Year 9 - Horse Riding Camp

Horse Riding Camp

We began at base camp, riding through the bush on our horses, passing snakes and animals of all sorts. Our instructors, Ange and Will, lead us. It was hot, the week began with a heat wave and the flies swarmed. After our trail ride on the horses we took the bus to our first campsite,The Hideout, where the grass and the trees were a spectacular colour, and white fluff from the trees above littered the ground. That night we slept under the stars, listening to the river rushing next to us. 

In the morning we returned to base, mounting our horses and trekking through the bush to our next destination.  While on the road, we learnt how to trot. After 3 hours in the sweltering heat, we arrived at Camp Howqua.

For the rest of the day, we prepared our swags and dipped our feet in the water of the river.

Wednesday we spent the day out in the paddock and played games with the horses, like Octopus, as well as practiced how to steer and stop.

We expected rain that night. A tarp was set up under the trees to protect us from rain but the wind picked up and ripped it. The wind continued to get stronger so we ended up sleeping in the toilet block that night, which was pretty clean.

Thursday we rode through the bush again, back to base. Along the way, we stopped at the steep hill where 'The Man from Snowy River' was filmed.

On that day Ange and Will allowed us to canter, which is much faster than a trot but is also smoother.

Upon our arrival to base, we left the horses in the paddock and took the bus to The Hideout again. That night a projector was set up and we watched 'The Man from Snowy River' after dinner, which was cooked by Mick.

Friday morning we returned to base and took the horses on a trail ride for the last time, before we got on the bus once more, and returning home where we could share our adventures with our family.

Maddi Dods

Bravery, Courage and Leadership

The Year 9 horse riding camp created a great opportunity for students to learn about their inner reserves and strengths as all students were pushed well outside their comfort zone. 

Riding and working with horses highlights our capacity as leaders.  Getting an animal, that weighs 400-500kg and has a mind of its own, to do what you want requires someone to be clear and explicit in their instructions.  Students learned quickly that if you are not able to clearly tell your horse what you want it to do, the horse will do whatever it pleases.  This led to many interesting conversations  about what it means to lead.

A couple of mishaps for some of our riders had us all reflecting on the difference between bravery and courage.  A discussion around the fireplace led to a general view that bravery was doing something dangerous and not being scared whilst courage was facing your fear and doing something that is scary.

By the end of the week all our students had shown courage and faced their fears with each student successfully controlling their horse at a trot and a canter.  Other students faced fears about sleeping outside, being away from home and spending time on a camp with people they did not know very well.

Some great new friendships were made and a good time was had by all.

Special thanks to the staff and horses at Watson's Horseback adventures in Booralite for a fabulous week.

Catherine Ford

Camp Leader