About 16 children spent their spring break saddling up and hitting the trails in the Corona de Tucson area.
The children participated in Just Horsin' Around's spring break camp last week and learned about the nuances of horseback riding, including how to ride a horse over obstacles, change directions, and groom a horse.
They also took trail rides through the surrounding desert.
Some were experienced riders while others climbed a horse for the first time last week.
Caleb Crews, 11, said he learned how to make a horse walk, trot and come to a complete stop.
"You pull back on the reins pretty much. You pull back until it stops trotting," Caleb said. "To stop walking, you pull back until it stops walking."
He also described how to make a horse change directions.
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"If it's going to the left, you pull to the right," he said.
Caleb, a Cottonwood Elementary School sixth-grader, attended the camp for the first time, he said.
"My uncle has horses, but I can't ride with him, so I was looking around for a camp and I found this place," he said.
Candace and Richard Jepson operate the camp on a piece of property northwest of Sahuarita Road and state Route 83 in an area referred to as New Tucson.
The facility has an arena, about two dozen horses, and two round pens where the children practice riding techniques.
The couple has hosted camps since 1994 and full time since 1997, Candace Jepson said.
"We really try to get them to be the best rider they can be for a week," she said.
Candace said Richard is a former rodeo cowboy who specializes in various riding styles, including western and English, as well as roping.
He also trains horses, she said.
"He does all kinds of stuff with horses. Rick is versatile with a lot of things," she said.
Camp participants learn the western riding style, which is more suited for trail riding, Candace said.
Candace usually leads the trail rides on the rugged, dusty paths that cut through the nearby desert.
Children test their skills as they navigate trails lined with cacti and ride up and down small hills.
Even the most experienced riders make mistakes that can cause them to fall off a horse.
Rachel Boyko, 10, almost fell off earlier in the week, she said.
"We went down a wash and I couldn't hold him back," Rachel said.
"He started trotting because the other horses started trotting. My left foot came out of the stirrup and I was bouncing off of the horse," she said.
Rachel and her sister, Rebecca, have attended the camp for the past four years, Rachel said.
Rachel attends fifth grade at Acacia Elementary School, and Rebecca is a seventh-grader at Old Vail Middle School.
Rachel has learned how to jump over small obstacles with horses and use different riding patterns in obstacle courses while walking, trotting and loping, which is a slow gallop, she said.
Her favorite part of camp, however, is riding.
"Just to ride anywhere and watch other people ride," she said. "I just like learning how to control them."
Rebecca, 12, loves being around the horses, she said.
"Just being able to ride and learning new things," she said.
She has learned the proper ways to sit in the saddle and also has some experience with obstacle courses.
"We had to go over a pole and weave through a couple of obstacles and circle the cone," she said.
Rebecca would like to continue working with horses when she gets older, she said.
"I'd like to own some horses. Maybe two or three."
Just Horsin' Around
950 N. Davidson Road
Cost: $150 for Vail and Rita Ranch children. $175 for all other children.
Just Horsin' Around holds horse and roping camps during the Vail School District's fall, spring, summer and Christmas breaks.
For more information, call 591-1615.
Other horse stables in the area that offer lessons:
Doubletake Equestrian
11350 E. Old Vail Road
731-6221
Taylor Ranch
9340 E. Sellarole St.
885-2697
