By Maggie Beamguard
Insider Editor
Seven Lakes Stables will offer a summer of unbridled fun with a full calendar of events for the warmer days ahead. Riding lessons, educational programs and community events will draw residents of all ages to the barn.
Stables Manager Karlie Kivett has been busy creating programming that includes traditional riding lessons, emphasizing horsemanship, education and creating a welcoming community gathering place.
“I love my job,” Kivett said. “I love the community. I love teaching people through horses. I love the people that I’ve met.”
This focus on connection provides the stable foundation for the summer’s lineup which includes camps, educational seminars and a community-wide Summer Night Kick Off event scheduled for June 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. for residents and their guests.
The event will feature food trucks, outdoor games, pony rides, riding demonstrations, raffles, vendors, line dancing and more.
Summer camps are one of the season’s main offerings and will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 20-23 and Aug. 3-6. In addition to traditional horse camps in July and August, Seven Lakes Stables will host a United States Pony Club-affilitated camp from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 6-9 featuring guest instructor Olivia Meyer, a Pony Club alumna with a national B certification.
Unlike standard riding camps, the Pony Club program focuses on horse management, hands on care and horsemanship skills alongside riding instruction. Campers will learn grooming, horse care and stable skills while also earning badges through the Pony Club curriculum.
Kivett said the educational offerings of Seven Lakes Stables has become one of its defining features. “We’ve turned into less of strictly riding lessons and more of all-of-the-above lessons,” she said. “On the ground, horse behavior, horse education, medically, we are tuning into deeper levels besides just getting on and riding.”
One recent program featured chiropractic demonstrations involving humans, dogs and horses. Upcoming sessions will focus on topics such as equine colic and horse care fundamentals.
The stable continues hosting its Monday night open barns for residents and guests, along with volunteer education sessions called “From the Ground Up.”
For Kivett, the growth of this educational programming reflects the larger mission she envisions for the facility.
“Its truly become what it needs to be as an amenity in a community. It’s a place to gather,” she said. “My slogan, ‘Where Riders Grow and Community Gathers,’ was perfect for the direction we’ve ended up taking.”
A big part of that community is the herd itself. “The horses serve the community probably more than we do,” Kivett said. “It takes a special type of horse to teach and be patient and communicate with people in this environment.”
Tucker, a 19-year-old sorrel quarter horse cross, is the epitome of the kind of character required in this kind of program.
“He may not always be the star of the show, but he’s the reason the magic happens,”Kivett said.
“He literally did 30 pony rides the other day,” Kivett said. “He was sleeping the whole time walking. He’s just like the old man of the stables.”
Kivett said one of the biggest challenges at the stables is finding and managing the right horses for their specific programming. Horses each have distinct personalities and temperaments, and not every horse is suited for the busy, multiple hands-on environment.
Sensing when a horse is ready to rein it in is part of the management of the herd. “We want a good flow of being able to retire these guys so they don’t end up being here too long,” she said. “They deserve a good retirement.”
As the program continues to grow, Kivett hopes residents will continue sharing ideas for future programming and events. “A lot of people come in and say, “I didn’t even know this was one of our amenities,” she said, “So we’re really trying to open it up and make people feel welcome.”
More information about camps, events and programs can be found on the Seven Lakes Stables Facebook page or by emailing 7lstables@gmail.com.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
