If you brought your child(ren) up around horses...

Used my horses and borrowed ponies. Also had lessons on RS ponies. When they were tots (2 and under) they pottered about on a 15.2 cob. Once they could sit without slipping, there was usually a handler with a lead rein and a handler walking alongside the saddle but not holding on. The little ones learnt very quickly to sit into the movement without tension or gripping.
 
My daughter first sat on my pony at 6 weeks old :) She had her first pony when she was 13 months old, a 34" Shetland. She rode in a cub saddle until she was about 3, when she progressed to a flat Shetland pad. I don't remember having anyone hold her leg at all, but we were incredibly lucky with our first little pony, who was a saint despite being a 4yo broodmare so only lightly backed. At first my daughter only rode for a few minutes at a time, more than enough while they're so tiny as they don't have the core strength to sit for long, and riding hats are heavy for their necks.

Now at 9yo she's a very competent and enthusiastic rider, who absolutely loves her ponies - riding is her favourite hobby and when she's not riding she spends her free time playing ponies, shows, or jumping (without a pony) round the course of jumps in our field :D
 
hi - I have a 13.2 my 3 yr old rides him in a cub saddle . usually with someone walking next to her but as she has got more balanced some times with just me leading and a hand free to grab, my 17 month son has a suede covered pony pad as cub saddle is slippy and he doesnt need stirrups getting in the way and is held or hand on leg at all times. when my daughter was tiny we had her in reins as well as easy to grab/hold
 
My kids have sat on my 15.2 horse since they were able to hold their heads up lol (well, they were held tightly by my OH, whilst I held him)

Then over the years (my eldest is 11, my youngest 4) they will pootle around the field or fields on him albeit with the 4 yo I have a lead rein on.

I also put a lunge rein on for the older ones when getting Dizzy into a trot, so I can stop him if need be. However, I just cannot teach any of them to ride :( and its very difficult to see what they are doing in trot other than shout up down up down when running along side them.

Any tips would be great lol :D
 
My 3 year old has an 11hh pony, she got him for her first birthday, before that was plonked on my husbands 17.2hh just standing for a few minutes but he is very quiet. She now rides in a cub saddle on the lead rein, walking, poles and a bit of trotting, she doesn't really use the reins yet but holds onto the saddle and sits very nicely and balances herself. She also likes plaiting him and cleaning her bridle to "get ready for eventing".
 
My youngest daughter started in a basket saddle at around a year old. Moved up to a cub saddle around 3 and I had a saddle custom made for her and her pony for her 5th birthday which she used till she was around 9 years old. She had a little 12.2hh connemara pony which I bought for her when she was 1. She rode the pony at home when she was very little and then when she was about 3 I ponied her off one of my horses. By the time she was 5 she was riding out with me off-lead. We still have the pony 16 years later; she's still a sweetheart and is retired now and daughter rides her horses.
 
mystiandsunny said:
When did they learn to ride?
Did you use a cub saddle? Bareback? Felt pad?
How long did you hold a leg for?
Did you have a tiny LR pony or just pop them on yours?
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Mine are 5 and 7 and I wouldn't say they've learnt to ride yet!

They were held on bareback first then went on to an old show saddle with a flash strap threaded through the d rings as a handle.

Once they could hold on to the handle they did not have their legs held (from about 2 and a half).

I bought a 12h LR pony when my daughter was 2 and a half, before that she sat on mine and still does. She does more off LR on a 14.2 than the 12 hander as he is more trustworthy off LR!



My daughter on her pony aged 2 and a half.
 
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HelenPassfield said:
My 3 year old has an 11hh pony, she got him for her first birthday, before that was plonked on my husbands 17.2hh just standing for a few minutes but he is very quiet. She now rides in a cub saddle on the lead rein, walking, poles and a bit of trotting, she doesn't really use the reins yet but holds onto the saddle and sits very nicely and balances herself. She also likes plaiting him and cleaning her bridle to "get ready for eventing".
Click to expand...

That end bit is SO CUTE!

My daughter was held on a horse for a photo aged a few weeks. I then loaned my horses out as I couldn't make the baby/horse thing work at all for me. When she was 4 I got the quiet on back, he was only 14.1 so although miles to big was small enough to easily get her on and hold her. She rode in my normal 17" saddle as it was all I had. They had a very happy few years together before we got her a proper pony to ride who was 12.2!
 
Mine started at about 9 - 12 months, it was the easiest way to walk the dogs! We had a saintly little Welsh mare who was like a big labrador and they rode her with a cub saddle. It is supposed to be bad for their hip and pelvis development to do too much, so mine only did once a day for about 20 minutes max.
 
Mine were both plonked on as babies. we bought my daughter a shettie x when she was four but she fell off into some stinging nettles and then showed no interest at all. I had my two so we just kept the pony for a few years . She was just led about and didnt do much. When my son was about 10 I said I was going to sell her as she was too good to waste so he decided he would learn to ride. They both used a cub saddle when they were smaller to be led about in but were soon using a normal saddle. My daughters interest returned and she rides all the time. I have just dropped her off at pony club camp so I get to muck out the rest for the next 5 days !!
 
We had a cub saddle from 18 months until she was 4, I think that was a mistake and we used it too long. I now have a Zoe Snape saddle pad and its so much nicer for her and the pony.

(I have a cub saddle for sale tho ;) )

She is riding a mini Shetland off the lead rein when its safe, and I lead her from a 13.1 on the road etc. She is walking trotting and just started cantering. She can rise much more easily on the 13.1 compared to the mini Shet as he trots so fast. Lots of vids of the last 6 months if you do a search for Titchy on here (all in TR).
 
My duaghter is two and had her own pony (12hh) 3 months now, she uses a cub saddle atm but will be changing to a pad saddle when she is 3. My husband leads pony and I go alongside her, holding the back of her baggy T shirt :p She is walking and trotting and is starting to learn to turn him, she has brilliant balance, I don't really need to hold her tshirt but its more for my nerves than hers ( Im an an instructor and if it was someone elses kid Id just be going alongside ready to grab a leg :p )
 
I bought a 4 yr old pony when my boys were 4 an 2 they never really took to riding, but 9 years later my 5 year old daughter is really enjoying learning on him and my 11 yr old son I too :), In he mean time the pony has taught an adult friend to ride and she has taken him hunting and to shows even though he is only 11 .2 :)
 
My daughter sat on my horse when she was about 18 months old, but I was very wary about imposing my hobby on her so waited until she was four when she had been consistently asking to ride before we bought her first pony. At that time we had our own stables and grazing so she had been able to accompany me to the yard without any livery restrictions and had been a willing little helper with all the jobs. She started off on a very experienced and trustable LR pony with a normal 14in saddle, but did lots of lunge work without stirrups and reins, doing exercises and bareback riding.

She is now a very accomplished rider who has ridden for other people and backed and produced her own ponies, but she still does the stable chores every day.
 
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I put my son on my 14hh pony when he was about 3 months old. I couldn't wait for him to learn to ride. He loved the little mare and I would lead him on her. He would even ride her in from the field bare back in the evening hanging onto her mane. When he was about three she had to be PTS he didn't look at a horse for years after that then at about 8 I talked him into having lessons and he was cantering and jumping small jumps within weeks but was never really interested and it was an expensive when he didn't even want to go. He is now 15 and has never wanted to ride, he is very confident around the horses and will help me out if I need him to but he has no interest in them at all so I suppose I am saying that just because you are into horses don't think your child will be too.:(
 
My son is almost 8yo, and over the past 18-24 months has had the odd lesson and ride out on my loan horses. The problem is that although he enjoys riding, he has zero interest in all the jobs that come along with it, so I am loath to get him a pony until he understands that you have to work, hard! in order to be able to enjoy the riding :(
 
All my kids learned to ride on seaside donkeys over the winters when they came to have a holiday. They arrived in an open wagon jumping off the back at the end of October and went home a week before easter each year. The donkeys were as fat as butter going back I usually got a lecture from the man when he collected them but they turned up without fail every year. They incidentally jumped back up onto the lorry no ramp and about 30 inches up. The kids adored them. We then got them a pony but they were never as happy with ponies as with the donkeys and their donkey saddles. Sadly they all gave up in spite of being cracking riders before they were officially old enough to ride off lead. The started on the donkeys as soon as they could sit up and hold on so less than a year old.
My granddaughters both adore my Highland mare and have ridden her on a normal leather saddle since they were tiny both are good little riders but are not here enough to get enough practice so the older one is just learning to canter at 10 the 6 year old is here for a week and has today learned her up downs for rising trot
 
Oh the difference between the UK horsey culture and that over here. I really miss the UK approach.
It is taboo over here to put a child on a pony before 4 years old and not recommended till 6 years old. Something to do with the development of the pelvis. Yet..... They don't enourage the use of riding hats or body protectors. Madness and I've given up trying to understand the logic. I believe riding schools here won't accept children under 6.
Personally I was plonked on the back of a donkey before I could walk and got my first pony at 4 years old. Have done the same with my daughter who is now 19 and neither of us have pelvic problems rather shapely legs and trim bottoms!
Never had a cub saddle or felt pad was a leather saddle with stirrups shortened by wrapping the leathers around them! Don't you just sometimes miss the freedom of the good ol' days.
 
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