These horses in the photo are much too thin. Do not give this business your money until these horses are taken care of properly. The horses are suffering. They have souls, they are not pieces of equipment. read more

My son was SOOO excited to attend. This was just such a horrible experience. He had no prior knowledge of horses and a teenager was telling him to grab a saddle and get his own horse ready with NO instruction or adult supervision. He ended up petrified of horses and did not want to return. The day was spent mostly just running around the ranch without any actual program. This place is dangerous. Do not send your kids! read more

We've been sending our 11year old to camp since he was 7 and we love it. He gets tons of hands on experience and is entrusted with leading trail rides and coming up with patterns in the ring. This camp is great for kids who have self discipline and enjoy hands on learning. Our kiddo has enjoyed many life lessons in additions to the basics of horse care and riding. It is a little rough around the edges, it's not fancy, and there is minimal supervision in some instances. And I'm glad for that, I think our kiddo benefits from the independence. I love that the camp schedules around the Vail School District calendar. Any issues we've had have been handled expediently and with care. Our son truly loves his time on the ranch. read more

This summer camp is awesome. I went there for years as a kid and loved it. It's not a prissy ~~horse camp~~ so go elsewhere if that's what you're looking for. This camp teaches kids so much, and allows for both personal and equestrian development and growth. Candace and Rick know horses and have been in the horse business their whole lives. They care for them empathetically through health and sickness. In the years I was there I felt accepted as almost an extension of their family. Yes, sometimes it's hot, or you have to walk between the corals (a 40 second walk) alone, but there's no danger, and it allows kids a chance to develop through new experiences and extremely minor adversity (stuff shouldn't always go your way because you want it to). Send your kid to this camp if you want them to come out a better person. read more

Terrible experience. No structure. Dirty van busted windows. The Children there were disrespectful and used bad language.

My child was very excited to be going to this camp. She is now not a happy about the camp and she will not be completing the camp. Just so you know the transportation van is junk. The kids have no A/C, the doors come open while driving, no window that open on the front windows, and it is barley holding together. My child would get out of the van so hot! Mr. Rick left my child in the van alone to go into a store, this is not something my child is used to. As far as the camp there is not much supervision at all. My child was yelled at for things that she had no idea about, she has never worked with horses. Also at times the children are made to stand in full sun and hold the horses, told they can not wait in the shade.! My child told me that Mr. Rick yells at them, she also said that Mr. Rick hits and kicks the horses. Hope this helps future campers. read more

These horses need help!!! They told my daughter she couldn't refill her water bottle!! They told her it was because the children played with water too much. This is Arizona!! Do not send your children!! My mother showed up in middle of the day and the kids were unsupervised. My daughter ended up getting heat stroke. This place and the owners need major help!!! read more

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I went there when I was a kid and now looking back it was a really bad place. All over the place it was very dirty and gross. Nothing looked like it was never clean. The adults were not very nice and they didn't give instructions. They were also very rude to the horses and didn't treat that nice read more

My son and his friend just went to this horse camp recently and they love it! They both would like to return again for another fun time. They learned to feed horses, groom them and how to take care of them. He said he was tired from doing all the hard work that is required to take care of horses on daily basis. It is a good learning experience for him to understand how much work is involved to take care of animals or pet similar to how much time and effort a parent is taking care of a child. His most favorite part of the camp is trail ride. They have two trail rides, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The more experienced group go on a longer ride than the beginning group. I like that they operate in small groups so the kids can receive more help and attention. It is safer to be in small group regardless of experience so the guide can take control of the situation easier and sooner if something happens. The groups are divided based on experience so the instruction and activity are appropriate for their level. My son can't wait to return the camp again! read more

My son Ezra attended camp for the second week of his fall break. My son could not wait to go to "horse camp" and they did not disappoint! When I picked him up from his first day he was sunburnt, BUT he knew he was supposed to reapply at lunch and they are reminded by staff to apply sunscreen. If your child isn't capable of applying sunscreen to their own bodies, I don't suggest you send them to an outdoor camp in Tucson during the summer months. After the first day, he remembered to re-apply his sunscreen and it was not an issue again. The owners aren't so much "quirky" as they are very country, to me anyways, whatever that means... I found Candace to be friendly and down to earth. I corresponded with her through e-mail before signing my son up and she was more than happy to answer all of my questions. Rick is more reserved and quiet but was polite when I spoke to him. My son really liked Rick. I should add that my sons energy level (from 1-10) is always at a 10. He doesn't tire easily and generally stays at a 10 all.day.long. When he came home from just horsin around, he parked himself on the couch and fell asleep early each day! What ever they are doing out there, keep doing it! I am very pleased with this camp and will definitely sign my son up for more camps! I asked Rick if they offer adult riding camps and he said they have a three day camp over the holidays for families. What fun!! Thanks for taking care of my son for the week and keeping him busy and entertained :) read more

There are many horse camps to choose from in the Tucson area. Just Horsin Around is a good price. Unfortunately, children have little structure and are in direct contact with unsupervised teenager volunteers. My ten year old was bullied, made fun of, and called obscene names by these teenagers. The owner has an unusual sense of humor that children may not appreciate. I think that older children and children with previous horse experience will be okay. This is not the appropriate camp for younger children or children sensitive to expressive adult language use and new to large animal management. read more

I wish I had read the reviews before I enrolled my daughter in their horse camp. The first day she returned on the van, she was completely sunburned because she had not applied sunscreen all day. I would assume that at an outdoor camp with 8 year olds you would remind them to apply sunscreen periodically. She also complained the long van ride which had no AC. She was very excited to go to the camp, but once she experienced, she asked us not to return. read more

Do your research before allowing your child to attend this camp. Meet the people, tour the property all the way to the back round pens, and see how well the animals are cared for, this will inform you a lot about whether or not they are qualified to supervise your child for 8 hours a day, 3-5 times a week. Do not let your child attend sight unseen! read more

We've sent our kids to Just Horsin' Around Camps for years. They get hands on learning. The kids learn all about the horses and riding. They've also made great friends there. We wound highly recommend for any kid that wants to do the work and learn about horsemanship. read more

Our 8 year old granddaughter attended a camp at Just Horsin Around in Vail this summer. It was the hottest week of the year with temps over 110 degrees. After her week, she said she couldn't wait to go again! She loved it even though she was a little pinker. She rode a different horse each day teaching her the horses are not all the same. She definitely had her favorite! There were different games on horseback and trail rides. They aren't a daycare so she knew to reapply sunscreen during the day. There were shades they could get under and water jugs so they could refill their bottles. She liked Mr. Rick and the counselors. They shuttled campers morning and afternoon making it convenient. Yes, it was hot and dirty but if you really like horses, that's part of riding in southern Arizona. Now we're signing her up for a fall camp! read more

My daughter loved her fall break camp at this place. I can tell you it is for responsible older children. They don't baby them, they expect them to behave and follow the rules. Please don't use this place as a daycare option if your kid is younger. Saw many complaints about supervision from other people on here. If your kid can't take care of themselves it's not for you. My daughter is 10 and very self-sufficient. She learned a lot and made some good friends. She said it was hot and she came home dirty but that's good for her. I think it was a great experience for her. They rode a lot, did trail rides and took care of horses. Only complaint is there should be an option to drop your kid off instead of having to ride an unmarked van. Kind of have to be a laid back parent and not a helicopter mom to let your kid do this type of experience. Want your kid to make good memories, send them here. read more

This was the worst experience for my young daughter. When I picked her up on day one, she cried the entire way home, and was having an asthma attack. She did have her inhaler with her, but the brushing horses and dust seemed to be more than she could handle. She has never been around horses other than pony rides at fairs or the pumpkin patch, etc. and was so excited about this camp. She indicated that most of the kids there had already attended the week before and knew what to do, however she was new and didn't know where to go or how to do anything. She had to ask the other kids for instructions as the adult supervision seemed to be limited. She ran out of water early in the morning and didn't know where or how to refill her water bottle. She was not taught how to control her horse during the trail ride, and told us her horse went off the trail. Although she did say Candace was very nice, she was very upset at the way Richard was speaking to and treating the other kids and indicated he was not very nice. She did not eat her lunch. Apparently they sat on the ground to eat, there were no adults present during lunch, as they went off to eat their own lunch, and there were random dogs and cats roaming around trying to get her food, as well as flies landing all over her food. So no water and no lunch all day, no instructions on anything, and one sad little girl at the end of the day. This was a 10 hour day in total. What a huge disappointment. They make it seem so great on the website. The vans they use for transportation are very old. They are not labeled with the business name at all. I had emailed them letting them know my daughter would not be returning for the rest of the week, and also left a phone message. I never got a response back. Don't waste your money here. read more

My kids have been going here for several years. They absolutely love going to all of their camps! They have learned so much and have become great riders. I love that they learn how to take care of a horse as well as gain lots of riding experience. Horse are so much more than just a cute pet! I appreciate all the time they put into educating the campers! read more