Thirty-nine young horse enthusiasts saddled up new horses at William Woods University's 23rd annual summer riding program July 5 - 10, the first of two instructional riding sessions the university is offering.
The first sessions is for riders ages 14 - 18, and the second session is for riders ages 10 - 13. Both sessions welcome beginning and advanced riders, who receive world-class instruction from William Woods equestrian faculty and professionals not directly affiliated with the university.
Jennie Petterson, chair of the equestrian studies division and summer riding program director, said that the opportunity to ride accomplished horses and learn from expert equestrians continues to attract devoted riders from across the United States.
"We've definitely gotten an assortment from all over," Petterson said.
She said most campers live within driving distance - mainly Missouri and Kansas - and this year the program's first session attracted girls from Arkansas, Arizona and Rhode Island.
Petterson said participants may choose to saddle up one or two horses while others may ride many horses.
"It depends on what the campers' goals are during camp and what the instructor thinks will push them a little further ahead in their riding while they're here," Petterson said.
Petterson, other instructors and participants are well aware of the difficulty that comes with riding several horses.
"The most difficult part is understanding the mentality of each horse and figuring out all the little quirks of each horse," fifteen-year-old Molly O'Connell, a seven year camp veteran from Overland Park, Kan., said. "You don't have as much time to get to know them as you usually do."
O'Connell is currently a hunter and jumper rider but originally started riding western. She got her first horse when she was eight years old.
Madison Hart, 14, from Palmyra, Mo., is another familiar rider to WWU summer riding program staff - she has attended the summer riding program for five years.
"I grew up with it (riding) from the start. My mom went to college here (WWU), so I came here and got to be sort of with my mom."
She said she started riding western style "just to get a feel of it." But she said she quickly became interested in a different type of riding.
"I saw pictures of people jumping and I said "oh, that looks cool,' so I started doing hunter jumper."
Hayden Nielsen, 17, from Olathe, Kan., is another riding camp veteran. She rides saddle seat - a specific style of riding within the English group of riding disciplines. She said she got hooked on horseback riding when she was a little girl, but did not immediately become a saddle seat rider.
"I had tried other seats before saddleseat and I just wanted to try everything," Nielsen said. "I wasn't very good at the other ones so I just tried saddleseat and I just love it now."
She described the main goal of the saddle seat riding style, which showcases both the rider and horse's form and composure during each of the horse's four gaits, especially the trot.
"We want the horses to have their head up, their nose tucked in - they have high stepping front and back legs.
Nielsen came to camp with her 14-year-old sister Reilli. This year marked Hayden's seventh year attending the summer riding program and Reilli's fourth year.
While several girls expressed interest in pursuing equestrian studies, equine or animal medicine or horse training at WWU or somewhere else, 15-year-old Ellie Brosch from Omaha, Neb., has an entirely different career in mind.
"I want to be a music teacher," she said. "I'm interested in horses and music and they don't mix at all."
She became interested in horseback riding when her neighbor started riding lessons.
"There are no horse riders in my family and she just constantly talked about it, and she showed me pictures - then I just wanted to try it," Brosch said. "I remember my dad calling a bunch of different places for lessons and only one place called us back - it just happened to be a western barn."
Brosch said she started riding western but seeing other equestrian riders jump on their horses at the barn piqued her interest in another riding discipline.
"There were jumpers at that barn, too, and I wanted to try that," she said. "I've done that ever since."
Petterson said normally participants select one discipline to focus on for the duration of camp, but this year she wanted to try something new.
"Our theme for camp - we were basing it on the Lego Movie - and it's "every seat is awesome,' so on Wednesday night (July 8) they're going to have the opportunity to ride the three other seats that they're not riding at camp," she said. "We're going to have a "ride every seat extravaganza.'"
Petterson said the campers had fun experimenting with other riding styles.
O'Connell agreed, adding that the experience was rewarding.
"I think for all of us, it was really eye opening and gave us a lot of respect for all of the disciplines and how difficult all of them are," O'Connell said.
Riding saddle seat surprised O'Connell the most.
"In hunter-jumper, we like our horses and the hunters to be really forward moving and smooth - the exact opposite of what they like in saddle seat because in saddle seat, it's very up and down, whereas in hunters, it's more of a forward movement, and so that was a very different feeling," she said.
Campers' schedules have been filled with all things horses, Petterson said.
Participants have one or two riding lessons a day, and receive instruction out of the saddle on topcis such as show grooming, equine management, techniques and lessons in other equine-related topics, Petterson said.
"Each session will include demonstrations and discussions on horse health, anatomy, nutrition, conformation and the
responsibilities of horse ownership," according to a press release from WWU.
O'Connell said she could not choose just one equine-related activity at camp this year as her favorite but said the new friendships she's made and the new riding techniques she develops every year stand out to her.
"It's fun to be with the friends we've made years past and to make new friends," she said. "I always go home with some sort of new exercise or technique to use on my horse at home."
Petterson said the program expects 20 younger riders to attend the next session that runs July 12 - 17.