friend being told off for jumping- your thoughts

[ATD131]

just so people dont assume i have no respect for authority when i do

 

[MrsElle]

I still wonder how old the OP is. It is alright to say that there were other adults around on the yard when you were jumping, but you can't expect another livery to take responsibility for you and your welfare.

You also can't expect your YO to hang around if she has other things to do, just to keep an eye on you, unless you have asked her to supervise.

It does seem like your YO needs to clarify a few things with you and your friend, I would ask her if you can have a chat and get it sorted

 

[FionaM12]

right can i just say on my part here..

even if im not the oldest person on this forum, i still find it useful to seek advice from people who have more of a right than me and i understand that older people have more authority. i know that im not the most immature person on this forum, i have seen more shocking posts on here from people who dont clearly have a clue and have no knowledge on basic literature.

people do make mistakes in life and nobody can please everybody. i do respect my yard manager as i understand she is more higher authority, im not the type to throw a strop and go into a sulk when i dont get what i want ive always been raised to believe you cant have everything and life is not fair.

I think it's you who's getting the wrong end of the stick now. By talking about your age, no-one's blaming you or saying you're irresponsible (how would we know?). It's just that it might explain your YO's attitude. She/he may have rules, legal or insurance concerns because you're a minor.

 

[Lolo]

Take a deep breath!

Can I ask how old you are? I'm not much older than you regardless, and my sister's probably your age. I understand that as a teenager, it's hard trying to get the balance between respecting authority and questioning it. What you need to do is ask you YO if she's happy with you jumping in the school, and whether she'd like any rules abiding by as you're a bit confused. Don't mention your friend. The ball is in her court then entirely.

Secondly, were you there when she spoke to your friend?

 

[*hic*]

just so people dont assume i have no respect for authority when i do

Throwing a strop doesn't exactly enhance that impression.

Certainly I was suggesting that your friend seeks clarification from the authority which you purport to respect and then makes a decision as to whether she still feels the authority's rules, regulations and facilities are a good fit with her own aspirations and abilities.

 

[FionaM12]

If you dont mind me asking what age are you?

I do stand by that if you're both early teens (under 17) I would want an adult there.

OP you still haven't told us how old you and your friend are?

if your friend is old/big enough to be jumping alone she probably isn't small enough for a shetland!?!?!?!?

I still wonder how old the OP is.

Can I ask how old you are?

OP, you are very young to be so mysterious about your age!

 

[SuperCoblet]

^^^ this
My guess is 13?

 

[HBrae2]

OP, you are very young to be so mysterious about your age!

lol, yep, thought it was just us old folk who don't want to give that away

I never kept my ponies at a livery yard (I do now) so I'd NEVER have jumped if I had had to have an adult present! Parents were very much - "here's a hairy friend, don't ever say you're bored again".

OP, just have a chat with your YO and ask whether there are yard rules re jumping and what they are. And I think you're very mature btw, you're obviously a responsible and sensible person and you'll be fine having a chat to your YO.

 

[HarlequinSeren]

As others have said, have a talk to your YM about the situation without mentioning your friend, and try to find out why she has a problem with jumping.
I agree with what others have said that it may well have insurance etc implications. I have been on yards previously where anyone under 16-17 had to have an adult present while jumping, and although it was frustrating I understand why the rule was there. It could well be a similar situation in your case.
OP, its obvious you don't feel comfortable saying your exact age on here but are we right to guess you are early teens?
HS x

 

[mystiandsunny]

I think it's all rather sad. At 9/10yo my best friend and I used to disappear outside for the day with the ponies. We'd build jumps in the field (courses and also chase-me-charlie), play cowboys and indians bareback while hopping over the ditches on the way to catching each other, and hack out for hours. If anything went wrong we'd could have run inside to get her mum if at home, or knocked on a nearby house to phone for help if out hacking. My mum did the same when she was even younger. It was common-sense not to do any of this on our own, and we didn't, but we didn't need an adult present. I've not ever been on a yard with that rule either.

 

[Maddie2412]

I think it's all rather sad. At 9/10yo my best friend and I used to disappear outside for the day with the ponies. We'd build jumps in the field (courses and also chase-me-charlie), play cowboys and indians bareback while hopping over the ditches on the way to catching each other, and hack out for hours. If anything went wrong we'd could have run inside to get her mum if at home, or knocked on a nearby house to phone for help if out hacking. My mum did the same when she was even younger. It was common-sense not to do any of this on our own, and we didn't, but we didn't need an adult present. I've not ever been on a yard with that rule either.

i agree health and safety gone mad, but must also respect legal implications. People sue left right and centre for the most ridiculous things so insurance companies have to cover their backs and it is unlikely they would cover the yard for anyone under 16 to be riding by themselves. i think it sound like the YM went about this the wrong way as she should have specified the problem in a dignified manner but she hasn't so its the original posters job to go and find out the problem (also doesnt imagine you are pretty young as otherwise dont see the problem in acknowledging your age)

 

[QueenOfCadence]

Well I think this needs to be discussed with the YO... But you also need to remember that the YO probably did take into consideration your friends riding abilities along side with how trustworthy her horse is. I have loads of fun jumping (even though I do dressage) but I also get the heeby geebies when I see 12 year olds doing a flat out gallop around a jumping course in less than perfect conditions without any safety gear or someone to supervise. Because lets face it, as teenagers we encourage each other to be horribly reckless.

I've never had to be supervised while jumping because I'm a very level headed rider and I don't generally do anything that could possibly be dangerous while riding.

Now I'm going to quote Dr. Suess - "It's fun to have fun, but you've got to know how". This applies to your situation . If you were bothering the other liveries or you were jumping in arena that was actually booked for a lesson or something simialar - I can definitely see you getting chased out. If you were being silly, your friend was jumping higher than she usually does to try and show off, she was taking the jumps at a dangerous angle or just riding in a generally reckless way - I can understand your YOs frustration.

All equestrian sports are dangerous, if you went gallavanting around in the dressage arena trying to teach your horse how to piaffe if you can't even ride a shoulder - in (not saying that you can't), you would have probably been told off too.

Rather listen to your YO and remain unparalyzed than be silly and take a chance . If you guys really are so into jumping and you feel a bit out of place at your current yard - search for another yard! It's your responsibility to find a yard that you feel comfortable in, don't expect the yard to change to fit into your expectations

I'll leave you once again with the Dr. Suess quote and some pictures of nice responsible fun (fooling around bareback in a halter while I had my mom looking after me AND I wasn't doing anything outside of me or my pony's capabilities):

 

[FairyLights]

as a child i used to hack for hours alone or with friends and jump logs and things. We used to amke our own jumps in the paddock with oil drums. We often jumped bareback in a halter like the person above.I think theYM is being OTT. Maybe the yard insurance doesnt cover jumping. The yard sounds an intense miserable place TBH can you move yards to somewhere better where you can enjoy your ponies?