should parents should have basic horse knowledge before buying their child a horse???

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narkymare

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Following on from other posts
i think parents should have the ultimate responsibility of any animal they buy for their children - what do you think????
I would not buy a horse or pony for any child under 16 and just leave them to get on with it, assume they know how to care for it etc etc.
I think its very irresponsible.
 
Hmmm.To an extent yes, or at least be willing to fork out on an instructor or similar if not.

My parents got me mine at 17, they're not horsey at all and had nagged them for YEARS growing up, but the answer was no as they were worried from that point of view too probably, looking back on it now.

Edited - I spent my teenage years riding endlessof ponies and horses for people building up experience. I wasn't worried about putting the hard work in [yard work, time, etc] as I just wanted to get to do as much I possibly could before I got my own and to help me in the future :) My dad was more than happy serving as taxi service for me bless him, ferrying me round to whichever yard I had offers to ride at each day...so the hard work was well established before I did get my own :)
 
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ah but 17 is very different to say 12. And as you say they made sure you and your horse had an instructor to help you. I just think to buy a child a horse and leave them to it is wrong unless the child has lots of support x
 
No, I disagree. But I do however feel, they shouldn't be buying their children horses, without speaking to their instructors first, and should make sure that the RI thinks they're capable of owning one.
 
It all ended in tears at my yard with one youngster who was often given 10 minutes to catch in and finish off or left all day with no supervision.

It fell to the adults on the yard to organise her hay/straw deliveries because she is very disorganised. We were forever telling her not to trot on the yard-it's in poor repair so unsafe. She would gallop round before warming up, feed it (a Newfie) loads of hard feed then wonder why the pony was fizzy and getting strong. The pony was regularly left for hours without hay or water so everyone chipped in and filled up haynets/buckets.

I think ultimately, unless it is a very child specific yard with lots of help available, then children should not be given ponies and left to get on with it. I don't think parents have to be particularly horsey as long as there are plenty of adults/experienced people to help and the child is willing to learn.
 
Yes, I think that responsible parents should become as informed as possible, both for the welfare of the pony and the safety of the child.

As an instructor I was called to visit a family that had bought their nine year old daughter a just broken three year old thoroughbred that they kept in the back garden with a small turnout paddock nearby.

The daughter had had lessons at a riding school and could pop small fences and in the parents eyes she was the next top showjumper.

They were feeding high energy mixes and surprise, surprise the horse had started misbehaving.

However they did manage to get he horse going well after plenty of schooling, sent it to a yard for a while where he had companionship, reduced feed, and experienced help on hand which made a big difference, and they did manage to do quite well together, despite lots of heartache and expense along the way.

Then there are the cases you see of laminitic overweight ponies that the owners haven't a clue about, over and under rugging and feeding, badly fitting tack and so on.

I wouldn't expect to just go and buy any animal without at least looking into the basics of their care, be it a chicken, ferret, cat dog or whatever, and all of those are far easier than a horse to look after properly.

If they aren't prepared to find out for themselves, then they need to ensure that their child is properly supervised by somebody experienced.
 
God yes-or at the very least be ready to shell out for full livery and tuition.

The parent is responsable for the pony-even if the child did everything day to day without parents involvement,shoudl there be a problem the parents will be liable.
I would not trust most children under 16 to be able to deal with an emergency,and while there may be experianced people about most of the time,accidents will always happen the one time they are not.

I know there are very responsable teens out there,but they are still teens.
Non of us were ever as grown up as we thought we were ;)
 
Binky01 said:
Hmmm.To an extent yes, or at least be willing to fork out on an instructor or similar if not.

My parents got me mine at 17, they're not horsey at all and had nagged them for YEARS growing up, but the answer was no as they were worried from that point of view too probably, looking back on it now.

Edited - I spent my teenage years riding endlessof ponies and horses for people building up experience. I wasn't worried about putting the hard work in [yard work, time, etc] as I just wanted to get to do as much I possibly could before I got my own and to help me in the future :) My dad was more than happy serving as taxi service for me bless him, ferrying me round to whichever yard I had offers to ride at each day...so the hard work was well established before I did get my own :)
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My experience was the same as this - I also got mine at 17, but so I knew that everything would be ok for the horse, it was kept at the riding school and livery yard where I had been helping out every weekend and school holiday for the last 4 years. I think if the parents aren't horsey, then it needs to be kept at a yard on part/full livery or even on working livery in a riding school. DIY for young teenagers without horsey parents isn't really an option as its then that the negligence - however unintentional can start.
 
omg this was a new post about something i feel strongly about - please do not make assumptions about me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
After having a non horsey Mum allow her 13 yo novice daughter to bring a TERRIBLY behaved and DANGEROUS horse onto the livery yard my parents own I think (which went back two weeks after it arrived) , Yes! It would be a good idea for them to have some basic horse knowledge because some young children are so excited to have a pony which may not be right for them, it would be helpfull for the parents to know what is good and what is bad about a horse, although I got my first pony at 12 and my parents didnt have a clue! (at 12 I wasnt the best either hehe) and now we own a livery yard as a family and my mum even rides so just goes to show people can learn :)

xx
 
redmone thank you!!!!!!!!!!1 my daughter became interested in horses and i did it with her, we went for lessons together, had shares together and worked at a local livery yard together
good job lol - we bought our horse last year and she3 got fed up - if i hadnt have learnt with her that horse would have been in a mess.
As it is, i love him to bits and i am now his main carer and rider - i would never ever sell him

Good luck to you both xxxx
 
what im saying is as parents you have to be able to and ber prepared to care for any animal you buy your child - ive got four children -we have had all the pets imaginable over the years, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, budgies - guess who always checked their water bottles and feed etc!!!!
- children are children - its the parents who have overall responsibility!!!!
I wouldnt buy my child a rabbit and never check it, check my child was caring for it properly - its just not on
 
Not necessarily. It depends on the circumstance. I have known teens with non horsey (or just utterly uninvolved) parents and it doesn't have to be a recipe for disaster. In the first insrance, someone who does know what they are talking about should be involved in the purchase part. Secondly, the yard needs to have the level of supervision (that is, not a couple of stables at the end of a field somewhere, but a proper, fully supervised yard). There is no reason the horse needs to be on full livery per se, most teens can muck out etc. but there needs to be that 'surrounded by knowledge' aspect. On the rare occasions we had teens (we preferred adults) we used to put them in a stable between two experienced liveries, who were happy to keep an eye out. Thirdly, the parents need to have an understanding with the instructor / YO that they abdicate parental responsibility to them, and they can shout at that child, make that child do the correct things, and they have final say when it comes to horse welfare, including authority to call out the vet, order feeds etc to the parents account. It can work well (think of the number of teens at bording school for example, whose parents don't see them for months on end - they still have horses).
 
yes and no.
My Mum bought my first horse when I was 11. I was expected to care for her properly, and go down twice a day, every day. The YO kept an eye out for me, and if she had said to my Mum that I wasn't looking after her properly my Mum would have sold her. The 2 unbreakable rules were if I ever stopped caring for the horse, or rode without a hat, she would be sold. I had her until I was 16, and even through my GCSEs had 2 horses

Looking back, I don't remember how I knew about worming, shoeing, jabs etc, but I have had fantastic instructors from being age 5 and was taught massive amounts of horse care alongside my lessons. I never really asked parents for advice, as they aren't horsey at all. Apart from once, when I had been away on holiday and a girl had looked after my horse. He was lame, and on box rest, and she rode and jumped him anyway. I opened the stable door, he literally fell out and my completely non horsey Mum saw him and hit speed dial for the vet
Mum was constantly amazed, and saw me doing my jobs one night and asked me how I learnt to do everything. The next horse I bought was an ex racer, and I was aged 16 :-)
 
I was 15 and sister was 20 when we got our first horse, he was kept on a dairy farm, but on fairly rough grazing, so no YO. Mum and Dad had ferried us to and from riding school since I was 7, and Dad's Dad had kept horses, but he didn't know that much. Dad still ferried us to and from the horse, helped make the stable water prood etc. and helped out a lot. We were responsible for the horse, BUT our parents would not have allowed us to neglect him or harm him in any way.
IMO if the parent of any child buys an animal, then the parent is responsible for the well being of that animal.
 
Parents should take responsibility for EVERY animal which is bought for a child. I spoke to a RSPCA officer once who had lost count of the number of rabbits/guinea pigs etc which had starved to death because parents assumed the child was looking after it. Our daughters have always had pets but we have always supervised and made sure the animal was properly fed and cleaned out.

I bought a pony for my daughter when she was 12. I hadn't a clue but my goodness I soon had to learn. I couldn't afford for him to be on full livery so kept him on a DIY yard with "help and advice" from others. I became suspicious of yard owners who said that horses like being stabled for 20 hours out of 24 or that they were okay being ridden in harsh gadgets I knew I had to do my homework quick. I bought loads of books and sought the help of behaviourists/nutritionists/excellent trainers and we both came on leaps and bounds.

I think we have made a better job than others who have had horses for years but are still ignorant.
 
I think they should have some knowledge...just incase...but then i don't think they should be buying the horse for the child if the child doesn't have the knowledge...

...i started regular riding lessons when i was around 7/8, Me and my sister used to go for a half-hour semiprivate (us and another girl) lesson then an hour of stable management where we learnt the theory of everything from the history of horses to poisonous plants, feeding and field management etc even if it was just the basics, we also spent days there in the holiday dealing with the more practical side of day-to-day horse care. We then each got a pony on loan at the yard we are still at after my sister was there for her work exp, and after a summer and winter of looking after them, and going down everyday even with school, once we proved we could manage...my parents bought us a horse....however we had him on full livery and had a lot of help from our YO and the YM at the time.

I hate it when non-horsesy parents buy their kid a horse....mind you kids are just as bad, a lass at the yard keeps brining her friend down...they then told me today that her friend wants her own horse so she's going to get one when she's been on holiday, she's only ridden a handful of times and last time i saw her she was still holding her reins upside down with her friend letting her...so she prob won't be much help with anything other then her way of doin things. I bit my tongue (trust me best thing to do with these 2) walked off, and told the YM.
 
yes. my parents bought me ahorse when i was in my mid teens. They dumped it on full livery with me which i hated as i was well aware of what i was doing (i had done tons of work x shares etc)....

but - they didnt know what they were doing horse care wise so i respected their decision and they did the right thing :)
 
Haven't read all post.
Yes think parents have a duty to learn the basics of looking after/needs of ANY animal they purchase for their children esp cost as at end of the day they are responsible for the welfare of animal regardless if bought for a child.
 
Yes - or put horse on livery and ensure proper supervision when ridden or ensure a knowledgeable person who is willing is an allocated supervisor and "horsey mentor" at the yard.

My parents were completely non horsey. Other than having a horse on loan for a while I never had a horse when i was a child/teenager, but spent ages helping, leaning from others, mostly adults and eventually exercising and working at a yard. I was pretty much left too it and was quite responsible but did make mistakes.

I think many of us have seen nightmare cases of teenagers left with horses and getting it wrong.
 
redmone said:
Thanks NarkyMare (great name!)

Got to say, I'm tempted to have lessons etc... as I really love the whole thing (horses, stables, people etc...) - I just don't want to "step on" her hobby.

There's a few parents who are a little over enthusiastic at the sidelines for my liking, but I'd like to be involved a bit more practically, especially when we get our own pony. So far I'm just trying to take in as much as I can.

Still, I could be tempted......xxx
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do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its wonderful - your girl is 9????? buy a cob yo0u can both share and enjoy - book hourly lessons with a good instructor - 30 mins each weekly and your away!
I love my horse so much - its blooming brilliant xxxx
 
My small pony has a young rider with non-horsy parents. Both rode as children but neither has any idea of horse management at all (as well as little idea of riding). The child is too young or not interested enough to have bothered to read the PC Manual of Horsemanship. I have begged the mother to read it, and ensured she has a copy. She won't. Because the pony is kept with me I have few worries - the sillies that they do are easily spotted by me and undone or advised against. They did toy with the idea of keeping her at livery and I thought about it for a while and did them a list of the costs involved which effectively put them off - and saved a livery yard somewhere the problem of having to deal with their panics over minor things and blissful ignorance of the major problems.

However I still cannot understand why parents who want to be horsy and want to have a horsy child wouldn't take the basic steps of at least reading through the Manual of Horsemanship which gives so much sensible advice and could be their first port of call for the basic questions they ask.
 
My parents didnt know one end of a pony from another when they bought me a 13.2 New forest 10 year old school master straight from the riding school when I was 9 years old.

However they had the sense to keep him at the riding school I had been learning at on working livery...so all his needs were taken care of by the staff and I literally had to turn up, groom and ride...or do nothing as he was being entirely cared for anyway. I also had ongoing weekly lessons on him for 2 years. The whole thing was an excellent positive experience and exactly how non-horsey parents should do it if they choose to purchase a horse for their child.
 
I haven't read any of the posts on this thread so hope I make sense haha!

I've ridden since I was 7, and at the age of 10 after nearly four years of nagging and research I got my first pony on loan/share (two of us were loaning him). My parents couldn't tell one end of a horse from another and it was really down to me to sort him out. He was a little monster to start with, and to cut long story short we nearly gave up on him. He was 100% angel to ride, safe as anything, but was really rude and bargy to handle. There were lots of people who helped me with him, and then I have had him for about four years, he taught me so much and at the age of 21 we thought it was time to get a younger model! Four months ago my parents bought me a 15.2 15yo TB, the gentlest chap you'll ever meet. I still do everything, but I just consider that the norm, as he's my horse etc. My instructor used to event him, and I have regular lessons and there are loads of people at the yard who I can get advice from if I need it.

My conclusion- I think it's tough for this kids, especially if they get a silly unsuitable pony- but it can work really well, as long as there are people the child can go to if they need it, and people to keep an eye on. Having to look after a pony completely independently I think teaches you a lot, and I also think it makes you a lot more independent than if your parents did a lot to help you.

Of course, sometimes I do wish my mum is horsey, especially when it comes to putting up the practise fence in a warm up!! Although she does come out with the funniest expressions, recently she said that my horse was 'burping on the fence'- took me a while to realise she meant windsucking lol! xxx
 
touchstone said:
As an instructor I was called to visit a family that had bought their nine year old daughter a just broken three year old thoroughbred that they kept in the back garden with a small turnout paddock nearby.
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Who on earth sold them that horse? Surely part of the problem here was that the previous owner was happy to hand over the horse to them, when it was clearly unsuitable.
 
Yes or they should be able to afford at least part-livery and weekly lessons for their child.

I had full responsibility for my loan pony for 13, before that I had always been supervised by a responsible horsey adult. I was capable of taking care of a pony and riding unsupervised at that age.

My dad worked on a farm so had basic animal welfare and first aid knowledge and was able to catch and give a horse basic care, lead sensibly, rug, groom etc but not ride.
 
My parents had no experience of horses and still don't and bought me a pony when I was 10.
She was a hairy coloured cob, 13. 2 and was the cheapest sort of horse you could get as they weren't fashionable.
She was bought from the riding stables (not school) where I then kept her on diy grass livery.
I had no clue at all but the stables kept an eye on me and showed me what to do and how to do things until I was OK on my own.
I joined the local branch of the pony club and riding club and learnt more through them.

My parents never did learn much they'd come and watch me at shows and give me lifts to places but didn't get involved in any of the horse care but there were always people around the yard to help if you needed it.

I'm not saying it was right but if I was waiting for my parents to get involved, i'd still be waiting for my first pony now.
 
To an extent. My parents bought me my first pony when I was 10 or 11 I think. They were totally unhorsey apart from taking me to weekly riding lessons from 4 yrs old. However, we did get plenty of advice from an instructor and friends (and did the whole pony club thing). I looked after the pony on my own but my mother helped a great deal - and still does (and I'm now 27!, we've just got back from an ODE!). I still have my first pony, he's now 22 so I assume I must have done something right!
 
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