My name is Kailee Rupprecht, and I would love to share my story – MY DREAM COME TRUE – with you!!! It all started back in April when I decided I WAS going to find a summer camp or something where I could ride horses nonstop for as many days as possible. After much online searching and hours of let-down after let-down, only finding camps in the price range of roughly $4000 AND a plane flight to get there - only to have Mom give me that look of – NOT IN YOUR LIFETIME SWEETHEART. (I guess for some crazy reason $4000 was out of the question!!) However, officially, on May 29th, 2012 ---- I KNEW MY DREAM WAS GOING TO COME TRUE, thanks my newest best friend, Rebecca Frerking (who thankfully is my Mom’s great friend and coworker at Valley Vet)!!!! It just so happened Rebecca knew of a place that would be absolutely perfect, and did not stop encouraging my Mom until she finally AGREED!!!!! On that wonderful day in May, I saw the form and I knew my Mom mailed the check – MEANING I WAS GOING TO ANTELOPE CREEK HORSE CAMP with Ms. Cyndi Harris – soon to be my LIFELONG IDOL!!!!!!!
My dream began on Sunday, June 10th. That morning Mom and Dad surprised me with a little gift – a horse bracelet, 2 new pairs of Wrangler Booty Up jeans, and a pair of Ariat Boots, from Valley Vet of course, which fit perfectly and I LOVE!!! After church, Mom and I headed out for the 225 mile roadtrip to Udall, Kansas…my home/HEAVEN for the next 5 days. We arrived just after 5:00 in the evening. Mom helped me get unloaded and moved into my bunk in the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was a small facility where we campers and the camp counselors slept. There were 2 bedrooms on the main floor with a family room area, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and an upstairs where the counselors slept.
The following days were the most amazing days of my entire life – my lifelong dream and true passion – I SPENT EVERY WAKING SECOND WITH THE HORSE I GOT TO CALL MINE FOR THOSE SHORT DAYS…SPENCER!!!!!! It was an experience I will never EVER forget. I did everything…saddled and bridled him, groomed him, braided his mane, washed him down to cool him off after our rides, cleaned his stall, and I even got to paint Spencer up a bit for our final routine that we performed for our parents when they arrived to pick us up!!! I took tons of pictures so I would not forget one second of the most amazing 5 days of my life. I will never ever forget the time Spencer and I spent together….as well as my friends, ~CYNDI~, Dakota, Rachael, Caitlyn, Lauren, and Sierra.
The camp was pretty structured. Cyndi took our cell phones and all electronics and even our “junk food” and locked it all away during the day time. I know now – she wanted us to be able to concentrate fully and completely on our horses and learning everything we could in those few short days she had with us. The junk food – well, you see, carbohydrates turn to sugar which does nothing for you out on the trail. What you need is – PROTEIN!!! We learned this from Cyndi also. That woman is absolutely the most amazing person, and I adore her, her ranch, her horses, and especially SPENCER with my whole heart. I will never forget her. I will look up to her and cherish the time I had with her always. I should mention, I was actually FINE with no phones or electronics – my poor Mom, however, had a little trouble adjusting to NOT being able to get a hold of me and only hearing from me once a day!!! (I forgot to tell you this earlier – when it was time to leave me at camp and head out for that LONG drive home….I seriously thought my Mom was going to stay right there with me, she has separation issues I think!!! haha)
Those amazing days flew by so very quickly. Each day we were given a few hours of free time to spend however we chose….from swimming in the “cowgirl swimming pool a.k.a. horse tank”, to hanging out in our bunkhouse, to wandering around and visiting the animals, or more riding. I will give you 3 guesses what I chose….ABSOLUTELY MORE RIDING!!!!! I was getting in all of the riding I possibly could – that is what I was there for!!!! Keep in mind, when I arrived at this camp, I had only been on a horse two times in my entire life. By the time I left camp, I was turning, galloping, trotting, and even loping – YES – I LEARNED TO LOPE WHILE AT CAMP!!!! Thanks to Dakota, my new friend and camp counselor. All too soon, I was talking to Mom on the phone on Wednesday night, and she was so excited to be coming to pick me up. Ok, I was a little bit excited to see my family, but I was soooooo sad to be leaving camp. I asked Mom if they would come visit often if I just stayed….yeah – that didn’t work so well!!!!! Now that I am back home, I have my pictures and my memories which I will never ever forget. I do hope to go back next year – and the following year – and for every year to come possible.
Of course, my dream my now is to have own horse, which my parents keep telling me….Kailee – it’s not just “having a horse” – you kind of need an acreage to keep the horse on, you have to be able to afford to FEED the horse and maintain the horse’s health, blah blah blah... Just as I was DETERMINED I would find a camp to attend this summer – I AM JUST AS DETERMINED THAT I WILL HAVE MY VERY OWN HORSE ONE DAY…I have a very strong will, and in my heart, I KNOW – IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!! I hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed Antelope Creek Horse Camp. If you have any questions or would like information to maybe visit this camp…Cyndi has a website called antelopecreekhorseco.com. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me sharing that with you all!!! Kailee
Share your horse camp stories or list the best camps in your area!
Dont ever give up on your dreams. Have faith, someday you will have your horse!
Enjoyed your blog, good job !
F. Myers
Posted by: Francie | Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 09:24 AM