Camp Horseshoe Equestrian Center

09/14/2024

Today's Saddle Club is cancelled due to weather

08/17/2024

When someone leaves a comments or a like here, I often click on their name to see their riding images on their page. I do this to keep track of what today's typical riding looks like. I see all kinds of riding. Some images and videos show very good balanced riding. What seems to be a common riding flaw that I see recently is with head position. So many riders post pictures of their riding with their eyes looking down. This might seem a minor issue, but it is not.

When your eyes are down, your horse can feel that your balance is forward, more over the forehand. This will put your horse onto their forehand. When your eyes go down, your head that weighs 15 pounds (7 kg) goes down and forward, and usually your shoulders fall forward as well. The fact that your head is up high at the end of an effective lever that is your upper body, multiplies the forward weight that you place over your horse's shoulders.

The negative effects this has on your horse show up in several ways. It makes both upward and downward transitions more difficult for your horse. This is because Horses need to push off or reach under with their hind, and you have shifted their balance off their hind. Lead changes become more difficult for the same reason.

Worst of all for riders, looking down makes it more difficult to develop "feel". I briefly had an argumentative student who insisted on looking down. She would argue with me when I said "eyes up", saying "I like to see what my horse is doing". I'd explain that with eyes up you can feel what your horse is doing and that makes all the difference.

If you look down when riding, just stop doing that. If you have to look down, move your eyeballs, not your head. If you do this, many improvements will follow. You will sit the canter better because your head and neck position will no longer interfere with your hips swinging to the 1-2-3 beat of the canter. "Eyes up". It's simple and fixes a lot of things.

07/24/2024

07/24/2024

End of Summer deal! Half off repeat campers for the last week!!

05/26/2024

Summer Camps are right around the corner, we still have some openings for all weeks. Come visit us this Saturday for Open House

03/25/2024

Summer Camp Dates

02/15/2024

Congratulations to Alli and Elyse!!
They will be competing at IEA
Regionals
Feb. 24th at South Carolina Equine Park
No Saddle Club that weekend because I'm going to watch and support.

02/14/2024

Saddle Club schedule changes
We WILL be having Saddle Club Sat. Feb. 17th
9-12
However, NO Saddle Club Feb.24th or 25th

01/13/2024

Saddle Club postponed to Sunday the 14th
1-4pm

12/12/2023

SADDLE CLUB CHANGED TO SUNDAY Dec 17th
1-4

10/06/2023

Saddle Club schedule changes: Sunday Oct. 15th
1-4
Sunday Oct. 29th
1-4
&
NO SADDLE CLUB Oct.21st or 22nd

09/01/2023

08/09/2023

"If the art were not so difficult we would have plenty of good riders and excellently ridden horses, but as it is the art requires, in addition to everything else, character traits that are not combined in everyone: inexhaustible patience, firm perseverance under stress, courage combined with quiet alertness. If the seed is present only a true, deep love for the horse can develop these character traits to the height that alone will lead to the goal." — Gustav Steinbrecht

07/06/2023

Last few weeks of day camp at Camp Horseshoe and we have updates! If you’ve already came to spend a week with us and want to come back, we will take $50 off of your second week with us! If you haven’t had a chance to come out and enjoy the outdoors with us this is your time. A week full of assisted horseback riding, swimming, fishing, crafts, adventure trails and so much more! To find more information, click the website link in our Facebook profile. Feel free to Email Mr. Wilton at [email protected] with any questions or call 803-924-3573. Hope to see you and your campers out here soon!

06/14/2023

SPECIAL for June 2023!! June 19th-23th we are offering one of our biggest deals yet! For the the next week we are offering our General Camp for only $175 a camper. A week full of assisted horseback riding, swimming, fishing, crafts, adventure trails and much more! To find more information, click the website link in our Facebook profile. Feel free to Email Mr. Wilton at [email protected] with any questions or call 803-924-3573. Hope to see you and your campers out here soon!