right or wrong >?!?!?!

sh*t happens - this alarmist reactionary behaviour is why we have cctv everywhere, why the government wants to,and does, snoop through our emails, phonecalls, why an innocent guy with a backpack got shot, and so on and so on.

I think people are missing a huge point here - personal freedom

it is being eroded all the time by so called do gooders who cannot see past the end of their noses and think they can save the world by banning everything and dictating how people should live their lives.

maybe someone should warn this woman that the gestapo is going to turn up on her doorstep at any moment.
 
Sorry but putting your child in a so called 'risky' situation is not the same as systematically abusing it. That would make everyone that drove on the motorway with a child in the car a child abuser, do you have any idea how many children die in car accidents every year?
I find your analogy quite morbid, this has nothing to do with race or child abuse. We don't even know the woman in question is white you are simply stereotyping riders as being white. I would almost go as far to say that makes you a little racsist, do you not think anyone other than whites can afford horses?
 
Victoria Climbie was abused; seriously abused in the most disgusting manner. How can you compare the two?
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I don't see the big deal myself *prepares to be shot down* - I doubt it is something I would do - but its legal, its her child, her husband obviously supports her. Accidents can happen no matter what you do in life. She is obviously enjoying herself and her baby and her horse.

You can't make stupidity illegal.

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I agree with you.. Its not a risk I would be prepared to make if I had a child
 
I'm sorry but it absolutely does have to do with child abuse.
I am not a fan of the nanny state or of cctv, but of common sense, and a sense of community responsibility.
It is not just 'a bit risky' to subject a 12mo to being shaken on the front of a horse, it is abusive and dangerous.
You go ahead and think me racist if you like. I find that quite amusing, but we won't go into why.
This is obviously a topic which raises high emotions, but the fact of the matter is that it has nothing to do with keeping teenagers off the computer, nor is it the equivalent to turning a blind eye to little boys (oh dear, sexist as well) eating worms now and again. It is dangerous, and could kill the child or cause serious brain damage, without even a fall being involved.
Have at the lady with the gestapo reference - do you find her a little facist as well?
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Just to step sideways slightly; Is riding whilst pregnant also abuse, in your opinion? Should social services have been called to inform them of me and others like me?
 
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The definition of child abuse (physical) includes shaking. So I don't think you can say it's not in the same league at all.

Silverspring, statistically, she is very very likely to be white, isn't she? That really doesn't make me racist, or say anything about how I think at all, does it. But hey, you concentrate on that and calling the social services the gestapo. If it makes you happy.
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I'm not a fan of wrapping children in cotton wool either - in fact they should be allowed to take more risks. As someone has already said, we put our kids in cars yet everyday a child is killed on the road in this country.
However, I do believe this woman should have a bit more common sense, just because the horse is elderly, it doesn't make it safe. Any horse is capable of stumbling and probably more so as it is elderly. One of the worst falls I had was when my horse tripped with me then rolled over me - if I'd have had a child in a sling with me, it would certainly have been crushed. I wouldn't do it but it is her choice and no way should anyone think of reporting her to any authorities IMO.
 
I take it the baby is now in a carrier on her back? Those front carriers are not designed to hold a child of that age.

I can't believe anyone would be so foolish. If her OH is helping her to get on....why is he not babysitting for her? If he rides, they will have to ride in shifts so there is always someone to mind the baby.
 
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Just to step sideways slightly; Is riding whilst pregnant also abuse, in your opinion? Should social services have been called to inform them of me and others like me?

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There is medical advice about riding when pregnant - the baby is in a very very different environment then, isn't s/he? It's a bit naive to say the only difference is that s/he can't fall out - s/he is protected by a very efficient system against minor injury to mother.
If medical advice is followed, I believe riding when pregnant can be called a reasonable risk.
Can you find me a doctor or paediatrician who will say this woman's behaviour is reasonable? If so, fair enough. I don't think the situations the same at all.
 
I didn't call the SS the gestapo did I? I don't intend on commeting on every single post made on this thread so I let that one wash, my point was mainly that since child abuse is ILLEGAL and riding with child in pouch is NOT I think by definition we can say that it is not child abuse.
For all we know this horse might not canter like an 11hh pony, I can tell you I don't get shaken when cantering as my horse has a horse stride which is more rocking chair than violent shaking. I would also imagine the baby is wrapped nice and tighly to mum so move with the same motion and the skull/neck bearly takes and concussion. That said I don't know any of these things for fact, I do know it's morbid to compare what this woman legally choses to do with the illegal acts of sick child abusers.
Re the stats, I imagine statistically speaking you are right to assume she is white, however, you made out as if her being white meant she wouldn't have to answer to her crime. The truth is it has nothing to do with her race, it's to do with the fact she is not breaking the law and therefore has to answer to no one.
 
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Victoria Climbie was abused; seriously abused in the most disgusting manner. How can you compare the two?
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It's not a matter of comparison. The op said that as the baby was not mine, or hers, it was none of our business.
Was VC none of our business?
If this isn't, but she was, where is the line? If a person sees a child being put at risk, how do they know (without hindsight) whether it was any of 'our business'?
Words like 'grass' and 'snitch' come from the criminal fraternity, where the worst crime is to turn someone in. Surely letting a child suffer is worse?
Presumably the OP has concerns for the child's welfare, or s/he wouldn't have posted on here.
 
Ok lets put it another way, when was the last time you were shaken while riding your horse?

I have never been shaken since first learning rising or indeed how to sit to the trot properly, the chances of the child being shaken are very slim indeed if the mother can ride even half way decently
 
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Just to step sideways slightly; Is riding whilst pregnant also abuse, in your opinion? Should social services have been called to inform them of me and others like me?

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I hope you never had sex while pregnant that could have shaken the unborn baby
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Oh I wasn't being naive, I was curious as to what other things would be deemed child abuse in your opinion. My "falling out" comment was surely obviously being said tongue in cheek?
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I think she's foolish but that's my opinion. Her choice is to ride with her baby. Personally I would never do anything like this no matter how well behaved my horse was. I trust my horse 100% (well ok 99%) but last year through no fault of his own he slipped sideways on the road and crashed down. We were both lucky really, he escaped with a grazed knee and a bit of shock and I sustained a broken collar bone. God knows what would/could have happened had i had a baby strapped to me! Oh and I would also term my horse as bombproof.

Sadly she has made the choice though and it is her who will have to live with the consequences should anything happen. Maybe the movement of the horse helps the baby sleep who knows...? In my mind though she lacks common sense but in her mind she obviously sees nothing wrong with it.
 
I blooming did aswell! Poor little sod, maybe that is why she is so bubbly and bouncy!
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I also let her ride when she was just a few months old; I believe she was cantering at 1 year old. Shocking.
 
I agree with the_skewbald and the point being made with comparing the situation with Victoria Climbie - the 'not my problem' syndrome.

This woman is putting her child at an unreasonable risk. Falling from a bike is a tad different to being strapped to your mother and falling from a horse.

Will a bike spook at a tractor, a lorry, a car? Can you get helmets the correct size for a child on a bike? Yes!

What size do riding hats start at? Certainly not before the age of 3 or 4.

The statement that has amazed me the most is 'what is she supposed to do if she needs to ride' - don't ride. Is exercising a horse more important than your childs safety?

But anyway, it's none of our business is it. Who gives a flying fig when we can all live in our own cocoon. Who cares about the 2 year old left alone for a weekend to scavenge in bins, the children we hear about suffering abuse and some paying the ultimate price.

This child may pay the ultimate price, but hey, accidents happen - it's none of our business.
 
Wrong... as said by many others she is not breaking any laws but if there was an accident and she was to KILL her child how the hell would she live with herself?????
 
Well a happy mummy makes for a happy baby
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I know many very lucky people who were if not cantering certainly riding at 1 and they are some of the best riders with fantastic stickability I just wish my parents had been horsey
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Well a happy mummy makes for a happy baby
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I know many very lucky people who were if not cantering certainly riding at 1 and they are some of the best riders with fantastic stickability I just wish my parents had been horsey
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At 1 year old, I very much doubt they even knew how to hang on let alone canter.

My daughter is 2. There is no chance she would have the ability to sit on a pony on her own and keep her balance in walk.

Most kids can't even walk at 1yr old yet they can canter on a pony
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Presumably the OP has concerns for the child's welfare, or s/he wouldn't have posted on here.

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Well to be honest I would have concerns too - not withstanding the point that this child is 1 year old and riding out with Mum, but how in the world can a child of this size be squeezed into a front facing baby pouch? Sounds very far-fetched to me; I couldn't fit my daughter in there after the age of about 3 months. You may well be right that the child is being abused ... or starved perhaps?
 
IMHO i think its the wrong thing to do, i would never do it personally and would not think it right for someone else really, horses can be wonderful and safe but there is always some degree of danger lurking, it may never happen, but i would never do this as it could happen, simple
 
Good job I don't have "most kids" then; actually I find that worrying that a 2 year old can't keep it's balance on a pony
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Good job I don't have "most kids" then; actually I find that worrying that a 2 year old can't keep it's balance on a pony
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When it's the first time she's sat on a pony then no, she couldn't and yes even if she could, I would still be walking by her side with my hubby on the other and someone leading. So I'm pretty glad my two year old is *most* kids with a protective mother who will take any measure to ensure her childs safety.

My point was about a 1yr old cantering. The 'most kids' statement I made was that *most* can't walk on the ground with balance at 1yr old never mind canter on a pony.
 
Goodness - what a strange child I must have Lol! She had her pony bought for her at 1 year old and I'm sure it wasn't a mirage when I used to watch her tack up this pony at 2 years old and take her into the schooling paddock. Hmm perhaps it was, I am old after all. Bizarre though that the photos, of which I have shown many on here, prove otherwise, but heyho I think I'll just stick to having a remarkable child thank you
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Ah well I think you may have assumed...

When my daughter was 1 she had a basket saddle; she moved onto her cub saddle when she was about 18 months.
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