Children riding alone.

[chickeninabun]

What age would you/do you let your child ride alone?

Also, would this be hacking or in the arena? And are the horse at home or at a livery yard?

 

[pennyturner]

Assuming road sense, a trusted pony and riding competence, I'd be OK with solo hacking on a known route from about 11.

 

[bubsqueaks]

What age would you/do you let your child ride alone?

Also, would this be hacking or in the arena? And are the horse at home or at a livery yard?

my daughter was hacking out on her first pony alone when she was 13 having had pony 2 years & Id done all the routes with her on foot - I always knew which route she was going & in the woodland we had a few points we'd named so she could tell me if she'd gone past them etc if anything had gone wrong - also she always took her phone & I clocked her in & out - there is an app you can download which tells you if they've fallen off & are unconscious not moving but I haven't got it to hand.

 

[Chuffy99]

Mine were competent at 11 but the road to the hacking is so busy so I’d walk to that turn-off and then go back and walk them home, they were safe it was the drivers. Used to box up and they again at 11 used to go off for hacks off road for well over an hour, this was before mobile phones but they were on a set route.

 

[scats]

I rode and hacked on roads alone by 12. But the roads were much quieter then and I was a sensible child. This was pre-mobile days too.

 

[Chinchilla]

I've been allowed to ride alone in arena/field/enclosed space my whole life. On the road I'm still not allowed because there are too many idiots, and our roads are narrow.
But when I was riding my pony regularly in the field I did insist on being given a phone in case anything went wrong lol, if I was going alone. (It never did!)

 

[bubsqueaks]

my daughter was hacking out on her first pony alone when she was 13 having had pony 2 years & Id done all the routes with her on foot - I always knew which route she was going & in the woodland we had a few points we'd named so she could tell me if she'd gone past them etc if anything had gone wrong - also she always took her phone & I clocked her in & out - there is an app you can download which tells you if they've fallen off & are unconscious not moving but I haven't got it to hand.

PS I also got a tag made for on the saddle which had my mobile number on it should they part company!

 

[chickeninabun]

I'm quite surprised by these answers tbh. I thought people would be a bit more wary. My 13yo is allowed to bike to the yard herself, to groom tack up etc but she isn't allowed to ride until I get there. We have a lovely big enclosed indoor arena, but the yard is extremely quiet and sometimes you can be there hours and not see a soul! Which worries me a little if she were to ride alone. But then I don't suppose it's much different from me riding alone, which I wouldn't give a second thought to. Maybe I am being too protective of her, although she'd be cross with me if I said she can go ride alone now, at the end of the summer hols, when she hasn't been allowed all the rest of the hols whilst I'm at work and she's at home with Grandma!!

 

[Dubsie]

I let my daughter ride in our field once she was off the lead rein - I can see part of it from the kitchen, so used to just keep an eye, but no unsupervised jumping. Then I'd let her go off hacking with her friend from age 10. Two competent 10 year olds, hi vized to the hilt, on safe and relatively sensible ponies + a mobile phone. She knew the routes, admittedly we do live in a very built up area but people are fairly used to horses round here. Of course as time goes on I get to hear tales of 'did you know, when I was younger' eg hacking for several miles down the A4, galloping round a certain field where horses are NOT permitted, riding into the grounds of a privately owned stately home (because they were nosey - they were very polite and enquired the way as they had 'got lost') and various other escapades. Have to admit they were often gone for 3 or 4 hours or more. Sadly much of the wide grass verges have gone as more houses have been built, the country park is full of loose dogs whose owners have no control over, and it's really not as nice to hack from home, not so sure I'd allow it now, 10years on.

I actually think I trusted the ponies far more than the children. I do worry a tad more with daughter's spooky horse.

Can your daughter take a friend to the yard so she isn't on her own?

 

[millikins]

My daughter was allowed to hack alone from about age 11, pre mobile phones but the yard we were on led directly to the bridle path, no roads. I think she was actually safer than when she went with friends, no dares or showing off! And I always thought it highly unlikely any dodgy characters would attempt to accost a lively pony and a rider with a crop.

 

[stormox]

As long as they have road sense and know the highway code most kids are safe riding off on their own or with friends by 10 or 11.

 

[kimberleigh]

I was 8, mum would drop me to the yard first thing and pick me up in the evening!

That was hacking over 200acres on the farm where I was a livery, plus road hacking and off road hacking in woods/bridleways etc. I was always the youngest of the liveries and would regularly ride with the other girls (aged 12-16) but also by myself...this was 20 years ago

 

[Cocorules]

I rode and hacked on roads alone by 12. But the roads were much quieter then and I was a sensible child. This was pre-mobile days too.

Me too

 

[tankgirl1]

I was riding alone on other peoples ponies on the roads aged 11/12, but this was 20 odd years ago. My son is just about to turn 13, not a great rider, but him and my mare get on together. I have just started letting him go on short 15 min hacks down the yard track with the older girl on the yard. Phones, hi viz and saddle tags in place lol

 

[shanti]

I was 8 hacking on roads and on the beach, and riding a crazy stubborn Arab x Welsh... When I think about it now I shudder, but nothing worse than a few minor falls ever occurred. Different times back then and my parents where very relaxed. My daughter is 11 but not very confident yet however I would have no worries letting out on hacks alone when she feels ready.

 

[cobsarefab]

I've been allowed to ride alone in an arena or enclosed field since I was 11. I will be allowed to hack on my own when I am 16.

 

[tda]

We lived in a quiet village and me and my older sis would sometimes hack together (if we both had ponies at that time) I did go alone, maybe from about age 10, our ponies were very sensible tho, I did fall off once and he just waited for to get up and get back on 😍. My sister's horse did once came back without her, but my dad went looking and she was walking back home. No phones back then, or body protectors.
Still live in that area but the roads are much busier, the kids I've seen riding now alone look about mid teens, but of course they also have arenas to ride in which was unheard of . Sound like a right old git but I'm only 48 so talking about the very early 80s 😂

 

[southerncomfort]

Reading previous answers I think I must be very over protective!!

My daughter didn't hack alone until around 14 years of age. To be fair the pony could be a bit nappy so I needed to make sure she could cope on her own.

I do think it depends on rider competence and also how safe and reliable the pony is.

 

[Shay]

I used to go hunting alone aged 10 (1970's). As a mum now I would not have allowed it! DD hacked with similar aged friends (rather than adults) from about 10 or 11 I think. Hunted without direct adult supervision from 12. (Hunted from 8 but I always had a direct adult responsible for her - the hunt is not a babysitter!) She actually only started hacking alone at 17 - but that was more because she prefers having someone to chat to.

Her phone has a tracker on it so I can see where she is. The tack is all tagged. I did have a GPS tag transmitter in the saddle for her when she was younger out hunting - but its battery gave out after about 5 years and I haven't replaced it. It was a great comfort to me in the early days though - I could see from my phone where both were and that they were still "attached". After the first mini heart attack I also worked out that if I could see pony and child moving but not together she had just swapped with someone as her hunt pony was 110%, so she would swap with kids having a more challenging time if they needed to.

 

[tda]

Reading previous answers I think I must be very over protective!!

My daughter didn't hack alone until around 14 years of age. To be fair the pony could be a bit nappy so I needed to make sure she could cope on her own.

Not not really, it's just that mainly people kept horses in fields, well we did, and if you wanted to ride you had to go hacking, there was no where else!

 

[SEL]

We have a very mature 13yo with a saint of a pony who hacks alone. Our roads are busy too. She has to tell her mum which route she's going and have her phone on her.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I was wondering why this thread of all threads had been resurrected - then I saw the advert in post #21

 

[Polos Mum]

Genuine question - are you allowed to leave kids unsupervised at home at 10- 11 y/o?

I thought they had to be 14, but no idea where I have that from.

 

[Cloball]

I used to help at a local trekking stables from 11 and used to lead out treks with an adult side riding or pony children on the lead rein. We didn't used to hack out alone when I had a pony as it was impossible to the yard without parent transport (probably more dangerous to cycle than solo hacking). When I outgrew the ponies I went back to helping at a yard and used to take out the odd client or hack out with smaller kids probably from the age of 15 onwards. Do you count a gang of children supervised? The ponies were 'saintly' RS types.

 

[Cloball]

Just realised this is a zombie thread

 

[Brownmare]

Genuine question - are you allowed to leave kids unsupervised at home at 10- 11 y/o?

I thought they had to be 14, but no idea where I have that from.

There is no set age, parents are allowed to make a judgement call based on individual circumstances. My 12 year old is currently home alone (mainly because of the superhuman effort required to extract him from bed early enough to take sheep to market ?)