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Campers Must Do Their Bit

TRIBUNE PHOTO CANDACE C. MUNDY

Glenda Smith runs the Equestrian Club Country where youths can come during the summer to learn all the aspects of care and riding horses. DeeAnn Smith, 12, harnesses her horse, Victoria, as they prepare for their day's training.

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By B.C. MANION

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - A typical day at Equestrian Club Country's horse camp begins with breakfast - for the horses, that is.

Next, the campers groom their horse, clean its feet, saddle it up and put on its bridle.

All of this happens before they hit the ring for instruction, or go out for a ride on the camp's tree-shaded trail, which meanders through about half of the 15-acre property.

While the summer horse camp has lots to offer kids, it's not just fun and games, said Glenda Smith, who oversees the camp at 4902 Timberlan St.

"They horses require a lot of care, and they require a lot of work," she said.

But they also have a lot to give.

"Horses click with different people, just like people click with different people," Smith said.

Typically there are about eight kids at the camp, and they come with varying degrees of experience. This year's camp is filled with kids who know their way around horses.

They know they have to groom the horses, pick their feet, clean the stalls and handle other chores, but they're there because they love horses.

Twelve-year-old DeeAnn Smith, who is Glenda's daughter, has been around horses since she was born. She can't picture her life without them.

"If I ever lost a horse, that would make me feel so empty, because they just complete who I am," the young girl said.

Other campers feel connected to horses, too.

Seventeen-year-old Kim Cray, who lives in Northdale, wants to spend her life working with horses. She plans to become an equine veterinarian and is already working in a veterinarian's office.

Alex Valder, a 16-year-old from Odessa, plans to become an equine physical therapist.

Eleven-year-old Stephen Montney of Carrollwood doesn't have ambitions to work with horses - he simply likes to ride them.

The campers said they've learned a lot about horses by spending time with them.

When she came to the camp seven years ago, Valder said she knew next to nothing about horses. She figured she'd get on one and it would go where she wanted.

It didn't work out that way.

Morgan Wade, 12, said, "When I first got on, I thought I was going to fall, which I did.

"The horse kind of laid down with me, and I went flying," said the Lutz girl, who has been riding horses off and on since she was 5.

Keeping safe is the key, Glenda Smith said. "Everybody takes a spill sooner or later, so we protect their heads."

The camp, which lasts just six weeks, focuses on the basics: feeding the horse, grooming it, getting it ready to ride, bathing it and cleaning its saddle, bridle and stall.

Campers also learn many lessons that can carry into their daily lives, Smith said.

They develop discipline, learn the importance of following through and become more responsible, she said.

They also can feel the joy that comes from forming a bond with a horse, and the sorrow that comes from watching a cherished horse die.

That's what happened two months ago when Valder lost her beloved Hawk Hill Psychic.

"It started out as kind of a love-hate relationship with her," the teenager recalled. "She wouldn't respond to me in any way at all."

The horse had a will of its own: It tried to run the girl into trees.

Valder refused to give in.

She kept riding the horse and spending time with her, and gradually Hawk Hill Psychic came to trust the teenager.

"This horse and I had this crazy bond," Valder said.

The connection eventually grew so strong that the horse didn't move a muscle when Valder did a handstand on its back, she said.

After witnessing the teenager's love for the horse, Smith gave it to the girl for her 14th birthday.

The nonprofit horse farm rescues and rehabilitates horses and is always looking for owners who will love and care for them, she said.

Just a few months ago, Hawk Hill Psychic became ill and had to be put down.

It was gut-wrenching to watch Valder let the horse go, Glenda Smith said.

"It was a very tragic thing, very sad," Smith said.

Despite the pain of that loss, however, Valder hasn't shied away from horses.

Now, she's working with another Arabian. Its name is I M Terrific.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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