COBLESKILL, N.Y. -- For most of the campers, getting to Cobleskill was little more than a hop, trot and jump. For Niamh and Aoife Higgins, it took a six hour plane ride from Ireland.
When asked what sticks out at camp with Americans, Niamh said, "the accents."
What stuck out to the girls' parents was of course the riding, but also the value with a falling dollar and rising Euro, camps like this are seeing more international interest.
At Cobleskill that means exposing more kids from all over the world to the joys of riding and to the work required to keep animals healthy.
"Riding is riding but half the battle is taking care of the horses and making sure they are treated correctly," Camp Director Debbie Penet said.
Even though the camp in Cobleskill focuses on the same style of riding the girls are used to, they say there are plenty of differences.
While SUNY Cobleskill has enrolled international students for years, the school is now starting to see international campers enrolling in its summer programs. Our Mark Repasky tells us why some students are spending their summer holiday on this side of the Atlantic.
"The horses in Ireland are a bit calm and all but he's a bit crazy," Aoife said.
"Rise and trot. They call it post and trot I think here," Niamh said.
The girls aren't alone in the learning exchange. The 18 American campers are also picking up some Irish customs.
"It's been really neat to see the interaction and to get the campers exposed between the differences between how things are done in Ireland vs. here," Penet said.
That's exactly what mom and dad had hoped for.
"The horse riding to the kids is the big thing, but to us the horse riding is one small part of the overall package," the girls' father Peter said.
A package bound by a week of riding.
While they may be too busy to see it now, Dad's sure it will all fall into place once they're back in Dublin.