Wrangler Camp
~work hard, play hard~
2023 Wrangler Camp details
July 22-28
Ages: 13-18 years
Capacity: 12 campers
Tuition: $1,500 (base rate), $1,800 (restoration rate)
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Session Info
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If “Horses with a Side of Summer Camp” sounds like an ideal arrangement to you, and you’d rather sleep in a barn than a bunk bed, then this is the camp session for you! We’ll spend almost ALL of our time with and/or in service to the horses!
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Campers will be matched with a horse that they will work with consistently for the week. We’ll learn heaps about horses in general, and will spend lots of time getting to know one horse in particular, relaxing with them, learning & practicing bodywork, groundwork, and riding.
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Times that aren’t spent directly with the horses will be spent in service to them: feeding them, doing fence maintenance, scrubbing water troughs, unloading & stacking hay in the barn. There will be some options for siesta down-time after lunch, for crafting, pond or slip-n-slide time, reading, napping, etc., but all of our activity times will be horse-centered in some way.
So that we can hit the ground running and get the most out of each day, this camp is only open to returning Ekone campers—we want to spend less time with orientation, and more time with horses! And while this camp is a good choice for more advanced riders, all skill levels are welcome and will receive personalized coaching.
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Note that speed is never our primary goal at Ekone. While we MAY work at faster speeds in this camp than other sessions, our priority is always the well-being of the horses, good communication between horse and rider, and safety, learning, and fun!
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***All skill levels are welcome *but* Wrangler Camp is designed for returning campers who have previously spent time at Ekone Summer Camps.***
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If you haven’t already, please visit our main About Camp page
to get a feel for our camp philosophy, history and the scope the Ekone Summer Camp program
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Please visit out Apply Here! page for information about how to sign up.
All skill levels are welcome, but this camp is for returning horse campers only.
Or you want to spend more quality time with the horses, take a look at Horse Connection Camp
Or for younger wranglers, check out Young Rider Camp
If you want to pair horses with making lots of amazing art, look at Art & Ponies Camp
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Lead Staff for Horse Intensive Camp
Jenna Milton
she/her
Jenna brings her quirky sense of humor to the horse program, and she ain't afraid to get dirty in the process!
Jenna was a horse crazy 11-year-old when she first started coming to summer camp and has been returning ever since then, as a camper, intern and camp staff. In 2013, she graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, with a BA in Studio Art, spent the summer working at camp, and then jumped on a sailboat from Seattle to New Zealand. Ask her about it sometime!
She has experience in the hunter ring and has been teaching riding skills to campers and lesson students for more than ten years. One of her favorite things about summer camp is watching campers' deepening connection with the horses and increase in self-confidence that comes hand-in-hoof with the riding and horsemanship skills.
In January of 2018, Jenna joined the year-round Ekone staff team and now calls the ranch home for four seasons a year!
Shonie Schlotzhauer
she/her
Shonie first came to camp in 1994, because of a picture just like this one.
She first showed up at camp as a horse-crazy teenager, and began serving as the Executive Director of Sacred Earth Foundation and Ekone Summer Camps in 2009. She lives full-time on the ranch and has a great passion for sharing this special land with children of all ages and inspiring earth stewardship. Shonie has over ten years of leadership with Ekone summer camps under her belt, and brings her natural sense of responsibility, practicality, and FUN to the task.
Shonie has a degree in Community Development and Food Systems from The Evergreen State College. She has a wide variety of professional experience in the non-profit, educational, and agricultural sectors, including serving as the Food & Farming Program Manager at Sustainable Connections in Bellingham, WA. She is certified in Wilderness First Aid.
Her favorite summer activities? "Watching the kids fall in love with the land and learn big life lessons from our patient horses."
Check out the slideshow for Wrangler Camp 2018!
