Cover story: Summer in the saddle -- Generations of kids plunge into riding and horsemanship at Woodside Junior Riders Cover story: Summer in the saddle -- Generations of kids plunge into riding and horsemanship at Woodside Junior Riders (August 04, 2004)

By Jennifer Nuckols
Special to the Almanac

Many summer camps provide a short-lived opportunity for parents to get their kids to turn off the TV and get out of the house for a few fleeting summer days. But some camps keep people coming back, not only year after year, but generation after generation.

Woodside Junior Riders -- a 10-week-long English riding camp located on Tripp Road -- is in its 57th year: that's nine years longer than Woodside has been an incorporated town.

"The most important thing about the program is tradition," says Meaghan Bleier, 24, who was raised in Portola Valley and is now the camp's operational manager.

And she would know, because she participated in the camp from age 5 to 15. Three of her siblings also participated, and her mother often volunteered at the camp.

Kathi Dancer, who manages the horses, has two children in the program who are third-generation junior riders. Her mother still helps with the annual show.

For 40 years, Ursula Eisenhut single-handedly ran the camp. In 2001 the leadership was divided into three jobs -- besides Ms. Dancer, there is Marty Raynor, program manager, and Nelly Emmerson, the president.

The camp accommodates 70 students, divided into eight ability levels. Each level has a daily lesson, five days a week for 10 weeks. The camp is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., but most kids hang around the camp before and after their 30- to 40-minute lesson.

Past participants and those who already have siblings in the camp are given priority for admittance, followed by members of the Woodside Pony Club and the Woodside Vaulters, followed by residents of Woodside and Portola Valley. More than 30 students are currently on the wait list, says Ms. Raynor.

"I stopped taking names," she says.

The camp is looking for ways to expand, but there are practical and safety limitations to the number of horses and riders that can be accommodated on the property, says Ms. Raynor. The camp owns 10 horses, and it borrows about a dozen privately owned horses for the summer.

Only about 10 percent of the Junior Riders are boys, probably due to the fact that boys often prefer Western-style riding as opposed to English riding, says Ms. Raynor.

Appealing price

One explanation for the camp's overall popularity is its appealing price tag. As a nonprofit organization, its only charges what it costs to run the program, says Ms. Raynor. Participants pay $500 for the entire summer, significantly less than the cost of other summer riding programs.

Other reasons for the camp's appeal are the elements of horse care and education, which make the program more involving and interesting than private riding lessons, says Ms. Bleier.

Participants have daily chores that include cleaning tack and bits, picking up trash and loose branches around the property, scooping manure from the paddocks, washing brushes and combs, and giving the horses baths.

"We want them to be responsible if they are going to own horses one day," says Ms. Bleier.

Horse education is emphasized during Wednesday workshops. One week the workshop was on equine anatomy, and students placed Velcro labels on the horse's various body parts. On Fridays they get to ride bareback and play games.

For parents, part of the camp's appeal is the life skills the students acquire.

"It develops a high level of responsibility and confidence," says Ms. Raynor. "I mean, look at this little girl controlling this huge horse," she says, as we observe a tiny 8-year-old atop of one of the largest horses in the ring.

Family feeling

The camp has a communal feel to it. Parents, dogs, small children, and student riders all mingle around the snack-food table. Little kids chase around a dog named Molly, the unofficial camp mascot.

Most campers come for their lesson but stay all day because they like the atmosphere, hanging around the animals, and playing with the other kids.

"This is what she looks forward to from September on," says Meg Nibbi, mother of Katrina Nibbi, who has been a Junior Rider for three years.

"I love the kids," says Heather Lake, 20, the head instructor who is teaching there for the third summer in a row. She almost always has students clinging to her. "It's a neat, neat atmosphere."

She finds it rewarding to watch the kids grow from summer to summer, she says.

Ms. Bleier also appreciates the atmosphere. "It's nice to be in a place where everyone really cares about where they are."

Anke Knauth, 10, of Belmont says she really likes the camp because she "gets to stay with the horses all day."

Renee Stanley, 14, of Woodside has come to Junior Riders for four years and says that she likes it because when she rides, she "feels so free."

Tie that binds

Ms. Bleier says that much of the camp's appeal, and of riding in general, is in the relationship between the rider and the horse. Each student has her or his favorite horse, she says.

"A bond with a horse is different than with a dog or a cat," she says. "It's a very personal relationship because you are trusting them with your life and they are trusting their life to you."

Riding can be addictive, she says.

"People describe it as a bug," says Ms. Bleier. "Once they get into it, they're in it for life."

INFORMATION

** Woodside Junior Riders is a 10-week English riding and horsemanship summer camp that meets five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at John Kiely Equestrian Center, 3375 Tripp Road in Woodside. For more information, contact program manager Marty Raynor at 851-1295 or martyraynor@sbcglobal.net.

** Rummage sale. On Saturday, August 14, the Junior Riders will hold a rummage sale at Woodside Elementary School, 3195 Woodside Road in Woodside from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A joint fundraiser with the other riding programs that use the John R. Kiely equestrian center, the event raises money for property improvement. Goods can be donated on Friday, August 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Woodside Elementary School.

** Horse show. The Junior Riders will hold its annual horse show on Sunday, August 22, at 3375 Tripp Road at 9 a.m. Campers show their skills and during the "Grand Entry" event, the highest level of riders perform a flag-carrying routine choreographed to music. The show is free and open to the public. A barbecue lunch will be available for purchase.

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