Twenty one kids aged from eight to 15 years learnt from professional clinicians and guest coaches, including Cooma barrel racer Michelle O’Neill, Young based international reining trainer Warwick Schiller and Queensland based AQHA Judge Shane Massingham.

Chief instructor Warwick Schiller and Shane Massingham about the finer points of western riding. Local Cooma farrier Brad Stolz demonstrated shoeing techniques.

Riders came from the Snowy Mountains, Bombala, Wagga Wagga and the South Coast and camped in HorseShoe Lodge at JER.

SMWRA Camp QH co-ordinator Sophie Campbell said she was blown away by the maturity, friendship and equine skill demonstrated by all of the Camp QH participants throughout the week.

She said many of the parents and young people attending this year are already wanting to re-book if a future Camp QH is held at JER next year.

“All the youth riders at the camp,” Ms Campbell said, “displayed a huge degree of commonsense in all their activities, but more importantly, they all came to Camp QH with an open mind and a desire to learn new things and meet new people.

“Many of the young riders did not come from a Western discipline background, but by the end of the Camp, and without exception, all our youth riders were reporting vast improvements in their horse’s attitude and behaviour, and (especially with our older riders) they could clearly see a connection between the training techniques they were learning and how to apply those techniques to their own individual equine disciplines,” Ms Campbell said.

The instructor said the riders gained a greater degree of confidence and skill in their riding and training over the three day period, which they can now take home and use to develop their relationship with their horse and (hopefully) achieve their goals at pony club, in the hack ring, show jumping or in the Western riding arena.

“I am confident that all the young people that our clinicians met and worked with this week will go on to be outstanding equestrian competitors, because this week they all discovered that a good horse person never stops learning and never stops listening. Congratulations to all our Camp QH graduates,” Ms Campbell said.

The camp was followed by a two day open show which attracted 34 competitors.