A question about young children and riding

[mystiandsunny]

Private pony taught by mum/dad...
How old do you start them?
What size of pony?
How long do they stay on the lead rein for?
When can they hack out on the lead rein?
When will you know if they are likely to stick with it?

 

[carthorse]

My Grand daughter had her 1st pony at 2. He was a welsh sec a. 11.2. Did lead rein and lunged walked on quiet road. Just got a 12.2 for her 7th birthday and she now competes off lead rein in jumping and dressage. Getting the right pony is important and keeping it fun.

 

[Littlelegs]

In my case:
How old- when able to support head, by 6 mnths doing 10mins walk regularly.
Size of pony- 10.2 aged shetland I was offered free use of.
Off lr properly at 4&1/2 /5. But mainly rode very well behaved ponies who would go off voice commands, so from an early age had been used to going it alone. But close to 5 when she was actually giving all the aids herself on a star of a fr.
Hacked out on lr from the start, yard had direct access to bridleway.
When did I know it would stick? She's only 7 now but beyond obsessed. Even when its miserable she never needs encouraging to muck out at 7am. And when the weather is vile in summer, she still wants to catch her pony just to pick its feet out. I should have guessed when she screamed blue murder after her first ever sit on, when I lifted her off. Or when she was 2 & 'my pony, my ride, my groom, my do that' was her constant conversation. She loves riding now, but kids do change. However no matter what, even if she gives up riding in her teens, it would take a crowbar to separate her from her pony, I'm positive no matter what, her current pony will always be her pet, long after its outgrown.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I was plonked on a pony as soon as I was able - if not before! My mother went pony trekking at 8months pregnant with me ... Oops!

As of the age of 4 I refused to ride on the lead rein and I had a toad of a shetland pony to ride! I used to do local showing with him in the veteran classes and he was good as gold, did it all himself - ust walk and trot at the time in the ring but I cantered him at home. When I was 5-6 I got my sisters stubborn welsh pony to ride and did everything with him from showing to gymkana to jumping and only ever rode him on the lead rein twice - once for a showing class because I was forced to and once in a LR XC competition. I used to show him in both First Ridden, Best Rider and Open Ridden classes not a bother.

It depends how confident the kid is. Whilst I was bombing about left right and centre my sister was much happier on the lead rein - it used to do my mums head in when I would go and do all the gymkana games myself on my git of a pony and my year older sister refused to do anything more than a showing class off the lead rein on the safest, most bombproof, pushbutton schoolmaster on the planet.

My sister quit horses as a teenager. She ocassionally comes and pats my ponies, she even took one of my shetlands in the show ring because she didn't have to run very far or very fast and he is the most saintly pony you could ask for!

Me? I work with horses, I hve rather a big collection of them and would't ever be without them in my life!

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

My parents purchased a small holding and we looked after a couple of local riding school ponies for the winter.
I taught myself to ride on one of them, she was about 13hh, welsh x, I learnt bareback and just used to ride around in our field, I was 9yrs old and fairly tall for my age, I happily rode around the field bareback (I had ridden donkeys prior to this, including racing in a donkey derby!)

Then the following winter we purchased our own horses, (they were bigger) . I was in truth a real natural rider with a good seat back then, not so sure about my riding now I am older, I am ok
I never went on the LR, but just got on with it, but I was 9 so not very little. I started hacking out alone age 11 on a few different horses, ranging from 14h-15.3hh, my poor mum used to be biting her nails as I rode off up the track to meet my friend over the mountain, not sure how she coped bless her, take my hat off to her, she is such a natural worrier too!

 

[jeeve]

Start them when they are interested, even a little sit on the pony 5 minutes once a week, might be enough.

If they are not interested don't make them, but, do encourage them if they are just nervous or frightened.

Don't teach them too obviously, just point out what they need to know, if too bossy and demanding it will not be fun, just make the focus fun, not being correct all the time.

Max half an hour for littlies, but obviously it depends on the child, for some 5 minutes might be enough, but others may want all the time they can get.

Hacking out on lead rein, when child is confident and secure in their seat. Can be little hacks to start with.

My kids all ride as teenagers, but not obsessed, they enjoy it, but they like having time with friends and other activities. I don't force them or push them, I don't care if they are not first, or that we don't follow the shows /events around. I do like that they have that time where it is just them and their horse.