How can you tell if....

RuthnMeg

RuthnMeg

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a child is ready to go off the lead rein?
I like to think Iam not silly but as a mum whose daughter is nearly 6 and half and thinks she is ahead of the game when it comes to riding, Iam a bit stuck!! She is like me, and a fair weather rider, so actually doesn't ride much, if at all over the winter. The pony is Candy, on loan and at 22 has been there and knows the tricks, but also has been very spoilt and thinks she can get away with things if we let her. She is 11.3hh chunky type welsh A.
Daughter can rise to the trot, can steer knows how to aim over a small jump (max 1ft) and has fallen off once. Can't really canter, but giggles and bounces about and its a bit of luck if everything stays in place!
So, today... I let her off the lead rein in the arena after I had taken the pony off Meg for a 20 mins road circuit. I too was riding, with my mum (Granny) to hand from the floor. I managed to get H to follow me steering in walk and trot. Then walk over some poles, then trot over a pole (very wobbley line!!)
Think the trouble is, we have to now trust the pony not to bugger off and do 'the pony thing', but is my daughter at the right age to accept things don't always go to plan??

How would you do things from here on in, as she would be a bit sad if the lead rein comes out again now!
Thanks for any ideas!!!
 
I feel your pain!! I have a now 6 year old but when she was 5 yrs old she was a fairweather rider despite her pony (Welsh A) being at the bottom of garden and she hated being taught by me. She would quite happily walk off lead rein. Off lead rein rising trot was ok as long as pony kept going and not too much steering but the minute the pony napped to the gate or did something a bit unpredictable even like a trip it all went a bit wrong - cue daughter panicking, me panicking and 'yelling sit up, pull the reins' all very unhelpfully.
Cantering exactly the same as yours - more luck than judgement!

I think we both got quite stressed by it all, so much so that I ended up selling the pony, one because I wasnt quite sure the pony was going to be good off the lead rein (as never really tried it much as only my daughter small eough to ride her) and two, daughter started getting into gymnastics and lost interest. Anyway daughter is now 6 1/2 yrs old and much more keen so much so that she rides my 15.1hh who is a saint in walk and trot off lead rein in very small paddock and she goes for riding lessons. I am now pondering getting her a very small pony to start with (as in someone has offered me a very good shetland for loan) and I think the key is to her improving is to keep up the formal lessons on other very safe ponies say once every 2 weeks and then let her experiment on her pony off lead rein to practise what she has learnt, and maybe have a few lessons on her pony.

I do belive that they will only learn if they go off lead rein but 1) need very safe environment (i.e. menage, indoor school) with body protector on, 2) a good pony and 3) know what to do when things do go askew (within that safe environment). I definitely would be letting my 6 yr old being getting on with it if I had those 3 things cracked.... good luck - its very worrying isnt it!!
 
I have similar issues with my 9 year old. Unfortunatley in our case there is a big mismatch between her enthusiasm (which she has in spades) her confidence (very low) and abillity (limited) We went down the route of weekly lessons at a riding school, but that backfired as they completely knocked her confidence by putting her on horses much too big for her when her favourite pony wasn't available. Lately I have allowed her off the lead in walk and trot with me walking at her side, and this is progressing to me lunging her also in walk and trot and hopefully we'll move onto cantering without panicking soon. I like the lunge as I feel a bit more in control of the pony's speed and direction and all she has to think about is her seat, rhythm and balance. Steering is always going to be an issue, especially when speed is a factor, but in a contained space (menage) you can at least limit the risk. I know that if my daughter falls off it will probably take her a while to get over that so I'm taking things very slowly for her. I would say from your post that the path your taking with your little girl is the right one. Good luck!
 
Could you perhaps let her ride off the lead rein in the school under supervision and pop the lead rein back on for hacking (but keep it loose so it doesn't interfer) or let her hack with someone walking alongside and jogging alongside when she trots. No canter when hacking until she is cantering more safely in the school.

She is quite little to be off the lead rein and I think there is a lot to be said for not pushing things at this stage it doesn't take much to knock a child's confidence, better for them to stay on the lead rein for longer than they need to than to have an early confidence knock.

I know when I used to help at a riding school lots of kids would come off the lead rein but have a leader next to them that could grab them or the pony if it went wrong for a few weeks. They would often do things like have a leader out but not in the school or just for trotting or just on certain ponies until they were more confident. Consider cantering her on the lunge to help her balance and confidence if you can't run fast enough to keep up with the pony.

I appreciate that it is more difficult to be flexible if you are riding too so I would err on the side of caution if you are also riding as you aren't able to help so much if it does go wrong.
 
Thanks for all your imput. I am glad iam not the only one. I think its the mother/daughter thingy too. We will take it as we are for now as it is early days for everyone! Candy was very good in the arena and appears to be good being led from Meg.
We will have to manage when things don't go quite right, they sure will but H has no real concept of the dangers or what could happen.

As for body protectors - as yet H has never worn one, and doesn't want to as she doesn't want to get hot!! Little teenager!!! lol
 
I read your post and understand where you are coming from with the mother/daughter thing! We were luck to have a fab pony who we never had on the lead rein from the word go ( daughter had learnt at a riding school fro 6 mths on leadrein.)
He was great in the school on the lunge so when she was riding in the school he reacted to my voice (and occasional crack of the lunging whip!) as she gave the aids. I find though that if you get the right pony...hard to find I know...then you have confidence in them to look after your little one and that gives them confidence too.
What my daughter enjoyed most was just pottering about the local lanes and villages with me walking beside the pony and then gradually she got so she would walk ahead, trot to the next gate way etc... all that is just as valuable as lessons I think. She was able to open gates herself by the age of 8 ! The next pony was a big change and not such a schoolmaster but we used hacking with him to gradually build up their relationship and confidence together.
I'd be inclined to hack about your local area with you on foot, and use the lunge perhaps in the school to get her and the pony used to you being that bit further away from them, going over poles as well. Then, when you feel ready, you can have her ride around you as if on the lunge as pony will probably think it is !! and that will give her the experience of being away from your and having to deal with pony on her own before she is off on the outside track of the school.
Hope some of that is of some help to you..good luck !
 
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