Dedication of parents

carthorse

carthorse

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I have just got home from pony club gymkhana practice with my 7 year old grand daughter. It was in a very large outdoor school at Onley. I was frozen, we left home at 5 and got home at 9.
The parents must be so dedicated and the trainers. Next week my daughter is taking her as it is just too cold outside at night for us oldies.
Roll on spring
 
:D I hope she enjoyed it!

I can't wait for spring! We started PC when my daughter was 6 - she's 17 now & we're still at it, although I got roped in to be branch secretary too so have to be at events even earlier :(

The things we do for kids :) (I wouldn't change it for the world though!) xx
 
Haha yer know this feeling well. My daughter is 8 and has been doing PC for 2 years and been competing for 3 years.
I have 1 day a week off from my horsey job and thats often spent getting up earlier than i do for work going to a show. Last week i had the week off for half term lots of very early starts and standing around at cold places while she was having fun. Always worth it though when you see them having fun and big smiles on there faces.
 
Cor, i used to get more excited taking my daughter to pony club than she ever got!! Having non horsey parents I never got to go to pony club so it was great to be able to turn out her pony properly every tuesday night, and even better when we got the BTO rosette. And the time I won, i mean she won the best stable at camp...... wow i was so proud!!
 
Another dedicated PC mum here, not long back from MG practise indoors thankfully. Half term we did something almost every day - indoor XC, MG, SJ, and then an all day team SJ competition (7 teams entered from our 70 strong PC). The problems come when MG team competitions clash with SJ or dressage ones. She also belongs to two riding clubs.....luckily we have a car permanently attached to the trailer.
 
When I think how we tried to get our grey living out 24/7 outdoor pny half clean so my daughtercould go hunting and get up a stupid o'clock in a damp November I do not know how we did it.
But memeories can not be bought they are made. We had a very old cheap lorry but good honest ponies and I like to think that my now non riding daughters look on it fondly
 
Chiming in- when they're older, they will thank you thousands of times. My sister and I are so grateful to my parents for throwing themselves so wholeheartedly into being 'PC parents' despite being 100% non-horsey when we started riding. 12 years later, and my mum is still mega involved (she runs their big ODE!) and my dad still is night watchman at camp :D

We know we couldn't have done it/ do it without our amazing parents and my sister can't thank my mum enough for her continuing input. We look back on our younger PC days as some of the best of our lives :)
 
I have two children, who are in different age groups, which usually means standing in the cold for 2 sessions. (juniors and seniors) Which means very long days when they are doing mounted games competitions. We are usually first to arrive and last to leave. The children love it and the parents usually have to get involved, being line judges. So its all great fun. Can't wait until it warms up a bit though. And next year they will be in the same group.:)
 
I have noticed that PC parents are often very unselfish and have solid family relationships. If you look at our branch there is hardly a broken family but at school hardly any of the kids have two parents and most have complicated family lives with half siblings etc. I admire the PC parents although I do hate the petty jealousy which does sometimes appear. I also think a lot is expected of parents in terms of time finance and physical input but the kids love it.
 
Lucky you having a child who is interested!!! My son has never shown much interest and I started taking him for lessons when he was about 6 to kick start an interest and he was so relaxed on a horse and took it all in his stride, within a matter of months he was cantering and jumping small jumps. I was so pleased and then about a year in he just said he didn't want to go anymore as it was a bit boring??? and he preferred playing rugby???? He is now 14 and is more than happy to handle the horses when I need help with them and is completely relaxed and confident with them but has no interest at all in riding. I still always ask him if he wants his own and he always says no as they are to much work for little or no reward!! I think my OH has been coaching him:D. So enjoy your grand daughter and her ponies I feel quite jealous.:(
 
My husband can't quite get over the fact that I loathe early starts,but will happily get up at 5am on a winters morning so the girls can go hunting.We had a few 6am starts in the summer for shows last year,and I take them to PC as often as I can.Nearly all of my wages go on pony stuff/riding lessons/pc rallies ect,but as long as they are happy,try their best,have fun and don't whine,I'll keep on doing it.I'd be gutted if they gave up riding.
 
Crugeran Celt said:
Lucky you having a child who is interested!!! My son has never shown much interest and I started taking him for lessons when he was about 6 to kick start an interest and he was so relaxed on a horse and took it all in his stride, within a matter of months he was cantering and jumping small jumps. I was so pleased and then about a year in he just said he didn't want to go anymore as it was a bit boring??? and he preferred playing rugby???? He is now 14 and is more than happy to handle the horses when I need help with them and is completely relaxed and confident with them but has no interest at all in riding. I still always ask him if he wants his own and he always says no as they are to much work for little or no reward!! I think my OH has been coaching him:D. So enjoy your grand daughter and her ponies I feel quite jealous.:(
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I could have written this, word for word, with the exception I have two uninterested sons, who are a now in their early 20's. I suppose there is a chance of a grand daughter in the future who may like a pony :)
 
We have a lovely little pony on loan,who we are teaching to be a proper child's pony.His owners will want him back in the future for their grandchildren,who haven't actually been concieved yet,:) It is good to plan ahead I suppose:D
 
Crugeran Celt said:
Lucky you having a child who is interested!!! My son has never shown much interest and I started taking him for lessons when he was about 6 to kick start an interest and he was so relaxed on a horse and took it all in his stride, within a matter of months he was cantering and jumping small jumps. I was so pleased and then about a year in he just said he didn't want to go anymore as it was a bit boring??? and he preferred playing rugby???? He is now 14 and is more than happy to handle the horses when I need help with them and is completely relaxed and confident with them but has no interest at all in riding. I still always ask him if he wants his own and he always says no as they are to much work for little or no reward!! I think my OH has been coaching him:D. So enjoy your grand daughter and her ponies I feel quite jealous.:(
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Ditto this! My daughters decided ponies weren't for them. I am gutted! They come to help with my horse occassionally, but basically aren't interested! At this time of year they prefer to stay at home in the warm :(
 
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