It’s worth keeping in mind that while the country is large, the hunter/jumper community is small. Best not to burn bridges and/or build a bad reputation so early in your riding career, OP.
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You are very new to this type forum so I will let you know that if you stop posting in a thread you started but deleted the original it will slide down off page 1 into oblivion. Also, when most see a deleted post on the index, they’ll click it to see what they missed, as I just did. More you post on it, longer it stays alive. Each post bumps it up to the top of the page again. And if anybody quotes your posts, they have eternal life unless they are nasty and profane enough for the Mods to get rid of you,
Probably not going to endear you to COTHers to introduce yourself by telling long time contributors how to behave and what to do. You asked, they answered and if you disagree, ignore them. You were the one who asked.
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findeight, the OP contained info that was identifying, and the poster was advised to take it down.
I don’t know what issue the OP is having now.
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I am sorry guys. And I mean it this time. If I could delete this whole forum thread then I would because I just want to erase it from my mind. can you all forgive my adolescent rage?
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Re Adolescent rage; Getting a little hot under the collar will help dry out the area behind your ears.
Keep in mind when teaching that what you perceive your instructor would have said, is not apt for all situations. That’s why some of us have been at this so long.
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ok. I see what you all are saying.
It’s all good. We have all made mistakes. Trick is to realize it and move on from it wiser.
I most certainly will do that, thank you!
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Ah, you’re fine. No harm done
thank you!
We were all 14 once - might have been a very long time ago for some of us - but its not too hard to remember.
I think the Counseling in Training (CIT) program is a great idea. Might be too late this summer - but who knows. I did this at age 15 at Canp Hazen in Connecticut and loved it. I can’t remember what state you are in, but if you google “CIT program summer camp with horseback riding in ______ (state)” I’m sure you’ll get some hits.
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I am in NH, southern nH. I don’t think the one in Connecticut will work for me but I will check some out in NH!
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Also, completing a CIT program looks good on a young person’s resume. Many CIT programs also include First Aide certification and/or Lifeguard certification (as one or both are needed to be a full-fledged counselor). So two birds, one stone kind of thing - pay for camp, get certified and the CIT experience and end up with several things to put on your resume. Win/Win!
When I went to sleep away horse camp many moons ago the saintly Counselors and CIT were the best part. Besides the horses, of course!
Honestly, the combination of riding for only 4 years, being 14, having a short-term memory disorder, and some impulsivity ( puts up posts with TMO, takes them down, gets upset at posters who respond to questions): OP, you are not yet ready to work as a counsellor at a camp. Indeed, it would be the rare 14 year old that had the maturity and experience to be a full time counsellor for kids who are likely only a couple of years younger.
All the suggestions to get further training like Counsellor in Training and first aid are great.
If you are looking at work for the remainder of the summer (there is really only a month left) you might want to look at barn work for local barns, or helping out with day camps for little kids, where there would be a more experienced instructor running the program.
I’d also add that although summer seems endless when you are a kid (I totally remember that feeling), the summer vacation from school is in fact very short, 8 weeks basically. If you want to do anything over the summer like training programs or camps or even a summer job, you should be starting to look much earlier. I would suggest sending out inquiries in January, and expecting to have your plans in place by April or May. Just starting to think about things in mid July is far too late. All camps would be fully staffed and operational, and I would expect the programs like CIT that have an application process would also already have finished acceptance and enrollment.
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I am actually homeschooled so I can work all year! I will look for just a work to ride to get extra ride time at whatever barn I end up at. Thanks for all your responses!
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Yes, but summer camps only run in the summer, so if that is what you are targeting, you need to start early.
I was targeting summer camps/barns to work at in trade for ride time. I am new to NH ( moved here last September ) so does anyone know any barns up here that are pretty reputable? My trainer just called yesterday and said that she resigned from her job because of some issues between her and the stable owner. So she is now looking for a place to teach lessons and I need a good place to ride.
When I was young adult, I worked at a Girl Scout camp in Southern California. That had two programs for teens; Counselor in Training or CIT or Wrangler in Training or WIT. I believe they had two levels. Level I was for girls 14-16 and Level II was for girls 16-17. Many of the girls became camp counselors for many years after especially college students. I am guessing that there are Girl Scout camps near you that have similar programs. Here is info on the one in So Cal. http://www.girlscoutsoc.org/en/camp/summer-overnight-camp.html
Check out Kilkenny Horse Center in Greenfield. They do lots of camps and used to have work to ride opportunities. (More of an eventing barn than h/j though).
