No kids at yards

[sidesaddlegirl]

Why aren't kids allowed at yards? I'm hoping to take on my friends horse on loan with option to buy in the future but can't find anywhere nearby to keep her that allows kids!

My boy is only 7 so he can't stay home by himself yet and to be frank, I don't want to kill his interest in horses by leaving him in daycare during his school holidays whie I'm off riding as it's rare enough for boys to be into horses as it is!

At the stable where I would LOVE to board at, I think they have had problems with nightmare kids in the past which is why they have the no kids rule but my boy is not like that! He has been around horses since he was 4, helps me bring in my loan pony in as well as the other ponies, helps me with the feed, mucking out and knows how to behave around horses. When I go out on hacks, he comes on his bike (he doesn't feel confident enough to ride out on his own yet).

I can't keep my potential loan horsie where Sen is as there are already 4 in that field so there wouldn't be enough room.

It's so frustrating as I don't drive and I have no one to watch my son.

Thanks for listening to my rant if you've made it this far

 

[TicTac]

Unfortunately to a degree I can understand where the YO is coming from. There is nothing worse than going to the yard after a hard day at work to have some peace and quiet with your horse and having a load of silly kids in your face . ( I'm not anti children but mine have grown up now so bin there!!!)! However is does seem a shame to tar them all with the same brush as there are also alot of pain in the a**e adults too!

Can you not find a riding school near you that do livery as well? That might suits your needs a bit more. Good luck!

 

[Fudgiefoo]

Some yards do allow kids.

Mine does but TBH its a pain for me. I can't have my youngster in certain field groups in case he hurts a kid. Yet he's the sweetest boy but just wants to be in your pocket all the time.

Keep looking there must be one out there.

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

The big problem is that I don't drive. There is a riding school in the same borough that would take liveries but the council stopped the bus route to it last year (even then, the bus only came once an hour) and it would take me an hour and a half to walk to it.

I have loads of yards nearby within walking distance but no kids allowed!

I know, I hate screaming annoying kids too but it's just not fair for those kids with "horse sense"

 

[dawnpetenathshir]

It's a shame that some people who can't control their children ruin it for people like yourself and your son. I'm sure you'll find somewhere good luck xxx

 

[eoe]

We allow children on our yard, but they must be supervised or in a push chair and not allowed to run around near the horses and not allowed to shout and scream unless they are hurt, I know some kids can be unruley but if you get the yard manager to explain the rules etc to the children they generally understand and can be very helpful. Why don't you try talking to the Yard Manager and explaining it and see if they will let you take your child down on a trial basis he can go out with you on a push bike, when you hack out and it might make them see children are not all bad. This from someone who has no children.

 

[PennyJ]

It's a right pain and luckily something I've not come across, it doesn't seem to be that common down here. However I fully understand where they are coming from - there are some truly foul kids around (who must get their unpleasantness from "somewhere"). I speak as the mother of 2 girls aged 13 and 14. We have the most appalling 15 year old girl on our yard, the attitude is unbelievable - so rude and she thinks she knows it all. Kids like her spoil it for the nice polite helpful ones. Also I would never dream of letting my girls run wild up at the yard - unfortunately it would appear a lot of other parents don't feel the same way.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Go get your driving test done

I also understand your pain , My oldest is 7, near 8 and he is exactly like you say, hes horse wise and knows how to behave around horses , even my 3 year old does .

t isn't nice to tar all kids with the same brush

 

[mickey]

There are lots of kids at the yard I keep my horse, because part of the business is that the owner gives lessons on cobs to kids coming into the yard.
I have been concerned about safety because my horse likes to barr his teeth over the stable door. I have clear signs on his door saying stay away and do not feed treats. People seem to abide by this.
I haven't really had any issues with the kids, but then again they just come in and out of the yard for lessons, and are not liveries themselves, or with adults that are liveries. They do not generally come into the barn where the liveries are stabled.
I wonder how the legal side works in terms of the yard's responsibility? Or the owner's for that matter? (I guess it is 3rd party liability).
Personally I would definitely draw up a list of rules if it were my yard.

 

[bushbaby28]

i see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed as long as under supervision.

we have had problems at our yard with unsupervised kids messing around and i don't know if insurance is a problem as kids can mess around by the horses and climb muck heaps and things. we've had kids at our yard running around playing with lunge whips and u can guess how the horses love that!!

can you talk to your YO and see if they will reconsider? let them meet your son etc?

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Im sorry I have to laugh at the comment the above poster made about kids not aloud to shout or scream unless they are hurt , Okies far enough but to tell a child they have to be quiet is a job on its own .

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

LOL! I had my driving lesson today and my instructor said that my "observation is improving", LOL, so I guess that's good.

In the meantime, I may have to learn to ride a push bike for stables further afield!
I saw a nice bike at Decathlon the other day too.

I did tell the YO about my son and how he helps out, etc and she said that she would talk to her husband about it but that if she bent the rules for me, then she would have to bend them for others (obviously for those who have the unruly kids!). She said she's get back to me last night but so far no word.

Some of the kids in my son's class I would NEVER bring near a horse, they are just wild. Those kids I can understand barring from yards!

There should be a "horse-kid" test that kids have to pass if they are to be allowed onto a yard

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I think yards tend to specialise either in youngsters horses or adults, and if adult very often experience has led them to say no kids.

Our old yard used to allow kids, and they werent bad kids, but even good kids get bored when parents or sibling is riding. So the horses got fed poisonous stuff or stones put in their water buckets, or loads of sweets waved at them to make them kick the door, or spooking the young horses by running and screaming up the yard.

All harmless kids stuff but everyone felt that they were having to watch out all the time in case kid came a cropper, and TBH that was what they came to the yard to get away from and why they left their own kids at home.

 

[Flibble]

I think you are suffering from the effects of the sort of parents that believe others should put up with their uncontrolled kids. There is a tendency for some to treat it as a day nursery and Yes I am someone who finds yards with no kids appealing.

There is quite a heavy burden for YO's when kids run riot and you have to peel them off tractors and constantly tell them that the hay barn is not a play area.

I had a nasty accident when Mummys bored litte boys brought their football and used the side of the school as a golapost as I rode past.

 

[Maisy]

I have 4 kids, and am always worried that they wont be accepted on yards. Luckily they always have been, but I find it quite stressful taking them with me, as I have to always have an eye on what they are doing! My kids are well behaved, but still, I can see them being too noisy or irritating for other liveries even on best behaviour when they aren't doing anything but talking/laughing etc.......

Personally, I can quite understand some yards wanting to be adult only!!

Luckily now, I rent a self enclosed yard, so I no longer have to worry!!

 

[Flame_]

NO KIDS. The best rule a yard can possibly have.

 

[Gorgeous George]

our yard is all adult owners, but children are allowed to come up so long as they are supervised which is a good job as my neice would be gutted if she couldn't see and ride George. I think George would be gutted too as she always brings him lots of hugs and goodies!

 

[PnO]

I keep my horse on a yard with only two other horses, both of those are owned by mothers with children, they are all aged between 12 and 3 and are always running around the yard and the farm, they love playing in the hay. I child mind in the week for one of the mothers who is a good friend so in the week i only have the 3 year old as the others are at school. When i have her we walk up and get them in, she often sits on there backs with me leading and no saddle, just a piece of mane to hold on to or she likes to lead one in, my horse is a 15.2hh TB so is quite big for a 3 year old but is very well behaved. The YO loves that the children are around, her husband who is old and grumpy very occasionally shouts at them but just wonders of and does his stuff - sometime he won't even say hello when we say hello (but he's old so we just ignore him lol) they have never said anything about the children riding or leading and helping around the yard. I think it's a great thing to encourage children who like horses and at the same time they learn to stay safe and not do stupid things - the other mothers who's children are abit older like 12, 9 and 5 havn't been around horses much and do silly things, the 3 year old knows more!! It's the same with dogs though, some people don't like dogs on a yard, we have both dogs and children!

 

[Silverspring]

[ QUOTE ]
NO KIDS. The best rule a yard can possibly have.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed! I pay too much money to keep my horse at livery to have to tolerate any children at the yard, your kid might not be a little terror but many are and even if they don't run screaming around the horses most of them have a tendancy to follow people around asking annoying questions.

We have a no children rule at our yard, some people bring babies up but only for 10 minutes at a time and one woamn flaunts the rule by bringing kids and leaving them in the car

 

[Mavis]

Children are allowed at my yard, which is good as I have one but bad because not everyone is aware of how irritating their children are. Actually there is only one other person with children and she is irritating enough without the added iritation of her hideous children.

I rarely take my little 3yo boy to the yard, and if I let him out of the car, it is usually if there is just the YM there and she loves giving him lots of useful jobs to do. I wont tolerate shouting or running. The other inhabitant brings her horrid kids down all the time - they run about with kites on the banks of the school, empty my coffee out before Ive even had one hard earned sip (

Im still p***ed off about this!), deliberately spook the horses and generally get in the way. I wouldnt be able to cope on a yard with a no children rule because there are always days when I have to bring my child with me; but I really wish that other people were more aware of their childrens' behaviour - they would be very quick to berate me if my horse stood on their precious child.

 

[MooMoo]

I dont see why they cant allow WELL BEHAVED children!! lol. If they cant behave then the YO could just say they either start behaving or they wont be allowed on the yard. Simple as.

Might not be a very nice thing to do. I work in a clothes shop and its bad enough. Once a little kid went in another person's fiiting room - thank god the lady was nice n just laughed. eek!

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

I can see everyone's points (even the NO KIDS ones) but unfortunately, I have a horse and a kid and nowhere to keep either! Plus now my son was saying today that he's like to have his own pony so he could join pony club!!

Just wish I wasn't so thick when it came to my driving lessons. Have had 40+ lessons and still am rubbish. That's what happens when you learn to drive in your 30's and not when your 17!

 

[YorksG]

My mare suffered a fairly horrible head injury, which could have been much worse, as a result of children on a yard. Said children turned up with mother, then ran screaming down the yard, to look at 'their' horse

ie mine!!!!!! Waving their arms and screaming, my mare jerked her head up and cracked it on the stone lintle. We now have the horses at home and there are no children on the yard, any that visit with their parents are steered well away from causing harm.

 

[Ashkadog]

I fully understand the no kids rule. I was one of those people who kids used to irritate the hell of until I had one! He is now 3 and I do try to leave him at home with the OH as much as possible but sometimes he needs to come with me and I dont want him not to be a part of this part of my life and miss out on all the country life. He loves coming up and helping me mix the feeds and having a sit on tractor even though it takes me twice as long to do everything but I think that with proper supervison it shouldnt be a problem. I am the only one at the yard with a child and I get very concious of trying to keep him out of the way of the others when they are there.

 

[RobinHood]

My yard has a better rule, no adults! They are only allowed if they have children on the yard

 

[sidesaddlegirl]

It's hard for me too as I've got no family over here to help me. All my family lives in Canada, my OH works full time and so does his family. If my mum were here, she'd love to watch my son. My two best friends live in Lincoln and Hoddesdon (Herts) so they can't even help me watch him either.

I know there isn't any real answer for me but I just needed to vent tonight as I'm just feeling really frustrated as I'm so close to getting my own horse but have all these flippin' barriers in my way. I'm not getting any younger and am sick of waiting!!

 

[Smash]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont see why they cant allow WELL BEHAVED children!! lol. If they cant behave then the YO could just say they either start behaving or they wont be allowed on the yard. Simple as.

[/ QUOTE ]

How many parents are open to hearing that their children are badly behaved nuisances? Is a yard owners job not difficult enough already rather then having to confront people about their ill mannered kids?

No kids? Bliss.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
NO KIDS. The best rule a yard can possibly have.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed! I pay too much money to keep my horse at livery to have to tolerate any children at the yard, your kid might not be a little terror but many are and even if they don't run screaming around the horses most of them have a tendancy to follow people around asking annoying questions.

We have a no children rule at our yard, some people bring babies up but only for 10 minutes at a time and one woamn flaunts the rule by bringing kids and leaving them in the car

[/ QUOTE ]

I pay my share of livery money like any other . I chose to have kids and I also chose to have horses , Luckily enough I keep my horses on a yard that is allowed kids , My boys are with me at the yard majority of the times , They come with me everywhere I go around the yard and DO not leave my side .

If Im going across the field to leave missy out , they boys stay in the car and watch a dvd .
My kids are well behaved and Im sure if it wasn't for them missy wouldn't be half as laid back , what with all the screaming and noise that they make

 

[almorton]

i have a no kids policy, simply because of the risk. it doesnt matter if you have disclaimers up left right and centre, if a kid gets hurt, you get sued as YO, under 3rd party or care, custody and control liabiity. my insurance is literally thousands a year as it is. even with the best parenting, a child is smaller and less likely to be seen by a horse. kicks are more likely to land a more severe blow. saying that, we have a number of colts and competition horses on so it is more risky here. plus, you are in the hands of others. i hate to say it, but there are some incompetent people out there who cant lead / catch / control their horses, so it might not be your kid that causes an accident, they may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. i would love to have a couple of good kids on to learn and help. but sadly in this day and age its just to risky.

 

[toffeesmarty]

Our YO actively encourages children as he sees them as the future. (TBH the ponies are a good earner too LOL). Generally they all ride together and even when not at the yard spend most of their time together.
They ride bareback from the field and in the holidays we put on rides, treasure hunts and even mini shows for them.
The children work hard but have fun too. Newbies to the yard have to accept the children (who are mostly sons and daughters of parents with horses at livery) are part of the place and if they don't like it - it won't be the place for them. We have very little trouble and us parents can relax whilst the kids are off enjoying themselves- including the brothers and sisters who don't ride who find a corner to play in without harming anyone or themselves.
If it wasn't for yards like ours I don't know what we'd do. Kids have to start somewhere!