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Longacres Riding Camp - Where else can you ride 5 hours a day? |
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Best people to answer your Longacres Riding Camp questions!!Check Here! 2011 Newsletter BACK to homepage - Click hereLongacres 2011 References & Penpals |
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Ask Friends of Longacres! (Return to "Tour")
Exploring our website will give you many pages of useful information about Longacres Riding Camp and our riding programs. But in the end, nothing reassures someone considering coming here for the first time more than hearing from others who have come before you.
This "References and Penpals" page is a mix of testimonials from former students and email links to some of them who have offered to answer any questions you may have and act as "penpals" and references for new families interested in Longacres. There are several nice letters from former students and parents listed at the bottom of this page.
Penpals "Just for Fun":
This "penpals" page is intended as much more than a list of references to answer questions from possible new students. Once you have chosen Longacres and signed up, we encourage you to write to the other students on this list and become friends with some of us before you get here. The people listed on this page are like you - they like horses! (a LOT!)
The following have all offered to communicate with families new to Longacres:
(click on the blue name link to e-mail)
NOTE: We suggest that if you are a first time Longacres prospect and want to contact one of the Longacres people listed below, e-mail them a little something about yourself or your daughter, including age and riding background. Then perhaps ask one or two specific questions, so they will have someplace to begin in their response. Many of our Longacres "penpals" families are also willing to talk with you on the phone if you ask.
Younger Kids? You’ll notice that many of the girls who have offered to take time being penpals are older teenagers. But almost all of them started at Longacres very young and just kept coming back! They’ll be glad to tell you what it was like when they came for the first time as young girls!
Sydney – is age 15 and returning to Longacres for her 5th year in 2012. She has come by herself, with her mom sometimes to mother – daughter week, and sometimes with her younger sister. She will be a CIT this summer and is a good rider. She has had horses from Longacres several times over the winter, but she is living with her family in Japan this year, which makes winter horse adoption a little tricky!
Sophie – is 14 and returning to Longacres for her third season. She had one of our ponies, Neek-o with her in Connecticut for the winter last year! Sophie is a great writer and has offered to answer questions. She will be at Longacres for the August session in 2012.
Michelle - Is 17 and likely to return to Longacres for her eigth season, as a counselor – she is now one of our old timers! She knows the ropes and has offered to correspond with new students. Michelle is from the Rochester, NY area. She, too, has a Longacres horse at home with her for the winter, taking Brody this year. She was a valued junior counselor last season.
Emily – is age 16 and is returning to Longacres in 2012 for her fifth year. Emily is a good communicator and glad to talk about Longacres. She rides year round and keeps in close touch with all her Longacres friends. Last summer, Emily was a “Super-De-Duper-the Most Senior-Status-ized CIT” – (ask HER what it means!). She will be a CIT or a counselor in 2012.
Kellie - is 15 and will be returning to Longacres for her 6th summer in 2011. She came first with her mom to mother - daughter week, and is now one of our leaders as an older teen. She's a good correspondent! Kellie is from Texas. She has three of our horses at her farm outside Ft. Worth for the winter.
Laura - is 17 and returned to Longacres for her seventh year last summer, coming as a counselor and to help us close up the farm. She started at Longacres with her mom at mother - daughter week, but now they come for different sessions. Laura's email name, "animalfreek202", is Tom's second favorite of all our students, right up there next to "zingzing"! Laura has experience taking Longacres horses home for the winter in past years, and has "Bristol" in New Jersey this year. Laura is from New Jersey and now visits Longacres for short times working her horse times around her obligations to her other love, rowing crew!
Peyton - Is turning 18 this year and comes from Texas. Peyton is mentioned many places on this website, since she achieved great success as a student in 2006 and 2007. She came here in 2006 at age 12 as a complete beginner rider. She had never been on a horse. She spent the full eight weeks at Longacres and after just seven weeks of riding she competed in the 2' level of the Jumper Deby and Won! Peyton will always be part of the Longacres family whenever she visits! She paid us a one week visit in 2010 and we’re hopeful for another short “Peyton Fix” this summer!
Isabella – is from the New York City area and returns to Longacres for her second year in 2012. She is 13 and an eager student of riding! She’s attending the July 8 to 22nd session this year and keeps in touch with everyone in the off season. She’s happy to correspond with new students!
Dana – will be at Longacres for the first two week session in July in 2012, returning for her third season. She came to us at ten as one of the “little kids” – she recently wrote that she thinks she will be taller than Meghan next summer! She’s from eastern Pennsylvania and has experience both in the early bird Clinic weeks and in regular camp if you want to ask her about the difference.
Ruby - is thirteen years old and returning to Longacres for her sixth year. She started at 8 years old! She'll be at Longacres for two weeks this summer, comes from Iowa, and has had her own ponies. She took our pony Ginger home for the winter to Iowa last year.
Sarah – will be 12 when she is at Longacres this summer for her second season. She’s attending for one of the July sessions. Like so many Longacres girls, she is glad to help new families learn about our programs. This is what she wrote us today when she volunteered to be on the “Penpals” list: Dear Tom and Meghan, Hi! I feel like I have been with you guys on all of your travels, because I read the blog so much! It sounds like you are having a great time. Anyway, today I saw your post on the pen pals and references page, and I thought I would email you to tell you I would love to be on the pen pals page. I remember how much of a help everyone I emailed from that page was, and I hope I can be of that help to someone! I love to talk about Longacres, just ask any of my friends! Anyways, you can use this email address for the page. Thank you so much! From, Sarah K.
Kaitlin – will be 12 when she comes for one of the July sessions in 2012. Like Sarah, above, Kaitlin is from Chicago and attending Longacres for her second season this year. She and her Longacres buddies are very active “online”, as you can tell from her message following: Hey Tom and Meghan!! I would love to be on your penpals page!! Thanks for including me!! Just letting you know- me , Sarah and Isabella IM and video chat a LOT!!' Only 231 days!! – Kaitlin
Ursula – Will be 13 this year during her second season at Longacres. She is from DC, and is an experienced rider. Ursula came during June and early July sessions in 2011 and will be at Longacres for the 3 ½ week August session this coming summer. Ursula wrote the following when she offered to be on the Penpals & References list: “How are you? I wanted to let you know that I would love to be on the pen pals page on the longacres website! I had such a wonderful, unforgettable time at longacres and LOVE talking to people about it. I grew so much as a rider during those 3 weeks and have nothing but good things to say about longacres. I can't wait until next summer when I get to see everyone and ride in the jumper derby! I miss all the horses too, especially Whitley and Merlin! I still look at the pictures from my session and remember all the good times i had during the summer, especially riding Merlin in jumpers. So I would have to say I had the most amazing riding experience ever at longacres! Can't wait till camp this summer!”
Lena – Will be 14 this summer, her second year at Longacres. She has the experience of coming to Longacres with mostly western riding experience and learning to ride English and jump at Longacres. She is from Maryland and will be at Longacres July 8 to 22nd.
Below - Adults, Staff & Parents:
Debra H. - is a mother of Sydney who will be returning to Longacres in 2012 for her sixth summer, coming this year as a CIT. Debra has attended the Longacres mother - daughter week or Lazy Days week herself several times with her girls. Her family also has boarded one of our horses, "Star", over the winter. Debra is from central New York, but the family is living overseas this year. We’re pleased that Sydney is able to fly half way around the world to be at Longacres in the summer.
Mandy - Mandy Bartlett was our head instructor for the first part of 2009. Mandy spent several years at Longacres as a student, a year as Program Director, and was head of riding here in 2007 and part of 2008. She has her own horses and majored in equine science at college. Mandy's home is in Massachusetts and she went to college in Vermont. She'll be glad to correspond if you have questions about getting ready for Longacres. She was a valuable part of Longacres for many years, and is now leading every Longacres girl’s dream – she has her own horse farm!!!!
Sharon W. - Sharon has been attending Longacres mother - daughter week with her 16 year old daughter Laura for seven years. Laura has spent month long sessions at Longacres and knows all the ropes. Sharon has become good friends with Meghan and knows a lot about our philosophy of running a camp and a riding program. Sharon and Laura are good contacts for new parents who want some reassurance about Longacres before signing up. Laura and Sharon are from New Jersey.
Kay H. - is the mother of Kellie, listed above. They were at Longacres together for "Mother - Daughter Week" for several years. Kay is a good friend of Longacres and knows how we think and what we try to do here at the farm. Kay is from Texas, where she winters several Longacres horses for us.
Greg and Toni Millar sent now 27 year old Alex to Longacres for quite a few years beginning when she was a young girl. Alex is now graduated from college and working, but until two years ago, still took her beloved Longacres Pony "Brownie" with her to college during the off season when he was not working at Longacres. Brownie is now retired and lives year round with Alex. The Millars have kindly offered to answer questions about Longacres from new families. We are grateful that Alex still keeps in touch with us at Longacres and that the Millars have offered to act as Longacres references long after Alex graduated from summer camp!
Meghan Marie Kranz - "Well, YES!" I have been sitting here for two hours with wife Meghan updating this Pen Pals and References page. And I am not going to let her get away without being formally listed as a Longacres Pen Pal. She is that, believe me! I often go to sleep at night to the sound of Meghan tapping out late night answers to all of you on her trusty iBook! She loves hearing from you all and corresponding about anything Longacres. Meghan pretty much runs Longacres - or gets stuck with all the work, depending on your point of view. She will be a biased reference, of course, but all our other references will vouch for her unflinching honesty and realism about Longacres and all that we have to offer.
- Tom Kranz
Testimonials:
(Valerie was a first time student for August, 2011 and is returning for August 2012)
Dear Tom and Meghan,
Thank you both for an unforgettable experience! I had the most amazing 3 and a half weeks. I wanted to let you know that after looking back at pictures from the beginning of the session right up to pictures from the fair, I'm pleasantly shocked to see how far I came with my riding. I can't wait to show my trainer (who happens to be named Barb :D) how much I've improved. I look forward to taking what I learned from camp and applying it in my weekly lessons. I so wish that I could have taken Zanee home to continue with my newfound love of jumpers. She really made camp all the more special for me and I miss her already! Thank you again for this unique opportunity to truly immerse myself in riding unlike anywhere else I've been. Camp was everything I could have hoped for and more!
Sincerely,
Valerie
Meghan,
I just wanted take a minute to thank you and Tom for both the attention and care
that my precious baby has gotten. I hear in her voice how much she has grown
and enjoyed the summer. I can see from the pictures how much she is learning
and what incredible new experiences she is having with your guidance and thru
the camp. These are truly days that will shape her in the future and the two of
you have made them such a positive challenge.
Wishing you a good rest of the summer,
Key
A Great Letter
It's always nice to hear from former students. I'm sorry when I hear that they can't return to Longacres, but I feel all the work I do is worth while when I get letters like the following. This letter came from Shelly L. and her mom several years ago, and I reprint it here with their permission. Thank you Shelly and Julie for your very kind comments about Longacres, and best wishes to you, Shelly, for a great future riding career!!!!!!!!!!
"Dear Tom:
We got your letter and news letter and application regarding camp this
summer. Shelly will not be attending this year, however I would love to
tell you what she has been up to. I think you will be proud.
When she got home from camp last year and went back to her lessons, her
instructor could not believe how far she had come in just two weeks. Horse
back riding has just snow-balled from there. Shelly worked as a counselor
at her barn (The Ridge) for the remainder of the summer. In October we half
leased a horse for her. So she has her own horse, she is a working student
at her barn, she gets a lesson a week for working and one I pay for.
In January the instructor who is part owner of the stable, who was touring
in New Zealand came back and saw Shelly ride. Well she has kind of taken
Shelly under her wing. She says that Shelly has incredible natural talent.
They will be on the road most of the summer showing with AHSA.
Since you are the one who gave Shelly first her real taste of working with
horses and you were her first really strict instructor, I just wanted to
thank you.
I remember something you said to us last summer. You said that when other
people teach the kids after you have taught them, you want them to say Wow
who taught this kid! not Oh my god who taught this kid? You can be assured
that everyone at The Ridge and now at Rabbit Hill Farm were saying Wow who
taught this kid. And her current instructor is the same way, strict, but a
great teacher. And she believes in Shelly and really wants Shelly to go
far.
I thought you would be interested in seeing where one of your campers has
moved onto. Thank you for everything."
Julie L. (Shelly's Mom).
Below: Great letter from long time Longacres mom, Debbie N.
Tom (and of course Meghan),
First I hope you are having a good winter. Ours has had ups and downs with snow and ice. The girls have been hoping for a snow day (no school) or at least a delay. Unfortunately, neither has happened.
I want to extend my e-mail address to parents who would like to know more about Longacres. As you well know I can attest to what it is like to be a camper and the parent of a camper(s).
As a camper during Mother/Daughter/Alumni Week I had the opportunity to experience LA first had. The camp cottages, bunk beds, Perfume Lagoon, shower house, etc. There was also a cabin party given by Meghan late one night. Real food as my girls put it, not a lot of quick fix stuff, for meals. The camaraderie among the campers and staff in all aspects of LA - cleaning stalls, riding, doing laundry, shopping, etc. Of course the best part of LA is the riding. Being at LA a week early gave us a sense of accomplishment as the horses arrived. We trimmed manes, brushed and jumped several for the first time in months. The instruction was wonderful with a demanding instructor. The videos (the first I have even had done) were very educational. During this time the campers were given a lot of latitude (trust by Meghan and you) and expected to complete tasks with minimal guidance. A real education and training experience for some. Though I was quite a bit older than the other campers, everyone made me feel at home, not "the mom" on site.
As the parent of two campers, it has been a wonderful experience. As you know Beth (16 at the time) attended LA for two weeks the first year based on the encouragement of Emilee. Beth loved the camp and did not want to leave. She begged me to let her stay longer. She said it was the best instruction she had ever received. She raved about the meals, time at the mall, dinners out and the opportunity to compete in some very demanding jumper shows. The second year she stayed for a month and brought her horse Baxter (a.k.a. Polka Dot Soxs). Again she had a great time and Baxter learned some new skills. She returned home excited and ready to enter several jumper shows in the fall. Beth wanted to return to LA for the Jumper Derby in August however, we were not able to do so. This year the demands of preparing to attend Wilson College in Sept will preclude her from attending LA. If possible, she would like to enter Baxter in the Jumper Derby this Aug.
Michelle (now age 13), a.k. a. "Da Child", could not be happier at LA. Her riding skills were such that she had outgrown the riding camp she had attended for 3 years. At the urging of Beth she went to LA last summer for 4 weeks. She really enjoyed everything about the camp. She especially liked riding in all the jumper shows she could (a real treat over the number of shows I let her ride in during the regular year). We all know how she fell in love with Jenna. Jenna is now a very happy part of our family thanks to your help. Michelle loved LA so much she asked to return this summer as soon as the registration information was available. Besides the regular camp she really wanted to return for Mother/Daughter Week, which we are doing. She thought it was great painting, making jumps, training incoming horses, hammering, planting flowers and all the other activities she did to help open the camp for the official season. She will bring Jenna this summer. We know she and her horse will be in good hands during their time at LA.
Meghan and you could not be better suited for this enterprise. Both of you are very caring, placing the welfare of the campers first. When there were some homesickness concerns last summer, both of you were very supportive of the issue. The concerns were addressed immediately and I received several follow-ups.
Also I want parents to know this camp is not just for the advanced rider. Some of the campers attending LA are a bit on the novice side (myself included). You were extremely patience with us, teaching some basics before launching into more advanced lessons. Every rider (skill wise) has a place at LA and every camper supports the accomplishments of the various individuals.
Guess I've rambled on long enough. Looking forward to seeing Meghan and you in June.
Debbie
- What can we say? Meghan and I can only hope that if you are reading Debbie's letter above as a possible new student or parents of such, we will be able to give you the kind of successful summer horse experiences that we have given to Debbie and her children! - Tom & Meghan Kranz, owner Longacres Riding Camp
AND one more letter that came to us in January 2005:
(introduction from Tom) - If I told you that I just got a letter from "Karina Busch", it might not immediately ring a bell. But if I told you that I just got a letter from the former Longacres student who is shown jumping "Tip-off" 5'3" in the old promotional video, and also riding "Tip-off" at Erie County Fair, probably everyone who has been to Longacres in the past fifteen years will know who I mean. Letters like this are what make this job worthwhile:
"Dear Tom,
I was surfing on the Chronicle of the Horse bulletin board and someone was
asking about riding camps. I told them about you but said I didn't know if
Longacres was still offering camps. Imagine my delight to see you guys still
going strong, and also my surprise and glee to see so many of my old friends
still there doing a great job teaching new generations of students. Pep Pat,
Missy, Brownie, Dipper, Joey!! No horse will ever replace Tip Off. Ahhh, the
memories. She was by far the best horse I ever rode, and I have ridden a lot of
VERY fancy expensive horses since, and none could touch her. How I miss her.
Ahhh, the good old days. I am living in Lexington, KY now and am doing my
residency in Emergency Medicine. I did eventing for a long time and have now
come to my senses and switched back to jumpers. I now have an almost 6yo
Zangersheide Holsteiner gelding who is still green but can JUMP THE MOON!! You
would LOVE him! I'll try and attach a pic. I am not as good as I was back in
the glory days, but when my residency is finished hopefully I will have more
time and money and can ride several a day again rather than one horse just a
couple days a week.
Anyway, I am thrilled to see you are still doing well and are even still at
your old Mr. Mud antics! I still hope to come for a visit one day, and I still
hope to make the Team someday so you can say "we knew her when". :)
You taught me soooo much and I never had as much opportunity or as much fun as
I did there.
All my best to you!
Love,
Karina Busch
PS: Pix of Lantus Z, aka Linus, aka Biggie below... :) My BABY!"