Live Stream of Wellington Young Rider Clinic January 4-7

[Arlomine]

Why do you think I feel strongly about this? I’m not simply grumpy about olden times having gone by the wayside. I have taught children riding for over 40 years. I have watched kids come and go from the sport. I have watched horses Literally save kid’s lives because they offered connection, a grounding influence, a refuge from pressure. It’s Not just another sport.

Connection to another living creature that is private, a relationship specific to only them, a relationship that has inherent consequences and small victories. I have seen that these are the things that can save kids when they were in desperate need. I believe that parents who have their kids in the full-service type programs are doing a great disservice to their children. and frankly horses are expensive and they are not getting your moneys worth. The kids are not experiencing what horses have to offer. And that’s a shame, because most of them really want that.

Grooming and tacking your own horse is not “immersion”. Like checking your own harness and ropes before you go up a rock face, or putting on your own wetsuit and checking all of your own safety systems before you dive in an ocean: It’s actually just part of the whole process. Unfortunately, having grooms makes it seem somehow excessive that a rider does these things.

Horses have so much to offer the brain of a developing human.

It is not just the time you spend ON the horse. It is the time you spend engaging with the animal: troubleshooting your tack, struggling to get the reins on and off of a new bit, quietly standing next to them, listening to them munch grass. Watching to see which parts of the grass and weeds they actually like. Becoming fascinated with how their nose finds these things. Figuring out how to approach them in the field so they don’t want to run away from you.

It’s impossible to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. These are the experiences that cause horses to save people’s lives. Not the zoom-in get on the Horse, zoom-out type of scenario. There’s no denying this. The kid is not getting even half of the emotional benefits of horse ownership if they don’t participate in this sort of relationship-building, quiet time.

Horses are not a piece of sports equipment.

[Ghazzu]

@Arlomine

If the kid is late for the lesson, they get talked to and the parents get a text explaining why it’s so important to get there at least half an hour early (not fair to the horse, not fair to the other participants in the lesson, not fair to the horse). If it happens again they don’t get to ride.

One trainer I worked with started the “lesson clock” at the appointed time. If kid (or adult, for that matter) wasn’t in the ring, well, part of their lesson time was grooming and tacking up.
If it was a kid, paternt and child were both spoken to about the importance of being there in time to be ready.

[Arlomine]

Yes. I start my lessons on time. I explain to the kid that if they want to spend part of their lesson time grooming and tacking the horse, that was their prerogative. However, if it happened frequently enough, and they were interrupting the class and couldn’t warm their horse up with the others in order to start jumping, it just wasn’t going to work.

I include the parents in that first discussion, so they understand what’s going on. They usually totally get that I can’t hold up the whole class for their kid. And they will understand about the warm-up for the horse so it is safe for their child to jump. It’s really not Hard to present this information.

Figuring out time management is just one more thing that Horses can teach kids. If the kid wants to ride longer, get there early and get their job done.

[Trekkie]

@Arlomine

Grooming and tacking your own horse is not “immersion”. Like checking your own harness and ropes before you go up a rock face, or putting on your own wetsuit and checking all of your own safety systems before you dive in an ocean: It’s actually just part of the whole process. Unfortunately, having grooms makes it seem somehow excessive that a rider does these things.

Horses have so much to offer the brain of a developing human.

It is not just the time you spend ON the horse. It is the time you spend engaging with the animal: troubleshooting your tack, struggling to get the reins on and off of a new bit, quietly standing next to them, listening to them munch grass. Watching to see which parts of the grass and weeds they actually like. Becoming fascinated with how their nose finds these things. Figuring out how to approach them in the field so they don’t want to run away from you.

It’s impossible to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it. These are the experiences that cause horses to save people’s lives. Not the zoom-in get on the Horse, zoom-out type of scenario. There’s no denying this. The kid is not getting even half of the emotional benefits of horse ownership if they don’t participate in this sort of relationship-building, quiet time.

Horses are not a piece of sports equipment.

I cannot love this any more. Thank you.

[kirbydog]

Trainer here
I respectfully disagree.
We also have schedules to keep, and people who pay us a lot of money to keep them. Why should everyone in my schedule have to be delayed because the kids parents can’t keep up the schedule they set? In the real world, if I am late for appointments, they either get cut way short or rescheduled.
I find it so annoying that people expect equestrian professionals of all sorts to compromise for them, in ways they don’t expect of people in the outside world

[MHM]

Obviously people who don’t like the full service barn business model don’t need to offer it, or use it.

Those who do like it can offer it and use it, since it’s still a relatively free country for the moment.

I will say that I think any kid who is trying to ride multiple (say 2-4) horses after school would be hard pressed get that done without some help to get them ready and put them away.

[Rumorhasit93]

I will step in here and mention I worked at a barn as this poster is describing. In 2012. The farm still exists in the same location, new ownership though.

The trainer rode for the US teams on several occasions. Every single student tacked/untacked their own horse(s) for their lessons. Grooming was provided for trainer rides.

We had CEOs, lawyers, and kids going to top private schools. Many of our clients lived 40ish minutes away. Those people managed to make it work.

The barn was always filled with client horses.

No draw reins, or earplugs, and tardiness was absolutely unacceptable. Tack was to be sparkling. No exceptions. You had to be dressed to ride before getting your horse out.

[wanderlust]

I’m sorry, I"m not sure what you are disagreeing with? I never said you shouldn’t keep your schedule, I said that full grooming is a way for parents and kids to help barns keep to them.

[Arlomine]

Getting to the barn on time, managing time better, and not overcommitting is how you get your kid to the barn in time to learn to be a real Horseperson, and to be on time for appointments.

[kirbydog]

I don’t believe that @Arlomine sounded judgey. I don’t agree that we need we need to work our lives around other peoples schedules. If mom, dad or little Suzy can’t make a full commitment to my program, and be on time for the lesson, groomed, tacked, and ready, my program is not the one for you. If you can’t care for your horse after the lesson, probably not for you. A horse is not hockey equipment you throw back into a bag until the next time you use it.

Full disclosure, we do have an excellent full service program. It is mostly used by working adults, whom I give a little pass to. But horse care is part of our program, and if you don’t want your child to learn this, we aren’t the program for you. Especially if you are riding one of our school horses.

The ONLY one in my program who gets a pass on grooming is my pro rider. The staff grooms and tacks for him. He has7-8 horses to ride in a day, though. Also, he and I both pay careful attention to the state of the horse; is it clean, is the tack on properly, how does it seem in general, etc

To MHM’s point, we’ve had kids with multiple horses use full service to stay on track, but they are still responsible for getting there on time, and paying attention to what’s going on with the horse. No hit and runs

At horse shows, it is all full service, but that is not so that you can go goof off while we get your horse ready If I tell you to be at the schooling ring ready to ride at 1:00, you had better be there. If I tell you to be at the ingate for a course walk at a specific time, be there. Everyone needs to be held accountable, including myself

[Scribbler]

Kids get to school on time. Because there are consequences.

If the horse lesson in your program is expected to be two hours attendance with one hour of riding sandwiched between 1/2 of yacking and unpacking then you tell them that and expect it

People who are stressed out and overcommitted will absolutely try to save time by being late or even no.show to things for which there are no immediate repercussions. That’s why doctors have cancellation policies andessin programs ask for pay in advance.

[wanderlust]

@kirbydog

I don’t agree that we need we need to work our lives around other peoples schedules. If mom, dad or little Suzy can’t make a full commitment to my program, and be on time for the lesson, groomed, tacked, and ready, my program is not the one for you.

Again, where did I say anyone needed to work your lives around other people’s schedules? Please stop putting words in my mouth. All I said was that full grooming is helpful for keeping some programs on time and help busy parents/students.

You don’t like it, you don’t offer it (except for kids with multiple horses and working ammies) and that’s great for you and your clients that it works for. Others offer it, people who find it helpful can go to their programs instead. I just wish we could stop assassinating the characters of people who use it, because it isn’t the 7th circle of hell to have an attentive groom tack up a horse (and IMO preferable to most lesson kids/ammies tacking), even if it doesn’t fall within the COTH brigade’s holier-than-thou horsemanship requisites.

[Hoofbeat_Heartbeat]

I have been a horsewoman for 25 years, have worked for trainers as a groom, and have always done my own grooming. I am very attentive to my horses needs and involved in his care.

I am moving to a program with optional full service grooming, and I will be partaking in this eventually, because I have a baby at home, and it takes an hour to get to the barn, and this is how I can make, “horse-riding-mom-with-baby-at-home”, work for my family. And I don’t feel bad, or feel like less of a horsewoman for it.

[luvmyhackney]

As a kid I had my horse tacked up for me on my weekday lessons during the winter. We didn’t have lights for a few months. I got out of school at 3:30 PM with a 35 minute drive. Lesson started promptly at 4 as it got dark at 5. If trainer wanted my parents money, they dealt with the situation. I would have loved to tack up and all things during my week day lesson. I tacked up for all my other lessons that weren’t on school days.

My trainer had Saturday school for kids like me. We were dropped off at 7AM, cleaned stalls, fed, turned out, tacked up, rode, cleaned tack or whatever chores needed to be done. Then we all went out to lunch together as a barn group.

Sometimes schedules just can’t work to have two hours at the barn for a lesson. Doesn’t mean anyone is less committed.

[TWilson]

@kirbydog

If mom, dad or little Suzy can’t make a full commitment to my program, and be on time for the lesson, groomed, tacked, and ready, my program is not the one for you. If you can’t care for your horse after the lesson, probably not for you. A horse is not hockey equipment you throw back into a bag until the next time you use it.

Full disclosure, we do have an excellent full service program. It is mostly used by working adults, whom I give a little pass to. But horse care is part of our program, and if you don’t want your child to learn this, we aren’t the program for you. Especially if you are riding one of our school horses.

The ONLY one in my program who gets a pass on grooming is my pro rider. The staff grooms and tacks for him. He has7-8 horses to ride in a day, though. Also, he and I both pay careful attention to the state of the horse; is it clean, is the tack on properly, how does it seem in general, etc

To MHM’s point, we’ve had kids with multiple horses use full service to stay on track, but they are still responsible for getting there on time, and paying attention to what’s going on with the horse. No hit and runs

There is a lot of contradiction in this post (bolding mine): you absolutely do not allow kids to ride at your barn if they do not do all before and after lesson care themselves, but busy adults get a pass, but kids must do all their own care, unless they have multiple horses, then they can use the full care option. Do you decide on a case by case basis who is deserving of the full care option, and if their reasons aren’t acceptable to you, full care is not available to them? If the parents of a kid with one horse wanted the full care option, would you tell them they don’t qualify for that option and they need to find another barn?

I think it’s great for barns to offer both options (full care vs DIY) if they can, but I also get why some barns are full care only and others don’t offer it at all. People have different needs and it’s nice that they don’t have to completely forego riding because there aren’t any barns that accommodate their needs.

[Arlomine]

There is a vast, vast difference between you partaking of this offering, and allowing children to ride without learning basic horsemanship skills. No comparison.

[TWilson]

@Arlomine

allowing children to ride without learning basic horsemanship skills

Why do people care so much about what other people’s children do or do not learn? As long as someone is caring for the horses, why does it matter if it’s not the person who rides them? Do you also feel that people shouldn’t own dogs if they aren’t willing to do all the grooming themselves?

[Arlomine]

You are seriously comparing handling, grooming, tacking and riding a 1000 pound plus flight animal to grooming your dog?
Try again.

[TWilson]

@Arlomine

You are seriously comparing handling, grooming, tacking and riding a 1000 pound plus flight animal to grooming your dog?
Try again.

Yes - why not? If it’s acceptable to pay someone to groom the family dog, why is it not acceptable to pay someone to groom the family horse?

[tbchick84]

I’ve found both group 1 & 2 videos. I watched pretty much all of group 2 and am about 30 minutes into group 1. I’m at a complete loss as to what is so controversial here. I’m hearing a lot of good instruction. I have yet to hear her say anything that would make me bat any eyelash. I heard her tell one rider over the bounce grid to give her horse a well. It was very clear, she was saying to use resistance in the rider’s upper body & hands to produce the figurative wall. Is that what everyone is flipping out about?

Are we really in such a touchy/feel world where suggesting proper education on safe stirrup adjustment is an insult? l heard her tell one rider after the skinny to not take 5 brainless strides before deciding to stop. Is she not allowed to ask a rider to think and/or follow instruction?

Over and over again, I heard her promote fair training while using correction when necessary. She clearly pointed out that riding is a dangerous sport and even mores when you cannot control the horse. She addressed the parents directly with the above comment and said that was why she was being tough on them.

I’m really at a loss at what is wrong here.