A horseback riding experience to remember

The Guilford Riding School’s Summer Ride and Splash program is celebrating its 27th year.

Fine-tuned to be fun and educational, kids age 6 to 15 spend a week at the Shoreline’s most beautiful riding stable, and rated #1 in the New Haven Register’s annual poll.

Nestled in a dell on Clapboard Hill Road, just one mile from I-95, there live 10 well-trained school horses. There are a variety of breeds – quarter horse, appaloosa, thoroughbred, Fjord, Pony and more. With names like Ivy, Pebbles, Dustin and Simon – they aren’t shipped in for the summer as most riding camps do – they are well loved and cared for year-round at the school’s busy riding program. Owner Jill WalterRobinson created the camp 38 years ago and has refined it to emphasize education and fun, with a daily hands-on seminar in the stable. Campers learn to bond with another living thing that sees the world differently than we do.

The daily 1.5-hour riding lesson starts with the rider’s position, and gives them immediate control of the horse. From there, the class moves at a comfortable pace. Working with and riding horses is known to build kid’s character and self-confidence, and the staff always includes mounted games.

There are four weeks designated “Absolute Beginner.” Other weeks are streamed according to the rider’s experience and goals. The sessions are Monday through Friday, the third week of June until Labor Day weekend. You can choose to come from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or 1 to 5 p.m. Groups are small, only seven kids maximum, with three counselors who teach at GRS also. There is a cool-off swim in an in-ground pool, monitored by counselors who receive proper training.

Each Friday is Show-Off day; campers put on an event to ‘strut’ what they have learned for parents, relatives and friends. Every year parents have exclaimed the same thing: “My daughter (or son) arrived Monday among strangers, and by Friday had new best friends – her fellow campers and of course her favorite horse.

Information on rates and the weekly schedule can be found under the Ride N’ Splash tab at www.grsriding.com. There is a registra on to download, or you can call Jill at (203) 453-8768.