riding children poll

How many times did you take your test to pass?

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parsley

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for those of you in charge of children with their own pony or a pony available to them whenever they want it - how often do they want to ride a week? I am having a bit of a worry that my kids only want to ride up to twice a week and I am thinking that this is my passion - not theirs really!
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Mine have lessons and are content just to go once a fortnight, more than that and they would get grumpy about it. They're 8 and 9 and boys.
When they do go through they really enjoy it and seem to be on a high for the rest of the day so for now they will keep going.
I have said they can only have a pony of their own once they can walk trot and canter off the lead rein. Mean mum aren't I
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My daughter hasn't ridden her pony since before Christmas. We've been very lazy...
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She spends from 9 till 1 at the local riding stables every Saturday and has a lesson during that time on one of their ponies.
Next week we are taking her pony to the RS for an assessment and then hopefully she will be riding her during her lessons at least once a fortnight..thats the plan anyway!! They will also be starting a jumping evening once a week soon and hope to take her pony up for that too.
 
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have said they can only have a pony of their own once they can walk trot and canter off the lead rein. Mean mum aren't I

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No! I think you are very sensible - I am asking this question as my children have got their own pony, and really love him but don't want to ride often- so we are facing having to sell him as he is too nice to leave in a field for the majority of his life (I know they don't really care that much but I think that he loves going out and doing things)
 
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have said they can only have a pony of their own once they can walk trot and canter off the lead rein. Mean mum aren't I

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No! I think you are very sensible - I am asking this question as my children have got their own pony, and really love him but don't want to ride often- so we are facing having to sell him as he is too nice to leave in a field for the majority of his life (I know they don't really care that much but I think that he loves going out and doing things)

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Well, I don't think they do care really. I currently have 4 ponies sitting in a field doing nothing and they seem perfectly content. I'm sure Holly will get the shock of her life when daughter and myself get her in over the weekend and stick her tack on!!
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Daughters lead rein pony was retired at aged 8 because daughter outgrew her and I couldn't bear to sell her...
If you can afford to keep the pony and he's well behaved when your kids do ride I'd keep him...
 
My daughter is 4 1/2 and usually rides once sometimes twice a week, unless its school hols then she rides a bit more. She likes the local shows and gymkhana's and I think she was pushed into it a bit, thats why I never make her ride only ask her. She loves her pony to bits and loves riding him but only when she wants. I dont think young kids should be pushed as they could end up hating it. My daughter loves riding with other youngsters so I am joining her to the Banwell Pony Club the end of the month.
 
The trouble is that we do struggle financially to keep two horses (I have one) and I find it very difficult to make sure they are looked after as I want them to be. None of this would be an issue if he was being used and enjoyed regularly.
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I don't understand you poll; however my daughter has had ponies since before she would walk and she has always ridden every day. She's now 10 and still rides every day.
 
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The trouble is that we do struggle financially to keep two horses (I have one) and I find it very difficult to make sure they are looked after as I want them to be. None of this would be an issue if he was being used and enjoyed regularly.
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Yeah I see your point.I guess I feel that I would have the ponies regardless. I love having them as much for myself as for my daughter but agree, they're an expensive hobby if you're getting nothing back..
 
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I don't understand you poll

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The categories are based around the age band of the child, the numbers refer to the number of times they ride per week (on average). I put the age categories because I can see that younger children might not ride so often as older ones - but you have answered poll anyway - thank you
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My 15 year old used to ride every day but there is no possibility of her doing that during the winter - she leaves the house for school at 7.10am and isn't back until 5.10pm. She's on the run up to her GCSEs and has not been finding time to ride. Having said that she's just getting on the mare we're breaking at them moment and she'll be having to ride her each day - even if it's only for 20 minutes at a time. Part of the trouble also is that we normally have to hack out - and we currently only have one animal we can take so she's rather solitary and she does like to chatter and unwind at the end of the day. When the new mare's rideable on the road I'm hoping she'll enjoy riding each night and unwinding at the same time.
 
Ah okay; well then my daughter is 10 years old and she usually rides 2 or 3 horses a day, every day, so somewhere around 20 times a week.
 
at the riding school where i keep my boy, there are a few working liveries whose real owners (children) only come to ride once or twice a week. There is also an outgrown pony on working livery until the next child in the family is big enough to ride it. Maybe you could put the pony on working livery for a while to avoid having to make any descisions for a while. I think girls like hangigng around and grooming etc but boys just want to get on and ride.
 
Hannah is riding more now the nights are lighter. She's riding on average 3/4 times a week (weather permitting) at the moment as she spends 2 evenings a week at her father's, so can't ride on those nights. She could ride on a Saturday afternoon but I tend to be whacked then as I have a mammoth hack with a close friend every Saturday (before Hannah returns from her dad's) for a good 3 1/2 hours.

In the depths of Winter, Hannah can only really ride on a Sunday. However, Tweenie isn't left stuck in a field as I long rein or lunge and get my older son who does 4 days at college to lead her out on the road behind Patches once a week.
 
There isn't an option for working livery near us - the reason this has come to a head is that someone who I know would really appreciate the pony has offered to buy it but I am trying to decide if my son is being a normal 9 year old or whether he would be better off with the occasional ride at a school. He isn't really sure himself as its so difficult because he does love the pony but doesn't want to ride often and finds it difficult to overcome his nerves caused by some nasty falls off another pony
 
Alot of the time Hannah rides with me. We hack a few times a week together and will often school together, in open order, but at the same time. I have to lunge Tweenie before she schools though as she can be a bit fresh at times (as we school on grass).

Hannah also has a lesson once a week and for that I just walk with her down the lane to the place she has her lesson at.
 
Oh please don't. I also don't ride anywhere near this amount every week. I tend to have a couple of days a week at this time of year and then only 2 or 3 horses in those days. In the summer I ride every day usually but still only ride a couple of horses in any one day.
 
Mine ride about 2/3 times mon to fri as school takes up alot of time after school clubs, home work , friends round 4 tea ect ect, but at the week-end they have to groom the pony, ride the pony and love the pony or I say that I shall have to sell the pony as I also have my own horse's to ride ect ect and it's not fair on the pony. If you look on these for sale pony sites you will see that 40 % of people sell the pony because the children have lost interest or are just to busy with work and stuff. I at the moment is looking for a sharing for our pony as she is so sweet and gengle i would'nt find another in a hurry, and with a sharer every one is happy especially the pony, as it saves the other mum the heart ache of getting rid of the pony they brought their daughter or son... get a pony on loan or get a sharer that way the PONY will get riden !!!
 
My youngest, who is 6, rides about twice a week in the summer. He doesn't go near the pony all winter - that suits me, too!
Pony is also a companion for my horse so he is useful whether hes in work or not. My older son, who has stopped riding now, had a pony but I put her out on loan when he gave up.
It is difficult chucking money at something when you don't think its being used - drives me nuts, and I sympathise.
 
i am in the same position where i am going to have to sell the shetland, my son has ridden her twice in the time that we have had her and i also find finding the time difficult as well, the shetland is only 5 and is wasted really as she is so good so someone else might as well get the use out of her. for all the times my little ones want to sit on a pony they can have a go round the block on the welsh one!
 
My sister is 11 and has 2 ponies which she competes on. She's in school til 5.30 most days so doesn't get to ride them a lot in the winter with the dark evenings and bad weather but now that spring is here she rides every day after school. She usually rides one one day and the other the next day and then rides both of them at the weekend. On the days she can't ride them I lunge them. I usually ride with her in the arena or else give her a lesson and we often hack out together which suits me especially if I'm taking one of the young horses out. She's always looking to ride my horses aswell and will often sit up on them after I'm finished to cool them down!!
 
My girls are 12 and 10. We've had our own pony for just over a year and a loan pony for a year. They ride every Sat and Sun and then about 3 times in the week. Luckily we have a lit indoor school so they often ride after school in the winter too.

PC are holding lots of training sessions now some of which are in the evenings on weekdays and my girls are booked into ALL of them!
 
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