Pony rides, has anyone used theirs for them?

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

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My son's school has their fete shortly and I've been asked whether I would take a pony. We have William's pony who is brill with kids etc but I just wondered if anyone else has done this before? I've said I'll think about it first of all. The school is covered by insurance so that wouldn't be a problem and I said I would have to have a time limit of a hour. They have a bigger pony going already so that can have the older kids.

I have a number of hats so that's ok but I'm undecided at present if it's something I should do with her or not. There's part of me that's saying do it, I was always thrilled to see a pony at local fetes when I was a kid and it's helping out the school. Then there's the other part that says April may not appreciate it and it may cheese her off. (She's been an angel when I've had my nieces/nephews and my son's friends up for rides before so not worried about her behaviour).

As I will trailer her there I can always just stop if I need to. I thought about doing a trial run just to the school. I checked with the head the other day to see if it was ok to pick William up via pony as he's been asking. I could test the water so to speak and see how she is in that environment. She's been to shows and been fine. I guess I'm just concerned as I've never done it before so any advice would be appreciated.
 
Hi, a tricky one!

I had a Shetland that I backed, he was fab, and when he went to his new owners (I had him for 3 years from 18 months old from a rescue charity) he went on to do pony rides at their children's school fair.

They said he loved it, there were other ponies and all was well. They must have enjoyed it as they did it several years running.

I would however be very careful with the school's insurance. For example, if you are fitting hats to children, I am guessing you are not a trained hat fitter?

I know that when using horses commercially I need an audit trail of what training each horse has had, the vet report to show no heart / eye issues etc etc. It is just to demonstrate that the pony is fit and trained to do the job.

Also enquire if there is an issue with the council and licencing as you are maybe acting as an unlicensed riding school? If money is being made off rides I wold also question business insurance for your car to tow the trailer?

I also would have loved pony rides at my school fair, and hope you get the legalities covered, a risk assessment written (not a long job but needs doing), and have a great time.
 
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Thanks for that. You're right, I'm not a trained hat fitter either, nor an instructor. As for risk assessments I used to have to write them and carry them out so that's no problem. The legalities would have to be discussed in further detail. I've had a few of the mums ask me in the past about whether I would teach their children and I've declined.

For me it's the insurance aspect, I have no qualifications and really that's what riding schools are for. I would never forgive myself if something happened. At the end of the day too, it's William's pony to ride. I don't mind the occasional ride etc but not on a regular basis.

We've only had her since last August so still getting to know her totally. One of her previous owners is coming to see her next Saturday (she had her for her daughter for nearly 3yrs) so I shall ask her for her opinion too.
 
We used to do pony rides for our village fete, but have given up. There were insurance strictures about every child having to have a hat that fitted them properly; and another which said that only the owner of the horse/pony could lead it; i.e. if you wanted to nip off to the loo or snatch a quick cream tea your friend/colleague couldn't take over from us. So we gave up.

It's so sad, and I resent it. We did it for years - pony trap rides too, with never an accident or a complaint. But nowadays b....y 'Elf & Safety puts paid to so many things.
 
I think the insurance etc issues need to be carefully considered. It's not the same as hiring a professional outfit that has all that in place already.

Also, will your son be okay with other kids from school riding his pony? (That is assuming the pony is! Have you had her out and about much?) Even if he says he is I can see the potential for tension on the day and again, it's very different than having a ransom professional pony that goes away at the end of the day.

I agree it's a shame - I loved every opportunity to even touch a pony as a kid - but such is the world we live in and you don't want to say yes then find out you've signed up for a nightmare.
 
Not in a million years. I was asked to do the same at our school fete and spoke at length to my horse insurers. Basically you are personally liable for everything and I mean everything. In order for the insurance to be valid you would need to supply hats AND body protectors in every size and be trained to fit both (the only way around this would be to state that the child must use their own. Seriously? How many kids go to a school fete carrying their hat and body just incase???) Anyway). If your horse so much as jumps at a wasp sting and unseats the rider, the rider has (regardless of their age when it happened) until their 21st birthday to sue you for damages. The list was crazy and endless but those are the main points I can remember. It's just not worth it. Which is a dreadful shame as the pony rides were always the best part about fetes!
 
We used to take our 2 'first ponies' to school and church fetes :) We have plenty of hats and it was always with someone leading and someone by the side. Our ponies we'd both had for over 10 years and are very safe. They used to do it for hours but they were pony club fit and enjoyed the fuss.
 
If you think that the school's insurance covers you, then just check what it is you are covered for and go from there. You are not offering instruction so I wouldn't worry about not being qualified, but do make sure it's their liability not yours if anything should go wrong (which it shouldn't, but just in case…).

I did it for two years and thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many happy children, and my daughter loved seeing her ponies there too. But it was hugely hard work - I got parents to lift their own child on the second year and also took a straw bale to help the 'show condition' children to mount. Parents had to fit their own hat from my supply.

One thing - don't use your best saddle if you have access to an older one- mine got scratched from children wearing sandals with buckles on - they don't realise they need to throw their leg over the back and several scrambled on. We didn't charge but asked for a donation for carrots which the insurance company covering the fete suggested we do.
 
I wouldn't underestimate how busy you might be and how many rides your pony can give before getting fed up! I help my friend out with her pony ride/pony party business and school fairs are always very busy, the ponies are always hugely popular. We have two ponies and after 2 - 3 hours non stop they can get a bit fed up, and they are used to it.

I don't know how big the school is and how many pupils there are, but it might be an idea to let the school know that there are only a certain amount of rides you can do (30/40/50), otherwise you might end up with a huge queue and stroppy parents and disappointed children.

We use cub saddles with a handle on, but if I were you I'd fit a neckstrap or just ask them to hold onto the pommel, if you start trying to explain to them how to hold reins properly it may take ages for each ride.

Good luck if you do decide to go for it.
 
My mum used to do alot of school/charity/scout fetes with our ponies 15+ years ago but we would never do this now because of the whole sueing someone else gor an accident they have jst to get an easy few quid culture has gone crazy! Its so sad it comes down to things like this but unfortunatly people no longer seem to be able to take responsibilty for themselves and accept accidents happen in life.

If a kid was injured its likely it would be you they sue not jst the school and is the heas absolutly sure they are covered for pony accidents on school grounds? Im sure they wouldnt be. Try ringing BHS helpline for legal advice regaurding public liability insurance
 
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