🍂 EmpoweRanch Fall Adventure Camp | October 5–9, 2026
🍂 EmpoweRanch Fall Adventure Camp | October 5–9, 2026
🍂 EmpoweRanch Fall Adventure Camp
Monday, October 5 through Friday, October 9, 2026
8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
For children and teens ages 6 through 17
Children age 5 may attend with an older sibling. Campers ages 13 through 17 may participate in our Teen Leadership Development Track.
Give your child five adventure-filled camp days with equines, ranch animals, outdoor exploration, creativity, laughter, friendship, and fall fun at EmpoweRanch!
Campers will care for and learn all about equines and other animals, explore nature, play active games, complete team challenges, create seasonal projects, contribute around the ranch, and discover new skills and interests. Mounted horsemanship experiences are planned after campers complete foundational safety and unmounted instruction.
Camp is professionally designed and led by Jessica Voss, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, AAEE Certified Environmental Educator, and NRPA Certified Parks and Recreation Professional. Our interdisciplinary team maintains no more than four campers per team member.
Registration includes the complete five-day experience. Individual camp days and extended camp hours are not available.
Maximum riding weight: 180 pounds
REGISTER ABOVE by selecting your day camper option, quantity, and clicking REGISTER HERE!
🐴 Five Days of Ranch Adventure, Discovery, and Fun
EmpoweRanch Fall Adventure Camp is filled with animals, outdoor adventures, creativity, laughter, new experiences, and the kind of fun children remember long after camp ends.
No two days at the ranch are exactly alike. Campers may spend their mornings grooming horses, leading an equine through an obstacle course, caring for ranch animals, exploring nature, getting their hands in the garden, creating fall projects, playing active games, and celebrating new accomplishments.
New campers will receive a warm introduction to EmpoweRanch. Returning campers can reconnect with familiar animals, trusted team members, and favorite activities while experiencing new challenges and adventures.
Through games, animal activities, creative projects, and shared accomplishments, campers also have natural opportunities to laugh together, encourage one another, form new friendships, and create wonderful memories.
🌿 What Campers Experience
Activities may include:
Equine behavior, communication, grooming, leading, groundwork, and care
Mounted horsemanship after foundational safety instruction
Caring for and interacting with our horses, mule, mini donkey, mini pony, chickens, and other ranch animals
Outdoor recreation, active games, obstacle courses, and team challenges
Nature and wildlife exploration
Gardening, ranch service, and environmental stewardship
Seasonal arts, crafts, music, movement, and creative activities
Safe and responsible outdoor skills and ethics
Breathing, mindfulness, sensory, and movement techniques that help campers settle, focus, and reset
Opportunities to practice confidence, communication, cooperation, patience, flexibility, responsibility, and problem-solving
Activities are adapted based on the campers attending, the interests of the group, environmental conditions, and the needs and well-being of our animals.
⭐ Why Families Choose EmpoweRanch ⭐
EmpoweRanch Camp is carefully designed and professionally led. Our experiences are guided by the EmpoweRanch HORSEE model:
Horsemanship • Outdoor Recreation • Service • Environmental Education
Campers learn through movement, play, creativity, outdoor challenges, animal care, and hands-on exploration rather than classroom-style lessons.
While having fun, campers have opportunities to build confidence, communicate effectively, manage frustration, adapt when plans change, solve problems, and develop patience, responsibility, and persistence. Calming and mindfulness strategies are naturally woven into active camp experiences.
EmpoweRanch camps are delivered by an intentionally assembled, interdisciplinary team with backgrounds in therapeutic recreation, behavioral health, horsemanship, outdoor recreation, environmental education, and youth programming.
Camp is designed and directed by Jessica Voss, whose credentials include:
Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor
AAEE Certified Environmental Educator
NRPA Certified Parks and Recreation Professional
We maintain a maximum of four campers per team member and often operate with approximately one team member for every two campers. This exceptional level of support allows our team to get to know each camper, adapt activities, provide skilled guidance, and offer the patience, understanding, and care children deserve.
EmpoweRanch is proud to be an official PATH International Member Center.
🐎 Horsemanship From the Ground Up
At EmpoweRanch, horsemanship begins with understanding and caring for the horse.
The first day focuses on foundational safety, equine behavior and communication, grooming, leading, and unmounted horsemanship. Campers learn what helps equines feel safe and comfortable and how responsible handlers respectfully partner with them.
Mounted experiences are planned during the following camp days after campers complete the required foundational instruction. Our goal is to provide every camper who can safely participate with an opportunity to ride during the week.
Mounted participation and scheduling depend on camper readiness, appropriate horse and rider matching, weather, staffing, safety, and equine welfare. Mounted activities are led under the direction of a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor.
🧭 Teen Leadership Development Track
Campers ages 13 through 17 may participate in EmpoweRanch’s Teen Leadership Development Track as part of their complete camp experience.
Teens enjoy the equine, animal, outdoor, creative, and recreational activities offered throughout camp while receiving age-appropriate opportunities to practice leadership, initiative, teamwork, service, responsibility, decision-making, and problem-solving.
Depending on their interests, experience, and readiness, teens may take greater ownership of animal care, ranch responsibilities, projects, and group challenges while learning alongside experienced team members and equine professionals.
Teen Leaders remain supported camp participants. They are not staff members and are not responsible for independently supervising younger campers.
The Teen Leadership Development Track is included with standard camp registration.
🌟 Inclusion, Support, and Privacy
EmpoweRanch welcomes campers with a variety of learning styles, communication styles, sensory preferences, abilities, interests, and support needs!
Families are encouraged to share their camper’s strengths, needs, and successful support strategies privately during registration. This information helps our team prepare appropriately and is shared only with team members who need it to support safe participation.
A camper’s diagnosis, foster care status, funding source, campership status, and private family circumstances are not disclosed to other campers or families.
EmpoweRanch does not provide dedicated one-to-one support. Campers who require continuous one-to-one assistance must attend with a support person arranged and provided by the family.
This camp is designed for children and teens who can participate safely within a small-group environment. Families should review the complete Fall Adventure Camp Policies before registering.
📅 One Complete Five-Day Experience
Fall Adventure Camp is designed as one connected experience rather than five unrelated camp days.
Each day builds upon the previous day’s safety instruction, horsemanship skills, projects, relationships, and experiences. Registration is therefore offered for the complete Monday-through-Friday camp.
Individual camp days are not available, and camp fees are not prorated for missed days.
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💵 Camp Fees
Early registration rate: $550
Regular registration rate: $595
Early registration deadline: Monday, August 31, 2026
The camp fee includes all five days from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Additional siblings receive $25 off the applicable registration rate. Military and first responder families receive 10 percent off the regular registration rate. Discounts may not be combined.
To request the military or first responder registration code, email proof of service to JessiV@EmpoweRanch.org with sensitive information redacted.
The $525 starting price displayed by Squarespace is the early-registration rate for an additional sibling registered with another camper from the same household.
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💛 Funding Options
EmpoweRanch is a Direct Pay Vendor through ESA/ClassWallet and a Preferred Partner with the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation. Limited EmpoweRanch campership assistance may also be available through grant and donor support.
Families who need an invoice, plan to use outside funding, or would like help exploring other possible funding resources should email JessiV@EmpoweRanch.org before registering.
EmpoweRanch campership application deadline: Monday, August 24, 2026
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💳 Registration and Payment
A camper’s space is confirmed once EmpoweRanch receives full payment or written approval from an accepted funding source.
Families paying by cash or check, or using ESA, AFFCF, or another outside funding source, should email JessiV@EmpoweRanch.org for instructions. Payment or proof that the funding request was submitted must be received within five business days of registration, or the pending registration will be canceled and the space released.
Registration closes Monday, September 21, 2026, or when camp reaches capacity.
Please review the complete Fall Adventure Camp Policies for funding deadlines, cancellation terms, health and safety expectations, and other registration requirements.
📋 Camp Policies
Before registering, please review our complete Fall Adventure Camp Readiness, Safety, Registration, Payment, and Funding Policies.
Registration indicates that the camper’s parent, guardian, foster caregiver, or authorized registering adult has reviewed and accepted the applicable camp policies.
We cannot wait to welcome your camper for a joyful week of animals, friendship, laughter, outdoor adventure, creativity, discovery, and unforgettable fall fun at EmpoweRanch! 🍂🐴🌻