child riding out alone, what age?

dunkley said:
I was about 12, we just didn't think twice about it in those days! I had had four years of having to ride the beach every day, as my 12.2 had a habit of taking out car headlights if they got close enough :o Once I got a completely traffic proof pony, there was no stopping me :) Daughter was hacking out round the farm tracks and headlands by 9 - a couple of years older before she went 'off piste' :) I always insisted she had ID tags on her, pony, and a mobile phone ............... far more than I ever had, which was 2p for a phone call!!!!!!
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Oh yes the 2 pence piece to make a phone call in case of emergency :D We had a little bag in which we carried the requisite 2p, a hoofpick, some baler twine and a few other bits & pieces; never went out without it.

I hacked out on my own from when I got my first pony at the age of 13; didn't think twice about it - used to take the dog out too. Such a shame that the roads are so much busier, people are less tolerant, and we live in a more litigious society nowadays :(
 
I think it depends on the child, the pony and the roads. With my stepson, he was 13, had done a PC road safety course, so understood the roads a bit more, and his pony was a schoolmaster. We also have very quiet lanes and tracks.

When I was little the roads were better than nowadays, traffic seemed more sensible and less selfish.
 
I have 6 kids from 16 to 8 years old. Riding in a group, the 12 or 13yo can lead the ride, although that would be unusual. The routes are on and off road, but well known to the kids, and even the busy traffic is village busy, not dual carriageway busy.
Riding alone isn't something we do much of, but from about age 11/12, I would be fine with them taking out a horse like they might take out a bike.
We don't have any 'wierdo' problems here, and all of the children are pretty confident, as are the ponies. Nothing short of an artillery barrage is going to cause a bolt. The kids will 'razz' them, but they and the ponies are well used to it, and they know enough to take care and be courteous on the roads.

I do question those who think that traffic is more dangerous now. Personally I'm happy that the car coming around the corner at us probably has ABS, rather than a 1960s death trap with non-assisted drum brakes and a stopping distance of half a mile.
 
I rode off road from around the age of 11, and then on road once I was around 14 - and my horse was an absolute liability on the road - I just never told my mum that!
 
pennyturner said:
I have 6 kids from 16 to 8 years old. Riding in a group, the 12 or 13yo can lead the ride, although that would be unusual. The routes are on and off road, but well known to the kids, and even the busy traffic is village busy, not dual carriageway busy.
Riding alone isn't something we do much of, but from about age 11/12, I would be fine with them taking out a horse like they might take out a bike.
We don't have any 'wierdo' problems here, and all of the children are pretty confident, as are the ponies. Nothing short of an artillery barrage is going to cause a bolt. The kids will 'razz' them, but they and the ponies are well used to it, and they know enough to take care and be courteous on the roads.

I do question those who think that traffic is more dangerous now. Personally I'm happy that the car coming around the corner at us probably has ABS, rather than a 1960s death trap with non-assisted drum brakes and a stopping distance of half a mile.
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The car can be as safe as you like but it all depends on the drivers. There are less manners in general on the roads nowadays, everyone is in a rush and doesn't always think about others nowadays.
 
Honey08 said:
The car can be as safe as you like but it all depends on the drivers. There are less manners in general on the roads nowadays, everyone is in a rush and doesn't always think about others nowadays.
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I think this views the past with rose-tinted spectacles. As I remember it, half the drivers were pissed, driving test was basic and the cars were death traps.
 
Do you think?

Certainly around here traffic drives much, much faster on the main roads past our area (open countryside). I used to ride on the main roads then, but stick to back lanes nowadays. And the Hgvs are much bigger, as are tractors. Everything is faster. I don't think its rose coloured glasses. Perhaps I'm more cautious nowadays, and wasn't in the past!
 
How long is a piece of string? Depends on the child, the horse/pony, child's experience, where you live.

I grew up in deepest Northumberland, rode alone from 9 years old, hacked the TBs to the smithy alone at 10, hunted alone at 12. All that was many years ago. Down here in Somerset my livery allows her niece to hack their very sensible pony up through our small village and out onto a very short bridleway loop beyond it. The niece is 12. Personally there are some people I wouldn't let ride out alone at 40, let alone 12. Horses (and children) for courses.
 
Depends on child and on pony. My own daughter has been hacking out on her own unaccompanied since she was about 12. She's very competent, passed her pony club riding and road safety test etc. I always insist on knowing which route, and both she and the pony are hi-viz to the hilt. All routes are massively busy with cars and IMO she's MORE likely to get into problems with a car if being followed or led by a cyclist (me) than going solo. Pony is very good in traffic, horse is a bit special when it comes to new bits of litter or road signs that have moved, predictable but controllable but is so big that I think she scares the car drivers into giving a wide berth!
 
I am never wholly comfortable with someone of any age riding out alone, in a group I am not so bothered so if you mean totally alone with no one else with them then it is a scary thing for me to let my ponies go out at all but I grit my teeth and let them.However it has little to do with age more to do with me being a bit of a control freak when my ponies are involved. I just think it safer all round if there is more than one person out and about. Having said all that I would let a child of over 8 ride on their own if they never needed to go on the roads or for short distances.
Car drivers are no different now than before there are just more of them. No one would ever do anything as it only takes one if we considered the risk. Cars are much safer, horses tend to be more conditioned to traffic but in my old fogey role children and young people tend to have less common sense and are more over protected so not street wise any more.
So as a group 8/9 on their own 12/13 if I must on safe sensible ponies with safe sensible children
 
I was riding out alone at 13/14 years old!

But i was lectured on my Hi-viz and went to a few pony days who did a course in riding on the roads ect!
 
pennyturner said:
I think this views the past with rose-tinted spectacles. As I remember it, half the drivers were pissed, driving test was basic and the cars were death traps.
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However, there were far fewer cars on the roads, even 10 yrs ago.
When I used to ride our 1st horse in the school holidays 30+ yrs ago, most families only had one car, which the main breadwinner took to work for the day. The traffic, even on the main road through the village was limited to buses and tractors with huge transporters going from one tractor factory to another. We occasionally met a car or commercial van and could canter along the grass verges.
Those verges are now over-grown and full of rubbish. My Draft mare is just as bombproof as the cob was in those days, I often say I would happily ride her on the hard-shoulder of the M62 but I wouldn't want to take her, on her own, through that village with its blind corners on that busy road as it is now.
 
I rode out from the age of around 12 years along many years ago. But I wouldn't allow my child to now. I think there's more awareness of the dangers these days as a result of media coverage, plus as mentioned the amount of traffic is a lot heavier than it used to be.

If there was a group of kids, I would say I would allow my child from the age of around 14 to hack out now, but certainly not alone.
 
My sister and I are in our early twenties, and our mum still doesn't like us hacking alone!

However, the two of us were fine to hack out together aged 13 or so - it's not about the horses/us, it's in case of accidents; one of us should hopefully be able to get help rather than waiting to be discovered.
 
My question still is - does the rider, regardless of age, have 3rd party insurance? Can someone under 16, unaccompanied even be coverered? Genuine question as I don't know the answer...
 
Fides said:
My question still is - does the rider, regardless of age, have 3rd party insurance? Can someone under 16, unaccompanied even be coverered? Genuine question as I don't know the answer...
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good point Fides and I in answer, i don't know! my bad as they were going to get rider insurance and I've never checked to see if they have . i have public liability but i would need to read the small print to see i there are age limits etc
 
Fides said:
My question still is - does the rider, regardless of age, have 3rd party insurance? Can someone under 16, unaccompanied even be coverered? Genuine question as I don't know the answer...
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Pony Club membership offers this IIRC? Certainly offers rider insurance, pretty sure third party too.
 
I did everything on my own aged 10 :) having ridden a friend's shetland from the age of 7. God knows what we got up to unsupervised but I don't remember any disasters.

I didn't have to ride on the road much other than a quick scuttle across to get into the woods. This was over 20 years ago, the road is safer now than it was then as it now has a speed limit of 40mph, back then it was 60mph. Fortunately my pony was a saint and looked after me :D
 
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