Kids on the Yard

dianchi

dianchi

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 February 2007
Messages
6,125
Location
Herts
Visit site
HI,
Sorry but this is a slight rant!
I am on a DIY yard where there are about the same number of ponies as horses. However each pony seems to have three kids looking after it!
My biggest two complaints are
They leave their ponies(which normally arent theirs just on loan) on the yard tied up for hours on end when they have started to muck out the go wandering off and do something else. There was one pony stood tied up when i went out hacking and still there unmoved when i got back two hours later!!! The yard owner just shrugs as they still get there money they dont seemed bothered, and the kids have no respect for adults suggesting that maybe they should put their pony away will get you a mouthful of abusive language.

My other is the fact they find the need to jump everytime that they ride. During half term they did not go hacking once prefering to trash the school (which was fairly wet) leave jumps out so it was difficult to ride for anyone lese. And jump EVERY day!!!!

When i was a kid on a livery yard (only 10yrs ago-god i am getting old) i had respect for the adults and everyone else on the yard, if i jumped my pony i put away the jumps when i had finished. When i was asked how long i was going to be i would give a civil honest answer. Not these s***y answers you get now.

I think some of the owners would be so shocked to see how their ponies are treated, but no-one takes responsibilty. The parents of the kids dont care and just let them get on with it!!!!They appear to see the yard as a dumping ground for their children.

Is this the same on other yards or am i just incredibly unlucky to be on such a yard????
 
Sounds like the parents are using the ponies as babysitters. If you arent happy, then try to find a new place.

Kids arent allowed at the livery yard im at, the last lot that were here decided to ride other peoples horses!
 
There are only a handful of children at my yard and they are all way better riders than me so I have respect for them and get out of their way when they are jumping. I can see how the other sort of children would annoy me though. I don't like children or their parents if they have no manners or consideration for other people and animals.
 
Aww I'm just moving yards, were my 16'2ish is that biggest, theres quite a few ponies.... But children aren't allowed there by them selves. Kids are like that now sadly.... Maybe they will learn?
 
i am very lucky that the only child at my yard is my son (who is not a frequent visitor anyway) as the YO has made it quite clear he will not have any more children or teenagers about the place....which is BLISS after a yard I was at a couple of years ago (all jumping ponies, hormones and attitude)
 
i like to jump as often as possiable as well, i love jumping. i am the only kid down my yard, including my little sister, who is just like the kids that you have descrided! i am 14 and would like to hope that i do have respect for my elders, i would never leave my horse tied up for hours on end, she would go mental, but if these hores are happy why not?

**SaMi**
 
I don't know your yard but to be honest I think these children just need to children and often children learn the hard way. If the pony is happy being tied up outside then why can't it be there. Maybe just make a small suggestion like "why don't you give your pony a haynet while you muck out?"

When I was on half term I would want to jump every day. The children won't want to ride if they can't have fun.

With the jumps maybe you should have a meeting and say that if you jump you have to put them back.
 
[ QUOTE ]
but if these hores are happy why not?

**SaMi**

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it likely that these horses are happy???Would you be if you were left in spot for hours?

Also they tie them up in the way of gang ways, and its always the ponies that kick that are left there!
 
Good to see the future of equestrianism is safe in the hands of all you 'tolerant' types
tongue.gif


I agree that some kids are obnoxious, and some don't always think about their actions, but surely a little tolerance and education is better than just writing them all off in one sentence
crazy.gif


Were none of you ever young ?
 
the kids on my yard do as they are told or they are out - that's both in behaviour and in the treatment of the ponies and what they do with them

I'd rather be short of livery cash than have hassle on the yard - it's my home and want peace and quiet and not a bitchy or stressed atmosphere - for either me or for my horses
 
I think its unfair to write off all young... Agree with Rambo I did things I wouldn't consider doing now, But we are always learning so surely always looking back and thinking could done things much better...
 
The kids at my current yard all arrive at around 4pm during the week. Instead of getting on using the school they faff around and so when I come down at 6pm to ride I have a school full of kids buzzing round me and my horse.

My old yard asked that people who came down earlier in the evening rode and then mucked out etc that way people with normal jobs (like me) could come down and have use of the menage without children being around and it worked well.
Current yard is the worst I have ever been at despite it being BHS approved (and I am moving soon because of this). Kids leave drop their litter on the floor, leave their ponies tied up for 2-3 hours at a time, don't clear up muck in the menage and the yard and the YO doesn't seem bothered.

I don't mind children being around but there need to be some rules (as there were when I was a young'un). Most of the kids at my yard seem to have been bought their own ponies before they have learned to actually look after one.

I am not anti-children but I can totally understand why some yards do not allow them.
 
Yeah- i am sure i did some really silly things when i was young- must say though i was never- ever rude! i really looked up to adults who seemed to know everything about everything!
I think we are all guilty of talking down to kids though- that cant make children think very highly of adults on the yard!
 
One of my sharers is a 12 year old! She loves Mac to bits and only ever has his best interests at heart. Yes she will leave him tied up outside for an hour while mucking out, but by the time she has finished, he has a bed that I wouldn't mind sleeping in.
grin.gif


There have been a few issues over the last year when I have had to say things to her, but to be fair, she listens and takes everything on board. Same goes for all the other kids on the yard.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Good to see the future of equestrianism is safe in the hands of all you 'tolerant' types
tongue.gif


I agree that some kids are obnoxious, and some don't always think about their actions, but surely a little tolerance and education is better than just writing them all off in one sentence
crazy.gif


Were none of you ever young ?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am not intolerant..just very selfish when it comes to my personal time (that I pay for)

so i will not be on any yard that doubles as a kindergarten or afterschool club. i know there are some lovely yards in my area that do welcome children, nobody is deprived
tongue.gif
 
We have just had kids move onto our yard and the kids are ok, but bery bery novice, and the parents are clueless. We vvery nearly had a terrible accident on sunday when a pony bolted towards the yard, and a 3yr old child got left unattended on the yard on a plastic trike, and I found her twice behind my (5yr olds) back legs in easy kicking distance. That IMO is not excusable, leaving a clueless chikld to wander round and have to be looked out for by the other liveries. I can guarantee it would be me that would be blamed if she had been kicked. Our yard s huge, and my boy is stabled other side of the yard so there was no reason for a child to be anywhere near my horse.
mad.gif
Rant over!!
 
This drives me nuts too! I get to the yard at around 5.15 muck both mine out - leave beds up do nets water everything else, groom them both, tack up by this time its nearly 7 and the kids are all still charging round yanking they're exhausted ponies over jump after jump. However I have found this a fantastic education for Ryu who is now child and pony proof. To be fair some of the kids are quite good the ones in the Pony club seem to have a bit more structure to the way they keep their horses, the thing that amazes me is the mothers that muck out for their kids OMG!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
We have just had kids move onto our yard and the kids are ok, but bery bery novice, and the parents are clueless. We vvery nearly had a terrible accident on sunday when a pony bolted towards the yard, and a 3yr old child got left unattended on the yard on a plastic trike, and I found her twice behind my (5yr olds) back legs in easy kicking distance. That IMO is not excusable, leaving a clueless chikld to wander round and have to be looked out for by the other liveries. I can guarantee it would be me that would be blamed if she had been kicked. Our yard s huge, and my boy is stabled other side of the yard so there was no reason for a child to be anywhere near my horse.
mad.gif
Rant over!!

[/ QUOTE ]

IMO That is NOT the fault of the child, but the adult who brought it down and left it unattended
mad.gif
I would be pretty p155ed off in anyone brought a plastic trike onto the yard in the first place, and i would expect the YO to have said something about it
crazy.gif
 
Here Here!!!!

It does feel at time that the kids "money" is worth more than some the adults.
It relly really annoys me that to be able to ride my mare safely and quietly i have to wait till 7pm!!!!

The other one that i couldnt believe last night was one of them came into the menage during my lesson that i was paying for and started riding round out of control. She hadnt even asked if she could come in the ring! I purposfully have my lessons late (6.30pm) so that there is loads of time for other people to ride before then. I dont have a problem with people coming into the ring during then (provided they realise that if im riding down the long side doing lateral work i wont move for them) but this is just plain rude. When i asked her to not do it in future she screamed at me for being unreasonable then pulled her pony about in the mouth and cantered out of the ring and across the yard!

Mental!
 
[ QUOTE ]
the thing that amazes me is the mothers that muck out for their kids OMG!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I muck out most days for my daughter, mainly so she can get riding and we can both get away quicker. Quite often time is a factor when parents are doing this!
 
I must say. I have been to few yards and I have come accross very nice children who had lots of respect for their ponies and the others but unfortunately I have also met children that had no respect for anything at all. and unfortunately there is more of them than the nice ones. We all were young at some stage but I would never leave my horse on the yard in hot sun or bad weather for hours while going off doing something else. I totally agree that it is down to the parents and how they educate their children. Many parents just dump the kids on the yard and let them do whatever they like, without any supervision. and when you happen to point out anything to them in hope they may explain to the child how wrong they behaved, they take an offence. I would never be on a yard with lots of kids. I work very hard to keep my horse and want to enjoy it as much as anybody else. And these days you cannot do that on yards that allow kids to be law to themselves.
And the other thing that really bugs me is the fact that there are more and more "establishments" that really don't care and all they are interested is getting money in whoever from.
it is hard to find a decent yard with caring owners these days.
I have met so many owners who promised to provide safe and healthy environment and then you find out bit by bit none of it is quite the truth. I do know there are still very dedicated and caring people, but it is very hard to find them these days. Sorry, but I have been let down too many times and my horse suffered number of injuries due to bad management and ignorance.
Generally my feel is that the equestrian world is much less about the love and passion for the horses and sport and much more about the cash.
 
Im 15 now, but when i was 11 my mum used to work at a livery yard where children werent allowed, one day i was quite ill and she asked the YO if i could come up and sit in the office, she said yes...so i went up and in the end the YO said i was so respecful of her wishes that i was allowed up, i even got to ride! I do agree that children these days have no respect for their elders (and yes im 15!), if i talked to anybody i know the way somepeople i know talk to their elders i would be punished.....if i leave my horse for 10 mins without a haynet, mum gives me a quick eminder and i go and give him one...tbh i think kids should have more respect and think what would happen if they were in their ponies shoes!! When i was 8 and my bro was 5 we were allowed up onto a competition yard where my mum worked and mucked out and lead the stallions...etc, because we did as we were told and did things exactly....i know it sounds cheesy but no other kids were allowed up onto this part of tha yard!!

I have always been taught to respect other peoples wishes and accept any help and advice as at 15 you dont know eveything!! Whats worse is the fact that most parents just buy/loan a pony for their child because they have the money or they just want their child off their hands.

Someone needs to talk to thes kids andexplain that jumping everyday isnt good for the horse and in the end the horse gets bored....i was enjoying jumping soooo much last year that i didnt realise that i had jumped 4 days in a row, i was horrified, and the next time i jumped (a week later) my horse knocked almost every pole, although it may be fun for them, they have got to think about their poor ponies...Surely hacking is fun too, they could discover some new rides, and some lovely gallops?!

sorry, didnt mean to write sooo much
blush.gif
 
I can understand the time factor etc, for Mums and TBH the Mums who do muck out are the the ones who get done and are gone before I arrive, but this weekend when a bleary eyed Mum who works nights (13 year old daughter) turns up to muck out her daughters pony because her daughter wouldn't get out of bed makes me wonder if she deserves the pony at all.

I might be a bit bitter because I didn't get a horse until I was 19 and could drive and pay for it myself as both my parents worked full time and could no way dedicate the time some of the pony club mums at our yard seem too, plus having no experience of horses didn't want the responsibility, we had regular lessons and helped out for rides at the weekend.
 
I think we shouldnt tarnish all kids with the same brush, some are good and some are bad, but adults are exactly the same, some in our opinion are good with horses some not. Kids will be kids, noisy, sometimes obnoxious, and sometimes rude, but then move to a yard where there are no kids is surely the answer!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I might be a bit bitter because I didn't get a horse until I was 19 and could drive and pay for it myself as both my parents worked full time and could no way dedicate the time some of the pony club mums at our yard seem too, plus having no experience of horses didn't want the responsibility, we had regular lessons and helped out for rides at the weekend.

[/ QUOTE ]

I did have to ask myself whether not having my own pony as I grew up might have altered my perception too (we didn't have the money for that kind of thing, or even a car to get there). But I don't think so. I does open a whole new debate on the nature of liveries and how much we should give our children - but right now I don't have the energy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top