I just can’t get over that they need a BNT for Leadline!! And then we all lament the ridiculous costs of showing…
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You’re getting push back on this thread for a reason. It’s a safety and liability issue.
It doesn’t matter how much he weighs, what he can do, or what others have done.
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When kids are little, it’s so exciting to have these possibilities to dress them up and have fun and get pictures. But there is a lot of sage advice here about not rushing things. Your son will be cute and tiny for years and better able to pose for those pictures when he is a few years older.
Great pictures don’t have to be taken during a horse show, either. You can do the whole thing at home and still have fun. It will cost less and there is less risk of pony mayhem.
At this age the event is for the fun of the parents, not the kid. He won’t remember it. That’s not a terrible thing, but when you consider the expense, I urge you to pace yourself. Your kid will be plenty expensive for years to come. 
You may wish you had that few thousand this might cost you down the road, when he’s riding for real.
And yes, very little kids have a much greater risk of injury from falling, not just heads and brains, but also necks. So be careful out there.
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Really?? Didn’t know that Traveler was finally buried. He probably isn’t suitable anyway. 
From what I’ve read, he could be hot. Spooked and pulled Lee into a tree stump and broke both his hands.
Fellow crazy horse mom here. I found the best jods in the little girls section of ralph lauren. They come in tan as well as white and are just leggings with knee patches, so that will be easy to do with the diapers. My daughter used them as her regular riding pants until she could fit into real breeches from Dover at around 4 or 5 years old. The extra small ariat show shirts are pretty tiny but probably not small enough for a 1 yr old. I ended up getting the smallest helmet that follows current safety standards and using a black velvet helmet cover over it for shows. Another option would be to get a tiny black polo helmet from one of the vendors in Wellington… However they are not up to safety standard and do not adjust in size. They do make tiny helmets for the kids, though.
Personally I just took my daughter to local schooling shows where the lead line was just horse moms having fun with ancient ponies and taking cute pics at first. I did not venture out into the large show lead line until she was 4 and could answer basic questions from the judges. She got a grand champion ribbon for knowing what a girth is, haha. Whatever you decide to do, I am sure it will be fun.
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well here you go - a local eventing CT
Lead line class the kid picks the color. 
Personally I would not risk a heavy headed toddlers neck doing anything remotely like this.
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I saw something similar once. The child who won the class really wanted a pink ribbon, so she swapped blue for pink and suddenly all of the kids were swapping their ribbons for a different colored one. None of them cared where they placed, they just wanted a ribbon in their favorite color. I wonder if the mother of the one who traded away her blue was having a fit about going home with a 5th place ribbon.
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Tbh most of the kids I have who’re interested in doing lead line can trot by themselves in a round pen with spurs or a very sensitive pony. And even if they can’t see or understand diagonals, they can switch them easily when told to. The thought of taking kids less skilled than them stresses me out lol they can all stay on at least if the pony spooks a little but a 1yo? Nono you couldn’t pay me enough to be responsible for that lol. I’ve seen plenty of sketchy 5 year olds on slow trotting comfy ponies. It’s your kid, do what you want, but that’d be tragic if something happened, and for what? A picture? Like why lol
and edit: I’m sorry if that came off as judgemental. Not my intention to be rude.
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Just For Ponies has a great leadline section. I would imagine you are going to have a difficult time finding much in proper show clothes that small though - I dressed a friend’s kid a few years ago as a very petite three year old, and we struggled to find some things small enough for her.
A child in diapers for lead line? That should end the discussion about whether they’re old enough right there!
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For an event their child is to young to remember or even be aware of what they are doing. I’m one of those who just don’t “get” the under 3 lead line class at all. If your kid likes pony rides, put a helmet on and take them for a pony ride. But don’t pretend an 18-month old has any awareness of what “showing” is, or wants to do it.
It’s purely for the parents’ ego, much like putting babies and toddlers in pageants. If that’s a hobby they enjoy and can afford, then they should go for it - provided their child can do it safely, which seems doubtful here. But it seems like an awful lot of expense and risk just to get a cute Instagram photo and a ribbon that essentially means nothing, since none of the kids that age can actually ride.
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I get the lead line classes. But, and this is a big but, the kids I saw were also doing walk trot on their own. Just showing a level below schooling which is normal. In the OP’s case, yes it is for her own ego. She doesn’t even own a proper helmet. My favorite lead line kid, dear lord she’s now an A/A begged for a purple trailer. She had one :D. Her pony was one inch too tall to be a mini and was such a pistol. I get it. I don’t get it with the OP. Said child I mentioned had shown in the Big Eq and is a lovely rider.
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You’re right. What I don’t get is lead classes for babies, many of whom can barely walk or even hold their heads upright unsupported for long. And I particularly do t get parents who justify it because their babies “want to” do it or “love doing it”. My babies loved eating rocks, drawing on my floors with lipstick and sharing the dog’s food - doesn’t mean I allowed or encouraged them to do it :lol:
I’ll edit my post to clarify.
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:lol::lol::lol: I am with you in the case of the OP. I got what you were saying and my post was more for general information.
I am a mom of 2: current ages 18 months and 3.5 years. Last year, I took my 2-year-old in the 3/under lead line at Devon. He was 2 months shy of turning 3. We prepared ahead of time by riding and showing locally. When that went smoothly, I wanted to give Devon a try. We did so on a very experienced pony.
I can understand why OP wants to enter her son. I can also say that, in my experience, my older son would not have been ready prior to last year when he was nearly 3 and that my younger son is not ready this year. Every child is different, YMMV. 13-months is especially young though.
I was given the advice that I should lead my son and I did. It was the best decision I ever made. It was a wonderful memory and photo opp for ME (because I do agree with the others, even though kids enjoy it, it’s really about the adults. The child wouldn’t know any different if he wasn’t taken to the show). I have a BNT as my regular trainer and she was prepared to lead him; but when I thought about what was best for my son, it was obvious that having a parent along with him was best (and that was at 2). Devon is a long class; most of it is spent standing in the line up. You can’t practice the length or the environment at another show, so it is an unknown and let’s face it, EVERY minute of life with a toddler is unknown. Parents know exactly what I’m talking about OP, even with a BNT handler, their is no way a 13-month-old will pin when he is showing against some kids that are 3 and some that are newly turned 4 after Dec 1. He is way too little. Success would be getting through the class turned out properly without a meltdown and having some great pictures to show for it. My son will be going again at 3 and that is still my definition of success even after having done this last year. OP, if you are set on taking your little guy so young, I would consider abandoning the idea of having someone else lead him unless that BNT is so close to him that it’s like a family member. It won’t make a difference regarding a ribbon. You should dress up and be the proud mom. You won’t regret it. However, I also caution you that I agree that at that tender age you need to be sure you have a dead safe pony and a side walker. There are side walkers in the 3/under. Not many, but I saw 1 last year. Dad or Grandma or a very close friend would make a good choice. I don’t really think (JMO) that a baby that young is safe back there all by himself. Devon is full of traffic with 50+ riders and you can’t monitor your kid the way you do in regular classes. I basically had to abandon watching my 2 year old for a good portion of the class and just had to trust that he was ok up there since navigating the pony through the crowd took concentration. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving a 13-month old up there without me on him like a hawk. This is where the environment comes into play. There are tons of distractions and he could easily lose focus and slip. I know you know the environment, but I am just giving my words of wisdom from having done this. Be prepared to leave the class early if he melts down. You won’t be the only one. Be prepared for your baby to throw a fit and refuse to go into the ring. You won’t be the only one. I Give some serious thought to a basket saddle, a side walker, and you taking him in yourself with either of those things. I would, honestly, be kind of surprised at any trainer being open to taking someone else’s kid in that little without those safety measures. The liability would seem way too high.
Regarding attire, Just for Ponies carries the smallest items. You won’t be able to find paddock boots smaller than a toddler size 8, which could be a problem for a baby that young (although my kid is 18 months and 22 lbs; if yours is 30 lbs at 10 months maybe he will fit in a size 8). Tuff rider makes size 2 jodphurs and the fake RL jodphur leggings would totally be fine. A regular boys blazer, white dress shirt, and tie are fine. Children’s Place makes an affordable blazer that would look just fine. Ovation makes a suitable looking helmet in as small as you will find. The Charles Owens don’t fit heads until they are a little bigger. My 2 year old fit into the CO but a 13 month old probably won’t. Again, every kid is different.
Devon lead line IS special. It is also not going away. If you want to make a go for it this year, do everything you can to prepare for success and even more importantly, SAFETY. Best of luck to you.
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The only thing I will say on this topic is that when I called the Middleburg Tack Exchange a year or two ago to ask if they had a basket saddle, they told me they had stopped selling those saddles due to liability issues.
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Wow, just wow.
Well, OP, you will call me many bad names. Maybe others will too. I don’t care, this is how I see you.
Stupid. [INDENT]“I want to take my 13 month-old-still-in-diapers BABY to participate in an experience in which many, MANY things could go south, possibly injure or kill the child, AND which the child will not care about, nor remember.”[/INDENT]
Selfish. [INDENT]“I want to do this stupid thing so I can later on, look at pictures of me and said toddler, so I can vaunt to all my friends, who didn’t put their child to this dangerous situation.”[/INDENT]
Stubborn. [INDENT]“On this thread, I have read sage advice from many, many people who are intelligent, experienced and knowledgeable, who advise me not to do this stupid, selfish thing, but I will do it anyway, because I don’t care what you think!”[/INDENT]
OP, I never have been, nor ever will be at Devon, and although I HAVE sat my then-diapered daughter on our trusted, (now sainted) Shetland pony, where he may have taken 3 or 4 quiet steps, I never, ever took my hands more than an inch or so away from her little body, so I could QUICKLY CATCH HER if needed. And THAT was in our nice, quiet backyard with her dad on the lead. She’s 40 now. I like to think that at least part of the reason she made it is because I didn’t put her in dangerous situations for stupid reasons.
I’m ready. Start the name calling now!
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You wont pin so you might as well get whatever helmet that fits, regardless of how fancy it is.
You seem pretty set on doing it but from experience both doing it with DD and helping others, it is like a horse version of Toddlers and Tiaras out there. The standing area is a zoo, its either 1000 degrees (have fun cramming hot leather gloves on a sweaty baby), or its raining. I think those are the only two temps there. It honestly is not an event I ever want to experience again. I mean she liked the lollipop. But I could have bought her one for $.10 versus $150 (plus trailering, clothes, prep, and copious amounts of cold beer after)
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