Kids & viewing horses?

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navaho

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If you were going to view a horse would you take your small children with you?

I only ask as today we had a viewing on our cob gelding, nice enough lady but came in tow with her 3 small children. Now dont get me wrong, ive got my own kids so i do know how difficult it can be, but honest to God these kids didnt stop! Firstly they seem to have no clue how to behave around horses, running right up behind our cob, one of them had no shoes on & i was convinced they were going to end up with amputated toes.
I did end up shouting at them at one point as they were intent on helping my guinea pigs make a bid for freedom, then somehow the smallest one ended up in with my chickens, ive no idea how, but bearing in mind she was only about 2 & i have 2 very large Orpington cockerels it really wasnt the best situation. Thankfully they discovered my kids trampoline so that occupied them about a 5 mins. Mum then wanted to take the cob up the road, which was fine apart from the fact the smallest one was screaming its head off (i palmed that one off on one of my kids) & then the other 2 insisted on going with mum on foot (still no shoes), which meant i had to go along & supervise them as neither of them could have been older than 5 or 6.
Oh my days, what a viewing, was quite relieved when they left to be honest. Maybe im just getting grumpy in my old age :)
 
She sounds like an idiot tbh. I have taken my daughter to viewings, quite a few as I go along as second opinion for others. But, she knows exactly how to behave round horses, animals, & in general public situations. I can understand the logic in that if you often do the horse with kids in tow you'd need to see it was safe with them. But no horse is safe with out of control kids. I don't think kids even need to really understand horses to be safe around them, daughters got well behaved, non horsey friends who have no issue understanding instructions like where they can & can't go, & how to behave round them. Woman just sounds like she should sort her dodgy parenting skills before throwing a horse into the mix.
 
I wouldn't take my kids to a viewing unless it was absolutely necessary and mine are older and know how to behave around horses but you can never guarantee the horse you are viewing is 'childproof' or even that it's good on the ground.
 
I would be thinking that this woman probably is not the best new home for your horse. Did I read this correctly that the children didn't have shoes? and while I agree that 3 young children are a massive handful, but to leave them to effectively fend for themselves is not acceptable! if she can treat her own children like that, how sure can you be she would look after the horse?

Never had an issue with people bringing friends or family with them when viewing a horse, I did expect to be introduced and that the others would behave and never ever had a problem. I have had more issues with people who bring their dogs with them, see there are dogs on the yard and think its alright to let theirs out without asking.
 
The last thing I would want is a horse being branded a problem and returned (or worse sold on) because he had given one of the kids a clout

Horrible viewing and no they shouldn't bring tinies to a viewing but I would feel they had done me a favour in this situation - at least you got to see what they are like as a family before selling!
 
I would have asked her to leave them in the car and if that wasnt acceptable then I would have asked her to drive on through and not stop!

What an idiot of a women!!
 
It's the no shoes that bothers me most! Why would anyone think that is acceptable around a horse?! I wouldn't be against sensible kids coming to a viewing at all, but two two year olds can't be expected to fend for themselves while mummy goes off for a hack! The bit about somehow getting in with the chickens did make me laugh though. They definitely would have been better off in the car!
 
I had a similar thing when someone came to view my trailer last year - 3 kids, 2 without shoes (uncontrollable kids must find it hard to keep them on) they were all jumping up and down in my trailer as their parents kicked the tyres and picked it to pieces. Children then needed the toilet so mum takes them to have a pee next to MY car door in the middle of the car park on full view! Wouldn't have been so bad if they had bought the trailer but they left saying it wasn't what they were looking for ......? :rolleyes:
 
This would have made me mad. When the lady asked to go on the hack, I'd have said 'oh, but who will look after your children?' making clear that I had no intention of doing so - you know you'd catch it in the neck if anything happened to the little treasures. And I'd only have warned them once about the cockerels. It's ridiculous to not have control of your children on what amounts to a farmyard, where there are dangers around every corner. Crazy woman, wouldn't have sold to her!
 
why on earth would anyone leave thier small kids alone with someone they didnt know from adam while they bogged off down the road! For all she knew (probobly hoped) you could have been a child snatcher! Some people are mad! I dont have a proble with kids on viewings though even the unruly ones, my horses are used to mine! No shoes around chickens could have been a funny one though!
 
She wants to come back & take him for a hack without her kids, shame she didnt in the first place as first impressions are what count, though maybe it was a mixed blessing that she did bring them.
Our cob is for loan & safe to say after she left my partner said there was no way she was having him as he would be really worried that there would be an accident with the kids, & as one of you have already said we dont want him ending up being branded as dangerous. In fairness to the little cob he was great with the kids, seeing as how he had never met any before.
Thankfully the viewing we had in later in the day was a bit better...though the girl did get on on the wrong side lol.
 
I can understand bringing the kids if the horse is going to be around them lots but she probably should have had another adult with her to keep an eye on them. She sounds a little overwhelmed, maybe your cob will be her escape to sanity/me time kind of thing.

Someone once came to visit another livery with her kids in tow (to pet the ponies kind of thing) and everyone was chatting and not really paying attention. I noticed the littlest one (about 2-3) was actually hanging off my mare's tail at one point. She is a saint of a horse and never looked up from her haynet, but my heart was in my throat at that point I tell you!
 
I have taken my children along to all horses I've viewed since I've had them. But I've always had another adult with me and mine would never be allowed out without shoes! This family do sound like a nightmare, though.
 
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