Horse riding and English camp in Latvia 2024

“Kumeli” – horse riding and English language camp 2024
Basic information
Camp type: sports and educational camp
Dates 2024
16.06.2024 – 25.06.2024 (10 days)
18.08.2024 – 23.08.2024 (6 days)
Time: round the clock and day camp
Participant accommodation: in tents
Age (from – to): 7 – 15
Maximum number: 6
Region/city: Ķekava region, Baldone parish
Location: “Kumeļi,” Ķekava region, Baldone parish
Arrival: by bus Riga-Baldone or personal transport: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QFnvjn23jf32T6pZ8
Price per person
10 days: 565 EUR for the round-the clock-camp; 435 EUR for the day camp (no staying
overnight)
6 days: 315 EUR for the round-the clock-camp; 255 EUR for the day camp (no staying
overnight)
Invite your friends, brothers and sisters and get 10 euros discount each! More fun together!
Description
The camp will be ideally suitable for the children and teenagers who like nature, animals,
especially horses, and active recreation. No prior experience of horse riding is necessary; both
inexperienced and experienced riders will learn new skills in horse riding and care, as well as
find out about the history of horses and equestrian sports.
The camp programme includes daily riding lessons, work with horses from the ground, hacking
out, excursions to the neighbouring riding schools, as well as archery and sword fighting from
the ground and from horse. Also, the children will learn about the historical technique of
sidesaddle riding and will ride sidesaddle, as well as find out how to teach a warhorse and how to
do mounted fighting. The fun part includes quizzes, competitions, workshops, evenings by the
fireside and themed horsy events.
“Kumeli” is the only stable in Latvia and the Baltics that works using the unique methodology of
Horse Powered Reading, which provides horse assisted language and reading development.
Apart from riding lessons, the camp will include language, communication and reading classes,
during which the participants will read horsy books and increase their horse-related vocabulary.
Accommodation is in tents, or, in case of adverse weather conditions, indoors. Also, we offer a
day-only option, with arrival at 10 am and departure at 6 pm every day.

Languages of communication: English, Latvian, Russian.
Programme:
1. Arrival. Getting to know each other, getting to know the horses (connecting). First riding
lesson: assessment, vaulting and exercises on horseback. HPR activity: reading river.
2. Cowboy day. Bareback riding, the horse is wearing a rope halter, horseback archery.
HPR: pony express, border journal. Book: either cowboy book or A Tale of Two Horses.
Fireplace storytelling. Extras: making a rope halter, or a dream catcher, e.g., using
feathers, horseshoes.
3. Knights and Horses! Mounted fighting and archery. Book: King Arthur book. HPR:
knights’ words, word soccer. Extras: calligraphy and illumination (drawing unicorns,
centaurs, horses) – or this can go to the Harry Potter day. Storytelling about King Arthur
and Knights of the Round Table.
4. Harry Potter day. Natural horsemanship, bareback riding, bridleless/bitless riding. HPR:
Harry Potter escape room. Quidditch match.
5. Visit to the sports stable. HPR: words for horses, horse body parts, words with multiple
meanings (frog, horseshoe, etc.)
6. Sidesaddle day. Sidesaddle riding. Book: Black Beauty. HPR: sidewalk poems.
7. A visit to the neighbouring stable “Atenas” for a harness driving lesson. HPR: types of
driving harness and their elements, an opportunity to make an improvised harness for a
pony
8. Hacking out. HPR: writing together stories of wild horses. Learning about the horse’s
hoof and hoof care, shoeing and trimming. Recognising a horse by its hoof prints.
9. Bareback training or training without stirrups (depends on the horse). Orienteering with
ponies. HPR: reading a map, giving directions using a map.
10. The participants prepare and teach a training for each other. Reflection, a mini-test about
the horse words and things learned, sharing thoughts from the camp.

Day schedule:
7:30 Waking up
8:00-8:40 Breakfast
8:40 Bringing in the horses, feeding, grooming
10:00 The day people arrive. Day theme introduction, e.g., if it’s the sidesaddle day, the kids get
to hear the story of the sidesaddle, how it’s different from the regular saddle, handle it, tack up
the horse using a sidesaddle.
11:00-13:00 Riding lessons and physical activities/exercises. Half of the group rides for one
hour, the other half does exercises for physical conditioning, balance, strength, e.g., trampoline,
skipping rope, running, games; then the groups switch.

13:00-14:00 Lunchtime
14:00-14:30 Washing up and cleaning the mess
14:30 Preparation for the HPR, language learning part, setting up the arena.
15:00-16:30 HPR activity in two groups, using two horses or a horse and a pony, or just one
horse or pony. E.g., for the reading pony express, it can be a competition, which group delivers
the messages quicker.
16:30-17:00 Debriefing, classroom activity, writing down the notes. For instance, the pony
express is followed by the border journal.
17:00-17:30 snacktime
17:30-18:00 leading the horses to the pasture
18:00 the day people depart
18:00-19:00 Free time, board games or active games, household things, e.g., washing the clothes
If needed, getting the tents in order, clearing the tack and toys, etc.
19:00-20:00 supper
20:00-22:00 evening activities: games, sharing impressions from the day, fireplace storytelling

If you are interested in a horse riding and English language camp, fill out the form
below and the camp organizer will contact you shortly!