What age did you start taking your child for lessons?

[Stenners]

My daughter is almost 2.5 and I would love her to start having some little lessons but I know most riding schools don't take children under 4. What age did you start your children with lessons?

 

[teapot]

2.5 is way too young for lessons, sorry! Sitting on a shetland and wandering around is far far different.

Insurance aside, the reason why riding schools have a limit of 4, sometimes 5 or 6, is because learning to ride a pony can be exhausting for them physically and mentally.

I have had to spend many a time explaining to parents why their darling Penelope hadn't mastered w,t,c in six weeks and were struggling to last a half hour private or 1hr group...

 

[Stenners]

I should have been clearer - sorry! I am thinking more like little toddler trails - one riding school near here does them for children over 1 but they just aren't very often - it's just a 20 minute walk round the grounds.

 

[Skib]

Children went for a lead out ride at 2 and 4. A treat staying with my brother. Grand children ditto. But child who rode at 2 never got on a pony or horse again (though her daughter rides.)
With grand children the opposite. The 4 year old was so good they had her trot a lot on her first lead out and it must have scared her as she has never ridden again. This is not a nervous child. She is an expert in line roller blade skater and a uni football enthusiast. The grand child who was sat on a pony and taken out aged 2 had weekly lead out rides from 6 and started proper lessons at 8. She is now a competent adult rider.

 

[Stenners]

Children went for a lead out ride at 2 and 4. A treat staying with my brother. Grand children ditto. But child who rode at 2 never got on a pony or horse again (though her daughter rides.)
With grand children the opposite. The 4 year old was so good they had her trot a lot on her first lead out and it must have scared her as she has never ridden again. This is not a nervous child. She is an expert in line roller blade skater and a uni football enthusiast. The grand child who was sat on a pony and taken out aged 2 had weekly lead out rides from 6 and started proper lessons at 8. She is now a competent adult rider.

I was on a horse from 2 years of age and have never looked back!

 

[Keith_Beef]

I must have been somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old when I first rode on a donkey at Scarborough beach...

I don't think you can really give a child "lessons" until the child has enough language to understand simple explanations like how to hold the reins and some children (even adults) never really get the difference between left and right.

I think that for a child of under five, it would be enough to have the child sitting on the pony, the pony being led around by an adult, and just use that experience for the child to get used to the sensation of movement.

I took my nephew and niece to ride a couple of summers ago, just the two of them, and a girl from the riding centre and I led the ponies.

Their mother supposedly takes them to ride every Saturday at a centre near Barnsley.

My niece was fine, but my nephew got quite unsettled and scared at times when we were going uphill or downhill on a stony path, because he's not used to the front end of the animal being higher or lower than the back end and he thought he was going to go over its shoulder or its rump.

And when his pony started kicking at its own belly (I think to get rid of flies), he started to panic because there was now more side-to-side movement.

 

[teapot]

I must have been somewhere between 18 months and 2 years old when I first rode on a donkey at Scarborough beach...

I don't think you can really give a child "lessons" until the child has enough language to understand simple explanations like how to hold the reins and some children (even adults) never really get the difference between left and right.

I think that for a child of under five, it would be enough to have the child sitting on the pony, the pony being led around by an adult, and just use that experience for the child to get used to the sensation of movement.

I took my nephew and niece to ride a couple of summers ago, just the two of them, and a girl from the riding centre and I led the ponies.

Their mother supposedly takes them to ride every Saturday at a centre near Barnsley.

My niece was fine, but my nephew got quite unsettled and scared at times when we were going uphill or downhill on a stony path, because he's not used to the front end of the animal being higher or lower than the back end and he thought he was going to go over its shoulder or its rump.

And when his pony started kicking at its own belly (I think to get rid of flies), he started to panic because there was now more side-to-side movement.

Exactly this Keith - have seen so many young children be completely fine until something simple changes as you mention. I think young kids plodding around on a friend's shetland is one thing, but even organised 'lead rein hacks' as they appear to be marketed as in my area can send kids into moments of sheer madness. It's a lot to take in when you're 3!

 

[oldie48]

I'm another who feels that lessons are best left until older, fine to have an amble around on a little lead rein pony but small children get bored very quickly and get worried even quicker than that. My daughter had a few lead rein rides as a 4 year old, then started off the lead rein at 5/6 but she was tall and quite mature. I've also seen so many children put off by starting too young.

 

[Amun]

I was old as hell as I've been around 8 and I didn't even take regular lessons ? everyone in our yard is like "I started when I was 3"

 

[windand rain]

I was 11 when I learned by hacking out never had a lesson until my late 40s although owned my own from 16. Children all rode fom 4, lessons but younger had sit on walks out and were around horses all their lives. Grandchildren all like sit on walk round the school but none are desperate to get on and ride even the older 2 can take or leave it. I personally think if riding is available they often dont bother much or pick it up and put it down. It is kids who dream of riding but have little opportunity that stick to it. There are of course many exceptions that prove the rule. Sons still like to help on the ground but don't ride, daughter would ride a quiet horse. but isnt that bothered that she will seek it out

 

[ponyparty]

I think it's an insurance thing with under 4s at most places? Whereabouts are you? I know the RDA National Training Centre (near Warwick) do Tiny Tots Taster sessions for under 4s. The sessions include tots being allowed to brush off "their" pony and then a little plod around on a lead rein. I'm taking my little boy next week he actually asked me the other day if we could go to "the stables" (I used to take him with me to do part-loan horse sometimes but have packed that in as she wasn't sound). I took him for a little pony ride at the National Training Centre for his 2nd birthday in November, I'm not sure if he remembers it though. Will be interesting to see how he reacts this time, he's changed so much since then already!

 

[wispagold]

I was 6 when I started regular private lessons... My mum said I had to know my left and right. But my youngest sister has mild cerebral palsy and she started lessons at the local RDA at 3 years old. That was 25 years ago so not sure insurance was different then?!

 

[buddylove]

My girls pottered about on their Shetland from about 2.5 years, groomed and led about when they fancied it.
Lessons from age 4 on school ponies, lessons on their own ponies from about 6/7, joined PC age 7, now nearly 9 and love it. Time flies, mine just did it at their own pace, one took an 18 month break, the other carried on. They don't really ride much when it's wet or cold as we don't have facilities at home.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Most of us who started very young had access to family ponies, which we got plonked on for a brief toddle round.

20 mins for a 2.5 year old seems far too long - 5 mins more like. But go ahead with 20 mins if you want to put the child off riding.

 

[AUB]

Local riding school takes them from they’re 3. But my kiddo won’t sit a horse... still hoping he’ll want to try, he’s only 4 so there’s still time.

 

[McGrools]

I teach kids and imo there is no point in them having lessons until 6ish. Any younger and they will be on the lead rein for a loooong time as they simply dont have the size and strength to control your average riding school pony on their own. I have some very small kids who have been coming for a good while but havent grown and are still too small to be effective off the lead rein.

 

[mariew]

Don't forget their heads are still disproportionately heavy at a small age so any trotting ends up in just wild headbobbing really. I'd agree 5/6 is a nice age for lessons with just pony cuddling/little trips before that.and even at 6 half an hour of lesson is plenty for most, it's a long time to concentrate for a little person.

 

[mossycup]

At 3 for lead rein 'walkies', then lessons from 5 - they don't really have the capacity to learn in that environment before then I don't think

 

[Lurfy]

Mine had lessons from age 5 on our own pony with a lovely instructor who used to travel to us.

 

[Inky1986]

Both my girls started "lessons" at 2.5yrs but this was purely because there was a shetland at my stable in need of some attention, and it gave me an excuse to go up and see my boy!! I came close to buying a pony so we could spend more time riding together but thankfully I didn

We actually stopped a few months backl I felt that they weren't enjoying it as much. I am hoping when they get a bit older (like 6/7) they may want to take it up again- but I will wait and see how they feel!

 

[Durhamchance]

Mine started sitting on our cob at 2.5-3 and started having proper lessons at 5. She's six next month and has already been bitten by the showing bug. I've also got to run around the lead rein dressage with her this sunday!