Shekinah Western Ranch Camp

Summer Camp Promotes Kids' Love of Horses, God

By Brandon Carper
August 3, 2003

Jeff Weinstein, 12, loved the Shekinah Ranch summer camp so much that he came back to care for the grounds after his week as a camper was up.

"I just love the environment," he said. "I love horses. It's how nice everyone is - I made friends here, and they're here, too."

Weinstein is one of many happy campers at the new ranch, which is about a mile from the Speers exit of Interstate 70. Up to 20 children from 8 to 18 stay there each week, learning about Christianity and how to ride horses.

Ranch coordinator Tom Ravasio had hoped to open the ranch the first week of June, but the rain kept him and his team from finishing the campground in time. It opened July 13 instead, with several all-new facilities: four cabins, a barn, a pavilion, a riding arena and a sand volleyball court.

The ranch formerly was known as Bethany Christian Campground. Its owners, Bethany Bible Fellowship, donated it to the Shekinah Ranch cause.

Since its opening, Ravasio said he's had a "fabulous" response, with people calling every day asking for spots at camp.

A camper's typical day begins with chapel time and riding instruction, followed after dinner by horse-care lessons and a bonfire.

Campers end their week on Friday with a rodeo, which includes dressage, barrel-racing and an obstacle course. Most of the children have never ridden horses before coming to Shekinah Ranch, and the rodeo lets them demonstrate their new skills to their families.

"They just get so close to their horses it's amazing," riding instructor Trudy Hite said. "We have tears when they leave on Friday."

The campers learn more than riding skills, however. Hite said they learn compassion from caring for their horses, while Ravasio emphasized the responsibility developed through riding.

"It's a character-building program," said ranch director Wayne Hite, Trudy's husband. "If they're not getting enough atta-boys at home, we bury them with atta-boys here."

Shekinah Ranch is "a dream fulfilled" for Ravasio, who first had the idea more than eight years ago when he was on a religious retreat at Bethany Christian Campground.

"I was impressed with the can-do attitude," said Jim Gebicki, a community relations representative for Waste Management of Pennsylvania, which footed the campers' tuition last week. "It seemed that there were no boundaries with what he felt he could do."

Ravasio also credits the word "Shekinah" to divine inspiration: It means "the place where God dwells." He's incorporated the name into a young adult story in the "Left Behind" vein called "Shekinah: The Great White Stallion," which he reads to campers around the bonfire.

One fan of Ravasio's story is camper Brittini Scott, 12, but her favorite camp activity is, of course, riding the horses.

"It's wonderful - I think everyone would want to come," she said. "Even if they don't like horses when they come, they will when they leave."