I have worn the baby (now 6mo) and had her in the stroller while lunging during warmer weather, but that’s about as far as I would go. I don’t know where you’re located, but it’s far too cold this time of year for a baby to sit outside for an hour or more. My mom comes over to watch her while I go ride. Can you possibly find somebody that would be willing to come watch baby at your house (say, during nap time) while you go ride? Less stress on baby, no worries about weather, and while you’re gone you can focus.
I found a home day care provider close to the barn and paid for a few hours of care on a drop off basis. This worked very well and as he grew, he enjoyed playing with another boy his age. When my daughter came along, it did not go so well. The provider suggested I find another situation. She did not fit into the group and never wanted to stay. I put her in a mother’s day out program several days a week and she loved that. I also found a regular day care that would take drop offs for a few hours. When she was very young, the wife of the barn worker was willing to watch her while I rode. This was the least expensive option as I did not have to pay for travel time.
It can be easier to find a tween than a teen (and cheaper). You probably don’t need a true baby sitter but more of a mothers helper since you will be there in case you are needed.
To be honest? I just didn’t ride much when little I tried. People offered to watch him while I rode but I felt bad. Factor in I didn’t have my own horse (but there were horses I could easily get rides on) I just didn’t make it a priority. When he got older and I was no longer BF I went out after work (I only worked half days) and paid for extra daycare. Hubby is also military and was deployed at this point so i really needed this break and it was worth paying for the extra child care.
Pregnant with my second now but haven’t been riding, we moved and I never found a place I liked. But I would set up some type of child care and honestly would prefer either I dropped the child off or they came to my house not just being watched at the barn-that still distracted me the few times I did it and I just didn’t enjoy my time much that way. My friend did the baby in the stroller but it was a pain if she was fussy and honestly I couldn’t have done it even if my kid would have tolerated it (strollers are meant for walking according to him not sitting). My friend brings her out sometimes now and had ridden while she watched a show on the iPad or something but my kid wouldn’t have done that either. He just doesn’t have the attention span.
This applies to anything with my kid, not just barn/horse related time, but if I want to enjoy something for MYSELF I have to do with while he is in preschool or being watched by someone else not in my presence. If not he would need me a million times, stress me out, have a huge meltdown, etc I have tried it a few times and it just never is any fun-and he really is a good kid most of the time (he is almost 3 now) he listens well, is independent etc but he’s got some type of radar for if I am trying to do something that is 100% for myself and I swear he has always had this extra sense from when he was an infant.
Contact your MFRC, they should have a list of babysitters for your area. You could also put an ad in on your local FB page, that is what a lot of people do in our area. Sometime if you offer to trade sitting duties it is easier to find someone. I knew a lady that did this, she and another mom would take turns. The 2nd mom would come to the barn and take both kids for a walk or playground while the first mom rode and then 1st mom looked after 2nd moms kid while she played tennis. It worked well for both of them, they did it one day a week.
I’m military as well and I know it is hard to find and set up new contacts all the time. Looks like we my be posted to one of our old bases this year so it will be nice to have all my old contacts and not start new.
MFRC= Military Family Resource Centre.
I’m with whbar158. I gave up on daily training/riding until kids were older and then turned the focus on them riding with me being support person on the ground --BUT I still kept my fox hunter going (she was easy) and hunted most Sundays when husband could watch the kids. I still remember my last horse I trained turning 3 and me deciding that it was time to go back to daily work to get him where I wanted. My youngest (ten years younger than sisters) would sneak away from sitter (or sisters) and hide behind trees to watch me ride. I felt just awful with her little face peeking out at me so clearly wanting to be part of my world that I stopped training that gelding for a year and took her for rides on one of the older horses --me leading on the ground and her riding with a huge smile. Eventually the gelding did get trained, and daughter became a passionate rider, hugely successful. Fact is, they are only little once and that gelding lost nothing by growing up another year with just intermittent work. But then I’m not a professional rider or trainer --just enjoyed working with my own horse. Might be a lot different if one is a professional.
[QUOTE=Foxglove;9013711]
I’m with whbar158. I gave up on daily training/riding until kids were older and then turned the focus on them riding with me being support person on the ground --BUT I still kept my fox hunter going (she was easy) and hunted most Sundays when husband could watch the kids. I still remember my last horse I trained turning 3 and me deciding that it was time to go back to daily work to get him where I wanted. My youngest (ten years younger than sisters) would sneak away from sitter (or sisters) and hide behind trees to watch me ride. I felt just awful with her little face peeking out at me so clearly wanting to be part of my world that I stopped training that gelding for a year and took her for rides on one of the older horses --me leading on the ground and her riding with a huge smile. Eventually the gelding did get trained, and daughter became a passionate rider, hugely successful. Fact is, they are only little once and that gelding lost nothing by growing up another year with just intermittent work. But then I’m not a professional rider or trainer --just enjoyed working with my own horse. Might be a lot different if one is a professional.[/QUOTE]
or if horse is older and a year [or a few] later might not come back as easily.
It’s a sad fact that most of us can’t have it all, at the same time.
Same as the poster above, I hunted a half a dozen weekends when hubby could watch her or I could get a sitter but that was about it. By her second summer at 15 months or so she started reliably taking 2-3 hour afternoon naps and my baby monitor reached the barn so I could get a quick schooling ride or two in and DH would watch her while I trailered out for a lesson once a week.
I wore her a LOT in an ergo baby for turnout and mucking stalls so I got horse face time but no riding for while. Now she puddles around the barn while I do chores but I would never let her do this at a public barn. I know where everything is and the horses are secured out of her reach when she is loose.
I’m due with baby #2 in 2 months and I pretty much expect that I won’t be riding but once in a blue moon until he’s over a year old and then likely only in the summer when there is still daylight after hubby gets home from work.
Meanwhile I have a lovely TB mare I bought as a four year old who is now seven and still a green bean and my main hunter is fat and getting older every year. Oh well.
Busier barns provide ample people to help in case of emergency. If there’s a tack room or lounge where you could put your kid in a pack-n-play with a monitor, I guess it’d be okay if there’s other people at the barn. I remember my (amazing) trainer in my younger years had three kids and a husband overseas in the military. My friend and I would usually stay at the barn for 5-6 hours after out Saturday morning lesson to help out and earn extra riding time. For the infant she had a sitter at the barn with him at all times (another student’s grandma), but the toddlers we (the students) took turns babysitting throughout the day. Trainer would obviously check in between her lessons/rides, but at least there were always lots of people at the busy training barn, in case she fell off and needed to go to the hospital, there would be someone to take care of her kids.
BUT you could also argue - at a busier barn, there is more opportunity for a kid to get hurt, what with all the hustle and bustle and horses in and out. She definitely always kept the infant in the lounge for naps and such, never kept a pack-n-play near the arena or in the aisles.
If your barn is smaller/quieter, to where you’re usually the only person there, or you just don’t trust the other people there much, it’d be best to leave the kid at home with a sitter, or drop off at an in-home sitter for your rides. There’s just too many things that can happen, and I’d say it’s extremely unsafe to ride with your kid in a stroller or something by the arena unattended by an unmounted person. I’ve boarded at barns where someone (even the BO) has done this, and I’ve seen waaaaay too many close calls.
