How much did your parents shape your riding

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RunToEarth

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Popped into a local sj comp this evening with Lou as she wanted to see how a horse she had sold was getting on. I saw one of my friends from PC there and went over to say hey. Every question I asked was ansered by her mother "Emma is doing X show, and X dressage, I have entered her for X class, Emma, go put your saddle on NOW, you have X amount of time to warm up" She is everywhere, Em doesnt enjoy riding anymore, she is the same age as me and constantly has her mother breathing down her back, she isnt allowed to hack out with us girls because her mum wont allow it, EVERYTHING horsey is overseen by her mum, and I believe she is on the point of giving up, at 17years old her mum still has her in tears regularly because she doesnt live upto standards.
Whereas mine sit back and enjoy the ride. They would never watch me struggle but from a young age I have been made to get up and do it myself, if I wanted to hunt I had to clean my own tack and plait my own pony, it was always that way, if I was struggling my mum would oversee the struggling until she had to step in, out hunting if I wanted to keep up I had to make my pony jump the walls, poor angel almost had to hop on top of walls to clear them
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But I think it makes me a better rider, I wouldnt like to be carried by mum, and my dad constantly tells me that the hedges were much bigger when he teamchased and makes me earn his respect. What help have your parents given you through the years? x
 
I chose to start riding with no influence from my parents. I also choose where I go to compete and when I go and what classes I enter. If I left it to my parents I would never go anywhere!
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My parents were the same Rosiie.

If I wanted to compete, i bathed and plaited. They took me, and if it went to pieces in the ring.. so be it.

My mum and dad aren't horsey but would muck out for me and when we hit a trouble spot SJ my mum built courses and got use round at home. They were always around to help, but I never felt forced or pressured. If i won, I won, if I didn't..so what?
 
my parents are non horsey completly. when i first got my pony i was 11 my mum used to come down and help me muck out etc but after about 6 months she stopped as she thought it was about time that i knew the pony and had learn to do it myself etc so i was left on my own to do it (although i enjoyed that!)

i`ve always had to do it myself but i like it that way
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they will take me to shows and spend all day there and if i`m out or something they wil do skye for me (and pay the bills
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) but thats about it really
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they also dont pressure me which i like as one thing i cant stand is mums "living their dream" through their kids and constantly pushing them (like the girl u know Rosie)
 
My mum has only ever told me to do what makes me happy, and if riding does that then stick to it!!! She does help me to decide on things, helps me narrow it down but then i have to choose fo myself!! She also enjoys grooming, But she will only do it when it suits her, if i ask for any help she often says no unless she's bored or something!!!!!

She has never pushed me to do anything i don't want to do, just encouaged me and been there beside me all teh way!!

ETS : Mum likes horses very much but more of a hobby than a sport! Dad likes them but is not in tune with them, he can ride just not very stylishly!!!!
 
Not very much at all. They are totally non-horsey. I hooked up with a family who had kids at my primary school. The woman had 2 sons, the same age as me. (Well one was a year older than me). I spent most of my time out of school living at their yard, riding and competing their horses. You could say, I was the daughter this lady never had.
My family occasionally came along to watch and gave me deisel/feed money. Apart for that they were not involved.
 
my parents do nothing to help me-its all through my own doing. However my mum looks after my horsey for me but when im home she has nothing to do with it-and my dad is against my riding ever since i broke my wrist so he wants nothing to do with it(he just pays the bills
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)i organise all my own comps and have to organise myself to find transport etc, although mum comes with me....so not at all!!Personally i prefer it this way, as i think there is so much pressure on some young people with their riding
 
Parents are completely non-horsey (well mum is these days - used to ride when she was an aupair). During school days as such, parents paid for my lessons but that was it & bar the first 6 months when I first started - they've not seen me on a horse since.

Mum's always shown an interest, asking how lessons were, actively met my instructors.

Dad on the other hand - couldn't care less. It doesn't interest him so he shows no interest what so ever and even now, the grief I get for spending money on a new hat, or riding lessons - he sees it as a waste of money
 
My parents have never had an interest in horses, but Dad does try his best to help about the yard by mucking out, feeding etc. He is also my chaffeur
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I pushed myself into horses, my parents didn't. Dad used to have share a couple of race horses and enjoyed XC and hunting on his friends horses. He hasn't really been near a horse in 30 years though. He does have the odd 'plod' (read galloping as fast as possible and jumping as high as possible) but admits he knows next to nothing now.

Mum was just a happy hacker, had a bad accident and is now totally phobic of horses. Bless her though she took me riding every week because I really wanted it. Totally terrified her!

They've bought me horses in the past but I've been pretty much left to it.
 
My parents aren't horsey at all though my dad likes coming to visit, he's v proud of my new horse! But they paid for my lessons and the grazing/shoes etc for my pony when I was a kid. And they always came to shows, though I didnt go to many cos we didn't have a trailer. Any extras I had to buy myself - I even used to make my own rugs and things!
All in all a good balance really - supportive but in no way pushy. And thinking about it they must have made a few sacrifices to help me along the way.
 
My Mum isn't interested in the slightest. She thinks its too dangerous! Dad has always bought my ponies/horses and trailers etc and likes to be updated by photos and also to be invited to shows (only if I'm likely to win though!) He's always wanted me to do well but never put me under any pressure.
 
My grandad was a farmer from after the war until I was a young child and he always kept horses, at first for draught work but when they retired he kept them as pets. When I was five he promised me my first pony as my mum and dad wouldn't let me have one. Well I found Mony who was a neglected 18 month old and got him to buy her! My grandad started something big as now I have 4 horse riders in my house!!! Mony is still with me but sadly I lost my grandad ten years ago, but he made sure Mony's health was taken care of by leaving my nan money to pay the vets if ever anything big happend and when she broke her leg it did. Nan carried on the financial support for my yard until her death last year, without my grandparents I wouldn't have been able to offer my daughter and my husbands children a horsey life.
 
My Mum is always asking how we are getting on and if Cropi is every poorly my Mum is down the yard like a shot making sure she is ok. I am no where near the age of a kid
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but I did have a pony when I was small. I was always supported then but never pushed.

My Dad used to take my down to my pony when I was a kid but he has never even seen my girl.....and I;ve had her for 2 years
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Not an ounce of interest...Mum can't pick my horse out from any of the others on the yard (theres only 5 others and he's the only Chestnut).

Seen me at shows about 6 times my whole life and mum wants me to give up.

Did pay for it though when I was younger so I am greatful but they take no interest! Luckily auntie takes me everywhere!
 
My mum helps me a bit because she has her own horse and is experienced ... but she has never pushed me. I decide whether I want to go to shows, which ones etc and what I want to do and my parents support me all of the way.
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None at all, i wanted to ride from a very early age, but i was always told that i had to wait until i was 10. So on my 10th birthday i finally got my first ride, but they always tried to deter me from riding as it is a dangerous and expensive hobby. I was allowed my £5 a week spending money that i used for my lesson but if i wanted to go in a show i had to go without a lesson for weeks until i had enough to cover the hire of a pony for the day and my entry fees.
And to get to the stables i had to walk 2 miles through the country to get there early enough to bring the ponies in from the fields.
It wasnt till i was 25 that i got my first horse bought by myself,and they still try and put me off to this day!
 
Not one bit. No-one in my family was ever "horsey" but I was nuts about horses from about a year old (apparently). The daughter of friends of my parents offered to teach me to ride at a local stables when I was 6 but I had to fund everything myself out of my (piffling) pocket money. All I could afford for a few years was half an hour once a fortnight and that was only the hire of the pony. Then pocket money went up a bit so I had the choice of an hour once a fortnight or half an hour a week, so I went for half an hour a week!!! Jodhpurs and hacking jacket (everyone actually wore them to hack in then) were Christmas and birthday presents and my hat I bought out of Christmas and birthday money (I've still got it too). But all along parents didn't want to know. Unfortunately, my mother died before I got my first horse (when I was 45) so I never had the satisfaction of giving her a "V" sign and saying "there you are, I got one in the end"!!!!!
 
My step mum at the time was soley to blame! I have to thank her for that even though we never got on together! She had a horse and got me and my sis riding and it went from there...my Dad joined in the fun too and before we knew it we had the 'place in the country' and a horse each....I was VERY lucky indeed. I gave it all up at 16 due to family circumstances but the passion never left me and I wanted a horse forever more...then finally at 28 I got my first real horse all on my own and it was well worth the wait...even though I have had to learn from scratch again how to look after one properly!
 
My parents not at all interested, I started riding when I was eleven at a riding school, organised my own lessons etc, my pocketmoney went on the lesson (paid for half) and I did a paper round to pay for the rest of lesson) I remember once competeing in a riding school show and it was the first time they had ever seen me ride, I was on the horse saw them coming so started to walk towards them I was about 60 yards away and my Mum screamed "Don't come any nearer get off the horse!!" I nearly died of embarrasment!! They always regreted letting me learn to ride cos I went to work with horses when I left school
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they said I should get a proper job
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My parents would be quite happy if I gave up horses tomorrow but are perfectly happy (maybe not!) to look after my horse for me. We have our own stables but have not bought a horse in 10 years. Although we have had numerous on loan. My mum gave up riding about 15 years. (My mum and dad used to share a horse but it caused to many arguments about who was going to take it to the 3 shows we had a year!) But my dad is a star. While I am at university he rides my horse for and general looks after her. I couldn't have a horse with out my them and realise I am so lucky to have such supportive parents.

I have always had to things myself and my parents were both on the pony club committee. From the age of about 12 me and my sister would arrive at a show and our parents would leave us for the day. It made me aware of time during a one day event!
 
My Mum used to ride, but stopped until I was 5 and started riding.
I have been brought up that if I want something doing that I can do myself, I have to do it.
 
none at all, in all my years of riding when i was at school at home etc, they came to watch 1 lesson and i felt guilty cos they looked bored. my gran was everything to me and taught me everything and assisted me before she died suddenly of a heart attack so now if anything good happens with the horses i tell her at her grave.
 
Mum had horses from when she was 18, and competed and such like.

When caring for my boy, the horse always comes first (fine by me
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) and when riding, she will say what she thinks i should do, and then we decide what comps and stuff to do, at comps it doesnt matter about the placing aslong as i rode the horse to the best of our abilities and enjoyed it.

My parents are great though, really helpful and supportive
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My parents never influenced me at all.

I just became obsessed with them from a young age. I wanted to compete. I wanted to do it all. My parents would only help me if I asked and they would not let me take the mickey. It had to be genuine.

I would HATE to be one of those poor girls you see at shows being bullied and pushed by their parents. It makes me want to cry. I couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel. Poor sods!
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