Baylee Woempner was bucked off her horse Monday, but she got back up and kept going.

"She got a little too excited and threw me," said the 13-year-old as she sat astride her horse, Embers, during an English riding class Friday morning.

English riding is just one of the classes Woempner and 56 other participants of the Equine Retreat attended during a week of camping at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

Woempner, of Rathdrum, has been riding since she was 5 years old, though this was her first time attending the retreat. During the week, she said she did a lot of loping and learned to do different transitions between gaits, among other things.

"I just like riding in general," Woempner said. "It's a fun hobby and it keeps me out of trouble."

Since Sunday, the kids — and some adults — have attended classes each day, including English, Western, vaulting, mounted shooting, drill team and craft classes. After spending five to six hours a day learning and practicing skills, the horses appeared more tired than their riders Friday. Woempner is a real "die hard" because she will also attend Horse Camp, another week of classes that begins Sunday at Nickerson Equestrian Camp in Kingston.

Teresa Balderrama, 4-H program coordinator for Kootenai and Shoshone counties, said the Equine Retreat at the fairgrounds gives the kids an opportunity to practice a lot of horse skills in a focused setting for a week.

"They get to work on their riding skills and the horsemanship skills that they might not normally do so much of," Balderrama said.

She said the kids are also exposed to some experienced instructors during the week.

Sharla Wilson, extension educator with the University of Idaho, said when the kids don't fill up the classes they open it up to 4-H leaders to improve their skills and their ability to teach those skills to the kids.

Kids who participate in the retreat are mostly from Kootenai County, but come from surrounding counties as well. This year there was a group from Grangeville, and in previous years campers have come from as far away as Montana. The majority of those who participate do it for 4-H horse show purposes, but also for junior rodeo and drill team, which performs at rodeos and parades.

The kids were divided by skill level into six groups at the beginning of the week, from those who had very little or no experience, to those who have been riding their entire life.

"It's always the best to see where their skill level starts and how much skill they gain by the end of the week," Wilson said, adding the first- and second-year participants show the most growth.

"They've gained so much confidence this week it's amazing," Balderrama added.

Each group was given a color after they were divided up, and each day one group would be picked to receive a "bandana award" for things like being on time to class, being attentive in class and being supportive toward each other. The group with the bandana then gets the privilege of being first in line the next day for meals and showers.

During crafts, the kids designed things like stepping stones, or tie-dyed T-shirts in their group colors, which they will wear during drill team performances today. Wilson said the parents have been shopping for all kinds of things, especially for the girls, to wear during the performance so they will be "all decked out" in their group colors.

Alaina Pruitt and Baylee Crupper, both 15, were making photo books in the craft area Friday morning, cutting and pasting photos of other retreat participants into the books, which their friends could then sign as the week comes to an end.

Both girls grew up riding horses, and Crupper added she has been riding since she could walk. Pruitt, of Rathdrum, said she learned "a lot" over the course of the week, including how to better handle the horse when they are misbehaving.

"I feel like I've connected a lot more with my horse and to work better as a team," Pruitt said.

Pruitt said she prefers riding western style, but learned a lot about English riding during the retreat, since it is something she has little experience in. She said she liked the English instructor because she "really knew what she was doing."

Crupper lives in Nampa but stays with her grandmother in Rathdrum each summer and attends 4-H. She has participated in the retreat several time since she was 8. She said the retreat has helped her learn more about her horse, as well as about herself and her own riding style.

"You can really feel yourself improve throughout the week and you feel like you and your horse have this new relationship and friendship," Crupper said. "And you make a lot of great friendships."

As for their friendship, Crupper and Pruitt have known each other for several years and "hated" each other when they were much younger — Pruitt had spilled water in a chair and Crupper sat in it. But over the past three years have become "BFFs" and stay in touch, even when Crupper goes home to Nampa each year.

The week of hard work culminates this morning with a pancake breakfast and the drill team performances held at the fairgrounds. Both are free and open to the public; a $5 donation is suggested. Breakfast is from 7-8:30 a.m. and performances begin at 9:30 a.m.