My sister wants to bring her children to the yard........

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Grumpymoo

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Pointless post really. My sister just rang saying that my three nephews ages 2,4 and 6 want to come and see my horse :s

I love them to pieces but the yard is not really a child friendly place although I know the yard owner won't mind them being there as she has a baby of her own but I just don't fancy spending my only day I will get with my horse this weekend herding round my sisters kids and keeping them out of trouble!

I don't really know what she is expecting to do once they get here as its only a small yard so they will get in the way there and all the fields are electric fence so cannot let them run around one of the empty fields because I know they will get zapped. Although my boy is well behaved and stands quietly on the yard to be groomed etc I am not sure what his reaction will be to three little boys (one who is very rough with animals) running round him. I am stressed just thinking about it!! I don't feel happy about letting them sit on him/ride as he is not really suitible for that. :(

It would much easier if she would bring them up individually but as the yard is quite far out I know she will want to come up with them all and hang around!! I also have my share horse on that day to ride too!!! Help.

Any ideas what I can do with the children when they come up!?!
 
Tell her you asked and YO says no. It is your quality time and sounds like they would be difficult - not deliberately but it would be boring for 3 smalls.
 
Tie carrots to them and set them off running in your boys field.....

I'm not a fan of other peoples kids, even if I'm related to them!!

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Compromise: Go to yard & do what you need to do & arrange for sister to arrive around the time you have finished.
Then you can spend 15mins/ half an hour chatting & patting your horse & turning him out etc & then go off for lunch/afternoon tea locally to amuse the small children :)
 
Haha love the carrot idea and getting then to poo pick. I am not the most child friendly person around but it is sweet that they are taking an interest.

Think I will try and put her off this week and suggest they come up one eve when the yard is quiet and I have no riding to do. Then I can rope hubby in and she can leave the youngest at home so there should be enough of us to control the children and my horse!! X
 
Grumpymoo said:
Haha love the carrot idea and getting then to poo pick. I am not the most child friendly person around but it is sweet that they are taking an interest.

Think I will try and put her off this week and suggest they come up one eve when the yard is quiet and I have no riding to do. Then I can rope hubby in and she can leave the youngest at home so there should be enough of us to control the children and my horse!! X
Click to expand...

Or lock them in the tack room with old bits of tack... Water, saddle soap and rags... Job done:D
 
hahahahaha I read this post before looking at who'd written it and thought this person sounds just like me! then I realised it was you!! I'd personally let them get zapped by the fence, they won't want to come up again after that haha! xx
 
Haha Kerrie. I am going to send them over to your new yard so they can harras Jezza!! Hope you got them all moved ok.
 
I would suggest she comes up for 10 minutes, and they have strict instructions that they have to adhere to. She must understand that the yard is not a playground and keep them under control, and know that they can't have pony rides. Perhaps they could stroke him over a stable door and go in with you to help brush him one at a time (with the other two under your sister's close control).
If you say a time that is after you have done what you want/ need to do, you can say you must be away by x o'clock and then they have to leave with you and don't overstay their welcome ;)
I would rather have them up than not though, the more positive interactions with horses those 2 4 and 6 year old kids have the less likely they are to be boy racers razzing past future generations of riders on the roads ;)
 
no don't, hes scared enough of life as it is! seeing kids would prob tip him over the edge!

I've just come home my dad is still at work so I'm waiting for him to get back to move the horses, I don't have anything else to tow with, otherwise i'd have blagged my mum to sit with me! at this rate its going to be pitch black when we get there haha! been up there fencing it off as theres so much grass :)
 
Originally I would have said no way, but now I have a baby I feel a bit bad about previously feeling this way to nippers.
Try and tolerate them for as long as you can, but set a limit so you get to enjoy your time too, I think that's fair.
 
TFF's suggestion is spot on. If they are keen it is a shame to put them off. Save a few little jobs for them. Kids like washing buckets and filling the water buckets, stirring feeds, small amounts of poo picking etc. My nephew is great at helping and loves coming to see my totally unsuitable horse. He helps at shows too, it is great having someone who will willingly run the full length of the showring to get you a whip or whatever!

In fact he has started riding her now too.........
 
Oh no, your family want to come and take an interest in your hobby. How unreasonable of them.

Use the tips above, put on a happy face, believe you will have a fun visit & I'm sure you will have a ball.
 
On a tangent, some friends wanted to come and see our lambs, we both thought "why?" but when we made time for them to come, the genuine happiness in (particularly the lady's) their faces was so nice, that it made making time for them so worthwhile.

Sometimes it can be easy to resent someone encroaching on your special time - but sometime seeing your hobby through someone elses eyes, makes it all the sweeter.
 
I think going down to ride first is a good idea, also get any other things you like to be efficient at out of the way like mucking out (maybe leave one stable for them to help with I'm assuming you have more than one horse) have them arrive when you are untacking, then you can tell them about his tack and get them to hold things, hold the smaller ones up (or let mum hold them) and let them brush his shoulder/neck, making feeds is a good idea then you can tell them what food he has and let them touch it and stir it etc, honestly simple things will amuse them! As long as mum is aware and able to stop them running underneath him and round his back legs etc I should think they'll be fine. I had a 4 and 5 year old come and see my horse with their mums, just tied up at the field, they mostly just stood and looked and said isn't she pretty! My horse was pretty good actually, no prior experience with children either. It's good for them! Once you've done that you can put him in his stable and they can stand about and stroke him over the door while you sort any other horses out and then you can introduce them to those as well!

They're your family, maybe one day they'll grow up to be your mini grooms and have ponies themselves!

I wouldn't let them ride or anything, just tell them they're not old enough and let mum deal with that!
 
Golly....
Take a moment to think back to how excited you were when you first knew you were going to see a horsey.....
Take a moment to think how many friends your sister will have told how excited she is she is going to visit her sister and her horse and is taking the children....
Take a moment to feel how disappointed she will be if she is told she cannot come...and had to tell the small people that their treat has been cancelled.
Take the time to enjoy your sister and her small family coming to share the pride you have in your horse....and show off her and her family to the YO...
Take a bit of a picnic.....so they really enjoy their day....:)
Have a great time....
Best wishes
Bryndu
 
Why is it the only day you get with the horses? Over a bank holiday weekend?

My only hope for the OP is that when she has children the sister will be just as uncompromising.:D
 
As a YO with kids I was not exactly delighted when a livery decided to turn up with the extended family in tow. Just because I have kids does NOT mean that I want other people's children all over my yard! We had an extreme case with cousins, their friends, uncles, aunts and grandparents all over the place, arriving in multiple cars, blocking access to and from the yard and generally treating the place like a petting zoo including the assumption that my house was open for people to drop in and use the upstairs bathroom (we have an outside loo which I do allow people to use) as well as make themselves drinks etc in my kitchen.

I'd say check with your YO that she is happy for them to be on her yard, I hadn't minded the suggestion that the grandparents appeared but when the whole flipping entourage turned up and were in and out of my horses' stables, the pigstyes etc and treating my house like a cafe I was very very cross and upset.
 
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