Minimum ages

[JessPickle]

At the riding school where pickle is on working livery the current minimum age to ride is 5 years old (allthough a new 11hh pony may mean it can be reduced) today someone came up inquiring about rides with a 2.5 year old, when i told them the age limit they said but all it involve sit putting a child on a pony! what is the usual age limit in riding schools?

xjessx

 

[rrose]

not sure, but i think it is around 5 years because of insurance policies.

 

[_jetset_]

This just made me remember another incident like this, although it was nothing to do with horses. I was having my nails done and a man came in and asked whether they did acrylics on an 11 year olf! What the hell would an 11 year old want extentions on her nails for? Obviously the place said no, their age limit is 16!

I don't understand why some people want to push their children into doing things. I can understand why someone who has horses would put their young child (like the one you are talking about) on their own horse or one on the yard and walk them around as I have done it with a fellow liveries with me on the horse and she loved it. But paying for them to just sit on a horse and pay for an instructor just seems crazy... after all they wouldn't understand a thing being said to them really.

 

[rrose]

i agree with you there. its bang out of order. why risk it and push the kid into things like that. thank god for age limits.

 

[Cheesey2983]

Ours is 6

 

[Frazer]

Hello! Some riding schools are allowed to teach under 4 years old
Quote
" We are one of only a handful of schools in the country judged to be safe enough to teach children under four years of age. " taken from Callum Parks Website

 

[Snowberry]

I always thought it was 3yrs old??? They can compete at most shows when they are over 3yrs old.
I think pony club is 4yrs but have absolutely no idea about any riding schools??

 

[Twinkle Twinkle]

at the riding school were my pony is kept they only take 5 years and upwards.

 

[JessPickle]

[ QUOTE ]
I always thought it was 3yrs old??? They can compete at most shows when they are over 3yrs old.
I think pony club is 4yrs but have absolutely no idea about any riding schools??

[/ QUOTE ]

I think they can only compete etc ride that young when they have there own pony/ loan one.

 

[JaneMBE]

Ours is 5 years because of insurance policy.
We can allow under 5's to have a pony ride at open days or events however.
Someone near us does have 3 year olds riding but I don't know about their insurance policy.
We have two 11 hand ponies but it dosn't mean we can allow under 5's to ride. I wouldn't want it any other way, the responsibilty is too much!

 

[JessPickle]

[ QUOTE ]
Ours is 5 years because of insurance policy.
We can allow under 5's to have a pony ride at open days or events however.
Someone near us does have 3 year olds riding but I don't know about their insurance policy.


[/ QUOTE ]

yeah there is a place near us they let 2 year olds ride! I expect they have NO insurance at all!

 

[Onyxia]

The RS I worked at started lessons at about 5 but did offer "tiny tot" rides,basicley being led around the yard for 20 mins.
A lot of parents with an older child loved them, they could give the younger child something to do and the little ones seeme to enjoy it too.

 

[giggles mum]

at ours it used to be 2 1/2 but that was too hard to enforce and too low generally, so it's now three. You still get a few who lie!

 

[helenandshadow]

my old livery yard, which was also a riding school, had an age limit of 4 years due to insurance policies i think.

 

[JessPickle]

[ QUOTE ]
at ours it used to be 2 1/2 but that was too hard to enforce and too low generally, so it's now three. You still get a few who lie!

[/ QUOTE ]

woah how do they insure for that

 

[giggles mum]

That was part of the reason they changed it to 3. As far as I know, there are no insurance problems with taking 3 year olds. The sort of ride the 3 year olds do is similar to a pony ride, they are hardly taught at all, just do round the world, touch ponies' ears, tail etc and have a tiny trot if they want.