|
Each morning, at 6:45, the bell rings at Camp MacCready; meantime, several campers are awoken at Pok-O-Moonshine. Their destination: The tack room,  barns and stalls. Campers feed horses, groom horses, muck stalls and shovel horse ‘stuff’.
The Horsemasters program has been at camp for over thirty years. While performing what amounts to manual labor at dawn doesn’t seem as attractive as the typical camp activities of swimming and boating, the campers revel in it. “I like being around the horses,” states Erin Gilmore, “and I’ve learned how to groom a horse.”
More than anything, it’s the bond with the horses that campers feel the most. “I like spending time with horses,” says Laura Potel. “I talk with them, I sing with them, I even kiss them!”
Why do campers perform these chores when Pok-O-MacCready has over 60 paid staff members? “It’s all about what the campers learn about riding,” relates program director Cat Harrison. “In order to be a rider, you don’t just hop on a horse. There is a lot that goes into the care and maintenance of owning an animal.” And clearly, the campers like it. “I don’t mind waking up early,” says Gilmore. “the rest of camp is still asleep, but I have a great time.”
|
Adirondack three-sided camping shelter.
