2005 Camp Thoughts

Ashllen Equestrian Summer Eventing Camp - July 16-19, 2006

Entry to 2007 Camp click here

Camp this year was another HUGE success! We had 50 horse and rider combinations and even more on the waiting list. Several riders made use of extra lessons and a few non-campers were able to participate as well.

Herron Park was again the dream location for our camp. Rolling green fields, wonderful cross country, and ample stadium jumps set the scene for a superb week. A bit of water in the dressage arena would have made the venue perfect. Campers scattered their tents and trailers around the stabling area and everyone arrived tired but ready to ride!

Day one began with dressage and show jumping. Riders joined Darcy, Jean, Frederic and Wendy in the dressage arena for some intensive repair work and preparation for their up-coming rides at Rebecca Farms. Jon Elliott kept horses on their toes in the show jump arena using bounces and a small course to sharpen the riders. Nick naturally took his groups on the cross country course and everyone came back exhilarated and asking for more! Nick also rode in camp this year and it was fun to watch the master be mastered by our other clinicians ! We are truly fortunate to have the caliber of instruction that we get at this camp. It is amazing to see everyone work!

Monday started again with dressage and show jump. This time we watched Frederic work his magic in the show jump arena. His turning exercise and "non-nonsense" approach had a large crowd of spectators eagerly soaking up all of his knowledge. Jean made her own world of dressage in a flat spot on the cross country course and riders ran through their dressage tests and perfected their corners. Darcy continued to share her dressage queen knowledge and worked on perfecting position. Nick... well he was on cross country of course!

Monday night, Karen Nyrop gave us all a wonderful demonstration and discussion on "Presenting your Horse to the Ground Jury". With the help of Ali Holmes-Smith and a VERY stern ground jury... Karen took the "mystery" out of this phase. With some wonderful pointers from pro's like Wendy Wergeles and Frederic Bouland, I am sure the amateurs will go to their next FEI competition feeling much more confident.

Tuesday came with jumping and more jumping. Clinicians were scattered over Herron Park like ants on a hill. Riders practiced their position over a grid with Wendy and then had to carry that into the jumper course. Frederic continued to stress preparation BEFORE the jump and allowing our horses to use themselves. Jon made good headway with some problem horses and even sat on a few for us to watch him work! Jean had her ducks following from fence to fence and imparted her wonderful wisdom to both beginner and seasoned rider alike. Nick... he was on cross country!!

And we of course can't forget the PARTY! We kept it intimate this year but it was by no means, subdued. Once again, the music cranked and the grills sizzled while campers shared stories of their week.

Wednesday held a bit of a different format. Riders submitted their preferred phase and we formulated a schedule of dressage, cross country and show jumping. Dressage rides were 20 minutes long, allowing riders to ride their test, have it critiqued and then ride it again. Jump lessons were shortened as well so that riders focused on their "problem areas" while maintaining a fresh horse for the event. All in all, it was an experiment that proved to be very useful.

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did at camp this year. It was a super experience for us and we are already looking forward to next year. We plan to move the camp ahead one day to give the horses an extra day of rest prior to the event. This will also free up Herron Park for riders from Rebecca Farms to come and school on Wednesday.

We would like to extend a special thanks to DryNest for their donation of the shaving for campers. Shelley and Larry are super people and we appreciate immensely ALL that they do for the eventing community!

Thank you as well to Becky Broussard and The Event at Rebecca Farms for all of her support. We know how much work it takes to put on such a top quality event and we certainly appreciate your help with our little camp!

Thanks to all the riders for your continued support! Look for more information on our upcoming clinics with Amy Tryon and Jonathan Elliott as well as some California spring training opportunities!

Photos From 2006 Herron Park Camp

e-mail Ashley at jumpit@ashellenadultriders.com for details