The Dubuque County Trailblazers began Horse and Pony Camp back in 1971. In 2013 the Trailblazers made a difficult decision to cancel camp. For two years, Horse & Pony camp was not held. In the summer of 2014, it was decided to form a new organization that would take over the responsibility of this annual event! The Eastern Iowa Horse and Pony Camp, Inc. (EIHPC) was formed. Our board members are Ma
tt King, Shawn Strief, Nick Meyer, Jason Burke, Sue Manternach, Ben Urbain, Jessica Hingtgen, Katie Kotz, and Michael Wolken. The mission of EIHPC is to help provide youth with the opportunities to enhance their equine knowledge and horsemanship skills. To continually work towards our mission, the EIHPC will host the annual Horse & Pony Camp. It is also our goal to be able to provide other educational opportunities in the future as our organizations moves forward.
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The Eastern Iowa Horse & Pony Camp is a week long residential camp for boys and girls in 3rd - 12th grade that have an interest in horses. Campers will bring their own horses for the week and participate in three hours of riding lessons and about two hours of class room type lessons. Two 45 minute riding lessons each day with a group of 4 to 6 riders that match their skill level and age. Each rider will have the same two riding instructors through out the week so that they can work on their riding goals. Each day, campers will also have the chance to sign up for electives that range from Showmanship at Halter, Advanced Western Pleasure, Reining, Dressage, Roping, Ground Work, and more. The Ecademys are a class room based lesson that happens twice a day for 45 minutes. The class room will have about 30-40 students in each. Ecademys topics are matched to the age and skill level of the group. Topics may include: parts of the horse, grooming, vet care, hoof care, breeds of the world, show grooming, hippotherapy, first aid, budgeting for owning a horse, careers in the industry, ect. The Eastern Iowa Horse and Pony Camp also rely's heavily on our volunteers to keep the cost of camp low. We appreciate any parent or guardian that can take some time during the week to help in areas such as: over night chaperons, kitchen help, day chaperons, snack bar, nurses, etc. An opportunity is also available for older and experienced youth to be mentors. Mentors provide assistance to our weekly instructors during riding lessons to ensure campers are excelling and advancing their skills during the lessons.
