Barbara Lawlor, Boulder County. At the end of the first summer camp session at the Rising Sun Ranch, the riders lined up and received their ribbons—their rewards for working hard with their horses.

The ranch first month summer camp ended on Friday, June 20, 2014 and all levels of ability displayed their skills at walking, trotting and cantering around barrels. After the campers performed, the ranch assistants competed with each other at a higher level of discipline.

Mackenzie Radandt, a senior at Nederland Middle Senior High School, has been learning and working at the ranch for years. With grace and ease she rode her horse bareback and with a halter, using mostly her legs and balance to guide him through his paces.

The older students become mentors to the younger students. Gillian Nasty and her younger sister Rowan have both learned natural horsemanship from owner and instructor Sheila Ranegar, who has created a horse and human heaven at her ranch on Lazy Z Road.

Campers learn not just how to ride, but how to care for their horses, from picking rocks out of their hooves to brushing their coats until they shine. They learn how to care for their tack, the bridles and saddles, the blankets and halters. They know leather has to be cleaned and oiled to be maintained.

First of all they learn how to be safe, how to move around horses and how to speak to them; what each horse is nervous about and what can set another one off. Some horses bite at each other, some kick when placed too close. These kids, from 8 to 18, learn how to trust and to gain trust by using calm, gentle movements and common sense.

As they work together, the rider and horse begin to anticipate each other's moods and emotions. A student knows that if they are afraid, the horse can pick up on that feeling and become nervous also. It is a mindset and an exercise in self awareness: that the message comes from within the rider.

The summer camp sessions take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The second session began on July 7 until July 25 and the third session is from July 28 to August 15. Balanced Seat riding is taught in either Western or English Saddles. The students ride in small groups twice daily and the rest of the day is filled with hands-on horse experience.

On Friday, parents of the campers attended the end of session show and commented on how far their young riders had come in just a few weeks.