Is this normal behaviour for mothers at shows?!

[SueAllen]

Took at look this morning at a local RC show. Plenty of interesting horses and one VERY interesting mother. Small boy having trouble getting pony over one fence when mother strides into ring shouting at him to kick and hit pony. Pony and boy clearly terrified of mother! Mother rages...." if you don't get that pony over that fence you can forget about affiliating!" Boy finally shouts "You ride it then" at mother and the whole sorry family leave the ring. Is that sort of thing that often happens and if he couldn't get the pony round a small RC course what would be the point of affiliating?

 

[paintsplat05]

i went to watch my old pony at a show yesterday and there was one just like it in the clear round class-boy of about 6 on a scruffy 11.2hh pony in a pelham. Pony runs out so mother says 'put your whip in the other hand' kid doesn't, yanks pony in the mouth and kicks him into the fence. Pony refuses again, kid keeps going until he gets the pony over then fence with mother chasing and shouting him into the fences,and then pony just tanks off and tries to run out of the ring! then they come back for the next class which was about 2ft6 and get eliminated-what's the point?

 

[Puppy]

Was once a tiny local show, and the mother was beating the children in the trailer with a crop because they were crying saying they didn't want to do the class!

 

[welshpony]

There's always one...

 

[marmite]

oh yes always at least one at every local show

 

[clipclop]

Awwww, poor chap

 

[lornaA]

I would love my son to ride but only if he wanted to. Some mothers are just so pushy and don't think about what the child wants to do. The mother hitting the child with the stick could do wi someone chasing her round wi a stick and see how she liked it.

 

[hairycob]

Must confess I have shouted instructions (Like "ride him or he won't know what you want him to do" or "that poor pony isn't a mind reader") at son a couple of times as he can go into a total day dream assuming that if he points pony in the general direction of a jump he will know the course himself!
Hate the really puhy mother with the sobbing kids who are living their dream though

 

[pottamus]

Oh that brought back memories of my step mum shouting the same at me on numerous occasions..."if you don't get that horse over that jump you will never sit on it again!" She was a nice lady...NOT! And I wonder why I don't like jumping and choose not to do it in my adult life!!!!!

 

[Onyxia]

[ QUOTE ]
There's always one...

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep,normally a Mother who cant ride well enough to compete themselves so push the child and pony too hard.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I'm afraid you get them everywhere. Whilst at a show I found a quiet corner to stand and wait for our class. The kids jumping ring was opposite and this mum was standing there screeching at this poor kid for not winning!
My son (6) is a take it or leave it rider. He occasionally rides, show an interest for a couple of weeks then goes back to his computer games. I'd love for both my kids to ride well but only if they want to do it. I'd never push them to do anything.

 

[tarzipan06]

At a livery yard I was once at the mother used to threaten the little lad with the whip if he didn't get on his pony.
My kids fade in and out of ponies and I would never dream of pushing either of them as it is supposed to be fun

As with shows, done nothing this year as both hadn't wanted to go so what is the point in pushing them.

 

[Doreys_Mum]

There's nothing more annoying than mothers that buy themselves a pony and then get their children to ride it cos they obviously can't ride it themselves...

Except maybe mothers who buy their darlings 'made' ponies...

A lass I went to school with and learnt to ride with by some coincidence moved about 5 doors down from me (bear in mind the number of houses in my area, it was about 5 minutes drive down the road...)

Her mother would boast about how her latest pony was HOYs standard etc etc etc... she fell off in the first month, broke her arm, and refused to go near it... especially as she was far more interested in these things called boys...

Pony was sold after months of doing nothing for huge losses... but at least that mother twigged... she bought herself some showing shetlands and shows them now instead of making her kid do it...

But she used to have her name on the side of her horsebox... she was 9.... she started with a lovely little allrounder pony, gorgeous, but wasn't good enough... poor thing... dispite all the useless equipment they put him in...

Quite sad really, pushy mothers ruin their children's faith in their own abilities and the horses they make their kids ride.

 

[miamibear]

At the show i was at on Sunday there was a small boy on a pony going round the clear round on a lead rein with his mum. The boy was screaming and crying saying he didnt like it and wanted to stop, he was clearly distressed as the pony wasnt jumping them nicely it was stopping and cat leaping them!!

poor boy, the mum kept insisting and whipping the pony to get over and the poor boy screamed and cried the whole way round. Enough to put the poor lad off jumping for life!!

 

[the watcher]

From the other side, I can understand the frustration..child wants pony, so you spend small fortune on pony, lessons, clothes that child is constantly outgrowing, get them to show and they can't produce the goods, or have lost interest and want to take up judo, or ballet....

...not that I have ever beaten mine although I have been heard to say from time to time that if he isn't going to ride regularly then it is hard to justify the expense and effort

We have compromised and he rides for fun and I exercise his pony most of the time and do the shows in hand. I would never condone those screeching mothers but I do understand what drives them in some cases.

There again, having become a mother I also have some sympathy with those species that eat their young LOL

 

[Weezy]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why I never ask my kids if they want to ride - if they want to they know to ask me!

 

[dieseldog]

If by some freak accident I did have a child I would buy it a ready made pony, wouldn't want it sitting on some green dangerous pony when they can't ride very well. And 1 way of keeping children interested is to make sure they have fun. I used to shout at my sister when she was little to make her do things so I would probably do it to any child I had too.

 

[Doreys_Mum]

[ QUOTE ]
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is why I never ask my kids if they want to ride - if they want to they know to ask me!

[/ QUOTE ]

And didn't one of them insist he wanted to go hunting?

I do recall photos of one of yours in hat, jods and jacket, looking awfully fetching...

My mum has never encouraged us to do anything with our ponies (well, except me, cos she knows I love mine to bits, am just lazy, Caz, however, she gave up on... and would probably have eaten as well if it were legal...) and thus they spend a LOT of time working as lawnmowers...

She knows there is just no point in pushing, and in return, we don't push her and she is JUST as bad!!!

She bought a horse to ride and over 3-4 years I can still count the number of times she rode him on one hand!!!

 

[Snowberry]

I really dislike pushy parents, the worst has to be during PC games!!!

I refused to do lead rein games as the mothers are WAY too competitive for me!!

My kids call me a "Pushy Pony Club Mum" Obviously I disagree, I see nothing wrong in going over how they could jump better next time!!! LMAO!
I would never, ever shout to my child whilst they were in the ring thou!!

I'd be the parent beating them in the horsebox afterwards!!

(that was a joke, but if Maiseymoo is reading this she'll probably say I did it!!)