Fantastic Times at Fall Adult Ride & Whine Camp

Maplewood’s annual Fall Adult Ride & Whine Camp drew campers from across the country—Washington State to Wisconsin and Virginia—to enjoy this unique retreat for adults, October 18-21.

Nevada’s incredible fall weather and foliage didn’t disappoint, as attendees enjoyed riding lessons, trail rides, wine tasting, dining, horsemanship and educational seminars, as well as fitness and nutrition instruction.

Our first day featured introductions, welcome bags from CWD, a hay ride and tour of Maplewood, a special wine tasting and reception in the Stallion Barn featuring the wines of Rombauer Vineyards in St. Helena, California. Campers then enjoyed a BBQ at the old homesite, with a breathtaking view of Maplewood’s 165-acre property and Pleasant Valley.

Julie Winkel began day No. 2 with an informative seminar on bits and bitting, where campers learned about the different bits, mouthpieces, metals and how they work in a horse’s mouth, on the tongue, bars and even the poll. Andrea Schroeder scored best the post-seminar quiz, but everyone won because they soaked up lots of knowledge that could be applied to their own tack, equipment and horse!

Julie taught the day’s first riding session, which focused on pace control, with flatwork, gymnastics, striding exercises and bending and broken lines.

In the afternoon judging and conformation seminar, Julie explained the basics of judging hunters, with campers learning how to set up a judge’s card. They then judged a video class of Junior Hunters from Devon, marking their own cards and discussing the performances with Julie. Campers then took their new-found skills to the ring, where they analyzed and scored the conformation and movement of their own horses while shown by Maplewood staff on the triangle.

The evening concluded with a visit to the historic silver mining town of Virginia City, where campers enjoyed a leisurely stroll and shopping along the boardwalk sidewalks to a delicious dinner at Cafe Del Rio.

Day 3 of camp featured the now-famous Maplewood Poker Run, where campers rode the Maplewood property to five stops along the way. At each, they picked up a card, and Andrea once again took the top prize by collecting the best poker hand.

After a delicious homemade lasagna lunch by Julie, Maplewood trainer Andrew Jayne set the fences for the afternoon’s riding lesson, which featured exercises on straightness as well as different tracks between fences. The afternoon’s tasting featured wines from Le Vigne Winery in Paso Robles, California, and then campers enjoyed a scenic drive to Lake Tahoe for dinner at Spindleshanks.

Once again, campers awoke to cloudless blue skies and perfect temperatures for the final day. They spent the morning with Bindee Eberle, of Sportsmenus, a nutrition and fitness expert. After a PowerPoint on nutrition for equestrian athletes, Bindee took the campers through an exercise routine using common items from the barn, such as water buckets, mounting blocks and tack trunks. After a cool down with stretching, campers enjoyed a delicious and nutritious lunch at Julie’s house before tacking up for the final riding session.

Julie’s lesson focused on the four seats—half seat, light seat, full seat and driving seat—with exercises on the flat and over fences where riders practiced using the different seats for different results.

Our farewell reception in the clubhouse Sunday afternoon featured prizes, certificates and, of course, one more wine and cheese! We had a great group of campers, and it was one of the best camps ever!

Please enjoy some of our favorite images from the weekend and visit our Facebook page for more!

Dates for our 2019 Adult Ride & Whine Camps are now confirmed! Please visit our Camps page for more information and registration forms. Camps spaces are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t miss out!