By Lauren Burdick

4-H members helped teach special needs kids about horses during Branch County’s 4-H Proud Equestrian program. The Branch Intermediate School District selected 25 young people with special needs to participate in the day camp program. Every day during the week of June 13-17, camp participants were bussed to the Branch County Fairgrounds in Coldwater, Mich. There, they played outdoor games, made friends and participated in arts and crafts.

During the camp, campers got to ride horses for an hour each day. Over 50 4-H members and volunteers came to the camp to help campers learn about horses and how to ride safely.

“Camp members took part in a stable management program where 4-H members taught them how to care for horses, how to show horses and all that you can do with horses besides ride them,” says Connie Lange, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension educator for Branch County.

Campers were led down trails with a certified instructor. They also played games with the horses and put on a show for their parents to demonstrate and show off the horse skills they learned at camp.

“At the end of camp, the students make T-shirts with a picture of them and their horse on it,” says Lange. “I think they really have fun in the program.”