Children wanting to quit, but i love that pony

[Crackerz]

It's simple in my world a child who does not want to do the pony everyday should not have one .
A pony is not a bike and and child who can't embrace that ought have a bike and not a pony .

100% agree.

I have had ponies forever, i had to do them with my mum before and after school and cannot remember a time i ever didn't want to do it. I was also only allowed certain times watching TV, never to excess - but i was never at home anyway! as i was always with my pony if i wasn't at school.

 

[Tnavas]

For a while I lived at riding school owners home. Following master 8 up the path for his weekly lesson, I said for him to hurry up as being late for his lesson was not polite for his instructor. Then a voice behind me, dad, said yes hurry up, either go for your lesson or go home and do the dishes.

He did the dishes! Though really dissapointed dad (an ex jockey) never asked him to ride again.

At 8 I was pony mad but not allowed to ride, I was also ballet mad, which I was allowed to do, I also wanted to learn to play the piano, however I was only allowed to do one thing. So I stuck with the ballet lessons, ponies remained a dream for a few more years.

At 8 you are finding out about the world around you. Offer her a term of doing something else. However she does need to understand that you have an obligation to the pony and must see to him each day, that she doesn't have to ride but will have to come with you. She can sit in the car, with a book to read or a colouring book.

She may in time decide its more fun to be with the pony.

Or, could you do the pony while she is in school, during the holidays is there anyone she can be left with some days while you visit the pony. Give yourself a max time with pony, then do something with daughter she likes to do.

TV and computers are not good as baby sitters, have a maximum daily time for them.

Finally, if my horse kept bucking me off, I'd sell it or give up. The pony sounds like he 1 Needs more work, would the school use him as a working livery. 2 It's getting too much to eat, turn it out 24/7 and don't give it any hard food at all. 3 It's sore somewhere and complaining about the discomfort by ejecting the rider. 4 Take pony and child to the favoured instructor, or find out why the instructor was not allowed to teach, apart from being unqualified, you can still get insurance.

My young friend has a 7yr old, she loves going to shows at the moment but not keen to ride at home. Mum is gutted being pony mad still at 30, she doesn't put any pressure on, child rides when she feels like it and pony is ridden by a cousin.

Talk to your daughter. Find out what she would like to do, with TV and computer games not an option. At 8 there is a big wide world to explore!

 

[ponies4ever]

I am only 15 so will not lecture you on how to bring up your children. however I know a few obsessed parents who have rather forced horses onto their children and even after a time they still do not necessarily view it as fun. pc is great for bringing up enthusiasm but I think riding and being around horses less would help even more. also just give up on an instructor if they are not enjoying it they will learn nothing. Would it be worth looking for a sharer or part loaner so she only has to do it a couple times a week and you could still be able to oversee to a degree and at least not let anything get out of hand? from 6 until 13 i only rode once a week in a lesson with friends and i think thats why i still enjoy it so much now i have my own horse and do it 6 times a week.

 

[baran]

I don't believe chores are not fun I loved looking after my pony by eight I was doing ninty percent my self .
Although I was bucked off all the time It never bothered me I just climbed back ,on all children are not brave so I think the pony may well be to much for OP's child at this time however if the child is kicking off about caring for the pony she should have no pony .

The poor child would probably agree with you. If I read the original post correctly, it was her decision to buy the pony, not something her daughter asked for. Just because an adult enjoyed something as a child, it doesn't mean their children should be forced to do it.

 

[baran]

I'm going to go against the grain here. I feel sorry for this child. She's eight and she doesn't like riding and she doesn't like stable work. She maybe only did it in the first place to please her Mum, who is clearly addicted like most of us on this forum are.

She's screaming and falling off, and begging to be allowed not to go to the stables. Why on earth does anyone think she should be forced to carry on? If this was football or tennis would people be saying make her do it?

Mum, I think you should sell the pony, wait until your daughter doesn't need a babysitter and then buy one for yourself.

Totally agree with this. My parents were musical, my siblings were musical, so it was assumed I was too. I was about 8 when I realised I didn't enjoy singing or playing an instrument. It took a year before my parents could accept this. Fortunately they did, but to this day I cannot listen to a symphony without remembering the boredom and the arguments.
And at least I wasn't scared as well as bored!

 

[MagicMelon]

I think I'd personally try to encourage lessons with the original instructor again, sounds like she's fed up of it because she's not enjoying riding with the new one. Can't you box to the instructor or see if he'll come to the yard on a private basis to teach her? If she still doesn't like it then I think you'd have to sell. You can't force her into liking something, but then it sounds like she did enjoy it before this new instructor arrived so it would be a shame to not try and rekindle that.

 

[smja]

When it rained briefly, the children took their own coats off and covered up their precious little friend.

How does the saying go? "All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl." An excellent anecdote, fatpiggy

 

[ozpoz]

I do think for a lot of 8 year olds a pony that bucks 5 or 6 times in succession is never really going to be fun!

Well,yes. At this age, confidence and fun are everything and it is sad to see a child put on a pony they are fearful of. Send it away for schooling, find an instructor and pony friends she likes, which might mean changing yards but expecting her and the pony to do well in these circumstances sounds futile.
And if she really doesn't want to carry on after you have given it your best effort, then sell the pony and buy something that you can have fun with yourself. Life is too short to persevere with a hobby that doesn't suit.