About Us
How Christian Cowgirl Camp Began
Every girl falls in love with horses, no matter their situation. However, not many have the opportunity to ride horses. I, Bethany, was blessed with the opportunity to own a horse at the age of 11. In 2015, when I was 15 years old, God gave me an idea to share my knowledge and resources, and His love with young girls. One year later, in 2016, I ran the first year of Christian Cowgirl Camp! God guided me in creating the curriculum and my mom assisted me in making it all work out.
Christian Cowgirl Camp's mission is to teach young girls the characteristics of faithful Christian women and develop them through equestrian skills. Over the past 5 summers, we have focused on 4 characteristics: compassion, capability, confidence, and contentment. This is the priority and riding horses is the means to apply what they have learned.
Staff and horses are all volunteers, giving up their time and skills for the sake of sharing the love of Christ with campers! Each year the camp is improved & fine-tuned with the help of staff and participants' feedback.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Matthew 28:19-20
Bethany Kopriva
Creator & Director
My first horse was a "fixer-upper." He pulled, bucked, wouldn't load into a trailer, and so on. Even though Brego was mine, I couldn't ride him for a year. Once I could ride him, he needed intense work. Although he was difficult, Brego taught me how to be tough, continue to learn, and stay committed to working hard. Eventually, we rode in local gymkhanas, 4H horse shows, and then the Pikes Peak Rangerette drill team. Each of my horses has taught me lessons, but Brego taught me the meaning of grit - aka the cowgirl way - a passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals.
Looking for a way to share the gospel and horses together, God led me to create Christian Cowgirl Camp in 2016. It is the perfect way to pull in the reformed Christian faith I was raised in and the life lessons that come from horses. More specifically, it encourages young ladies to become faithful Christian women. Camp has allowed me to have more impact on girls than I could have ever dreamed and blessed me more than I could have ever imagined.
What have I been up to since 2016? I rode with the Pikes Peak Rangerettes until 2019 and gave private riding lessons until about 2019. I hope to train my own horses soon (but my husband says we have to get a house before horses- boring). I have been attending Cross Fellowship Church since 2019, creating my own gospel-centered community with the young adult group there. In 2022 I married my cowboy. He is the Christian cowboy that I have always dreamed of finding. We are excited to start a life together and share God's love as a team. This year I became an RN and am working at local emergency department!
Thank You
These organizations helped inspire Christian Cowgirl Camp, make sure to take a look!
Rainbow Bible Ranch is a camp in South Dakota that taught me life skills like work ethic and owning my faith! https://www.rainbowbibleranch.org/
The Pikes Peak Range Riders sponsor the Pikes Peak Rangerettes and also strive to share agriculture with our community. https://pprrfoundation.wildapricot.org/
I volunteered at Wings Like Eagles vaulting camp for a few years before starting Christian Cowgirl Camp and they showed me that running a small camp is possible! https://www.facebook.com/Wings-Like-Eagles-Camp-69845784714/
Dr. Anderson at Rocky Mountain Equine Clinic was my first boss, speaks at camp every year, and has been a fan of Christian Cowgirl Camp from the beginning! https://rockymountainequine.com/
Snow Creek Ranch hosts camp, boards horses, hosts monthly worship nights, and sells the best beef around! But I'm a lil' biased, it's the family business! https://beef.snowcreek-ranch.com/
"This was the highlight of my daughter's summer. She went to camp not knowing anyone and still loved each day. The counselors and staff are so welcoming and friendly that they make everyone feel that they belong. My daughter loved working with the horses but the part that she talked about the most each day were the memory verses. She was so proud that she could recite multiple verses each day. Thank you Bethany for a wonderful week!"