Spend the week with us at Hand, Hoof, and Heart. On this beautiful horse farm, therapeutic horseback riding, animal-assisted learning, and farm education come together for transformative experiences. The farm is a place where kids find belonging and purpose through real connection forming a community with each other, our staff, our animals, and the land. Work with, groom, care for, ride, and grow through time with our horses. Get twenty hugs–or more!–each day from fellow campers, staff, and animals. Work the animal farm, caring for a pig, goats, sheep, chickens, bunny rabbits, and of course the exquisite horses!
Therapeutic horse work begins on the ground, where campers learn to read a horse, offer clear cues, and build trust before getting in the saddle. Campers also work in teams to practice communication and partnership, developing their social-emotional learning skills, then carry that connection into riding with trail walks, obstacle play, and easy-going exploration that enable confidence to grow step-by-step.
Life on the farm keeps the fun rolling. In addition to grooming, feeding, and caring for the horses, campers also visit the beloved resident pig, goats, sheep, chickens, and bunnies on this true, working farm. Campers will feel empowered and experience pride in their accomplishments and the relationships they will build with the animals, each other, and their camp staffers.
Come play where it rains rubber chickens and the streams run of root beer! Be the hero of this story: Shooting bows, playing tag, winning the horse beauty contest, all while camping in the quiet and peace of the horse pasture. Nights feel a little magical. Campers drift to sleep alongside our equine partners in the pasture and wake to calm mornings that set the tone for a day of play and purpose. Friendships take root, and growth in emotional regulation and confidence shows up in small, everyday wins. Being different is a compliment here! Our campers routinely develop enduring friendships at and through our camps. Who doesn’t want one or more friends they can invite to a birthday party? Kiddos get to practice forming and growing authentic relationships with both the animals and their peers in an informed and learning-oriented environment.
The animal-assisted work within the therapeutic framework facilitates growth in emotional regulation as well as relational security and development in a motivating and loving environment where our kiddos are cool and being quirky or odd is a compliment.
Accommodations:
Hammock and tarp camping with indoor bathhouse and outdoor showers
Ages 8 and up
Limit 12 campers
email: mdweneta@aerieexperiences.com
phone: 404-285-0467