Mothers, do you find this forum refreshing and odd?

[bluewhippet]

I have 2 young school age children and have recently re-entered the horse world - buying my first horse - after a very long gap from riding.

I love my horse, love riding, and really enjoy this forum - which has helped me so much in the last year. But I was thinking how far removed I felt from the lives of others on here (or the way they present themselves) and then I realised the reason:

Children (human children) are of very little interest or importance on here. In the rest of my life, everyone talks non-stop about their children: their health, education, personalities etc; and all of life revolves round them. But, on here, for instance, the other night, a mother was told off for wanting to return a badly behaved pony that had bolted on the road because she had only had it 2 weeks! Anywhere else the mother would have been told off if she hadn't swapped the animal for a safer model!

It really does feel like a holiday on here...

 

[mulledwhine]

Welcome, I am also the mother to a small child ( just turned 6) I know what you mean

It is refreshing until I become a proud mummy and post pictures

 

[tinap]

I have 3 teens - It is refreshing although I sometimes feel a bit of a fraud & like I don't really fit in as I don't ride, its my daughter that does so all my experience is from her ponies!!

 

[bluewhippet]

I was very very relieved when my daughter was too scared to come off the leading rein. I really didn't want to be a pony club mother (I know someone who pays a friend to take her daughter to pony club!). And having wanted a pony all my life, I would have had to have found some way to buy one for my children..

 

[legaldancer]

I was very very relieved when my daughter was too scared to come off the leading rein. I really didn't want to be a pony club mother (I know someone who pays a friend to take her daughter to pony club!). And having wanted a pony all my life, I would have had to have found some way to buy one for my children..

Being a Pony Club mum is great! I love our pony as much as my horse, and nothing beats seeing your child on a pony enjoying themselves. Not all Pony Club mums are the same, no different to the different types of mum you meet at the school gate. Also, it's a great excuse to buy ponies!

 

[bluewhippet]

Sorry to stereotype Pony club Mums.

And I would love the ponies, yes.

 

[tinap]

Hehe I love being a pc mum too I'm a bit of a rough one to be fair though

 

[xxMozlarxx]

Being a Pony Club mum is great! I love our pony as much as my horse, and nothing beats seeing your child on a pony enjoying themselves. Not all Pony Club mums are the same, no different to the different types of mum you meet at the school gate. Also, it's a great excuse to buy ponies!

I enjoyed being a pony club Mum purely as I enjoyed watching my nervous daughter still at 16 riding our 14.1 pony and getting something out of it, we weren't typical by any means but not all PC kids want to compete at high levels and I guess we challenged that concept of moving off ponies etc. It was also living through her, I would have died for that experience as a kid and am determined to find an adult camp before I get too old!,

 

[bluewhippet]

I think I really appreciate the fact that riding is my childish passion and is definitely not a motherly activity. So I am still very glad (especially financially) that my children are not showing fear and not interest.

My horse is just the sort of horse I would have wanted as a child - Arab, unschooled idiot horse - and I am fulfilling my dreams away from middle-aged motherhood!

 

[flirtygerty]

I am also returning to horses after a long spell away,
because of financial reasons, I never lost my love of
horses, both my grown up daughters show an interest,
the youngest having our mare with her down south.
I can't wait for my 18 month old grandson to grow a bit,
so I can get him a pony, although he has sat on my lad,
held by his grandad.
This site is a mine of useful information, i find it addictive

 

[bumblelion]

I'm a mother to my 18 month old daughter and enjoy coming on here for my horsey fix! Iv got 2 horses myself who are currently kept at home so I don't get to chat horse with anyone! It's all babies and children with my friends! They find it rather weird when my daughter mounts the tiny tike seesaws, bobbing up and down, clicking away! And when I showed them a picture of her sat up on my tb exracer, well let's just say it was priceless!!

 

[ausipaliboi]

This is a normal morning in my little part of the world:

21mth old daughter wakes up, has her drink of milk
Toast for daughter, coffee for me
Daddy gives us both a kiss and goes to work,
I make a second cup of coffee while the computer boots up and then I am straight onto HHO

Don't know what I would do without my fix. Weekends are harder but I always manage to sneak in at least half an hour while husband and child are entertained elsewhere

I have also found the forum great for my self esteem. I see so many stories and photos of people of all types and it helps me remember that outside of being a 24/7 mother and housewife I am also my very own person.

Speaking of being a mother, my daughter just walked in, pointed at me and said mummy no!

Off to get her another piece of toast!

 

[TheoryX1]

I find it really refreshing, as there are all sorts on here, from teenagers to grannies. I am a PC mum, and we are not all the same. I 'm also a PC branch secretary and we do have a few PC mummies, if you understand what I mean - every branch has them, not matter what you get told. I ride as well, and we both have our own horses. My daughter is nearly 17 and has grown up with horses. I had a long horsey break and came back a few years ago, it never left me.

My daughter events to a decent level and is a nice little rider, and its lovely to have a shared interest. I know a lot of horsey mums of a 'certain age' who ride as well as their offspring, and have a great social life as a consequence. Our yard has a mixture of riders, most of them mums that ride, along with the event riders, dressage divas and happy hackers.

I say long may the horsey life continue. I suspect I will be one of those very, very old ladies mounted on a smart cob you see at every hunt meet, who urges you to kick on, hold on lovey, while swigging the contents of a large hip flask, and showing you a clean pair of heels.

 

[xxMozlarxx]

I find it really refreshing, as there are all sorts on here, from teenagers to grannies. I am a PC mum, and we are not all the same. I 'm also a PC branch secretary and we do have a few PC mummies, if you understand what I mean - every branch has them, not matter what you get told. I ride as well, and we both have our own horses. My daughter is nearly 17 and has grown up with horses. I had a long horsey break and came back a few years ago, it never left me.

My daughter events to a decent level and is a nice little rider, and its lovely to have a shared interest. I know a lot of horsey mums of a 'certain age' who ride as well as their offspring, and have a great social life as a consequence. Our yard has a mixture of riders, most of them mums that ride, along with the event riders, dressage divas and happy hackers.

I say long may the horsey life continue. I suspect I will be one of those very
, very old ladies mounted on a smart cob you see at every hunt meet, who urges you to kick on, hold on lovey, while swigging the contents of a large hip
flask, and showing you a clean pair of heels.

I definitely intend to be one of those...already have the flask. Daughter would have a quick sip at her very last camp for her nerves...but don't tell anyone!!

 

[Venevidivici]

I am the only mother at school (certainly in the infant school anyway) who rides. The other mums seem to find it both fascinating and funny...not sure why? Some of them rode as a child but not now. Quite a few of the daughters have riding lessons tho. When I pick-up/drop-off in my jods&boots etc,some of them will say almost in amazement 'Ooh,have you been on your horse?!?' Er...yes! That tends to be what you do with them and I'm not dressed in this stinky,unflattering gear for a laugh...

 

[xxMozlarxx]

And now granddaughter and her mother..my older daughter have their own horses..it's a family affair!,

 

[measles]

Being a Pony Club mum is great! I love our pony as much as my horse, and nothing beats seeing your child on a pony enjoying themselves. Not all Pony Club mums are the same, no different to the different types of mum you meet at the school gate. Also, it's a great excuse to buy ponies!

This ^^^^^!

 

[Alphamare]

Well it is a horse forum! Not a parenting forum. Some people mention their kids but why would thy treat this like a parenting forum when it's about horses!!! Many people on here don't have kids, people talk about what they have in common. The title of the forum is a huge give away! If all the threads were about kids I'd certainly be gone.

 

[Lexie81]

At least half the mums at my daughters tiny village school are horsey so dropping off in my filthy jeep doesn't raise any eyebrows! We ride together all the time and its great! My daughter does some PC stuff including camp, its great for her and the other mums are mostly lovely.
I like coming on here for info and just to read about other peoples horses, I love my daughter but to be honest I am surrounded by kids 24\7 as I work with kids too so its a nice escape to talk about something totally different!

 

[quirky]

Well it is a horse forum! Not a parenting forum. Some people mention their kids but why would thy treat this like a parenting forum when it's about horses!!! Many people on here don't have kids, people talk about what they have in common. The title of the forum is a huge give away! If all the threads were about kids I'd certainly be gone.

What a bizarre response .

Op - As a mother myself, I manage to avoid the 'my child can recite the arabic alphabet in their sleep' type of Mum and my girls aren't overly interested in the horseback, so I get a nice chunk of horse time .
Try and avoid the rare 'I hate kids' threads as the vehemance that some users hate children is quite shocking .

 

[ausipaliboi]

Quirky - you said that in a far more PC manner than I would have

 

[ArcticIce]

Well it is a horse forum! Not a parenting forum. Some people mention their kids but why would thy treat this like a parenting forum when it's about horses!!! Many people on here don't have kids, people talk about what they have in common. The title of the forum is a huge give away! If all the threads were about kids I'd certainly be gone.

Usually HHO is refreshing but sometimes it's typical.. see response above..

 

[nikicb]

Well it is a horse forum! Not a parenting forum. Some people mention their kids but why would thy treat this like a parenting forum when it's about horses!!! Many people on here don't have kids, people talk about what they have in common. The title of the forum is a huge give away! If all the threads were about kids I'd certainly be gone.

How strange. If I was that anti children I probably would have skipped over this thread and not bothered posting.

Anyway, yes OP it's good here. Just because you are a mother doesn't mean that the other parts of your life aren't important too. I like the fact that not only do I get my horse fix, I also get to see different people's opinions on a whole range of subjects. It also helps to see that however badly your day is going there is often someone having a worse time which puts everything into perspective.

ETA I wouldn't be seen dead on Mumsnet.

 

[Tillypup]

Usually HHO is refreshing but sometimes it's typical.. see response above..

As a reminder to all those child haters out there, our children are the ones that will be loking after them in their old age so perhaps it does pay to be nice!!

 

[lizziegoos]

As a reminder to all those child haters out there, our children are the ones that will be loking after them in their old age so perhaps it does pay to be nice!!

This.I really enjoy reading diffrent threads/posts on this site.I have a 22 mth old son who is already booked in to ride on his birthday at my RS.I rode from 2 yr old.I race,show my dogs,ride twice a week,f/t housewife & OHs family own a racehorse so we attend plenty of horse meetings/shows.In racing dog world every man & woman I have met really enjoy having their children involved in the sport.In the horsey world I have met alot of child haters but what makes me laugh is they forget they also once were children.