Horse Show thoughts from the Sprucelands camp director.

The horse show on Saturday was all about smiles. There were smiles everywhere. The kids were so proud of their progress and accomplishments. They had after all worked very hard, and delightfully the horses cooperated, responding so nicely to the praise each rider lavished on them.

I will confess here that horse shows are not my thing. Just the idea of 'horse show' can bring out that ugly competitive edge that so many kids thrive on in the school scene. I personally like to take the worst parts of competition away and give our riders an opportunity to receive genuine feedback on how they are doing.

So on Friday before the horse show, each rider completes something called a Horse Show Sheet. On that paper, they can indicate what horse they prefer to ride and what skills they have worked on during their camp time. Then they can actually say what skill or skills they want judged in the horse show.

The beauty of these Horse Show Sheets is that they let the judges know what to look for in a particular rider. The kids know they are judged on how professional they look, how they conduct themselves with their horse even if the horse acts up during the class, and how they succeed at the skills they chose for the show. Every rider also knows their general attitude in their two weeks of riding counts and so does their caring for the horses. What all this means is that it is a whole horse experience.

There may be four riders in a horse show class and they are all being judged on similar basics and then on an individual basis. On top of that, they can retrieve their Horse Show Sheet from the judges. That way they get a hard copy with hand written comments of their ride along with the ribbon for where they placed in their riding group.

So one rider after another moves through their riding routines. There is always a healthy tension because while the kids are riding for themselves, they are riding in front of parents, grandparents, staff, and fellow campers. Often they think this is their time to shine. While it highlights them, my hope is they will one day realize that they shine all the time, wherever they are.

We were honored to have our drill team perform once again. This was an opportunity for parents to see what we applauded on the fourth of July. It was a chance for all of us in camp to see them under the glory of daytime sun. When they rode on the fourth, it was a setting sun behind them and lots of dust. You can see that while I complained of rain in the spring, we are actually hoping for rain in the summer. It's pretty dry here.


While the show was going on and their were proud faces everywhere, I want to recognize the dedication of our horse spotters. Those are the individuals who volunteer their time in a kind of community service to work with riders who still need assistance on the ground.

One of our campers broke her arm last session, not riding a horse however. She tripped over her own feet during an active game of Capture the Flag. Much to her credit, she rode in the show on Saturday, even jumped in the show, and Alicia, her spotter, jumped with her. I just have to include this picture because it honors our spotters and plugs a little humor into the show at the same time. Thank you, Alicia.


In some shows, the ribbons are all important. I noticed this last Saturday that relationships far outweighed the ribbons. During one class, a camper waved goodbye to her counselor and CIT from outside the fence just as ribbons were being handed out. Didn't matter about the ribbons. They welcomed her into the ring for hugs from horses from every rider in the class.

So that is what Sprucelands is all about. We learn. We care. We make friends. We have a spirit that encompasses us all and fills us with a very basic reality that life is about connection. My prayer is the kids take that reality into their lives at home and pass it along to friends and family there. Then Sprucelands is making a positive difference and maybe the world will be a little better place.

Comments welcome, especially when they are from your heart.