***Daughter and Dolly....I was a brave mummy!***

redmone

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Hi everyone ***waves from chocolate stuffed face***!!!

Well I've been a VERY brave mummy this weekend, and I thought I'd come on here and brag about it!

Daughter LOVES hacking out on Dolly (and Dolly is a very good pony for hacking, she's as good as gold and will go front, back and be very unspooky generally) but I've always had a rule that Daughter has to have an adult with her at all times (and of course, an adult isn't always available for her to hack out with - especially in school holidays).

This has been at the cost of daughter's social life, unfortunately, as all her fellow livery friends hack out together (but are age 14+ whereas daughter is only 12) but I've stood firm, until now. One of her friends came up to me and offered to take her out yesterday with a group of them. Her friend is about 15, and a lovely sensible girl. So I put on my big girl pants, and relented.

Her friend arrived at the stables before everyone else, made sure all ponies were suitably groomed and tacked up, checked they all had hi viz and (after telling me that she had a mobile phone with her and how long they would be) off my daughter went with her 3 friends.

The weather was lovely and two hours later they all returned, big smiley faces and one VERY happy daughter. Her friend says they're now "hacking buddies" and she'll take her out with them whenever daughter wants to. Daughter is chuffed to bits, as she really wants to be "with the big girls" but sometimes feels a bit left out when she's left schooling in one of the arenas and her friends are off hacking together.

They even took a photo of the four of them, all lovely sensible girls with their beautiful ponies, in hiz viz, in the sunshine. What could be nicer???

So as a thankyou (and to save me going out of my mind) I mucked out all their stables whilst they were out :p and left carrots by each one! I won't make a habit of that, but it was more for me than then! lol!!! :cool:

Anyway, it got me thinking about how grown up my girl is. And I started looking at "old" photos!

Have a look at this one....



Look at the fear in daughter's eyes (and Dolly's horrible crest!)

That turned into this....



and then into this...




***sigh*** where does the time go. I don't want her to grow up, and I don't want her to get another pony. I want to freeze time right now!!! I feel an ***HELP!!! I'm thinking of buying our second pony*** thread coming on!!!

So proud of my daughter, and Dolly. What a journey we've had. Happy days.

One final photo, cause I love it....



Damn. My thread went south, from a "proud mummy" to a wahhhh "I'm scared of her growing up" thread....when did that happen???? :eek:

Anyway, the chocolate's gone, but I have fizzy haribos and pink lemonade lucozade for anyone still with me here!!! And OMG if you've not tried pink lemonade lucozade, you just have to!!! Just don't send your OH out to the shop for it, as apparently it's a challenge to their masculinity!!!!

RM :cool:
 
Just lovely! They've made a great team.

I've got to the stage where mini is at about eyeball level with me and her pony is bigger than mine, scary stuff when she looks down at you whilst hacking out!
 
Amazing! What a confidence boost for her! She looks the part on last pic! Brilliant! :)

Thank you!!! I'm definately a bit of an over protective mum - ask everyone on here what a neurotic mess I was when we bought Dolly! :o Was a big step for me, but I think it helps now that I trust them both so much. She did get a "pep talk" and OH made her take "whichever whip is hardest and would hurt the most if you hit someone with it" :p She's looking forward to summer so much more now :)

Just lovely! They've made a great team.

I've got to the stage where mini is at about eyeball level with me and her pony is bigger than mine, scary stuff when she looks down at you whilst hacking out!

Oh dear god!!!! I bet she gets the gates and stuff now doesn't she....!!! :D
 
Lovely thread, how great for your daughter and wonderful to have such a nice group to ride with.
Enjoy while you can, they all grow up far too fast

I know :(:(:(

Problem it seems to be speeding up!! She seemed little for ages, then we reached a point where she's like a weed - getting all big and.......older......:o

I don't like it. :(

Seriously though, the kids at our yard are lovely. The nicest kids I've ever met to be honest. They all look after each other and you hear such little bitchyness. They're a credit to the yard, and their parents. Daughter is very lucky, and now very happy that she can be more "part of the gang" if that makes sense.

:)
 
Aw I do like a nice Daughter and Dolly update, it's really nice to see their journey together :)

Well done you for being a brave mum, I know a lot of mums on my old yard had the exact same dilemma!

It was also really lovely to hear that the girl who took the lead did a check on everyone's horses and made sure they all had the right gear, very impressive and responsible! :D

Hope your mini had a fantastic day out with Dolly and her friends!
 
Aw I do like a nice Daughter and Dolly update, it's really nice to see their journey together :)

Well done you for being a brave mum, I know a lot of mums on my old yard had the exact same dilemma!

It was also really lovely to hear that the girl who took the lead did a check on everyone's horses and made sure they all had the right gear, very impressive and responsible! :D

Hope your mini had a fantastic day out with Dolly and her friends!

Thank you!!

I'm so impressed with her friend, but then again, having known this girl for a while I'm not surprised. She's a lovely and very sensible girl.

She had a fantastic time out with them, and it's put a different slant on school holidays now. She currently spends all school holidays at the yard (I drop her off 8.30am and pick her up 5pm ish) and rides every day but usually had to ride in one of the arenas on her own, as I wouldn't let her go hacking out with friends. Now she knows she can spend more time with her friends, and be part of all the planning and looking forward to these hacks. She's chuffed to bits.

It was a hard decision to take, as I am a bit of a molly coddler :o but I know they're good girls, and there's no road work to be done to get to the bridleways. We're very lucky in that respect.

Bring on summer!!! :D
 
what lovely girls at your yard, how nice for them to include your daughter and well done for letting go a little bit.

can hardly believe those photos are of the same pair, daughter and dolly have both improved so much, lovely to see :D
 
Thank you!!

I'm so impressed with her friend, but then again, having known this girl for a while I'm not surprised. She's a lovely and very sensible girl.

She had a fantastic time out with them, and it's put a different slant on school holidays now. She currently spends all school holidays at the yard (I drop her off 8.30am and pick her up 5pm ish) and rides every day but usually had to ride in one of the arenas on her own, as I wouldn't let her go hacking out with friends. Now she knows she can spend more time with her friends, and be part of all the planning and looking forward to these hacks. She's chuffed to bits.

It was a hard decision to take, as I am a bit of a molly coddler :o but I know they're good girls, and there's no road work to be done to get to the bridleways. We're very lucky in that respect.

Bring on summer!!! :D

Glad she had a great time! Now that the first one is out of the way I'm sure you'll be able to relax a bit more for their future hacks out with friends :)

Nothing wrong with being a molly coddler sometimes, I was talking to my OH about if we ever had a child (after seeing yet more pics of someone I know's 1yo child being put on horses without a hat, they have previously posted pics of a girl cantering her horse with him sitting on the pommel with no hat on! :eek:) and I made him promise me that our future child would always wear a hat whilst on a horse, even for just a sit on! :o
 
Thanks Sandie_84! I know we all tend to be a bit health and safety mad these days, but my attitude is that we've got daughter this far in one piece (mostly!) I'd kill her if she rode hatless (and that's before she'd get chance to fall off!!! Fair play to adults, I don't really have an opinion on adults and hats, but kids....no way!!!

I do hope I'm less worried next time, I think I'll be OK now, I trust daughter and dolly so just need to let them go a bit now....

Gulp......
 
You must be so chuffed for them both, Dolly looks like a different pony now so much healthier and daughter looks so much more confident :)

They are going to have such a good summer. :D
 
Hahaha been through it too have you???

I imagine there's a few people on here who have walked in my shoes with this one!!!

I think for every year daughter ages, I'm aging 5!!!!

**groan**
 
Thanks kokopelli! I just hope its not their last proper one together.

Can't shake the feeling that it might be. Please tell me otherwise!!! Lol!!!!
 
Hahaha been through it too have you???

I imagine there's a few people on here who have walked in my shoes with this one!!!

I think for every year daughter ages, I'm aging 5!!!!

**groan**

ha, no I've got it all to come - mine's only 7 at the mo so the thought of being brave enough to let her go off hacking with friends in (hopefully) years to come is utterly terrifying at the mo!!!!!! ;)
 
Yes but you'll have (or will have had) first canter, jump, show, farm ride etc.....

We're all in the same boat!!! Where's the wine!!!! X
 
Glad to hear it - about time she was off terrorising the local countryside with her friends :D

Sounds like everything's going swimmingly :p :D
 
Hmmm might we soon see pics of you and daughter hacking out together??? Did you carry on with your lessons? Imagine how great it could be if you could ride with her😊
 
Oh wow I haven't seen an update in a while and they've both come on so much. Daughter has grown lots. You know she would be perfect for my 14.1hh mare ;-)
 
Oooo can't quote on stupid tablet!!!

Jtfd - so so right!!!

Ccn - no way I'm typing your full username out!!! We had guinea pigs, much less stressful!

Trotting - I'm on a break from riding as I'm fat and out of shape and it was holding me back. But yes, I'd love to hack out with them one day, and I know dolly would babysit me well!

Ella19 - that's about the height we'll be shopping for at some point. Have already decided we're skipping 13 hhs as otherwise I'll end up with a whole herd of ponies!!! So yes, will be over horsing her again at some point lol!!! :-)
 
Wow what a difference! Dolly looks a different pony and your daughter, well, totally different! Confident, mature, longer of leg ... They make a real team! Your posts always give me hope that I will posting similar photos of my daughter in a year or so! They are both a credit to you as well as your yard you are on! Such a nice thread
 
Thanks Jericho!!! I was quite surprised when I put those photos together, seems as dolly shrank daughter grew! I think it was for the best!!!

I'm sure your daughter will do well, why wait a yeAr! Get posting now!!!

Xxx
 
She'll have so much fun with those girls hacking! My sister and I and a friend used to disappear off for hours together and have a blast- blackberry picking hacks were a firm favourite :D

Daughter has grown at the rate Dolly has shrunk! New ponies are scary, but also very exciting and with all the knowledge you have now it'll be much, much easier the second time around :)
 
Hi Lolo!

Nope I'm not buying that theory, its going to be stressful, worrying, horrible and bloody expensive!!! Can I just buy another horsebox???

And I can see oh randomly walking around with Dolly looking lost! I don't think he'll ever love another pony like Dolly.

Maybe having another baby is an easier plan.....

Nawwwwww!!!!!!

276519_runforhills.gif
 
What a lovely thing for your daughter. I can remember having hours of fun out hacking with other girls and boys when I was only a bit older than your daughter is now. I hope they continue to take her out and be sensible, although I suspect that if any of them wanted to do anything your daughter felt wasn't right, she would speak up for herself. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
 
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