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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

Meet our Team

Camp does not happen without this beautiful team of hardworking women!

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Creator & Founder

Bethany Kopriva

     My first horse was a "fixer-upper." He pulled, bucked, wouldn't load into a trailer, and so on. 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, God led me to create Christian Cowgirl Camp in 2016. It is the perfect way to combine my Christian faith with the life lessons of horses. 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.

     Since 2016, life has taken me on many adventures! Right now, I am a wife, expecting mother, ER nurse, and a girl just trying to figure out how to balance life.

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Founding Committee Member

Renee Seay

I was raised in Colorado with a love of the outdoors,  horses, and Jesus! As a teacher, mother of five, and grandmother of seven, sharing these loves came naturally. Helping my daughter Bethany create a camp  to share her own love of horses, while encouraging girls to grow in godly character has been one of my greatest joys.  God has provided training, support, guidance,  and people along the way to make Christian Cowgirl Camp the highlight of hundreds of girls’ summers! 

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Committee Member

Rachel Leaf

Rachel is mostly a suburban city girl with a dash of cowgirl values. A firm believer in grit, sacrifice, and compassion she enjoys being a part of CCC to help pass on the values of Christian cowgirls to a younger generation seeking out guideposts for living in an evermore confusing world. Her education is in developmental and rhetorical communication and her priority is being a mom to three little girls. With experience in trauma-informed practices, communication standards, and curriculum development, she enjoys working mostly behind the scenes to help camp run smoothly and reach its full potential to impact young women for the better!

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Committe Member & Director

Juliana Johsnon

I am originally from Colorado Springs and grew up in the Christian homeschool community! I grew up with
Bethany Kopriva and had the honor of partnering with her in 2016 when the camp was founded. Since then, we
have worked every year to improve the curriculum and experience of each camper! Working at Christian Cowgirl
Camp is one of the highlights of my summers. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with my husband and work as a 3rd-
grade teacher. I have a passion for educating children, and I love spending my summers helping young girls
learn more about Jesus and horsemanship!

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Committee Member

Heather Ward

I have been passionate about horses since I was seven years old, which led me to start my own business teaching riding lessons. Working with horses and helping others develop their skills and confidence has been a significant part of my life. In 2023, I joined Christian Cowgirl Camp as a volunteer, where I was able to combine my love for horses with my faith. It was a blessing to be invited to join the camp's committee in after camp in 2023. I am truly excited to continue this journey and look forward to seeing how God works through this camp to positively impact the lives of the campers.

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Committee Member

Sydney Villers

I am a lifelong horse lover, but could never quite convince my parents to get one. I grew up riding my grandparents' and cousins' horses instead. As a young teenager, I was able to take some lessons from a generous friend at church. After high school, I got to meet all sorts of horses while on horse staff at a summer camp; working at this camp gave me a taste for outdoor education. I finished an engineering degree at CSU and then worked at a boarding school teaching biology and coaching climbing and outdoor ed and then worked at an outdoor ed program in West Virginia. I went to church with Bethany for a bit, and when she needed volunteers for Camp I jumped at the chance to work with horses after a few years away. Now I am on the Camp board and am teaching at the equine enrichment program at Snow Creek Ranch. God is so faithful and I can't wait to see what he does at Camp this summer!

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Committee Member

Elizabeth Guagenti

Hi, I’m Elizabeth and I have been riding since I was 5 years old. I grew up riding and showing and also attended private schools until high school that allowed me to grow my faith while still competing. I love the horse industry because it has so much to me, and my goal is to give back. I love that the Christian Cowgirl Camp allows me to do this. Within the camp I have been a riding instructor, getting to work directly with the kids and the horses; and a speaker, getting to speak about reining and other horse topics. I am grateful to help out and look forward to this upcoming year!

Thank You

These organizations helped inspire Christian Cowgirl Camp, make sure to take a look! 

"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!"

- 2022 Parent

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