Mini Driving Classes at County Fair.
One guy comes in driving a Graber-type cart, no basket, with a kid (no more than 5yo) STANDING between his legs
Kid has the lines, but so does Dad, so kid isn’t truly doing the driving.
Is that at all a safe place for your kid to be?
I’d hoped the judge would call them out, maybe even dismiss for unsafe practice, but nope
Same mini, same cart, same Dad in 2nd Mini class. This time it’s an even younger little girl standing between Dad’s legs.
I understand in this type of cart the seat can’t hold two, but really?
This time mini rears in the lineup. More than once. Comes close to flipping
Header rushes in to hold the mini, but kid is kept in the cart.
To my mind, kid should have been taken out for safety, not left to become a possible projectile.
Bad Judge for not getting child removed! One seat, one person in the cart. Right up with folks holding children on laps while lawnmowing. A very dangerous practice, with injured children every year.
Seeing that would make me crazy. I learned to drive when my daughter was 10. I had her in the cart with me when we drove in the front pasture, with her sitting beside me wearing her riding helmet. The rule was she had to keep her back against the backrest and her feet braced. I never took her out on the road with Crackers because he occasionally bolted. But he was fine in the pasture as he seemed to see it as a big arena.
Fair judging is somehow never very good --our driving horse was placed second in a class, despite doing everything correctly and looking awesome. First place driver was allowing lines to drag on the ground under the rig, resting her hands on her knees. Her horse was a flashy looking Arab who really had a marked difference between trot and road gait —sigh, our Percheron did too, but not as flashy. Still, I think our Percheron should have received first (but then I always thought that!).
"Wow, that sounds incredibly concerning. Safety should always be the top priority, especially when it comes to kids participating in driving events. It’s really alarming to hear about the little ones standing between the driver’s legs and the mini rearing up in the lineup.
I agree, the safety measures seem to have been overlooked in these situations. Even if the cart’s design doesn’t allow for two seats, it’s crucial to ensure that any participation is done with the highest regard for safety. Kids should be securely positioned, and the potential risks need to be carefully managed to prevent any accidents or injuries.
It’s disappointing when the proper precautions aren’t enforced, especially in environments where the safety of children should be paramount. I hope that these concerns are addressed in future events to ensure that everyone involved is kept safe."
Highly unlikely this venue will address Safety anytime soon.
Or ever.
This is County Fair, the land of This is how we’ve always done it.
Only in the last 3yrs were Minis given separate classes from Ponies.
Meaning my 34" VSE drove - in a class of 12 - with a Halflinger every inch of 14’2h.
Safety was not the concern that initiated the change, more like Ooh! More Entry Fees!
