Starting kids in a lifetime of horses.

[fordtraktor]

[QUOTE=pezk;8979191]
Ironwood Farm gives you good advice. Dont go into this expecting a lifetime involvement with horses, no matter how talented a rider the child seems to be. Find a great lesson barn that deals with young children. Watch some lessons, meet the instructors. Make sure it isnt just about riding. Horse care should be part of the lesson too.
But dont be surprised if the child finds another love. When my daughter was little she was raised around horses. She loved them as pets but was never fond of riding, even though she was a natural. At around 8 or 10 she wanted to take figure skating lessons. She never looked back. No matter how much you love horses, your granddaughter may or may not. Dont take it personally. We cant make our kids love what we love. We are all different.[/QUOTE]

Several good posts. My own boys are the same, one is passionate about science-y things and the other might have liked horses but he has an anaphylactic allergy to them so he isn’t even allowed near the barn…

I do think having the horses offers them a lot of unique opportunities especially since we live on a farm. They might not do horses but it is great for them to have chores and play outside and tromp through the woods…my house is totally stuffed with rock samples from everywhere.

My nieces have the horse gene. My dad is taking care of filling that niche and has done a great job. He bought them a VERY good, well behaved and trustworthy pony and gets them regular lessons from a wonderful, kind person. it is working but it took time for them to get comfortable. I think he went through 3 ponies, too, finding one that was “right” for the job.

I would avoid the kind of instructor who really pushes kids. I did fine with that because I wanted it so much, but it is easy, easy to scare kids off of horses especially if they don’t have a deep desire to ride. ask how often the students fall off. if it is more than rarely and happens in the beginner programs, probably either the horses are unsuitable or the program is likely to scare a kid on the timid side and I’d avoid that program. It should be “almost never” for beginners.

[My_Two_Cents]

Don’t push if she’s not interested. Let her set the pace and have fun. Keep her and pony safe but don’t sweat the small stuff. Start right out with her wearing a helmet so it’s never a question. If pony is not groomed to perfection let it go as long as the important spots are done enough to saddle, etc. We have 3 daughters that grew up with horses. One is a perfectionist, one is very relaxed with her horse keeping and one in between. They all were very active teenagers. Not that they ever totally left horses but became more active again as adults.

[NC001]

I am not a horse person but started my daughter with lessons at age 8 almost 9.

When she was 8 we went to a dude ranch for vacation. She cried all the way home missing “her” horse. I found a lesson barn close by and she started riding once a week. After a year she was 1-2 times and week, then 2 times and week and now we half lease. She does horse summer camps - some are good with hands on some are not but she has a lot of fun with them and learns.

Her barn is very casual, not a show barn, and the kids get a lot of hands on experience. She loves it and I can see her sticking with it a long time. I enjoy being at the barn too- which is good since we spent about 10+ hours there this past weekend. The other kids, parents and staff tend to be really great so that helps a bunch.

[exvet]

Yes, lots of good advice already. I had the opportunity to get my niece her first pony. She was bitten by the bug but due to family issues I had to sell her pony when I moved out of state, taking all of mine with me. Her mother/step father couldn’t or wouldn’t support her desire. She is now in her 30s and still hoping to get back into it some day (hoping she moves here and I"ll gladly facilitate it for her).

My two children were born into horses. They got their first pony (a saint) when my oldest was 3. Then we moved and I sold the pony because I only had room to take 4 with me. The kids were 7 & 4 at that time. Once we settled into our new place the deal was struck. The kids had to prove that they REALLY wanted to ride/a horse and pitch in to help. From the time each were 7 (so my daughter right off) they were enrolled in a summer camp that was a riding camp. It had tons of kids, taught all the disciplines and horsemanship. They loved it and were heartbroken when they aged out of it. During that time my daughter earned her first horse at 9 and my son was 10 when he earned his. My kids are in their early 20s. My daughter still has a horse and rides/shows. My son had turned to other interests but he rode and competed up through 17.

My parents, friends, other relatives always insisted that once I had kids I was going to force them into it. On the contrary, I made it clear that the horse habit/addiction was mine and I really had no need to share. They were told the same thing my father and grandfather told me. If you want it, you have to earn it and then continue to work to prove that you deserved it. It was kind of funny because I think the fact that it wasn’t an automatic guarantee that they were going to have one, it became something they were interested in and wanted to do on their own. Of course, I also think I just got lucky, very lucky. I had a blast riding with them as they grew up and developed into good riders and well rounded horse people. They learned responsibility, developed good balance and patience.

[clanter]

[B]Starting kids in a lifetime of horses.[/B]

did notice a comma missing and an extra article in the thread title… should have been

Starting kids, a lifetime in horses

Kids are gone, been gone for many years however their horses remain here as reminder of them doing their assigned tasks properly and with care.

Nevertheless I believe we would do the same thing all over again as our children had an interesting and varied childhood which they have used as springboard into life as real adults.

Our youngest, she was always with the horses. She was beside herself when she turned ten as then she could actually compete in a competitive trail ride (40 miles for her class)… on the rides she was on her own, just as she wanted --she wanted to prove to our other kids she could do it (her ride vest as all junior riders is a special color to identify from afar that the rider was a junior rider so everyone could/would actually be watching to make sure they were safe, so she really wasn’t completely on her own, but for the realness she was.)

I am pretty sure by today’s standards if extended into horse world most if not all of us parents would have been locked up. Oldest daughter at age nine was spending the summers in Kentucky to show horses, oldest son was traveling the US working with driving teams (the last one he worked with actually qualified for the 2004 Olympics), or race horses as an exercise rider(had track cards for a few tracks including Churchill Downs) and is favorite was teaching horsemanship to boys scouts , by his records he taught nearly six thousand scouts… he had an early start as the camp he was at as a 14 year old the instructor was injured and quit the assistant instructor was worthless as Mark knew more about horses than the staff so he taught the class, unofficially as instructors had to be at least 16. He was so good they unofficially extended him an offer to come back as a 15 year old to “assist” even though he actually taught the class.

[Willy_Von_Whompers]

Books - fun horsey ones will help to fuel the passion. Old CW Andersons, Walter Farley, lots of pony and girl stories (Pullein Thompson type) fun adventure stuff with horses. and pretty pictures.

Then FWIW just fun basic lessons with a view to doing a bit of everything. It all gets you the ability to stick on. Don’t push shows and don’t push a particular discipline. Just have fun with the pony and see if the magic is there.

[Willy_Von_Whompers]

Books - fun horsey ones will help to fuel the passion. Old CW Andersons, Walter Farley, lots of pony and girl stories (Pullein Thompson type) fun adventure stuff with horses. and pretty pictures.

Then FWIW just fun basic lessons with a view to doing a bit of everything. It all gets you the ability to stick on. Don’t push shows and don’t push a particular discipline. Just have fun with the pony and see if the magic is there.

[clanter]

as a very side note 4-H has a model horse division (the Breyer type) … it was something that was added in the early the 1990s when there was an effort to extend 4-H programs into the urban/city community

The model division is an off take of the real horse division, its intent was to provide a pathway of interest in horses for those who could not actually have a real horse.

http://ca4hfoundation.org/connect/events/model-horse-show

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Great advice here already. I’ll echo the “lifetime of horses” as much as I would have loved my kids to be into a lifetime of horses, what I actually got was: My daughter, some of her life with horses, most not. My son, never into horses. So as much as you might hope and dream, in the end offer the opportunity and hope for the best.

[betsyk]

The only thing I have to add is to let her drive the type of interaction and activity (to the extent that you can) – meaning, if she’s a social child, find opportunities for her to do horses with other kids. If she’s a detail oriented perfectionist, she might love dressage, if she’s a thrill seeker, she might want to barrel race – but don’t kill the interest with repeated attempts to direct her in a certain way. My friend did this with her kids (killed the fun) by trying to get her very social girls into a solitary style of horse life - horses at home, no showing, no group lessons, too much groundwork and not enough time in the saddle. Now one is into music and the other is into drama and mom is into horses.

[clanter]

if she’s a detail oriented perfectionist, she might love dressage, if she’s a thrill seeker, she might want to barrel race – but don’t kill the interest with repeated attempts to direct her in a certain way.

and that’s why we got versatile horses, we just had to buy more tack whereas our friends were buying new horses as their kids change disciplines

[The_Centaurian]

I think you’re at the stage where you are still looking for the right horse/pony. I kissed a few frogs looking for one for my son. One was OK on the ground, but spooky under saddle. One was OK under saddle, but nasty on the ground. I called about quite a few that sounded nice, but weren’t quite right for a first pony.

My son was still interested, so I let him come to the barn to muck stalls, fill water buckets, and clean tack until we found a safe horse/pony. He would still scoop poop all day if I let him!

I put word out with trusted friends and trainers, and after a few months I wound up finding a safe horse AND the world’s most perfect pony, who came to live with us on lease because she’s too perfect to ever sell!

I guess what I’m saying is that there are ways to get involved in horses without riding, and that patience is a virtue in finding a safe equine for your little one.

The horses do teach kids confidence, self-control, balance, dexterity, empathy, etc. and gets them outdoors. It’s such a wonderful, relaxing activity to enjoy together-- have fun!!!

[RoughOut]

Now I am not a parent. But I was a horse crazy kid whose parents were more familiar with hockey than horses.

Horse summer camp that’s what sealed the deal for me. And then weekly riding lessons after that and then 4-h and local shows.

As a kid I had no idea what clothing brands were in style. I joke about our white string girths, hand me down rubber boots, and braids that looked like a mohawk. But I also learned to hop on any horse, have soft hands, and an empathy for horses (nothing was ever the horses’ fault)

We rode English pleasure, western, we did games and “jumped” and “dressage”. Were horses ever on the bit, were the leg yields ever correct, did I know what a distance was? Nope. But we loved horses for what they were. And we’d spend all day at the barn on Saturdays and six days a week in the summer.

I still keep in touch with the kids from the Tuesday at 4 o’clock lesson group. One was just top ten at AQHA world show, one just earned 65% at fourth level, one is packing up her students for WEF, and another teaches therapeutic riding.

The polish can be applied later in life but the passion and safe habits are the foundation.

[PintoPony]

Another vote for model horses.
Great way to learn about horses, they’re fun, can be acquired without spending a fortune and if horses don’t turn out to be her thing they’re no problem to take care of or rehome.

I know kids who started with model horses, tried real horses to find it wasn’t their thing but the craft aspect of model horses was their thing. So they were able to have “horsey” fun with real horse kids because they understood so much about horses from working with models.

[AKB]

Find a local pony club that does a good job with young kids. My older daughter did vaulting, then eventing and show jumping through pony club. Younger daughter did dressage and polocrosse through pony club. Be prepared that some kids like one horse sport and not another.

[ozjb]

I have the pony and the grandchildren. I have the farm where the horses live as my youngest daughter is still at home, riding and competing. And even when she heads off to university, her horses and the retired ones aren’t going anywhere!

The grandkids LOVE to come out and ride the pony, feed the horses etc. It is their parents (the ones who rode) who aren’t all that interested in fitting it into their schedules. Of course, they will be the first ones to cry foul if I send the pony to another family to teach some other kids to ride!

I am quite happy to take pony and child to Pony Club, to have my older daughter’s dressage coach give a few basic lessons (right now my grandkids are still on the leading rein) as the pony needs some work. But, I have learned that the parents of said child also have to want it.

Personally, I think my older daughter’s are crazy . . . super duper pony for free, no cost involved, just a bit of their time. But, not to worry, I am sure I can find some other family who would love an opportunity like this! Just have to find the right one!!

[ozjb]

I have the pony and the grandchildren. I have the farm where the horses live as my youngest daughter is still at home, riding and competing. And even when she heads off to university, her horses and the retired ones aren’t going anywhere!

The grandkids LOVE to come out and ride the pony, feed the horses etc. It is their parents (the ones who rode) who aren’t all that interested in fitting it into their schedules. Of course, they will be the first ones to cry foul if I send the pony to another family to teach some other kids to ride!

I am quite happy to take pony and child to Pony Club, to have my older daughter’s dressage coach give a few basic lessons (right now my grandkids are still on the leading rein) as the pony needs some work. But, I have learned that the parents of said child also have to want it.

Personally, I think my older daughters are crazy . . . super duper pony for free, no cost involved, just a bit of their time. But, not to worry, I am sure I can find some other family who would love an opportunity like this! Just have to find the right one!!

[Ready_To_Riot]

IF, how old is IF Jr.?

-signed, fun loving horse girl who works and spends too much time with her animals to meet people and is really only looking for someone with good insurance

To the OP, maybe take her to an equine rescue? Let her groom and love on the ponies and learn some horse keeping skills from you before acquiring lessons. I didn’t get lessons until well after I had my first horse. My aunt was basically you in this situation. Took me under her wing and put me on poniies. All of them. All the time! I started riding at the age of 2. My aunt bought me/saved from a terrible death a half dead pony when I was 7. Goldie was amazing but she had at least 3 feet in the grave at the time of purchase) and then my parents finally caved when I was 11 and bought my first horse (complete opposite of half dead Goldie. “Tuff stuff” barely had a foot out of the womb and at 3.5 yrs old she was quite an interesting first horse. Aunt had no input on purchase. Horse was bought because horse was pretty)

Since you are unable to offer what I (and many!) had as children and lesson programs definitely don’t offer such a thing, I think volunteering with an equine rescue will kill two birds with one stone. Give her horse time and help the horses in need and a 3rd bird would be teaching her compassion for animals who have been abandoned and mistreated!

[Caol_Ila]

I’m not a parent but I was the horse crazy kid with non-horsey parents. It started with once-per-week riding lessons when I was about 6 or 7, which I only stuck with for a year or a bit less as the instructor was called Dick, and he was one. He was one of those shouty, pushy instructors and as a sensitive kid, I didn’t like that. I quit the riding lessons but I remained a voracious reader of horse books and had a growing herd of Breyer horses.

(it probably started earlier than the riding lessons. It may have started when I was 2, and my parents had the brilliant idea of taking a 2-year old on a two-week vacation to Iceland, and soon discovered that the only thing that kept me quiet during that trip were toy Icelandic horses)

A couple years later (I guess I was 10-ish), my best friend was taking riding lessons, and I wanted to go back to it. Parents were happy and supportive, and we found a barn near the house. That instructor was also grumpy, pushy, and shouty (I have a knack for finding them) but being a bit older, I stubbornly stuck with those lessons because I wanted it badly enough. My mother used to say that if I stuck with horses, she hoped I would not become one of these prickly, difficult horsewomen.

At 12/13, I was still taking group lessons with Grumpy Instructor, and then had started private lessons with Grumpier Instructor – so I was getting 2 per week, with two trainers who were crabbit and prickly and made it difficult to want to go, but I did anyway. Meanwhile, myself and a friend used to pretend our Breyer horses were alive and we took care of them as if they were real horses – up to and including putting one in a mini-Anderson sling because it had a broken leg (we’d seen it on tele). Sadly superglue and the sling did not fix it.

Around this time, parents were toying with the idea of buying a real horse. I’d shown them it wasn’t a phase, and they saw the benefits in terms of teaching responsibility, etc. etc. We found a QH mare, who I kept for four years, then when I was 17 and more into dressage, we bought the Shire-TB mare I have to this day (I’m 33). Since the parents weren’t horsey, the barn was always the place to escape to, which was win-win for all of us. They knew where I was and what I was doing, and I had that space from parents that teenagers crave.

Lots of kids I was riding with in middle school and high school lost interest. Kids might enjoy dabbling in it to one degree or another, and you can provide them with the opportunities to be around horses, but you can’t control whether or not they will be truly bitten by the horse bug.

[clanter]

including putting one in a mini-Anderson sling because it had a broken leg (we’d seen it on tele)

reminds me of when we couldn’t find our six year old daughter, looked everywhere then noticed one of the horses missing in the pasture (ok give me a break they were after-all all bays)… but went to the barn to find dear daughter and missing horse… daughter had put a bitting rig on the horse (well very large pony at less than 1 inch under 14.2)… daughter had seen one used in movie we never had one so she built her own out of a surcingle and some adjustable take up straps … her rendition was accurate and of course the horse was a jewel, she looked at with an eye to say OK can you remove this.

As for getting the grand kids interested, if you are able to get it known to their school mates that the grand kids have access to horses there will be one or two of their school friends that will drive them nuts to come over to be with the ponies