For those whose children ride/rode…how technical a rider are/were they able to be at 12 years old?

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maya2008

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Currently trying to decide what to do with our pony who is just too much right now for her 12 year old rider. He’s brave and bold, can back and school on, and is doing a wonderful job of schooling a bigger, steadier pony from the beginning… but he isn’t perfect on a technical front all the time because he’s still growing…and in his words ‘just wants to relax’ sometimes. She is easy as pie if you are 100% correct, but if you’re not, it all falls apart very very fast. She interprets everything as an aid. Every shift in weight or alteration of rein or…everything. He can hold it together for a while, but not all the time and then she just gets confused. I would think this might disappear with time and training… but I had a similarly bred pony many years ago and it didn’t. She was beyond amazing, but you could never even shift your weight slightly without her interpreting it as an aid.

So for now this pony has got me on for some consistency and training. She’s doing really well and is insanely talented… but she’s 13hh and slight. He’ll grow out of her by the time he’s 14, and I worry he won’t be mature enough to ride with the technical correctness she needs until at least that age.

Or…could he, with enough lessons? Have other people’s children managed to, essentially, ride with the consistency of an adult?
 
I think a lot of it comes down to having the core strength to be able to ride leg to hand, as well as coordination. These naturally vary hugely from child to child at that age.

For my own children the answer to your question for the oldest is a no, he just doesn’t have the coordination and body strength, the younger one might get there (if he has the enthusiasm to do so)!

I see a lot of children at PC at that age, and in my opinion a tiny percentage of those actually ride from leg to hand aged 12. Of those who do It tends to be the smaller compact girls who manage it. The universal answer for the boys I know is a resounding no!

Obviously I am seeing the children at the PC/RC end of things, albeit those with knowledgeable parents and who are keen to progress to be on teams. There will be children on the affiliated circuit who ride better but to be honest from the little I see of that a lot are riding hand to leg (dressage) or just point and shoot (SJ).

Good luck with it, they might develop an ‘understanding’, but then you know the partnership best.
 
Is this pony a youngster in need of schooling? I would not expect that to be done by a child unless they are exceptional and if it’s work, work , work to manage an enjoyable ride, then that’s no fun for a child.
My granddaughters are 12 and 14. They are really keen and ride the whole time. They school their own ponies and compete in all disciplines but the ponies know their job and if ridden well, they get results.
The 14 yr old has had two years on a 14h and just moved onto 14.2. The 12yr old is riding a 14h which she got at 11 and length of leg wise is just growing in to.
Not sure how long 13 h will last a 12yr old boy unless he is particularly small.

Just seen your comment SuperC.
Iam afraid I don’t agree with you about the standard of riding in PC and BE Youth teams. My grandchildren did both last summer, representing Scotland at the BE youth championships. The standard of riding was exceptional. Our girls had wonderful coaching and you can’t get a decent dressage mark without riding correctly.
 
Supercalifragilistic said:
I think a lot of it comes down to having the core strength to be able to ride leg to hand, as well as coordination. These naturally vary hugely from child to child at that age.

For my own children the answer to your question for the oldest is a no, he just doesn’t have the coordination and body strength, the younger one might get there (if he has the enthusiasm to do so)!

I see a lot of children at PC at that age, and in my opinion a tiny percentage of those actually ride from leg to hand aged 12. Of those who do It tends to be the smaller compact girls who manage it. The universal answer for the boys I know is a resounding no!

Obviously I am seeing the children at the PC/RC end of things, albeit those with knowledgeable parents and who are keen to progress to be on teams. There will be children on the affiliated circuit who ride better but to be honest from the little I see of that a lot are riding hand to leg (dressage) or just point and shoot (SJ).

Good luck with it, they might develop an ‘understanding’, but then you know the partnership best.
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Thanks! Leg to hand in beautiful harmony and balance is sporadic. Five minutes of glory followed by complete loss of enthusiasm/finesse for a while, then he tries again. That means she then gets confused as the consistency is lacking. She’s so so sharp that you think about doing something and she’s done it. Which is great for me. Five days of an adult rider and she has come on unbelievably far. But her quickness of learning means she picks up bad habits as quickly as good ones!

My son’s bigger mare is happy to take breaks, to ride with a loose rein between bursts of decent work, and gradually they are achieving more and more good work where the pony is moving correctly. That mare is actively trying to help him though. She’s willing and sweet and happy to figure out what he wants even if the aid isn’t exactly picture perfect all the time. The little one…isn’t.

However…the little one will jump all the tracks in time that the bigger one simply isn’t built for. My son loves to jump and he’s currently got nothing to jump as he grew out of all the smaller ones. So we’re both a bit unsure of how this is going to go... He wants the end product, and I don’t mind creating that, but it’s whether we can put child and pony back together before he is too big. Or whether I consider seriously what we do now so he has something he can jump next summer.

If that makes any sense to anyone?
 
TheMule said:
At 12 it’s surely all about having fun, developing balance and learning feel gradually, without pressure. There’s no way I'd expect a 12 year old to be schooling a pony.
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Schooling a pony he does enjoy - and has been doing since he was 7. It’s this level of consistency and accuracy needed by this one specific pony that is causing the issue. He loves schooling an ‘average’ pony - where you create the ‘buttons’ yourself and have time to think/correct what is going on. This one is more like ‘super sharp competition type’ and he’s just not quick enough or accurate enough right now.
 
Cloball said:
Pretty sure I rode better at 12 than I do now, I've only grown an inch or so since then.
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Me too 🤣

At 12 I had a welsh x arab pony 14.2hh who was incredible hot but a brilliant show jumping pony, and a young 15.2hh which I wanted to bring on as an eventer but sadly she didn't stay sound and was retired.

I had two lessons a week, one jumping or xc, one dressage. I was quite tall and very fit and strong, and incredibly determined. I also exercised my coach's horses and rode tricky ponies for younger children. I was at the yard every possible day and got into trouble for always being late home and not wanting to leave the horses.

I do think there is a difference between 12 year old girls and 12 year old boys to bear in mind too.

My husband stopped riding at 13, having been forced to do jumping lessons with a pro rider who was very results orientated, and to ride his sisters trickier horses because he was a stronger rider. The thing that sticks in his mind about giving up riding was being given a recently off the track thoroughbred to ride which jogged relentlessly on a long hack and felt like it was going to explode. He'd taken a backpack with some food it in because they were riding very far and one of the items of food he had packed was a banana, which was entirely blended in the bag by the time they stopped 🤣 husband has only ridden occasionally since.

So I would be careful not to put him off completely by pushing things.
 
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Cloball said:
Pretty sure I rode better at 12 than I do now, I've only grown an inch or so since then.
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God me too. I was considered a very good teenage rider- competent, tuned in, balls of steel that could get a tune out of anything and was jumping competitively on the north west circuit with a lot of success. I’m a wuss now who barely steps over a twig 😅
 
My eldest rode from the age of 4 to 15. He wasn't interested in the schooling or flatwork particularly although understood the importance. He just wanted to go fast and jump!

He did back Heidi as a project which he loved doing as he was the first person to sit on her. After I lost Flicka and we sold his old pony his interest waned. I didn't have the budget to buy a horse and we got one on loan instead. Circumstances changed and I had to return loan horse. He's ridden a couple of times since but he's rather too big for Heidi now. She'd be great for your son.
 
Thanks all, they’re all very helpful replies. We’ve talked tonight about jumping this summer and he said he could borrow his sister’s ponies. He also wants to take his bigger mare to do some dressage, as he thinks she would enjoy it.

It’s worth saying here that he absolutely adores the bigger one. Like voluntarily brushes her mane daily because it makes her happy, does all the chores for her without being asked and murmurs sweet nothings to her while he’s tacking her up each day. He keeps telling her he will take her with him when he grows up and leaves home! I have no doubt that he will do whatever discipline she enjoys, and will enjoy it himself because it makes his best friend happy.

I think I’ve still got the mammoth task of somehow training the sharp one to be child friendly though - because what else do you do with a 13hh pony? I already own 2, so I don’t need another myself… (and none of us deliberately chose her, I got a phone call one day asking me if I would take her on).
 
Peregrine Falcon said:
I sold a mischievious 13hh pony to a small adult. She had a sense of humour.🤭
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I have no idea how we will market her!

Patience and consistency and she’s so happy - unbelievably willing and tries her heart out. But she is never going to be a novice ride or a child’s ride. I’m going to get her consistent in the arena and out hacking and then decide if at that point we look for a new home or whether I produce her a bit further with first competitions etc. She needs her ‘own’ person, much as I am enjoying the schooling!

As an aside, my son is schooling his sister’s little cob (just as green but much more straightforward) and absolutely loving it. He finishes each session telling me what he has worked on and how she improved - we had a whole discussion on half halts today (prompted entirely by him) as he puzzled through how to help improve her transitions.
 
Well she’s now mine to ride fully as we brought home a new mare for my son yesterday. Green but willing under saddle, small enough he can do everything on his own but with a bit of growing room, and inexpensive due to having issues on the ground trusting humans. Exactly his cup of tea. She was looking to him within ten minutes at the viewing, hopped off the trailer happily at the yard and followed him sweetly into the stable. He’s a lot happier. 13hh whizzy pony is now resigned to completing her education with me!
 
maya2008 said:
Well she’s now mine to ride fully as we brought home a new mare for my son yesterday. Green but willing under saddle, small enough he can do everything on his own but with a bit of growing room, and inexpensive due to having issues on the ground trusting humans. Exactly his cup of tea. She was looking to him within ten minutes at the viewing, hopped off the trailer happily at the yard and followed him sweetly into the stable. He’s a lot happier. 13hh whizzy pony is now resigned to completing her education with me!
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I was just going to say she doesn't sound right for your son. There is nothing to say you couldn't put up your talented pony for sale and see if someone snaps her up? Maybe a ponyclub rider? Or keep her for yourself ;)
 
Does he have a bicycle and ride it? One of my grandchildren had few chances of riding but she has a father who cycles everywhere through central London and he taught his children to cycle very young. When invited to ride as a holiday treat, and in an RS school, she quickly asked to trot and then to be released from the lead rein. She then rode the horse entirely in trot and as if it was her bicycle, going large and turning corners as directed by the young RI, but no circles. Of our 5 grandchildren who were all provided with hats and boots and given the chance to ride, only one continued to ride and help on a yard through her student days and now she has a job and a partner, I dont think she rides at all.
Our grandson never rode as he played football at weekends.
 
It sounds like you've come to the best solution for pony and son 😊
I just wanted to say I don't think you'll have a problem marketing her even if she never becomes 'child friendly' she sounds exactly the sort that I adored when I was 12 and there are plenty of capable youngsters and adults that are small enough to enjoy her.
 
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