Horses have been a part of Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca’s summer program for nearly 25 years! Throughout the years, we have seen this program ebb and flow. Though, the past decade has brought unprecedented success… and challenges. Most recently, in 2023  and 2024, numerous campers ended up on waitlists for Horse Camp. We are grateful that there is such high demand for this program, but we don’t like having to turn campers away because the program is full. This led us to add an additional session of Horse Camp to the end of our summer program over the past few years. Then, this year, we added two more horses to select sessions. The additional horses and sessions have helped us manage the waitlist and provided more opportunities for campers to get registered! But this still isn’t enough!

This brings us to our Horse Program Expansion Plan. Starting Fall 2025, we are planning a soft launch of weekend trail rides and weekly riding lessons. Weekend trail rides will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Riding lessons will take place over the course of a six-week program that runs from September 8 – October 24, with a break during the week of October 5-11. During the soft launch, there will be two levels of riding lessons offered: beginner and advanced.

However, to help make this additional programming a success, we will need your support! To get the programming started and pave a way for it to be sustainable, we are looking to raise $205,000, which will largely go to facilities improvements around the horse barn and pasture areas. Additionally, meeting this goal will help us prepare for other costs such as purchasing horses, veterinarian fees, and a camp truck to transport the horses when needed. If you would like to donate right away, you may go to https://campiodiseca.org/believe/, or you may mail in a donation. If you would like to learn more about our expansion plan, keep reading! There will also be a survey at the bottom of this page for you to provide feedback about our expansion plan. Your feedback will help make this programming a success at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca!

Horseback riding lessons will be led by a certified instructor and consist of up to three participants per class. Lessons are offered to youth, grades 4-12, with three experience-level options. All class levels are offered each season during the times listed above (with only beginner and advanced being offered during the soft launch).

Beginner lessons will teach riders the basics of horsemanship: horse safety, grooming, saddling, and riding form.

Intermediate lessons will teach riders to refine skills learned in the beginner course and introduce some skills that will be taught more thoroughly in the advanced class.

Advanced lessons will build upon what riders learned in the previous lessons as well as teach horse health management and training techniques.

Registration for the Fall 2025 soft launch will open in August! Registration times for future seasons are still to be determined.

Weekend trail rides will be led by a certified instructor and consist of up to three riders per time slot. Weekend trail rides are offered to anyone, ages 5 and up. Riders between the ages of 5-8 will require a parent/ guardian to either ride with them or lead the horse. Most time slots are offered each season during the times listed above, with summer trail rides only available on Saturdays. Registration for the Fall 2025 soft launch will open in August! Registration times for future seasons are still to be determined.

*We will have extended trail ride hours the weekends of Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day! More information on the available time slots for those weekends can be found on this webpage at a later date!