Dilemma...entertaining novice 12yr with pony involved

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wellwisher

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Tomorrow have got daughters friend coming for the day. They have just moved to the area, so do not know her v well but she has apparently ridden "a bit".

12yr old daughter is now getting stress as i wot let them go for a short hark or do small jumps in the field ON THEIR OWN.

I have suggested helping do obstacle course but was firmly told they are 12 not children!!!! So far the stand if us do it my way or not ride the pony - who is a saint but used to going and doing things if that makes sense.

Can anyone suggest alternatives/ compromises or grown up games? Hate to say "no". but some responsibility and supervision needed I felt?

Hope someone can inspire me with ideas!!

Thank you
 
It will take a bit of organisation, but might be worth doing a treasure hunt round a safely enclosed area. That way they are occupied but can kept within a specified space. I have to say that if the children want to ride, then the rules apply, they do as they are told as the ponies have to be considered. If they just want to do what they want to do, then on their own feet or a bike :)
 
I think it might be worth talking to the other parent too if you haven't. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get the full truth on riding ability from the kids. Ridden a bit may mean never out of trot/out of school let alone over jumps and off on hacks or the parents may not realise and kid may have simply sat on a pony at a fete....

I'd stand by the ruling that this time you will supervise and an obstacle course (try finding let trec vids and challenges and naming as this) will be good to help you find out real riding ability... Or does your kid like lessons? Perhaps share a lesson first time then you can tuck out the way so your girls style isn't cramped ;) splitting costs with other parents? I know plenty of kids without ponies would love this.
 
Can you just explain to your daughter before her friend comes that you aren't sure of riding ability yet, then give her a list of things you might do, depending on the friends ability when you've seen her?
Such as if friend at the rising trot stage, daughter can lead her doing gymkhana games.
Friend able to walk, trot, canter & pop a tiny fence, basic gymkhana games & small jumps but daughter does it with no stirrups & reins tied in a knot.
Other girl competent, they can take turns jumping clear rounds against the clock, best time for gymkhana games etc. Mark them both doing a basic dressage test, make one up if you don't have one.
Stable management, stuff like plaiting (& sewing), bandages, lattices, the fit & use of different tack items etc. If other girls done none before then daughter can help teach her basic stuff, or they can both learn something new together.
And get them to build the course if they jump, with proper striding.
 
I had this during the summer hols, a 10yr old had been riding once a week for months, introduced her to my horses, told her they are not RS ponies, told her to lead my lad up the drive, (I was beside her) he had her on the garden, in the hedges, anywhere he wanted to be. She had only ever ridden in circles at an inner city Rs. By the end of the summer, she was off lead rein, could control both horses and was loving riding, although she admitted owning a horse was too much like hard work.
We led out on hacks, did le trec in the field, (sort of) groomed, plaited, bathed them, did tack cleaning, horsey knowledge test, long reined and some driving, couldn't keep the girl away.
We had three youngsters visiting, sharing 2 horses, they all had a ball, we did video their riding so they could see how much they improved
 
I have one of those daughters.. However I have the ruling that with new to me riders I have to see their riding ability before they do their own thing. I explained it on the grounds that if other child thought they were better than they were and they fell off and hurt themselves we could get sued for not supervising properly and loose everything, home, ponies the lot. So I always will help put up jumps, etc etc.

There are 2 girls I just let them get on with it (I can see them from the kitchen window 300m away) Both are well taught and very competent, quite capable of jumping up to 2ft 6+. However there are 2 I will always supervise, one who hasn't had much experience and is a bit wobbly/unbalanced but is a bit fearless so I have to lower her expectations as the ability isn't there yet, the other is a horrid tearaway type to whom who I have to say 'I think the pony has had enough now make this your last 2 jumps' and she says oh no I'll do the whole circuit again. Last time she came round the most saintly pony of ours had had enough and after she'd jumped about 4 more than I'd said he just stopped and dropped a shoulder so she rolled off into the jump. I think the pony knew what I was saying! Anyhow daughter has gone off her (because she agreed with me that saintly pony had had enough) so that's a good thing IMO.

For fun things to do I'm guessing you only have 1 pony so I would say do some mounted games practise is always fun - get one to ride up and back then dismount and the other mount and go. We used to use electric fence stakes for bending poles, if putting in an arena stick them in flower pots with stones and top up with sand and sink the flower pot in a bit. You can also do socks for potato in bucket, and turn a bucket over to make a table, and fill a drink bottle with water to make a milk bottle - pick up from one drop on the other table.
 
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