How would you deal with...

[rach1984horse]

on Sundays I teach at a local Riding school. It's a pony club centre and I have one pony club group every week. As it's near christmas I only had 3 kids this morning. A couple of the ponies were being a little lazy, but was 10mins into the lesson so still on warming up. Asked the first girl to canter to the rear of the ride. That went fine, no problems. Girl who was second's pony had come back to walk. Instead of using her heels and asking the pony to go back into trot she was leaning down thumping it on the shoulder with her fist. When I asked her what she was doing she just laughed and said "Well give me a stick then."

I've never been faced with a kid like this before. I told her very firmly that if I ever caught her doing that again I would take her off the pony straight away and she would not be taking part int eh rest of the lesson. I purposely didn't give her a stick for the rest of the lesson. After not getting a canter oput of her pony when everyone else did she sat up and started to ride the pony properly, and it went quite sweetly for her.

What would you do if you were faced with a kid like this? I didn't want to make a big thing of it in front of one of the other kids parents, but am sure I made it quite clear that I mean business and I will take her off the horse the next time. It's just playing on my mind a bit.

Advice/opinions?

 

[Mid]

Let's just say my temper isn't as controlled as your's.

 

[siennamiller]

sounds like you did exactly the right thing! You controlled the situation without being aggressive and got the result you wanted
well done you

 

[loobylu]

Quite what did she suppose her technique would achieve?!

Pony sounds sensible enough not to give a care what she was doing. How old is said child? Does she actually enjoy her riding (I know, strange question but I too work weekends at a riding school and the number of 'difficult' children who, when you dig a little, just don't want to be there is alarming.) I usually try to concentrate on having fun, playing games if they are forced to endure what, to them, is not their desired pastime. You're a bit stuck on that though if you have several others who take their riding more seriously...any chance you could have a quiet word with the parents?

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Think you handled the situation just fine. Well done.

 

[Gwenneh]

I would have reacted the way that you did. I probably would have gone a step further and made her sit out the rest of the lesson and groom the pony by way of an apology.

 

[Dutch]

I think a lot of children (and some parents) are really rude. For me the issue would have been more what she said to you than even what she was doing, although it wasn't nice for the pony at all.

I think you were absolutely right, rudeness should be corrected immediatly.

Diana

 

[rach1984horse]

Pony is a fairly sensible wee cob and ignored her completely, and slowed down even more if anything. Quite a thick skinned wee thing and probably not hurt at all, but was the principle of the thing. She should not be hitting the pony like that when she can't be bothered to ride properly.

If she does it again she will be asked to get off the pony and can sit at the side and watch the rest of the lesson.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Better still make her clean tack.

When I was a child the YO used to take 3 or 4 of us out hacking, if anyone went past her, they had to clean evryone elses tack (no one evry did!!!)

 

[jemima]

Sounds like someone's told her to "smack it on the shoulder" meaning with a stick and she's not quite understood. Lazy riding whatever and you sound like you handled it well.

I'm an oldfashioned sort of girl and I was always taught that you used your legs and if that was ignored you reinforced your intention with a tap of your stick behind your leg - what is it with tapping them on the shoulder?

 

[teapot]

Oh I used to have that with teaching the kids - they were determined to get the use of a stick. Or they'd constantly only use the stick and no legs at all

Best way to get round this is a.) what you told her anyway - kids don't like being told that they won't be able to ride. And make sure she isn't given a stick. Or if she turns up with one - speak very politely to the parent and say as she's learning the basics, we would prefer it that she rode with out one.

And really praise her when she gets the pony going of her own accord.

it's a tough one as some kids will moan & whine until they get their own way. Sounds like you've become accostomed to it - I certainly had to hold my tongue once or twice

Oh and funny story - there's a pony which is ideal for the kids to canter on but you cant use the stick behind the leg as he bucks (other than that - ideal pony) so if they have to, it's a gentle tap down shoulder. One kid wasn't listening so tapped him behind the leg - weeee pony bucks and kid was horrified. Think instructor's words and mine were - see what happens when you dont listen. You must listen.

And don't be afraid to be a little tough on them at times. One group I used to teach just couldn't do a 20m circle even with cones etc and they were a good group considering their limited experience. And we didnt shout, but just said, come on guys - you can ride better than this

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

A piece of 3" x 2" with nails in around the back of the kids head works for me!!!!!!!

She dosn't deserve to be riding.

 

[rach1984horse]

The way I have been teaching them is ask twice with your leg, then if nothing they can give them a tap behind the leg. The ponies are all v.good and usually if the kid has got them going once they're really good for the kid for the rest of the lesson.

Kid wasn't even using her legs though, which is why I didn't give her a stick. Didn't want her to have a stick then just use that before her legs. Don't think did her any harm to have to work a bit harder to get the pony going. And pony went really nicely once it was going.

 

[rach1984horse]

Teapot I do a quick scan for sticks whilst I am checking they've done their girths/stirrups right before letting them move off. I tend to take sticks off the kids that won't need them, or don't need them at the start of a lesson. This way it saves me picking up sticks when the drop them around the school (prev instructor told them to drop them if they didn't need them), and means that I know who is/isn't using legs. Can then give a stick to a kid that needs it when necessary.

 

[teapot]

That's how we used to do it occasionally - depended on ponies and who got kids onto ponies.

Oh and another quote - you have to be able to use your legs before you use a stick.

The kid in question does remind me of one we had so muchhhhh

 

[annaellie]

We had a child on ourb yard she was only 4 and boy could this kid ride but the problem she had was she had been taught by her parents to use no legs and whip the pony like you would not believe, the pony was such a star she plodded round. One day I walked in the office to get my list for the lesson and there she was on the list as soon as she rode in cantering through gate to a LR lesson I told her to stop and tried to explain why considering she was 4 I took the whip off her and she was I want my whip its my pony and my whip give it back again like you I told her you want the whip you can leave my lesson you need to use your legs. She did and was happy at the end for getting it going.