Ride 5 hours per day at Dunhams Sport Horse 
This summer was a wet summer to say the least. We rode 5 hours a day in our indoor riding arena and stayed dry.
On hot the days the campers enjoyed pond riding and learning that the horses enjoyed swimming as much as they did. All the did take off their riding boots and saddles before going swimming in the pond.
Several of the campers learned how to start a horse under saddle and how to drive a horse. Driving a horse was not as easy as a few campers found out.
Two girls were ready to drive their horses at the Cattaragus Co. Fair but mother nature said no.
As summer came to an end we started working on a dressage ring on the flat. We purchased containers and poles for the ring. We have painted them white and are planning on having a Dressage Show next year at Dunhams
Plan now to come and join us for a summer of fun riding horse 5 hours a day at Dunhams Sporthorse. We are now taking reservations for the camping season. Call 1-716-938-6279 or visit us at the farm just call ahead and come for a visit.
** See below for Day at Camp!! **
A Day at Camp!
For the early risers you can get breakfast at
6:30 – 7:45.a.m.
Everyone is to be in the barn to help with horse care no later than 8am. Everyone helps with horse care and we all work as a team. We will split chores up and the list will be posted a day in advance so that you know what your job is for the morning and afternoon chores. NO SWITCHING JOBS. You always have a "grab and go" breakfast ready for you (fruit, muffin, juice, bagel, doughnut with milk or juice. When the weather is hot and humid we very often go on an early morning hack (trail ride) before the major part of chores are done.
You are expected to keep your cabin chores done and a special treat will be given to the cleanest cabin. Laundry sign in sheet will be posted and you do your own laundry. We have a clothes line and a dryer for you to use. It is a very large capacity washer and dryer so it will not take you long to do your wash. We have put in more washers for the use of the campers.
Everyone is expected to clean up after themselves. That means if your horse makes a mess you are to clean up. Always put your equipment where it belongs so that when someone else needs it it will be there. Many hands make light work for everyone.
10 a.m.
Riders will want to get their horse ready and be on no later than 10 a.m. That way they do not miss any of their 5 hours per day of riding. Your specialized lesson from 11 to 12:30 . Then cool your horse down and give them a light lunch and it is time for you to take a break your self. Maybe a quick dip in the in-ground pool or just relax in the gazebo until it is time for lunch
.
12:30
Lunch is usually waiting when you are through with your second lesson. With the indoor and outdoor both being used for lessons you get 5 hours riding time in per day. It is for that reason that we do take field trips which can include the ICE CREAM SOCIALS and the farm visits to the barns in the area. Our Amish friends love to visit with our students and show off their craftsmanship.
After lunch and a short rest it is time to Ride again.
2:45
It is time to get ready to ride again. This is the time that you may ride with a guest instructor who is on the farm for the day. This is also the lesson when you work with a green horse. A few days after you arrive the instructors will observe you and assign you a green horse to work with for the summer. We have horses that also come to camp to be worked with and want to jump and do flat work. We have had great success training horses in the summer and taking them to shows by mid summer. The owners have been very pleased with the progress that the horses have made in a summer at camp.
4 p.m.
This lesson is a real important and you do not want to miss it. We do new thing everyday and you may be the one to help design a jumper course. We also do a follow the leader course that is a lot of fun for the campers here at DSH when you are riding horse for 5 hours per day. Course design and learning the lines that you can take in a jump off are real important. We enjoy showing and teaching these to our campers.
5 p.m.
It is time for chores and get ready for the evening meal . Evening meal is the largest meal of the day and it is a great time to sit around and reflect on the happenings of the day. Who is ready for a nother day of riding 5 hours. Sitting around and talking and getting to know who is the prankster and who is the quiet one. We sometimes wish that we had a quiet one. It is really fun to work with the campers and answer their questions. After a relaxing meal and conversation it is time to get everything ready for a new day. Making sure that horse care is all done for the day and everything is clean and taken care of.
10 p.m.
Campers are in bed unless their is a special event planned. Evening campfires are planned if the weather permits. Bright night trail rides is a must on warm summer nights. Baseball games in Jamestown or a trip to the mall and a movie is also some of the evening events that the campers enjoy.
We also introduce horse soccer to our campers every year and enjoy playing it in the summer. We also practice our drill team after the evening meal. The green horses are introduced to you and you watch a round pen lesson. You can take a relaxing swim in the pool or sit in the whirlpool and read, watch a DVD, challenge someone to a game on the WII and then back to your cabin to get ready for bed. We hope that this give you some idea of what a typical day at DSH is like. Feel free to call and ask any thing you would like to know.
We ride 6 days of the week whether it is at a show on the weekend or on the farm. This is a horseback riding camp and that is what you do RIDE RIDE RIDE and if that is not enough you still can RIDE. The only day we do not ride is Sunday. We need a day of rest and so do our very special friends “The Horses” if we take care of them and then they take good care of us.
We are a family farm and love to spoil all of our campers and make sure that they have the best possible Horseback riding vacation that they can possibly have. Virgil, Lynette and I will answer any question that you have and will make your stay with us the most wonderful vacation that you can imagine. We want you to be totally immersed in the fact that you will be happy beyond your wildest belief. We take only a small number of students because we believe that quality is better than quantity.
We have a wonderful supply of horses to fit your needs. If you want to bring your own horse that is also possible. Just call and discuss it with any of us at the farm and we can help make the right choice for you. We believe that with everyone working together in an open and honest inviroment everyone will learn and grow. Riding 5 hours is a big commitment and it will make your riding skills get better and in turn you will be a more confident rider.
The guest instructors work one on one with each one of the riders. We will video tape every rider . That means that we video you and use it as a teaching tool so that you can see the same thing that we see when you ride. We also take a lot of pictures of you while you are at camp and post them on our web site blog for your parents to see. If you are not looking for a small family camp where riding is the #l priority then you should look for a larger program that offers big group activities . We want you to be sure that we are a summer camp that does ride 5 hours per day rain or shine. We have a indoor ridint arena and we use it for beginner lessons and when the weather is not applicable to riding outside.
Every evening the staff will have a group meeting and take stock in the days activities. If there is a problem we will confront it head on and it will go no further. We will assess your riding and advise you in what way that you can improve yourself. If you have a concern please let us know immediately so that it can be addressed. No problem is too small. A small problem that is not addressed develops into a major problem when it is left unaddressed.
Virgil,Sheila & Lynette
5334 Allegany Road (Co.Rd 10 Napoli)
Little Valley, New York 14755
1-716-938-6279