Seussical Summertime

I hear from so many past campers about missing Sprucelands. They ask how things are here, often reflecting on memories while riding, times at the barn, walks down the Al Capone trail, canoeing or kyaking lakeside. So I decided to include a few summer photos during our Dr. Seuss summer.

While we have had some humdinger thunderstorms from time to time, there have been sunny days when we want to reach our arms to the sky and spin in circles just because the warm weather feels so darn good. It has actually been chillier than usual as summers go in these parts. That makes for terrific sleeping, wonderful riding, and fewer bugs. In my book, chilly has its benefits.

When we get the sunshine and temps worthy of water balloons and sloshes on the slippery slide, life is definitely good. To lay on a towel and gaze freely at the clouds is an escape that means there's nothing more pressing than figuring out what animal shape is in the puffy white clouds, precious moments lacking in our lives today. We treasure them here at Sprucelands and lovingly insert them into our summertime scrapbook when they come our way.

The barn is busy with riding classes in all rings. As instructors we are teaching creative lessons so our riders are learning balance and position on the flat and over jumps.

All level riders challenge us to stretch our instructional techniques. It's great though because variety is the spice of life no matter whether it's in jumping, dressage or trails. I join Jaime, Tarrah, Julie, Emily, and Alison on the instructional team. Others are learning to be instructors and are doing really well.

I have to add that our riding classes all have Dr. Seuss names. Keeps the theme active in the barn program and makes riders less conscious of what level they are riding. Here are examples of our classes: Mouse in a House, Yertle the Turtle, Sneeches on Beaches, Fishes in Dishes, Gink with a Skink, Sam I Am, Hop on Pop, Schlopp with a Cherry on Top, and Fox in Socks. Fun? Yup, for everyone. How can you not have an open mind and be ready to learn!

Trail rides are my favorite of course. I've always been the trail ride champion because riding trails gets each rider in touch with what they really know. They discover how much they trust their horse and their instructor while exercising everything learned in the ring. To my way of thinking often riding in the ring is like staying in a playpen until you're ready to explore the world and when you start exploring the world, the adventures are endless.

We have been taking out a few low level trail rides. In our program spotters walk along sidebeginner riders so we are sure they have support with their starting, stopping, and steering. Spotters I will add have heart. They see their rider as if it was them when they were beginning to ride. With that frame of reference, their patience extends from the barn and back again, the kids learn well, and everyone is invested in giving confidence to both rider and horse.

I love watching the kids faces when they return from their ride. My gosh! You would think they just discovered chocolate ice cream. Actually, they smile with the same smile I have seen on my son after he went skydiving the first time. It's a mixture of awe and "I don't believe I just did that and survived". Those smiles highlight the day in a magical Seussical way.