News & Updates

See & read about what is going on in the Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center community

Skills, Lessons, and Relationships

Most people regard horseback riding as a simple concept: you get on, you go. Sure, there’s some other important details: stopping, going, turning, but how does one accomplish those things?

Within the Warm Beach Horsemanship program, we organize our instruction around essential themes that relate to a rider’s life: communication, trust, timing, patience, exploration, balance, feel, preparation, and gratitude. While these are all critical components of riding well, they are also critical to a person living a whole-hearted life. Riders help develop their horse, and in turn, horses also help develop our riders.

Riding is a relationship: when done well, it’s a conversation between two highly sensitive and intelligent beings. The priority is to bring riders along not only in their riding skills and discipline, it’s also to provide an environment that facilitates thoughtfulness, kindness, and perseverance.

Each of our lesson themes relate specifically to a riding skill and how that skill relates to life. Communication is important everywhere and all the time: how do we make ourselves heard? How do we listen to others? Trust is an integral part of relating to others: why should my horse do what I ask? How do I develop trust with people in my life? Having patience with ourselves allows us to make mistakes without judgement: how do I keep going when I want to quit? What do I say to myself when things don’t go as planned? An attitude of gratitude brings joy, hope, and an opportunity: How do I appreciate what my horse offers when it isn’t what I want? How do I appreciate circumstances when things are difficult?

People ask so much of horses and they offer us a willing spirit and huge tries. They don’t HAVE to listen to their rider, they choose to. The goal is to guide and provide opportunities for participants that result in a relationship based on mutual respect between horse and human, where both of them benefit. Horses are partners and we work with riders in the same way.

Please join us on our journey of horsemanship!

-Laura Schonberg, Volunteer
Warm Beach Horsemanship

The Delight of God

"No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love." -Psalms 147:11 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.147.11.NLT The Delight of God (spoiler alert: it’s you!) The writer of Psalms 147 makes three things clear: God provides for His created world. God responds to the needs of His children. He is not impressed by our own means of strength and power. There is one more thing God wants us to experience and know:  …the Lord’s delight ...

Welcome Jennifer Maxson!

Warm Beach Camp would like to introduce Jennifer Maxson as the Guest Services Event Coordinator! Jennifer was born in Utah and grew up in Shoreline, Washington. She attended Whitworth College and graduated with a bachelor’s in Religion. Jennifer worked at Cascades Camp in Yelm throughout high school and college and loved working with the horses at the ranch. She also has extensive work experience teaching preschool and elementary-age children at daycares and Christian schools. She was assistant manager of Quilter’s ...

Welcome Kevin Craig!

Warm Beach Camp Ministries would like to welcome Kevin Craig as the new Sales Manager! Kevin was born and raised in Rochester, New York, and at thirteen years old, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay area. Kevin has a vast camping ministry career that spans over 37 years! He worked as summer staff for a camp during high school and college before graduating from the University of California, Berkley, with a degree in Architecture. Kevin was called back ...