kids riding parents horses/bigger horses

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missyme10

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Just wondering about general views.

What do you guys think about kids riding their parents horses, or horses bigger than their ideal size?

Is temprement and general nature more important than size?
Does it depend on where they ride ie. security of a school say?

I'm not talking about a 3 year old on a 17.2hh warmblood here.

More like your kids 8-12 on their parents smaller horses ie. 14.2hh/15hh.

My daughter has nicked my 14.2hh, she loves him that much, she's 9 1/2 and rides him brill, but she is so clearly overhorsed. She only rides him in the school, no way I'd let her out hacking even though the horse is as sound as they come out hacking.
She also loves riding my pals 15hh horse, and another friends 14.3hh.
She's her own 13.2hh pony, but much prefers the bigger ponies.
All 3 are mentally sound well trusted horses, I'd not let her on any of them if they weren't.

The mum in me panicks sometimes though, ie. she's so little up there.
She's not that small really for her age, about 4'6" and 5 1/2 stone, so she's no frail little thing, but she's just a little girl and always will be in my eyes x
 
Hm. D1 has been on and off the Dizzy one (16.2-ish at the time) and D1 was fourteen. D2 was eleven when she first started having a sit on the Dizz :D. All on a lead rope as the Dizz wasn't always so calm :cool:

I think it's good for balance and for fun :D. As ever with horses and riders, matching abilities and temperament :D
 
It's more about size and temprament I'd say :) When I was about 8 or 9, my 12"2 (who I fitted pretty well) went lame and wasn't ridden for 6 months. During this time I had a few lessons at a riding school but it never really did it for me. In the end I was put on a 16"2 hunter who was coming back into work for the season. She was an absolute star and never once was I worried or in danger on her :) even when I had to give the scatty race horses a lead past the dustbins :D if the horse is trustworthy, there's no harm in them trying it out xxx
 
From the age of 10 I always preferred horses and even though I was always a skinny kid, I never felt comfortable on ponies & always thought I was too tall which I wasn't of course ! I have always preferred +16h horses and when my daughter was 12, I bought her a 15'2 Anglo Arab. My daughter is 16 now and they have a great bond. The best part is that she won't outgrow her as she would with a pony. My horses are also pets and the thought of having to part with one of them just because they have been outgrown doesn't sit well with me. I'm too sentimental for that ! :D
 
My son who is 13,nearly 14 has a 15hh horse for hunting,every day riding,but is also riding out some of my friends 16 2 TBs.hunting.He looks over horsed,but is managing very well,and riding different horses has been the making of him.
This time last year he was on a 13hh on lead rein!
 
Is it not a bit of a cultural thing anyway? In the States and Australia kids are more often found on bigger horses rather than ponies most of the time.

I think as long as the horse is well trained its not much of an issue - certainly for hacking and schooling. It becomes more of a problem in competitions when there may be height restrictions.
 
I think temprement is more important than height too. As long as the horse is safe and sensible then i dont think it matters too much at all, especially if the child feels more comfortable on horses than ponies. I only rode smaller ponies for about 4 months when i was just learning to ride (i was about 7) then moved onto larger ponies and horses, so since the age of 7 1/2-8 i've only ever really rode anything 14.1hh+. I was on to 16hh horses by the time i was 10. I'll jump on ponies occasionally now but dont feel comfortable at all, would much rather ride something 18hh+ than under about 14.2hh.
 
I have had a number of enquiries about my pony from parents with 8/9 year olds but I have put them off as I don't think a fit full up 14.2 event pony is suitable for a child of that age coming off a 12.2 but if the horse/pony is suitable I see no problem. I had a 16.2 ex pointer on loan when I was 11/12, taught me loads I can tell you!
 
I have no problem with my son, who is 11, only just tall enough to stop using a booster seat in the car as per the law, and not very heavy riding my lot, I have 3, all between 15.1 and 15.3. I am happy to more or less leave him to it on the girls, but wouldn't leave him alone on the gelding. Its all dependent on the horse.

When I was 14 there weren't enough of our usual horses for our lesson at the RS. We usually rode a selection at around the 15-16hh mark. I ended up on a 18.2hh bsja ned who had a reputation for jumping the 5 ft doors out of the school onto concrete. Sure enough halfway through the lesson we were hurtling down the school straight for the doors, me with both hands on one rein, madly kicking with the opposite leg. We got there, he turned for me, big grin on his face "there, I've scared you enough" :D Just took up a normal contact, kicked his back end up and got on with it. Rode him a lot after that and he never did it again. Don't think he knew I was there much, I was only 4and a half stone wringing wet lol!!!!!
 
My daughter had to ride what was available! When her 13.2 went seriously lame all she had was our 16.2 ID/TB to get on. She had lessons on him for a few weeks, where he was calmer with her than anyone else in the family. She was competing him, and taking him to PC shortly before she turned twelve - raised some eyebrows at the time! Funnily enough, as she got older, and asked him more questions, he began "testing" her, which he NEVER did when she was really tiny!
 
My 10 year old doughter also loves to ride and if she has a change always rides big horses as well. My 17 hh chestnut is favorite.

I always ride him first to see what his temper is that day. After a half hour I hand him over and enjoy those two youngsters playing around.

She learns alot riding different schoolmasters. One session on a GP stallion of a friend learned her more than a year ridinglessons.

She found it very fustrating that her pony wouldn't go in passage like she did with that horse. Poor pony... :D
 
having just sold my 6yr old little sisters first pony, and struggling to find a suitable gelding at the moment, she is currently going between riding her old pony untill she goes to her new home, so untill we find her a new pony she's currently riding both taz and bruce, taz being the one in the photo at 17hhs only walks him though, and bruce being 14.2 who she will happily walk trot and canter on the lunge and walk and trot by herself
MollyonTaz.jpg
 
My 11 YO son is far safer on the approx 15hh Welsh sect D that lives with us than on his own 13hh sect B, he's also had lunge lessons on my 17hh warmblood when he was aged 9, due to having nothing else for him to sit on at the time and jumped a friends 15hh horse last summer.
I think it definitely down to the temperament of the animal and whether the child in question feels secure and confident on it
 
My daughter is 5 and I had had her on a 15hh cob (on the lead rein) from our yard in the school the other day as learning to rise to the trot on her 11hh Sec A is impossible as his legs move so quickly, yet having a trot on a lazy cob gave her time to 'get' what she needs to do.

As a tiny 9 year old I learnt to ride on a 15.2hh and then went back to 12hh when i was ride to have my own.
 
I think there is nothing wrong as long as you fully trust your horse/pony and you supervise the younger children.

here is a picture of my 7 year old on my 14hh welsh cob! give it a few more years and i will have lost my pony for good!

DSCF3187.jpg
 
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I used to ride out on my own on mums pony when i was little (she was just broken 5 year old, im 10 in that picture i think, riding fairly short lol)

you cant really draw a line, she was and is 100% in traffic, and i had my head screwed on and could deal with traffic and stuff and was confident.
I started on an 11.2 pony, then straight onto her (14.2 ish) without a wobble
there is however a difference between "sitting on", and riding. (goes for adults aswell tbh)
this is sitting on (he was crackers the things your parents do eh)


The black mare is my main ride (nearly 10 years on, makes me feel old :o), im also downgraded to a 13.2 lol
 
Hmmm. I have to say, i'm in two minds over this.

As a person who has been 5'6" since I was nine years old, I used to work for rides and when I was ten years old I used to exercise the yard owners 18hh Cleveland Bay in lessons she was giving. Yes, I felt overhorsed. Even a 16.2 I felt overhorsed but if that's what was made available to me, I'd ride it.

But to be honest, you cannot beat the experience a quick, sharp-witted, stubborn little barstewarding fluff of a pony can give you. Keep on them ponies as long as you can as it's invaluable!
 
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I'm in two minds too.

There is nothing wrong with a child riding big horses if they are safe on that horse, and indeed half the 14 yr olds at our pony club are on huge horses. I do feel that they should be on ponies and things that fit them for as long as possible. They can't do gymkhana games or have as much fun at camp etc on a huge horse... Most of them can't get on the things if they fall off - although more kids fall off naughty ponies than horses!

That said, I have a 13yr old stepson who is nearly as tall as me, and is desperately growing out of his 13.2 cob (despite him being lightweight - I'm not keen on really long legs on ponies as they learn to raise their heals when riding!). So we have said that he can have another summer on the 13.2, and he can start riding my 16h mare for rallies and in the school to get used to the changeover. My husband's 17h hunter is the final target, as my husband doesn't ride a lot, but at the moment he is a bit young and cheeky, so while my stepson rides him sometimes, I want to do more work with him first! My mare is sharper but more honest. Hopefully the transitiion will go ok as his 13.2 is forward anyway! Would love to have an "inbetween" horse, but can't really justify it in time or money!
 
See i'm the complete opposite! Always preferred my ponies! i was on 13.2hh's foe ages, and i was a stick either so didnt have that excuse, even now i would choose a cobby pony over a horse!
 
Funny though as a lots in the perception. My 13 rising 14 yr old son is slightly taller than me, his main ride is a whizzy sharp little games pony, does everything at a 100 miles an hour. I happily let him do what he likes in the school but if he is riding my 14.2 10000 times saner and safer mare, I am out there keeping an eye out in case of problems.
Stupid as he rides just as well as me (lot braver!) just me being a wussy mum :)
 
naza said:
See i'm the complete opposite! Always preferred my ponies! i was on 13.2hh's foe ages, and i was a stick either so didnt have that excuse, even now i would choose a cobby pony over a horse!
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Exactly this!
I love the little ponies!
I'm 15 and only 5ft, but I love being the one people come to on the yard when there daughters little pony is being stubborn! :D
I have a 14.2hh now, but also have rode some 11hh ponies and not looked huge on them and I have also rode bigger horses but didnt feel comfortable, I wasnt scared, I just prefer sharp, forward going, naughty ponies than huge, long strided horses!
Me and my friend often talk about how different it is to ride a naughty little pony to a big naughty horse. I could ride a bucking, rearing napping pony all day long but couldnt stand a horse like that!
 
When i was 11/12 i used to compete my mums warmblood X showjumping and went BS affiliated at 12/13 on him i won alot of money on him aswell. Ive got pictures when he was clearly to big height wise jumping jumps the size of me at shows, and i used to win loads aswell. TBH he was completly sane either but as a rider i could completly handle him and never had any problems controling him, my mum wouldnt jump him as she was a nervous jumper. I think it used to scare the hell out of espeacailly in jump offs. But as i did so well she used to let me get on with it. I do think it depends of rider capabilites and horse ect. Rather than the correct size for the child, I have a 7 year old now and would sooner see her on a bigger safe horse than a smaller mad type pony.
 
Some great pics of kids on their mums horses !

Seems the general consensus is not a problem if said horse is safe and sound for the child to ride.

And glad to see I'm not the only one, I think my daughter will learn an awful lot from riding Billy, yes she's overhorsed but she has to actually ride him. Her 13.2hh is shockingly well behaved for a pony, forward going and 100% willing. They look great together, but how much do you learn when all you have to do is steer and point them in the right direction.
She's been fantastic for her confidence, but she will learn so much more riding her new 14.2hh, she has to actually think about what she's doing and actively ride him forwards x
 
Riding horses and riding ponies are totally different I find - I've only met two horses that could be ridden both like a pony and like a horse! If you're lucky enough to do both then it's a great learning experience, and lots of people due to weight/height will lose that option as adults. If you're responsible about the nature of the horse (as the ground's further away and there's more power/weight to rebel with) then it's a privilege. I've never been sure about the term being 'over-horsed'...
 
As people above have aid, it depends on the horse. My small 12yo has a 13:2 pony (which she has at last grown into) but sometimes rides my 15:2 mare. As does her 8yo sister. My mare can be quite sharp but seems to take extra care when she has someone small on board. I'd be happy enough for them to hack on her (with me walking alongside) but I'm not sure about pony club etc.
 
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