Monday, March 26, 2012

Book Review - Horse Camp


Horse Camp

By: Kim Chatel
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
Publication Date: April 2011
ISBN: 978-1616331450
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: March 27, 2012

If you love horses, then what could be better than going to horse camp? It's fun, you learn a lot, and best of all, you get to be around horses all day! In Horse Camp, the young reader will discover much of what is in store as she heads off to camp.

Loaded with lots of great pictures of campers and horses, this book introduces the beginning rider to the concepts of riding and caring for equines. At the start, we see eager horses waiting for their new riders. After a few safety tips, the horses are brought in from the pasture to be groomed and tacked up. The eager riders learn how important it is to properly brush a horse so that all dirt and debris is removed - even a little dirt under a saddle can cause discomfort and sores.

Once the horses are clean, it's time to learn about tack. English and western saddles, bridles, girths, bits and stirrups; and then it's on to how to get that saddle and bridle on the horse. But wait! Before you can ride, you need to listen to a brief talk about riding safety, something that is so very important.

Finally! The girls are riding their horses and what fun they are having! They learn to walk, trot, canter and gallop and will soon be going over cavaletti poles which is the first step in learning to jump.

Once the lesson is over, it's time to learn about hoof care with a farrier as well as some basic horse facts. There is a lesson on face and leg markings, breeds and colors, how horses are measured and even a few short quizzes to test your knowledge. Words that may be new to the young reader are highlighted in green and defined in the glossary in the back.

Horse Camp is an excellent introduction to horse camp as well as the world of horses in general. As mentioned earlier, there are numerous pictures and the text, for the most part, appears in short one or two sentence snippets, making it easy to read. The book avoids getting bogged down with too much detail, covering just the right amount for the aspiring equestrienne. If you have a youngster who will be heading off to horse camp, this an wonderful book to help answer questions and ease any anxiety she may feel. Overall, this is a fun, delightful book that young horse lovers will love.

Quill says: Young horse fans are bound to love going to camp with this book!

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