Last week was the 10 year anniversary of the Bulkley Valley District 4-H Summer Kids Camp, and Vicki Siddall says the event is only getting better.
With a turnout of over 50 kids from all across the northwest, that’s more than double their first year’s attendance, Siddall said, who was one of the founding members of the summer camp.
When she first moved to the valley from Terrace, she was amazed that we didn’t offer such a camp, she said. So many kids are involved in horseback riding and shows that the chance to get together, to learn and to have fun just made sense, she said, no matter if they were 4-H members or not.
“The main object with it is to bring horse kids from different clubs together to learn, to make new friends, and to encourage a team spirit,” she said.
Looking at the event now, they’ve certainly achieved that, she said, with people bringing their families and horses from as far away as Fort St. James to take part in the camp that brought prestigious instructors together to teach a myriad of different things.
Each day the kids, the youngest of which is seven-years-old, would get up, take part in two riding, one showmanship, and one optional lesson. Optional courses could include learning techniques to help with barrels, trail, jumping, reigning, or dressage, Siddall said. There was even one person there who brought with them a yearling they were training.
After the day full of learning, it didn’t stop there, she said, with some fun events including an Amazing Race like event on Wednesday evening, as well as craft making.