A Kids Paradise at Bluebird Riding School
By Teri Merry

Students gets personalized attention with programs to meet their individual level of ability. Photos courtesy of Karen Cipranic, Bluebird Riding School

When you were a kid did you ever dream of having your own pony?

If you are a parent today and your child has the same dream, Ramona's Bluebird Riding School may be the perfect place for you to start with your own kids.

Bluebird Riding School is designed especially for kids 5 to 14 years old. The school offers riding lessons year-round. It also has Kid's Horse Camps, which are one-week sessions that run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The maximum number of kids in each camp is 12 and there are plenty of "Junior Wranglers" to help with the lessons. Each child gets personalized attention with programs to meet their individual level of ability.

Daily activities include private riding lessons, horse crafts, swimming, trail rides, vaulting, pole bending, jumping, barrels and more. Plus, every day has a "land lesson" where the kids learn horse anatomy, parts of the saddle, how to take bridles apart to clean, first aid, and other hands-on activities appropriate for their level.

Susie the horse and her good friends at Bluebird Riding School.

At the end of the camp, the kids decorate their favorite pony and decorate themselves to match.

The owner of Bluebird Riding School, Karen Cipranic, is a horsewoman who also holds a teaching credential. She has been running the riding school for 18 years.

"I love teaching the kids and sharing their love of the horses," she says.

Karen says the riding school develops confidence, compassion and a sense of responsibility in the kids. The kids learn that the love and joy they share with the horse also comes with a responsibility to care for them.

Page Megna, says her 5-year-old son, Bryce, enjoyed "acting like a cowboy and going on trail rides." She describes the setting as a "Kid's Paradise."

Emily Fastenau, 6, takes riding lessons at Bluebird Riding School. Her mom, Nancy Fastenau, says: "Emily would live there if she could. Karen has a lot of love in her heart for the kids. She has a way of teaching that the kids respond well to. It is not like anything we've seen."

Karen says that the kids grow to love the horses and, as a result, go to great lengths to care for them.

For example, 18-year-old Suzie is a favorite camp horse. Last year, she became sick, needed surgery and developed complications from that surgery, which resulted in a three-month hospital stay.

Karen says the only reason Suzie lived is because of the love from the kids. She said every day before and after school, several kids visited with Suzie at the hospital, sat on a bale of straw, and visited with her.

When she was well enough, the kids walked her by hand for hours. So, Suzie kept getting stronger. Then, Suzie was released to come home. However, she needed medication every four hours. The kids slept in the bunkhouse and got up as needed during the night to grind the pills, put them into a tasty solution, and feed them to Suzie. Today, Suzie looks and feels good as new.

If you want to help your child fulfill his or her dream to learn to ride a pony, act like a cowboy, and learn to take care of the trusty steed, give Karen a call at the Bluebird Riding School at 760-789-7726. The next camp is April 9, and she is now booking for the June, July and August camps. For more information, visit www.bluebirdridingschool.com.