Afternoon all, dad to twins..

[tim_]

..who're just starting riding aged 5 (girls). They've had some lessons at Beoley Equestrian centre and seem to enjoy it so are about to also join the The Pony Club. I've joined to see if there's some good information on how to help them enjoy themselves.

A few questions:

Is it worth me buying myself any equipment (hat for example) so I can help out?
Do young children complete much or is it generally the older (10+) that do this while the others stick to fun?

Cheers!

Tim

 

[Maresrock]

No you shouldn't really need any equipment, solid boots/shoes, even ponies hurt if they stand on your toes, if you want to be involved, I suggest making yourself available to lead, won't take you long to get the hang of it, general fitness a bonus gloves come in handy then, as for competing depends how competitive you are, your funds and if you have ponies available & of course your twins ability, many centres do 30cm & up show jumping for on & off lead rein, lead rein showing classes & fancy dress, but I think the pony club will keep you & your twins busy in the summer months our local PC does a lot for the mini's, in rally's, mini camp and fun days. What a great dad you are, mine dropped me off at the end of lane and complained if as much as blade of hay got in his car on the way home :-/

 

[tim_]

Thanks Maresrock, 8 years in the Army and shooting as a hobby eliminate a fear of dirt/straw/hay although the need for a saloon rather than a 4x4 is annoying..

They're learning off lead already but I can see that help with positioning and momentum would certainly be speeded up when on a lead.

 

[buddylove]

Hi
Mum to 5 year old twin girls here as well!! They have lessons and a Shetland at home they potter about on. They also have a section a pony that is off to be broken next week, hoping to do lead rein showing next year with him (good enough for County level).
I am just trying really hard not to pressure my girls. They love their lessons and are now trotting confidently off lead, pc would probably be a bit much for them at the moment?

 

[tim_]

Morning BuddyLove, hope they've enjoyed their first year at school, this 6 weeks off is looking very long..!

Do they argue much about who's turn it is to ride your Shetland? I can see that being interesting once it's run out of steam!

They're only joining the club so far, there's no intention to put them forward to any full days with others. They've not got the skill and I doubt would enjoy it. Something I think is lacking on the PC website is a suggestion for younger children starting out on what a good progression path is. I've looked over the badges and from a none riding point of view, care and tack seems to be the logical steps.

 

[OldNag]

Lucky them

Mine started at 7 and 5 and loved it from the off.

It depends on the branch I suppose, but at our local pony club the younger kids (Minis) do lots! It's good fun for them as they form quite a tribe of friends and they also learn lots. Presumably they're joining a PC branch that is based at the riding school? (centre based membership I think they call it?).

Enjoy, it's great that you share an interest.

Edit to say, our PC runs all sorts of things in the holidays and they generally work through a series of badges over the ocurse of a year. When they join PC you'll get a list of activities being held by your branch.

 

[tim_]

Yep, they're centre based. Forms are off, waiting for them to come back. They're having lessons on a Saturday at the mo, hopefully my wife will get more confident with driving and be able to take them there in the week sometimes. There is quite a big program for the hols this year, if they're still riding next they'll come down for a few days.