Riding Program
It’s all about the horses here at Circle R Ranch! We have quite the herd - with over 60 trail/camper horses, plus several foals, staff-owned horses, and horses in training to become a part of the Circle R Ranch Trail Team, we live up to our slogan, “the horse lover’s favorite camp!”
Horseback riding is an exhilarating sport with a rich history and cultural heritage! We are not known for nose-to-tail trail rides - At Circle R Ranch our horses are ready for campers to learn the basics and beyond including leading, grooming, saddling, mounting, and riding in the western trail riding discipline.
Our campers go on trail rides daily that include riding lessons on our numerous trails around the Ranch, which helps them learn how to communicate with and control their horse. Campers are taught how to handle their horse from the moment they clip the lead rope to the moment they turn the horse out for the day.
One of Circle R Ranch’s owners and Riding Director, Savannah McCoy, lives on-site and manages the herd. She is also a counselor during the summer months!
Savannah knows every horse CRR owns intricately, including their personalities, predispositions, and preferences. Savannah pairs each camper with a horse that matches the camper’s riding ability and personality, with emphasis on pairings that create learning opportunities for each specific camper.
The Daily Details
Most campers already own clothing appropriate for horseback riding and enjoying the other ranch activities. We recommend jeans with no holes, a fitted T-shirt, sturdy heeled boots with a smooth sole, and additional layers in case the weather changes, like a sweater/jacket or vest to protect from unexpected cold or rain. Proper attire will protect riders from chafing or discomfort from saddles, stirrups, & other tack. Avoid any overly baggy, loose-fitting clothing or anything with thin or extra straps or ornaments that may interfere with riding equipment or nature.
On Sunday following check in, campers are introduced to the staff, camp boundaries, and camp-wide rules. Campers are asked to change into their riding program attire. We separate campers into groups - then campers have a tack and grooming lesson, learning alongside other campers with similar riding experience.
Campers meet their horse on Monday morning, leading, tying, grooming, and saddling their horse on their own under careful supervision of the counselors. Following breakfast, campers complete a lesson on horseback to ensure all campers understand the commands of our horses. Then, every day, they begin their day at the tack barn, preparing their horses for trail rides before breakfast - afterwards, they mount up and ride their horses on their own, on a 2-2.5h trail ride with their group under the careful supervision/facilitation of their counselors. The campers are taught horsemanship throughout the week on trail to help improve their riding skills. By the end of most weeks, our campers in every group have trotted at least a couple times, many getting to the point of both trot and canter stretches.
After the trail ride, we enjoy lunch, then a rest hour, and free activity time with our pool, arts and crafts, bareback riding, and more. After dinner, the whole camp does an activity together.
What Sets Us Apart
You will find we are VERY unique in the horse camp world! As we said before - we are not known for nose-to-tail, walk only trails. We teach our campers safe riding skills to prevent any injury to themselves or their horse and to develop confidence in taking on full control of their horse while on trail, including trotting or cantering. Campers learn how to properly mount, dismount, stop, turn, cue, and position their body while riding.
A favorite throughout the week is our campout night on Wednesday nights, where the campers tack up and ride out to sleep over in the pasture with their horses (campers stay in covered wagons). A true cowboy experience, they tie their horses to the trees, pack their tack into tarps, enjoy a cookout around our fire ring while singing songs and telling stories into the evening - then awake in the morning to their horses grazing just outside their wagons.
We are opening for the first time in 40 years without the legendary leader Jack McCoy at the helm, who passed away last summer, leaving the business to his 4 children. His daughter and Operating Riding Director Savannah breeds and trains the horses we have, offers bareback riding in the afternoons during activity time, and also offers experiences for the campers to help socialize the foals throughout the week (we had 18 last year!)
Horses are the way of life at Circle R Ranch. We can’t wait to share our passion with you!