I am writing this review to help parents with quiet, non-athletic, perfectionist, soft-hearted children (like mine) to make an informed decision about sending your child to this camp.
If your child is a breezy, confident, athletic child who ALREADY knows how to ride a horse, (bonus if you're from the country), they'll probably have an okay time and come away unscathed by the attitudes of Crusty and his daughter Nikki, and by Nikki's cold, critical, impatient teaching style. Actually, I use the term "teaching" loosely. This unhappy young woman doesn't seem to have any teaching skills. If you'd like your child to have a boot camp type of experience that will make them appreciate YOU and what an easy life they have at home, in contrast, this camp would be great for that. LOL
My daughter had a mix of experiences during her week at Peace Valley Ranch. Mid-week, she broke down and sobbed, and questioned her existence. "Am I a terrible person?" she asked me. This was the result of mainly two things:
1. Crusty is a larger than life person who is charming and means well, but he also makes his values and judgments vividly clear. He didn't hide the fact that he thinks children from the city (like my daughter), are soft, spoiled, never have to work like farm kids, spend too much time on their computers, and are just basically weak and lazy. All her life, my daughter has excelled in ways and areas that don't match Crusty's idea of what a good person is. She's conscientious, sensitive and kind to people, open-minded, creative, she writes, creates, and produces amazing stuff on the computer (and has over a thousand subscribers to her youtube channel), she's smart, loved by her teachers, and a very hard-working student. Being around Crusty caused her to forget ALL this and feel like a horrible person because she's not an athlete and doesn't do chores or have a hard life. I was at the camp one day while the campers/kids, Crusty, and Nikki were eating lunch together and I quietly observed Crusty actually picking on the kids, mocking them, for their table manners.
2. Nikki is a tense, impatient, critical person who doesn't know how to explain things and has zero empathy for complete beginners. She also rarely smiles, and gives off an unhappy vibe, so if she hadn't been so uncaring and hurtful to my child, I'd feel compassion for her secret misery, whatever it may be.
My daughter is a straight A student and tries very hard to learn. With GOOD teachers, she learns quickly. Nikki was critical, impatient, and even sarcastic. When my daughter was struggling to do something right (despite the poor instructions), Nikki became frustrated and said things like, "C'mon! We haven't got all day." She seemed to think a student's struggle to learn was due to a lack of trying or a character flaw. It might never have occurred to Nikki that a student's lack of comprehension might be due to her lack of teaching ability.
Nikki didn't notice how hard my daughter was trying. She never gave praise or encouragement - only criticism. She radiated annoyance and frustration. In her most frustrated moments, she made cruel, cutting remarks! For a perfectionist child who beats herself up for getting one question wrong on an exam, or for disappointing a parent or teacher, this was soul-crushing.
Crusty's wife, Natalie, taught my daughter and other kids on some days (thank God!). She is a patient, understanding teacher who explains things fairly well. She is kind and gives encouragement and praise. The camp really should have Natalie teach all the beginners and keep Nikki far, far away from them. Natalie saved the week from being a complete, esteem-destroying misery for my daughter.
I was proud of my daughter for choosing to soldier on for the full week. She cried many times and her (quite wonderful) value system and self-esteem took some hard hits, but she would not quit. She did learn how to ride a horse (from Natalie!) and enjoy it without feeling nervous. She also learned that people have different value systems and we should not judge others for not having the same experiences and values that we have. And she realized that sometimes the Crusty's of the world have a high opinion and unquestioned view of themselves that is not altogether deserved, and we should always examine where these people's judgments or negative perceptions of us are coming from, before accepting them as unbiased and accurate. Maybe we're not wrong - they are. Or maybe, NO one is wrong - we're just different.
I'm not completely joking when I say if your kids ARE spoiled and take you for granted, Rawhide Wrangler camp could do them good. They might hate IT, but they will love and appreciate YOU more, by the time it's over. LOL However, if your child is like mine, you might want to find a more enlightened experience for them, that will give them encouragement, kindness, and more competent support as they attempt to learn and grow. read more
