Hello, all!

My name is Alicia Daugherty, and I am the international intern this year for the European horsemanship camps sponsored by AQHA. This year, we are sponsoring 13 horsemanship camps in eight different countries. See a schedule of the camps. The camps consist of everything from horsemanship, reining, western riding, western pleasure, trail and even showmanship.

I was unable to attend the first camp in Hamar, Norway, but from what the North Central Texas College team has told me, it was a huge success. Amanda Vidler, a member of the NCTC team, said, “They absorbed the information we had to offer like a sponge.” There were 23 participants at this camp.

The camp in Frisenvoldvej, Denmark, July 1 through 4, was also a huge success. The 23 participants were divided into two groups and alternated from the outdoor arena and the indoor arena. Despite the dust of the outdoor pen, the camp participants worked on trail, reining (stops and turns) and horsemanship. Those in the indoor pen, fighting the stiffening heat, worked primarily on guiding, rail work and transitions, as well as showmanship in the afternoon.

It was amazing to watch the transformation from the first day to the last. The camp had a wide variety of participants, ranging in age from 8 to the mid 50s. We also had a wide variety of horses, including two Fjords.

During the heat of the day, the NCTC team presented educational talks, including bits and bitting and how to properly wrap legs before riding. They also did an exercise called “marching with the horses.” Team members would have two participants, one on each side of the horse, place their hand on top of the horse’s hip and “march” with the footsteps of the horse. The purpose of this exercise was to help the participants feel if their horses were taking a short step behind, which could be a sign of soreness.

The participants agreed that they made huge improvements during the four-day experience. They not only bettered their horsemanship skills, but also learned valuable lessons in ground work and proper horse maintenance. Several of the students also learned about the equine science program at NCTC and are planning on looking further into attending the school.

From Denmark, the NCTC team and I are headed to Bad Sassendorf, Germany, for the camp July 9-12. Check out the facility!

Stay tuned for more adventures.

Alicia Daugherty
AQHA international intern