Allegheny Riding Camp at Grier Summer

Grier Summer is a girls' residential summer program located at the Grier School, a boarding school for girls since 1853. We feature three-week sessions and dormitory housing on a 350 acre campus in the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. With less than 100 campers at a time and a 1:4 staff ratio, we are able to provide a very comfortable, nurturing environment for first time campers.

Founded in 1975, Allegheny Riding Camp was the first Grier Summer program. Allegheny Riding Camp has a long tradition of Hunter/Jumper riding.  In order to provide a personalized experience for every camper, Allegheny Riding Camp

•  Welcomes beginners to experienced riders.
•  Maintains an excellent staff ratio for lessons.
•  Teaches girls to realize their potential though horsemanship, friendship, and respect for animals.
• Offers 90 minute morning riding lessons and optional equine studies in the afternoon.
•  Levels all riders, lessons are with riders of same ability level.
• Assigns a horse to a rider for the entire session.
• Instructors have a progress report for each camper at the end of the session.

New in 2013, the popular Show Camper Program becomes a travel team! 

The Show Camper Program is for girls 11 to 17 years old who love to show horses in the Hunter or Jumper ring.   Girls should have experience showing in rated USEF shows, or the equivalent in international shows.

The Show Camper Program is a self-contained five-week program using the facilities of the Grier Summer Camp.  Show Campers will train for the first week with the trainers. For two weeks they will show in the Kocher Farms  “AA” shows in State College, living at Grier Summer and commuting daily to State College.  Horses and ponies will be stabled at State College for these shows.  The final two weeks will be at the Chagrin Valley Hunter Jumper Classic, “AA” show, Chagrin Falls, OH.  Riders and horses will stay at the show for the duration of the event.   An optional two weeks is available for Horse Shows V and VI at HITS-on-the-Hudson.  Show Campers and horses will travel from Chagrin Falls, OH to Saugerties, NY for the optional two weeks.

The trainer for the Show Camper Program is Emily Zientek, a ten-year veteran of middle school and high school varsity teams at Grier School where she is the Director of the Riding programs. Emily is the current national president of the IEA. 

Yes, Show Campers can bring their own horses/ponies!  Owners are responsible to get the horses/ponies to Grier Summer at the beginning of the program and arrange transportation from the last show.  Show Camper program will transport horses/ponies to Chagrin Valley Farms and to optional event at HITS-on-the-Hudson.  For riders without their own horse/pony, Grier Summer has show horses/ponies for lease at $100 per week.

The Show Camper Travel Team  has a very limited enrollment, and traditionally fills quickly.

Camp Facilities

Our dining hall serves a hot buffet meal with several main choices for each meal, salad and sandwich bars and vegetarian and vegan options. Dormitory rooms accommodate two campers per room, and there is a bathroom connecting every two rooms. We have four horseback riding paddocks,  two indoor arenas, gymnasium, ceramics studio, art studio, dance studio, auditorium, 25-yard outdoor pool, four tennis courts, and an athletic field.

Camp Staff

Camp staff live in the dormitory halls, in rooms close to the campers. Counselors are  college-age, or older, women with demonstrated experience with children.  All staff members participate in a mandatory week-long training before camp begins. Two staff members are assigned to each unit of 8-10 girls.

 

Camp FAQs

Need more information?
Visit www.bestcamp.org or email questions to bestcamp@grier.org.

Camp Sessions

Camp Season: June 14, 2013 to August 2, 2013
Multiple camper discounts available