DO NOT SEND YOUR KID HERE! i went once for a week, and it was terrible! The horses are very badly cared for. A few examples are: their hooves are never picked or trimmed. Some horses have to be groomed with a metal curry comb, which is only for winter coats (it hurts them!). Their halters are always on in the field (It could get caught on something, and the metal attracts lightning) Plus, they also have kittens their- in a cage too small for them, plus they are never allowed to get any exercise! In the afternoon you can do bareback riding, but when it is hot, we go to the beach instead of afternoon activities. Still, two or three horses are left in a hot pasture with no water! Another time, the horses were exhausted, and i could barely get my horse to walk, the counselor mad us canter again. The ceiling in the dorms (or at least in South) are slanted, and the person on the top bunk has to be careful when they wake up not to hit their head! Oh, and the food their is very sugary.
Dropping my 9 year old daughter off at an all girls week and seeing young teenage boys as 'counselors' was the first red flag. Her not being able to take a shower because the water stunk so bad and had to buy her own water all week were just a few things I learned when she came home. The room she picked to stay in had garbage from the week before - and during the week she stayed there, her 'staff member's alarm went off and it was my daughters duty to wake the house up. Keep in mind this was her first year there. The kids all wake up early and are fed well but on the 'dance night' my daughter and her 9 year old roommates asked to go to bed at 10 as they were tired and were told 'no'- not until the dance is done'. They had to stay up until 12am with the 16 year olds. My daughter won this week at camp at school- so my review is a little less harsh then if I would have paid for the week. Needless to say - she came home and does not want to go back.
This summer was my 4th year at circle r, and I love it! Words cannot describe how great the atmosphere is. Sure the bathrooms are a little gross but grow a pair. And the showers are fine! Only thing wrong is MAYBE the smell of the well water. But it's very subtle and nothing to whine about.
Earthy is an understatement. My daughter attended this camp a couple of years ago and the only word I would use to describe the barracks and bathrooms are filthy and disgusting. She had attended horse camps before, so I was certainly not expecting hotel digs, but this was pretty gross, carpets looked like they had NEVER been vacuumed much less shampooed, and the sinks and showers were broken and caked with crud. She also felt that there were too many horses for the facility and that they were not all well cared for. That being said, the riding was good and the owner and staff very nice. One other mother was so turned off by filth that she asked for her money back and they promptly refunded it.
As others have mentioned, the facilities are a little run down but they have been updating over the last couple summers. Last summer there was a new deck around the barn, new paint and they were in the process of re-roofing. My kids had a blast and are going for 2 weeks this year. The staff were great and they actually have already posted mini profiles of all of their staff on their Facebook page this year. Let me tell you - that makes my comfort level go way up especially when I see some of my kids favorite counselors going back again this summer! This is a must for all kids - especially if they absolutely love horses!!!
I love this camp. I feel like its my home away from home, and having tried many camps this is most deffinatly the best. We spend so much time with the horses, and everyone is a family.
Was a great value and my daughter and son both had a lot of fun. It is very "farm dirty" as I like to call it, but the kids love it there and the staff, food, and animals are all great. I highly recommend!
This camp is true to its description, rustic. The kids who come back year after year do not come back because they want top notch buildings; rather, they come back because it is truly a wonderful experience and chance to get away from the trials and tribulations of teenage life in the city. It is open skies and fresh air, tinged with the smells of a real, working ranch. The horses are wonderful, and are placed very well by level of experience. It is extremely rare that any child is given a horse that is beyond their riding ability. Staff take on the horses who present problems and school them in their bad habits; but no staff member is asked to ride a horse they do not feel comfortable on. The entire ranch's atmosphere is that of a family.
