Piping Rock Equestrian Center Camps

Piping Rock Equestrian Center Camps offers week long summer horse camps where campers spend time with animals, including miniature horses, bunnies, chickens, lambs, goats, and mini donkeys. Depending on the camp, activities include nature walks, planting seeds in the garden, digging for worms, building and climbing in a natural playground, taking the goats for a walk, learning how to groom, care for, and ride ponies, and participating in 4-H style activities, crafts, and farm songs. For older or more horse-focused groups, camps include learning basics of horse care and handling on the ground and in the saddle, grooming, tacking, leading, arena lessons, groundwork with ponies, trail riding, riding mini horses, riding ponies and small horses, and riding bareback, with Friday Pony Demonstrations and Friday Horse Demonstrations as part of the programming.

• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Week long summer horse camps, generally running Monday through Friday from 9:00 am–12:00 pm, with a Friday Pony Demonstration at 10:30 am and a Friday Horse Demonstration at 11:00 am.
• Price: Farmstead Camp ages 3–7 costs $575 per session; Pony/critter camp ages 5–8 costs $650 per session; Colt Camp ages 7–9 costs $700 per session; Half-Day Horse Camp ages 8 and up costs $750 per session; optional camp insurance is available for $100 per camp week at the time of registration.

Farmstead Camp focuses on animals, nature, and hands-on activities around the farm and includes 4-H style activities for older campers. Pony/critter camp includes extra time riding mini horses and 4-H–inspired activities. Colt Camp uses gentle ponies and small horses and may rotate campers between different ponies, and campers can sign up for after care to have a full day experience. Half-Day Horse Camp includes arena lessons, groundwork, trail riding, and riding bareback, and campers can sign up for after care on a day-by-day basis. Piping Rock Equestrian Center also offers an All-Day Horse Camp for confident riders who are comfortable around horses and ready for more time in the saddle, as well as Extreme Camp, Tahoe Horse Kids, spring break horse camp, private lessons for adults and children, scenic trail rides, and programs in both English and Western disciplines.

Since 2011, Piping Rock Horses has been building a business. The leadership team includes Ella Clifford, who leads the English program, offers both adult and children’s private lessons, and works with client horses for tune-ups and training; Jarod Flora, who teaches Extreme Camp and Tahoe Horse Kids and leads trail rides; and Cheyenne Sperry, who teaches summer camps and leads trail rides. The program states that it is dedicated to creating a space where anyone and everyone is welcome to experience horseback riding, and that success is measured by smiles on guests’ faces, kids falling in love with something other than phones, and working with horses and seeing them grow.

Piping Rock Equestrian Center welcomes school groups, Girl Scout troops, and youth organizations of all sizes for days on the farm and has partnered with local schools across the area to create field trips and field days. The program also hosts school group visits, Girl Scout troop visits, youth organization visits, field trips, field days, corporate retreats, family reunions, and birthday celebrations, with hands-on experiences with horses and interactive farm activities.

According to the program, each horse receives high-quality feed, fresh water, a safe, comfortable home, individual attention, thoughtful training, careful management, consistent veterinary and farrier care, and a minimum of three months of rest each year. There is an inherent risk of equine activities and a release of liability is required for all campers, with hard copies and QR codes available at camp check-in. It is strongly recommended that children have equine-approved riding gear and their own helmet, full payment is required at the time of registration to reserve a spot, and families may purchase PREC Camp Insurance for $100 per camp week at the time of registration. Camp will operate when the Air Quality Index is below 150 on PurpleAir using the LRAPA conversion, and campers must be potty trained for Farmstead Camp, with 3-year-olds expected to have experience separating from an adult before this camp.

One testimonial from Dayna S. from the Central Valley in California describes the guides as delightful and informative, notes that the horses were healthy, happy, and gentle to ride, and mentions rides up into the mountains, along Prosser Creek, and through meadows with wildlife such as deer, birds, and coyotes. Another testimonial from Leora S. from Truckee, California, states that her son has been riding with Piping Rock for three years and describes Piping Rock as a down to earth stable that cares about their clients. A third testimonial from Emily S. from San Francisco, California, describes it as a fantastic program and experience for her daughter and notes that older campers and junior counselors learn all parts of the equestrian experience, including the less glamorous work, rather than only riding and jumping.

Last updated March 25, 2026.