Ekone Ranch Summer Camp

At Ekone, campers experience being an important member of an inclusive community, in relationship and service to a place. We believe that this experience is fundamental to human nature, transformative for those who experience it, and essential to creating a vibrant future on Earth. Our approach to horsemanship emphasizes the special relationship between children and horses. Everyone grooms and cares for the horses, learning safe ground habits. We ride bareback, especially with beginning riders. 30+ years of experience have taught us that children learn to ride much faster bareback, gain balance more quickly, develop a more empathetic relationship and better communication with the horse, and is actually safer. Days at camp are spent almost entirely outside, with between 10-25 other children aged 8-18 (session-dependent), and a crew of 10-15 staff aged 16-80. We engage in play, work, skill-building, and activities designed to connect us to nature, each other, and ourselves. We learn to listen closely to the birds. We create art from found objects. We run wild through the woods. We also care for the needs of our place and community, taking responsibility for ourselves and our shared experience. We cook meals, clean up after them, tend the garden, feed the animals, buck hay, haul firewood, and engage in stewardship of the land. We learn to listen to each other, speak our truth with kindness, and create the kind of community we want to live in. And we simply enjoy life on the ranch. Campers sleep in the beautiful new bunkhouse or under the stars. Our wholesome, delicious meals are cooked from scratch, and most of our produce is from Ekone's own garden. We take a break from screens, mirrors, makeup, competition, and drama. We swim in the pond, swing on the rope swings, catch frogs, and build forts.