Hacking out with a child (aged 8) who is not yours!

FestiveSpirit

FestiveSpirit

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 March 2009
Messages
10,715
Visit site
I know, a really odd question, but....

I am loving my new fab livery yard, and the 8 year old daughter of the YO is very chatty and friendly
smile.gif
She has suggested that we hack out together, which was fine with me until I started thinking about it a bit more!

Since I dont have kids of my own I am not used to being responsible for a child in a situation which could potentially be dangerous? Realistically it should all be fine, but there is just the 'what if there was an accident' thought which crossed my mind
crazy.gif


Am I worrying too much?
 
I wouldn't unless I knew the child and parents really well. I think you are right to be wary as you would be responsible. What does the YO think about this, because as a parent I know I wouldn't let my almost 8 year old out without my close supervision.

Sue
 
I'd speak to the child's parents and check that they are happy you take her out, tell them where you will take her, what pace you'll go at, are there any instructions that the child must follow, ie no galloping, jumping, stay behind etc. Does the child have any medical conditions. Make sure you have parents contact details and they are around. Maybe a parent would like to walk with you the first time.

I've done it before though and it was fab!
 
I don't think in all honesty I would be happy to take her out. Anything could happen and you really don't want the responsibility. I would just tell her that its not that you don't want her to go with you, but horses and ponies in particular can be very unpredictable and you don't feel you could keep her totally safe. Offer to go out with her if her mum or dad come too.
 
I know the daughter hacks out with other liveries who have been there a lot longer than me, but I think you have a good idea there, I will speak to the YO and see what she says
smile.gif


The daughter is rather sweet, she wants to show me all the local routes - I havent got the heart to tell her that I used to be at the same yard about 10 years ago, so I know them already
grin.gif
 
I hack out with my neices - it is very stressful for me as I am constantly worrying about soemthing going wrong/falling off/ponies bolting etc etc Generally nothing more serious than spooking has ever happened but it has only got less stressful as they have got older and more competent riders. I certainly wouldn't ride with anyone elses kids - and have said no to others on the yard. I'm sorry if that sounds awful but as I explained to my sister (who doesn't ride anymore) whose kids they are its an awful lot of responsibility and as the adult no matter what she says I would be seen by others as being responsible.
 
I wouldn't let my children hack out with someone else, and I let them go round one short loop on their own! (the older one is 12, mind you, and we are in radio contact, and it is farm tracks) - but I wouldn't let someone else take responsibility for them - and I wouldn't hack out (other than professionally) with other peoples' kids either. Too much to go wrong.
 
Oh bless her how sweet!, id take her out. Is there a route where you dont have to go on a road? I took the 3 kids out (all under 10!) when i was at a livery in cleethorpes, we went round the woods and we came across a flasher!! the 2 girls were squeeling and the little lad thought it was funny, i got them trotting back to the yard sharpish!!
 
I've been out with my YO's daughter and she was a pleasure. As long as you know in advance what to do if something goes awry, why not? You could be double safe and take a third person...
 
I will if I know I am on a reliable horse and I know the other pony is good.
Other safety such as telling people where we are going and having mobile phones on us are a must!
 
My daugther has just turned 9 and she hacks out with other people other than me BUT I trust the pony as she is quite unflappable and a school mistress (in other words, I trust the pony more than I trust my daugther!).

I think if her parents are happy for you to take her than I would take her. If she goes out with other liveries she and pony must be OK or they wouldn't take her out??
 
Another angle to think about is, although she may be a competent rider and the pony may be a saint, what would happen if YOU had an accident when you were out riding with her? Horrible situation for a child that young to be in.
 
TGM - just looking at your siggie - and whilst I'm quite sure stealth marketing goes on, if someone looks at all my posts, they will see I have raved about the effect Bluechip has had on my ponies, but erm ... that 's because it has!
I am not marketing it, I'm afraid I am still paying the full price for it and having to drive a bally long way to get the Lamilight as well!
So peeps, TGM does have a very good point, but I would say that if that is pretty much ALL they are doing, then they may be using the forum to market their product. If they just repeatedly say something worked for them, maybe it just worked for them?
wink.gif
confused.gif
shocked.gif
shocked.gif
 
My siggy is not aimed at people like you! I'm sure your posts about Blue Chip are a very small percentage of your actual posting history. However, we have had people on here who have posted almost exclusively about one individual brand, sometimes with a smattering of other posts to try and look genuine, and that is the sort of person I am referring to in my siggy. We did have one particularly persistant offender at one point, but she does now seem to have given up!
grin.gif
 
I wouldn't hack out with someone else's child of eight years old, you are the adult so you are responsible for looking after that child whilst out on a public road. If there was an accident...even if it was totally nothing to do with you....ie a careless car driver or loose dog etc... you would still be responsible!!!!

I'm sure she is a delightful child but she is the responsibility of her parents especially whilst on a pony, why does she not hack out with them?
 
I have been hacking out with two Children since they were 6 and 8 years old, they are now 9 and 11 and we still happily hack out together almost daily.

At first we used to take it pretty steady but now both the children are very confident, capable little riders we have a wale of a time, sometimes we are out for hours at a time!

On the other hand we have taken two of their friends with us and that was hellish, neither if them wanted to trot or Canter, one was specially nervous and I had to keep getting off to help her, my horse lost the plot as we were taking it so steady (had to keep stopping for them which my Horse hates).

If she is a good rider and can control her pony confidently then go for it!

It is part of my job though (I'm their Nanny) so I guess it is slightly different.
 
I wouldn't, anything could happen! I once hacked out with a 14 year old girl, we were having a nice sedate trot along a quiet dead end lane, someone banged something in a shed behind the hedge, horse spooked and bloody slipped, did the double splits and she went off (on the road and fell hard) and almost got squashed. I had a screaming 14 year old, one upset horse to hang on to as well as my own, and of course she didn't want to get back on! After a cup of tea and a few paracetamol from the person who made the horse spook, and a good hour later she finally got back on and we headed home, but her mother (i dont think intentionally) made me feel really bad about it, and she never hacked out with me again. I felt really bad and like I was somehow irresponsible, yet it was just one of those things, but I certainly wouldn't hack out with anyone again where I would have to be the responsible adult, I am, but anything could happen and its not worth the risk!
 
I think it also depends on the personality of the child. I hacked out with a 59 year old woman on a rock steady cob the other day and it was a nightmare. She was clearly terrified and completely out of control of the animal. If anything had happened, I would have had to have dealt with the entire thing myself. Compared to my YO's daughter, who is sensible, funny, intelligent and a much better jockey than me, all at the age of 10. I know who I'd choose to go out with again in the future.
 
Go for it!!
I've been going for hacks with a girl now 10 for the last 3 years or so, it's grear fun she has such a diffrent out look on the world. The only problem I having is that shes becoming a much better rider than me!!!

I always take my mobile with her parents number in it, and before we set of let her know wich pocket it's in incase I have an accident and she needs it, we tell her parents roughly where we will be heading and how long it should take.

I would check that this girl has insurance just in case
smile.gif

The few times we have a problem, lost the rubber on the side of her stirrup, taken a couple of wrong turns and being chased by wild ponies on the moor see has been very responcible and helpfull .

hope this helps
smile.gif
 
I used to escort hacks all the time with younger kids, some as young as eight.
I got used to being the oldest on a hack by at least ten years, it is great fun and they were often more responsible than I was and needless to say, much better little jockeys!
Once THEY actually helped ME when I was bucked off and the mare ran back to the yard.
Other times I looked out for them, like the time we got followed by the nice chap in his car who was, erm, enjoying himself a little too much. I was so glad I and another adult were there - what would have happened if we weren't? We just kept them all chatting and singing to avert their attention and made for home ASAP.

ETA - don't have kids, don't intend to, don't really get on with them in other walks of life but the kids at that yard were great.
 
I wouldn't. Its as simple as that for me, its a bloody awful world we live in and if something happened to said child you can only imagine what a sh*tstorm it would be if the parents decided to hold you culpable.

For that reason I'd say no.
 
Gosh I've never even thought about it
blush.gif
blush.gif

I happily used to take a 10yo out for canters (because her mothers horse wasn't safe enough) and my hunter could canter the speed of her sec. A's canter
tongue.gif
grin.gif
 
I've always happily taken children out hacking with me, but they have been sensible and on push button ponies and they know not to overtake etc
But I spent years taking hacks out at a riding school so it's not a huge deal to me.
The two young teens at the yard I'm at are two of the most sensible riders on the yard.
laugh.gif
 
the thing is though, taking hacks out with a riding school, your position is clear, and you are (hopefully) insured - that's why I said I would do so professionally, but not otherwise.
And it's a long way from 8 to a young teen - whatever the arrangement, any court in the land would hold you responsible for an 8 year old, whereas, not necessarily for a teenager who was a competent rider.
 
I am on a RS yard so never really think about it. Kids loan the RS ponies on weekend afternoons and I wouldn't even consider not riding with them.
 
I think its such a shame we live in a world where people won't take a child out hacking for fear of what will happen if something goes wrong.
We don't have any children at the yard I'm on now, but at my old yard I used to take one of the kids (I think she was about 10 or 11 at the time). She used to really look forward to it as it was the only chance she got to go a bit futher than just up the lane.
As long as the parents are happy and she was able to manage her pony I wouldn't have a problem with it.
 
It's a great shame, but it's true. Parents who are happy before something happens have a habit of not being happy afterwards, to some extent understandably.
If my daughter went out hacking with someone, and had a crippling fall, which, in my view, could have been avoided if the adult in question had done or not done something, and if I had no idea how I was going to support my now disabled child, I cannot, with hand on heart, say I would not consider legal action to enable me to do so.
I have no idea in fact, how I would react, and I hope to God I never find out!
It's a different matter at a riding school, they (at least should) not be allowing anything to happen for which they are not insured up to the eyeballs.
You could, of course, talk to the parents and make absolutely sure that they had the situation insured, but it wouldn't be a comfortable conversation.
 
I take a 7 year old out for short hacks but she is a very good rider (probably better than me!) and her mother is happy for me to take her. She is quite exceptional though and I've refused to take 11 year olds out as they weren't confident riders. Taking nervous children out on hacks can be a nightmare and should be avoided at all costs, the weight of responsibility hangs very heavy in these situations.
Try and go out with her when she is hacking out in someone else's company and then you can see what she's like as a rider.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top