ST. PETER — When Pinewood Stable owner Linda Hilligoss asks kids what they liked best about summer horse camp, they say mucking out the stalls. She thinks they’re kidding.
Riding and taking care of the horses is their favorite aspect of camp, she said.
“It’s a great way to enjoy some fresh air, get some exercise and enjoy being with horses,” she said. “The highlight is riding horses and learning how to control the horses. Learning to ride.”
Pinewood Stable in St. Peter had two summer camps in June and also has camps coming up July 14-17, Aug. 4-7 for kids grades second through sixth grades; and Aug. 18-21, through Mankato Community Education, is for kids grades second through eighth grades. The cost is $250 and there’s a limit of 24 campers for each camp.
During camp, kids are split into three groups of eight. They rotate through stations. One group learns about horse care and has a riding lesson. The second group rotates through a classroom setup, where they learn about horse behavior, safety, colors, markings and breeds. They also learn about horse anatomy and saddle parts. The third group does arts and crafts and horse-related activities.
“We have a lot of activities and games and the kids will rotate to every station every day,” Hilligoss said.
The system must be working because camps fill up summer after summer.
Allison Piper, 12, of Mankato, has been attending camps at Pinewood Stable since age 7. She takes riding lessons at Pinewood, too.
“She’s always had an interest in horses,” said Allison’s mother, Jennifer Piper. “We wanted to get her introduced to horses and riding and we found Pinewood Stable. They’ve been so wonderful to work with on riding lessons as well as camps.
“She comes home talking about riding the horses, how much fun it is,” Jennifer said. “And how much they teach the students about riding the horses and the hands-on learning they offer. They put the saddles on themselves. She loves riding. That’s definitely the highlight. She knows all of the horses by name and she has fun stories about all of them.”
Allison will attend an August camp this summer. Then she’ll start lessons in the fall.
Ambrielle Westphal, 13, of Madison Lake, was in last week’s camp, which will be her last as she’s aged out of being able to attend, said her mother Sheila Westphal.
She started in 2020 with lessons and then attended summer camps at Pinewood. Ambrielle was so passionate about horses her family bought Zara, a horse that is boarded at Pinewood.
“That’s her world,” her mother said of her daughter. “Horses are the best thing for her. She spends a lot of time at the stable. She’s out there at least four to five evenings a week.
“She’s responsible for taking care of the horse,” Sheila Westphal said. “We board so we don’t have to go out there, but she chooses to go out there. She enjoys spending time out there.”
Sheila Westphal said Ambrielle’s time at Pinewood intensified a natural love for horses. “I think she’ll be involved with them for the rest of her life,” Sheila said.
Hilligoss said returning clients is pretty common for Pinewood summer camps.
“We have a lot of kids who have gone to numerous camps. They started in second grade and went all the way through sixth. Some kids go to two or three camps a summer.”
She kind of fell into the horse business 10 years ago. Her daughter was giving lessons at a different stable, and when that stable closed, she started giving lessons at Pinewood.
“Before we knew it, we were getting calls,” Hilligoss said. “Then we started doing horse camps for the YMCA, for Mankato Community Education and a few of our own.”
She said Pinewood camps offer youth a chance to bond with horses.
“It’s an opportunity for kids to have exposure to horses mainly, but to a farm. They learn how to ride, the responsibility of taking care of a large animal. It teaches them teamwork, but most of all it teaches them responsibility. And it’s just darn plain fun.”