great summer and is healthy and strong. She is
halter trained and she stands tied nice for grooming and getting her feet
done. She is like a little sponge and seems very smart and
athletic. It's hard to get a picture of her because she always comes up to
the camera and fogs it up with her breath. Updated pictures soon!
Nora
Nora has been with us for a year. She is a
14.2HH paint with a beautiful blue eye. Nora is 7 years old and is Sassy's
mother. We have her teaching both our English and Western students and she
is doing great. She is a patient teacher, but she also know's how to
"test" her rider by making sure they don't fall asleep when riding her. If
you don't pay attention, she will stop or just wander out the door. She is
very athletic and she has started ground poles and jumps up to 6 inches with our
English riders. She is learining how to neck rein with our Western riders. Nora's personality is very sweet and gentle, she seems to love people and when
we go out to the pasture she walks right up to us. Currently we are
working on her canter and getting her to pick up both leads
correctly.
Odyssey
Aladdin's Odyssey
This is so hard to write. Odyssey was the horse
that started our lesson program and we lost him this fall to colic at the age of
24. Every day I miss him, he was my partner and friend for 7 years. He was amazing and he did everything we asked him to do. I could
always trust him to help my students and to help me. There have been many
times we have all felt his love. Many of us have walked out to his pasture
feeling down in the dumps and he has let us hug him and cry out our pain in his
mane. He loved peppermints, warm bits, children and birds perching on his
back. He hated the heat, the intense cold, but he loved the first snow fall
when the temp. was around 30, then he would play all day. Odyssey had no front teeth so when he neighed he had a lisp. I
loved his neigh and sometimes at night when I am alone doing chores, I think I
hear it......maybe he is still watching over us........oh I wish he
was.
Trail rides were a blast with him, he could slip
into his amazing canter and hold it while the other horses were trotting. He had a trot that was the most uncomfortable trot you would ever want to try to
ride, but he used it to show his humans that they actually could sit a
trot if they were patient and worked hard enough. It was a huge
achievement to sit the Odyssey trot! Odyssey always taught my first time
students and he was great at helping me determine their riding skills. He
was not a "push button" horse and made his students actually ride him. He
was gentle with my youngsters and had a blast with my more experienced
riders. He loved showing off at the canter, he would arch his neck and
lift his tail when asked to canter during a lesson. He gave lessons up
until the day he died. I still feel him here, and he still is teaching me
by making me learn to trust the other horses enough to do his job. There
is a hole here and I don't think it will ever be filled. We miss the "odd
man" so much.........but we all are trying to remember him with smiles instead
of tears, he would have wanted it that way. Goodbye Odyssey, my gentle
friend and teacher. You were loved by many and we will never forget
you.
Kierra
Kierra is a 16 year old 14.2 hand Arabian mare. She is another very sweet horse that
loves treats and attention. Kierra has been working with the students that
are ready to ride a horse with a bit of "get up and go". She has an
amazing canter that the students love to ride and is a great teacher. Nothing really seems to faze her and we're also discovering that she is a great
trail horse and is used by my husband when we go out on trails. In fact
John has "adopted" her as his own horse.
This spring (2007) we lost Kierra. We miss
her dearly and have decided to leave her up on our lesson page as a way to
remember her. She was a wonderful little horse that taught several people
how to ride with confidence and she also was a great companion for me. I
enjoyed just hanging out with her and letting her "help" me with chores in the
mornings (she liked to go into the stalls and clean up any food that was left
behind). We will never forget her and her gentle ways.
Gracie
Gracie is a 10 year old grey quarter horse mare
that stands about 15 hands high. She is quiet and sweet, and has
beautiful, soft eyes and can make the funniest faces (sometimes she looks like a
little white mule..). She does have some get up and go for riders that are
more advanced and I can't wait to try her in some gaming shows! She rides
under western tack and is great for all level of riders. Gracie is a nice
level headed trail horse and takes everything in stride. We're still
learning about her likes and dislikes, but we have discovered that
she enjoys having her head scratched and standing in the barn with us
while we're doing chores in the morning. She's quickly become a reliable
lesson horse and has picked up the students that Honey left behind when she went
to Georgia.
Daisy Mae
Daisy is my daughters 9 year old pinto. She
stands 14.3 hands high and is Danielle's gaming horse. We put her into the
lesson program this year for the more advanced students to ride since Danielle
is so busy with school and basketball and Daisy's getting pretty chunky out in
the pasture! She has stepped up to the plate and is doing a wonderful
job. She is very quick on her feet and only rides under western tack, or
bareback. She's great for the students that are ready to try gaming and
learning the patterns. She definately is a horse that likes to go! She's also a fun little trail horse and will go all day long.
Minnesota JJ (aka JJ)
I’ve added JJ to the lesson program this year. He is my personal horse, my best friend, and to me he is the most beautiful
horse in the world. I bought him 7 years ago and have felt amazed that I
could be partners with such a regal horse. We do everything together from
trail riding to barrel racing. Unfortunately, due to his age, he can’t
train with me in jumping and eventing and he is becoming bored with the little
bit that I get to ride him. He has accepted the role of a lesson horse
willingly and we have moved on to a new partnership. I still ride him
when I need time to myself and when I get on his back I feel like I’m
home. I am so proud of him and his willingness to help others learn how
to ride. He is a good instructor and he will push his students when they
need it, and be gentle with the ones that are just starting out. He will
do anything we ask, from riding under western tack, English tack, to
bareback-in fact he’s a nice horse to ride bareback because his swayed-back
holds you in place.
Latte
Latte is a Walkaloosa that came to us in the summer of
2008. We think is about 28 years old is going strong! He is gaited
and everyone loves riding him because he is so smooth, but watch out, he is a
character…… When he thinks lesson time is done he will try to
turn for the barn and if you aren’t ready to stop him he’ll walk
you right up to a stall and park himself so you can get off. He’s an amazing trail horse
and seems to really enjoy lessons and all the attention he gets from the
students. He reminds all of us as an opinionated old man, he begs for
treats, sucks on his tongue, and will nudge you with his nose if he isn’t
the center of attention. I have a funny story about Latte. This
fall we had him loose just hanging out on the property while I was giving a
lesson. He saw us from the area he was grazing and came into the indoor
arena to see what we were doing. He then decided it looked like fun and
joined the lesson! He followed all the horses and did all the exercises
and then followed us out on a little trail ride. He was so cute, everyone
at the barn stopped what they were doing to watch him. It was like he was
saying, “Hey you guys, don’t forget about me!”. He definitely
is a “character” and we all love him. I often get teased that
he will outlive me, and everyone is probably right! He just keeps on
going and going and going.
Gentle Breeze
Gentle Breeze was bought as a surprise for me by my
husband John. He named her Gentle Breeze because she had such gentle soft
eyes, loaded right up in the trailer, and was very quiet on the ride home. She is the best Birthday present I have ever received. Breeze does have
amazing eyes, they are huge, soft and expressive. She is a 12 year old
Arabian/Thoroughbred Cross (Anglo-Arab) and stands about
15.2HH. Under saddle she is stunning and athletic. She has been
ridden English most of her life and we were told that she has dressage and
jumping experience. She works great off your legs, but if you get too
heavy handed with the bridle she shuts down. Breeze has become a favorite
for many of my students. They say her canter is awesome and it feels
like flying. She is a great teacher and helps my
students learn to use their seat and legs to ride and not rely on their hands so
much.
Sometimes, when she is standing in the barn she
will turn and look at me, and it takes my breath away. She reminds me of
the mare Roxanne, in the book "King of the Wind". She is very regal,
poised and beautiful and I find her amazing and intriguing. I am so lucky
to know a horse that seems to have come right out of one of my favorite
books. I have been dreaming of a horse like her ever since I could
read.
Piper
Piper is a 16 year old Arabian/Thouroughbred Cross
(Anglo-Arab) and she stands about 15.3HH. She is a horse that will work
for me all day long, and still be excited to see me at night. This horse
lives for trail rides, she loves going out and isn't afraid of anything. I love riding her, she is a perfect match to me and reminds me so much of
JJ. She loves trail rides, games, being groomed and playing games with
us. When you ride her you barely have to touch the reins, it's all about
your seat with her. I ride her bareback all the time and I love how
responsive she is. She is always ready to go, go, go....so she is not for
my beginner riders, but my more advanced Western students love riding her.
When she came here she didn't know how to stop, or
give at all. One of my students, Marin, helped me re-train
her and it was hard to get her to relax enough to listen to what we were
trying to teach her. Once Marin and I gained her trust she would
do anything for us. It took several months to get her to this point and it
was definately worth it!
Trixie
Trixie is back! We are so glad to have Trixie
here at Davenport Stables. She is a 12 year old 13HH pony. She was
overweight and had trouble with her feet, which made her very crabby. She
would kick out at us and was not a nice pony to be around. Since we
started her on a diet, she has lost 150 pounds, and has become the best pony I
have ever met! She is a great side-kick for me. I love hanging out
with her and teaching her new tricks. We currently are teaching her how to
play soccer and she loves it! She kicks the ball and will follow it around
the arena. The students have a blast playing with her. The next
thing we want to teach her is how to bow. She does great with all my
students and she is big enough for me to ride, but small enough for my
littlest students. She has the most amazing trot that is very
smooth. She is a great teacher for those students needing confidence at
the trot. She doesn't like to canter very much, but she will with the more
confident students.
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Davenport
Stables
John
& Cheryl
Davenport
13351 South Diamond Lake Rd.
Dayton,
MN 55327
Phone: (612) 387-7551 - (763)
421-1853 home/barn
E-mail: davenportstables@yahoo.com
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