any one with horses at home and young children - is it manageable ?

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JLD

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Hello. Having lost my horse who had always been on livery last year, I have recently been offered several ponies who are have been in need of homes as I have 2 acres at home. I have 3 young children (all < 4 youngest is 15 months) and I have turned them down as I didnt feel I could manage any extra to do as we already have animals to care for and work pretty much full time hours as well and I was worried about managing the children while doing the pony - fine in summer but difficult in winter as cant leave them unsupervised in house and difficult to justify dragging them out in all weathers ( also total nightmare getting them all dressed up etc for 10 mins ) however I really miss my horse - not the riding just the being with careing for etc and am sinking fast into mummy world where I have nothing left for me, and have now been offered a pony I know quite well, known to be good with kids, would probably settle well in our set up. bigger than i would have liked for the children at 13.1 but at 5'3 I could ride him on occasion too if needed and I am now having second thoughts about saying no. how do people with young children and ponies at home manage ? is it a nightmare or do the benefits outweigh the difficulties ? Also he would be on his own but there are horses in both adjoining fields. Just mulling it over really as dont want to turn down a good thing because I am panicking !!

Thank you for any advice !
 
Oh I feel for you in all respects! Yes you do need your mummy time!

Is there no way you could park them in a car on your land where you can see them? I have a 12yo and 6yo - 12 year old is a golfer so tough as old boots and quite frankly very independent now so spends most of his life walking round with bag of sticks and ball!

The 6yo is another matter - obviously a bit older than your brood but still too young to leave home alone - horse and pony are at DIY livery. I have to say that pony just got turned away this winter - 6yo was not at all interested (I don't blame her!) . So I used to go up the yard and leave her in the car with my phone and iPad (oh I love them!!) and she was quite happy to amuse herself while I rode etc (mare was in at night). I made sure the car was heated up and if it was really bad I made a hot water bottle up too!

Best of luck and I hope you can find a happy medium where you can all get what you want!
 
I have mine at home and have a 2 y/o and a second due in a couple of months. It is doable but compromises need to be made and I couldn't do it without my v supportive OH.

before being preggers, I'd come in from work, hour with my son then he'd go to bed and I'd dash out to ride while OH cooked tea, then stuff food and bed!
In bad weather I just didn't bother and if OH was busy or son not well etc. again I didn't bother - so compromise for my horse is that he just wasn't very fit so I was limited in what I could do - but it saved my sanity to pootle out for a strole now and again.

Or if time allowed I'd ride v early before work while son and OH in bed.

Mine live out 24/7 whenever mud allows (most of the time) and often get nothing more than a head scratch every day over the winter - but they seem to live and mine is older so he doesn't get silly with inconsistent exercise.
 
I'm s glad I have mine at home I find it much easier than when they were on DIY. My 2 children are 2 and a bit and 4 months.
My eldest loves her pony so is out with me helping in all weathers. Little one I fit in jobs around him sleeping and take the monitor out with me
 
you need to get two! One, an old reliable tiny pony who can be dragged round and brushed and be a pram on legs. And one of about 13hh you can ride. You'll need two anyway, company for each other ;)

Don't feel guilty dragging children out in all weathers! My toddlers always came to the yard in the snow on sledges in their all in one puddle suits with extra socks, wellies, fluffy hats and a blanket wrapped round them. Great Fun :D They'll build snow men while I break ice on troughs too and absolutely love being outdoors. Rain, shine, hail, snow, gales - we're out there mucking out and riding. There's no weather that a decent coat, blanket and an all terrain 4x4 pram don't sort :D

Mine are on livery and I have no childcare (sob!), but I walk to and from yards so children HAVE to come with me. It would be easier if ponies WERE at home!

Current toddler has their pram on legs, and can be led out behind the others while they ride, or I can ride and lead if need be. We may only get out round the fields but ponies are exercised and my kids are the most robust ruddy cheeked little beings going.
 
ponypilotmum said:
you need to get two! One, an old reliable tiny pony who can be dragged round and brushed and be a pram on legs. And one of about 13hh you can ride. You'll need two anyway, company for each other ;)

Don't feel guilty dragging children out in all weathers! My toddlers always came to the yard in the snow on sledges in their all in one puddle suits with extra socks, wellies, fluffy hats and a blanket wrapped round them. Great Fun :D They'll build snow men while I break ice on troughs too and absolutely love being outdoors. Rain, shine, hail, snow, gales - we're out there mucking out and riding. There's no weather that a decent coat, blanket and an all terrain 4x4 pram don't sort :D

Mine are on livery and I have no childcare (sob!), but I walk to and from yards so children HAVE to come with me. It would be easier if ponies WERE at home!

Current toddler has their pram on legs, and can be led out behind the others while they ride, or I can ride and lead if need be. We may only get out round the fields but ponies are exercised and my kids are the most robust ruddy cheeked little beings going.
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Agree with this!

I've had my horses at home since my daughter was 2 and they were diy livery before that when she was tiny. I just bundled her up in a pram when she was a baby and as a toddler gave her digging tools, her own barrow etc and she loved it. Everything did take 100 times longer and I had to be much less fussy with things as had to be quicker to avoid the boredom whining but it worked fine. Now she's 6 she either potters about outside while I ride or sits with DS on in the tackroom :)
 
I think it is easier when they are at home - not sure how I could have managed at a yard. I have kept my horse at home since my daughter was just under 1 year old. During the week when I work full time I do my horsey chores at night after my daughter is in bed. The stables are just outside the house - when she was tiny I could even take a baby monitor! She helps when we have more time at the weekend.

Without an arena, riding is more difficult - OH looked after her while I rode, but now she comes with me on her pony!
 
My mum used to ride her horses early in the morn before we went to school. My dad would get us up and give us breakfast. My mum would be out ridingat 6am under floodlights in the winter. Back by 8 to take us to school for 8.30 and then dad would leave for work.
Can't you do that? Just ride really early?
 
I do the riding really early thing...

OH leaves for work at 7.45 a.m during the winter so have to be ridden, mucked out, fed and turned out by 7.45 on the dot then toddler and I go to work/school at 8.15 a.m. Its bl**dy hard work but does seem to be getting easier now she is bigger (now 18 months). She loves coming out to see the horses etc.

I generally ride in the dark with a headtorch on and go for an hour quick spin every morning for a leg stretch etc. Horse generally fit enough with hunting twice a week to cope with a quick ride in the morning.

Horse, although hard work along with full time job and baby, does keep me sane!!
 
Thanks for all the replies. its not a question of riding as the pony is coming more for fuss and attention - isnt ridden much at all anyway, where we are you have to ride a fair way up a really fast windy country A road to get to any bridleways or lanes which is one of the main reasons my horse was on livery. is just the care aspect but he will live out all year although we have a stable if needed. we are up before 6 to do the other animals and get the children out the door to nursery by 7.15 so cant really do much before then as permanently exhausted already. I think I am just worried about tipping over the already precarious balancing act that is life ! but he is a lovely boy and probably exactly what I would want but in about 3 years time. May need to seize the day and just get on with it ! few other questions if anyone has time - can you get a farrier out to do foot trims for one pony reasonably easily ? and how many paddocks would you divide 1.5 acres into for management - 2 or 3 ?

thanks
 
Both my daughters rode from being 3, mainly because the pony was in the back garden. Its like anything with children you have to plan a head and not get too stressed when nothing is perfect.
Forget brushing, don't bother riding it from Nov to March, only ride or go out on nice days and poo pick when you want to releave tension and get away from everyone else. I have so many happy memeories of my daughters playing ponies and tacking up squabbling from the age of 7 while I poo picked out of ear shot.
 
I've got three horses and a 5 month old baby. To be honest if it wasn't for my mum who does them in the mornings, and I do the afternoons I don't think I'd manage. You can make it easier on yourself if you only have one and it lives out, that wouldn't be as bad.
Could the horse touch the others over a fence, I'm not a fan of horses being kept alone as they are heard animals, maybe if you got a Shetland as well then the kids could get more involved and the horse would have a companion.
 
I had three horses when my son was a baby but only worked two days a week and the days I worked my MIL saw to the horses so it was easy. I think working full time and small children and ponies is asking a lot of yourself. Will the ponies live out over the winter? That would be easier obviously but still a lot of work until the children are old enough to help. I wouldn't take on the ponies in your position but only you know if you could manage and how much help is available to you with either the children or the ponies. Good luck
 
I don't like keeping them on their own either really but he would be able to see and touch others on both sides of the field. This one could go back home if it didn't work out, but if it does I will get a little companion for him. We already do a selection of out door animals so it wouldn't really be much more work but for me a bit more rewarding. They would live out all year. We have a decent mobile field shelter and a little fenced hard standing yard. In fact totally set up for it - just got to get my head there too. My OH is really involved with the animals so would help but is very much making it my call ! I don't really know what is stopping me and that worries me !
 
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