Programs

Day Camps for Children 8 to 14

Every summer, Whitemud Equine Learning Centre partners with the City of Edmonton River Valley Camps to offer week-long day camps for children ages 8-14. Registration for the Horse Rider Camp is through the City of Edmonton. Camps will be viewable on the City of Edmonton's registration website e-Reg or you can register by phoning 3-1-1.

Campers begin each day at Whitemud Park which is west of the WELCA entrance. To learn more about Whitemud Park, click here.

Learn to Ride Program

The Learn to Ride program is a seven (7) week program specifically geared to beginners.  There are two Learn to Ride sessions:  November - January and February - March.  Students may register for either a Tuesday or a Wednesday evening:

Ages 8-12: 4:30 - 5:30pm or 5:30 - 6:30pm

Ages 13+: 6:30 - 7:30pm

This is a stand-alone program - riders who want to progress in their skills need to apply for the Horsemanship Program.

For dates and registration, please contact the office at 780-435-3597.

Download the Learn to Ride Program Document (42.75 kB)

Junior Rider Program

The Junior Rider program is for children 6 - 7 years of age who want to learn to ride. The nine (9) week program is offered three (3) times per year, Saturdays starting at 4:00pm. The children will receive 1/2 hour of riding and 1/2 hour of horse care each class.

Due to the popularity of this program, we can only take registration in person or over the phone. For program dates and information, please contact the office at 780-435-3597.

Download the Junior Rider Program Document (41.98 kB)

Field Trips and Tours

Visit One of Edmonton’s Oldest Landmarks!

Whitemud Equine Learning Centre Association (WELCA) offers unique education and recreation at a beautiful pastoral horse farm in the heart of the city. For a century it has been a favourite year-round destination, inspiring generations of artists, athletes and visitors with friendly horses, historic log cabin, stone fence and stone house, indoor and outdoor riding arenas, barns and show grounds.

Owned by the City of Edmonton since the 1970’s, this star attraction in the River Valley is where our trail system began. Under Parks and Recreation Community Services WELCA provides accessible horse programs all year round.

Your tour may encompass art, history, social studies, science, math and language as WELCA’s noble horses touch your students hearts and open their minds. As Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”.

School Field Trip Reservation Form

On Your Field Trip…

• Visit Dr. Keillor’s Log Cabin, built around 1918 with the last logs floated down the North Saskatchewan River.
• See the large white heart-shaped stone he placed above the fireplace and the symmetrical split river rocks on either side of it.
• Walk along the stone fence Dr. Keillor constructed with his wife and daughters.
• View the stone home he called, “My Retreat”
• Listen to birds singing and horses neighing. What inspired Keillor to create this farm after he survived World War 1? Why did he donate his land for the Road to Whitemud Creek, donate trees to the city, pay for power to the ski tow, lights for the clubhouse, storage for canoe clubs, invite Edmontonians to ride and picnic? Why did he turn down a fortune to keep this farm “for the people?”
• Watch horses in the pastures, playing, eating, drinking, sleeping while standing up!
• See how staff care for them 24 hours a day.
• Watch barn cats patrolling for mice.
• Tour the 1950’s riding arena and horse barns and hear about the famous cowboys who built it.
• Walk the trails cowboys cut with machetes to start our River Valley Trail System.
• See the office and classroom built by Grant McEwan when he operated Equine Studies here in the 1970’s.
• See how horse feed is stored and how staff clean and manage thousands of pounds of manure every day.
• Watch horses at work providing healthy exercise and therapy for people. See our farrier/blacksmith trimming horses hooves. (booked in advance).

Prepare Your Class for a School Trip to the Whitemud Equine Learning Centre:

Language Arts: Read horse poetry, famous quotations, and stories

Social Studies: Study the history of horses as transportation and in agriculture

Art: Draw and sculpt horses and ponies, wagons and cowboys

Science and Math: How does grass become hay? Why is straw different from hay? Why do horses also eat oats and lick salt? How much water does a horse need? How many kilograms of manure does a horse make daily, weekly, monthly, yearly? How do we recycle it?