14year olds working at local stables

[lizirish]

Can anyone please clarify the position regarding a 14 year old girl working voluntarily at a local stables in return for a ride? The stables concerned is BHS registered and appears to have a good system set up which the youngsters enjoy. However I am informed that because they do not have work permits that the girls should not be working for more than 5 hours at a time.

 

[scotsmare]

You'd need to check with your local authority as they would be the ones who would issue the permits.

 

[ajn1610]

Presumably this is at the weekend? There are employment laws protecting under 16s but I don't know if that would apply here as she isn't getting paid. There must be thousands of people doing this so can't be that much of an issue. Phone the BHS and ask.

 

[giggles mum]

I could be wrong but I think work for rides is fine, it's only if they're paid that the regulations apply. Then yes, there's a system of work permits, max 5 hours a day, 2 hours on a Sunday and no more than 25 hours a week.

However I don't think I've ever been to a yard that followed those rules!

if they want to be legal then they tend to just pay in rides I think.

 

[JessPickle]

You do need permits, If they are not paying to be there! when I worked I had to have a work permit from the local council (under 16) I only worked for rides. It meant allowed to work 5 hrs saturday, but on sundays may only work 2 hours. ALSO no one under 13

 

[Flint12]

I used to work at a BHS registerd livery yard/riding school and i used to work from 8 in the morning....untill five in the evening..i did get an hour lunch break and an hour ride but i still used to work about 7 hours.

i always thought that we worked for too long

 

[dwi]

I did 8 in the morning until 6 in the evening every Saturday from the age of 11 until 16 with a half hour for lunch which entitled me to five pounds off the price of my lesson. Yes it is very hard work but your learn so much. I think that more people should do it as teenagers because it gets you confident with handling a huge range of horses and seeing loads of different situations. If the girls involved are happy and don't feel exploited then I would say its not fair to shop them to the council, whether its legal or not

 

[darksided]

I never got a ride from working at the stables when I was younger so I quit lol

is this any use?

 

[Daphnelia]

What does it matter if theyre enjoying it? One of the few places left it seems that still does work in return for rides. I owe all of my horsey experience up until 17 to working at riding schools

xxx

 

[Minnies_Mum]

I used to work 6:30a, until I felt like leaving, when I was 14. I did get paid in a lot of riding though. I never felt exploited, I loved it and it taught me so much. From what people are saying it seems it wasn't very legal, but it never did me any harm and nobody made me do it!

 

[soph21]

I used to work at stables for free from the age of 11! Just getting to ride at the weekends.
I used to be up there milking their gersey cows at 6 am before school and going straight up after school and not getting home till 6-7pm! Feeding their chickens and ducks aswell as the horses.
And in summer holidays I'd be up there all day everyday! I would ride after I had done all the work.

People are so over the top about everything these days, it never did me any harm, I learnt hell of alot from doing it!

 

[KatB]

Oh FFS I used to spend all weekends at the yard from the age of 8!!! And never got anything off my lessons. Learnt so much, does it matter if they ahve a permit if the kids are doing it VOLUNTARILY cos they want to?!!

 

[Cruiseonamiro]

I don't see being at the stables as work anyway!

 

[sugarnspice]

I was working at a stables a couple of months after my 12th birthday, at first I was there from about 9-5 Sat and Sunday but as I got better I started going 8/9-5/6 every day in the holidays. Usually I'd get a free ride every other day (if I was very lucky it was every day lol, I didn't really mind though, I just liked being there). That was BHS yard but I don't think work permits were really thought about!

 

[kazs]

i used to work at local riding school from 12 yo, voluntry and didnt get free rides, we learned so much, it kept us off the streets and we enjoyed it, i cant see as it matters if they are enjoying themselves, and learning.

 

[monica987]

I was up at yard from...8/9, working from about 8/9 until about 5'6. I did not think of it as work, but time to spend with the horses (which I could only do at the weekends!). I got a free ride and a lunch break in that time!

 

[JessPickle]

Our yard gets around it as the kids pay a bit of money to be there, not much and they get 2-3 rides a weekend. They also get training days in the holidays teaching them to plait etc and shows organised for just them

 

[Ditzy]

I sort of thing that health and safety etc is taking a lot of the fun out of helping out at the local riding school. I know it's important, but it never did us any harm! I'd be there all weekend from the age of about 10, helping out and doing all the jobs no one else really wanted to do like leading the kiddies beginners lessons (and sometimes the adults!) and forking back the muck heap. I'm the holidays my dad would drop me off on the way to work at about half 7 and I'd often be there until 9 at night if there was a chance of a ride in the evening (but only on the horrible nutty pony no one else would ride but I obviously loved!!) I learnt so much and was outside and keeping fit doing all those jobs and got a lot of opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise, like watching the top riders in the Sunday BSJA competitions. I almost wish I could get away with doing it now with out being mocked!

 

[laura_1983]

i dont think the hours matter for voluntary work, where i work we have lots of kids that are under 16 who come to help out, they dont do any heavy work just catching up ponies, grooming, tacking up etc the older ones take customers(mostly kids) out on lead reins out but always with a member of staff with them. Under 16's arent allowed to be in charge of horses, customers, the yard etc but they love coming down to potter about and gain experience around the horses!