From our friends at Ekone Ranch:
Ekone Ranch offers a one-of-a-kind camp program on over 1,200 acres of canyonlands, forests and meadows near the Columbia Gorge. Our residential, co-ed camp program features small groups and a high staff-to-camper ratio.
Horse camp sessions emphasize the special relationship between children and horses. Campers spend many hours each day with our wonderful horses, grooming, learning groundwork, practicing in the arena, and going on long trail rides through spectacular country. We ride primarily bareback, especially with beginning riders. 30+ years of experience have taught us that children learn to ride much faster bareback, gain their balance more quickly, develop a more empathetic relationship and better communication with the horse, and are actually safer without the trappings of tack to get tangled in and distracted by. For more advanced riders, we may progress with our wide selection of western and English saddles. We ride primarily in bitless bridles, keep our horses barefoot, and work towards providing them the most species-appropriate lifestyle we can for them. When not with the horses, campers are engaged in a variety of art projects, nature explorations, swimming, ranch activities, and chores.
We also offer many other camp programs including sessions that focus on art, music, theater, cooking, wilderness skills, leadership, and horse connection from the ground. Each camp is unique and tailored to the specific group of campers each week.
All of our camp sessions foster skill-building, appropriate risk-taking, leaving the screens behind and spending meaningful time outside exploring the forests, grasslands, and canyons. Ekone focuses on creating a supportive camp community, healthy peer relationships, and a positive work ethic. Campers have an unforgettable immersion experience in healthy lifestyles, good eating, and great friends. They learn that good work can be great fun; they come home feeling confident, supported, and ready to tackle new things; they might even surprise by having fun washing the dishes!
Our garden-fresh, from-scratch food is a highlight of the camp experience (many a camper has learned to love their vegetables in the Yummy Tummy Cafe). Campers sleep in our cozy bunkhouse, under the stars, or on very special occasions in the barn near the horses!
