WTF? Where did that come from/ stupid parent

Gusbear

Gusbear

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OK folks I'll apologise for the rant but .... I was quietly warming up yesterday in our indoor and only realised poor horse had a sore back when I asked for trot. His default for telling me he is sore is to grunt, followed by a massive buck and running off. This is also means brake and steering failure too. I have discovered over the years to simply drop the contact and sit lightly and quietly which helps him to calm down and slow down. Whilst heading down the long side at warp speed (thank you Scotty) on a 900kg, 18.2hh stampeding beast I was very calm and waiting for the eventual slow down to walk, that was until out of nowhere a small child, no more than 5yrs old suddenly appears in front of us. I kid you not , all I saw was a flash of black hair and a pink top before I froze. Emergency stop not an option at this point as sorry but I knew any pressure on the reins would make him panic even more, go even faster and possibly lose his balance, so thinking only of my horse at this point as not expecting surprise visitors under our feet. Thankfully dear horse seemed to see the child before I did and he managed an impressive canter half pass/go around at the last minute thereby preventing said small child being reduced to a pulp under his big feet. All I recall was shouting "out the way" and thankfully the little girl darts back out of the way in time. Her dear, but obviously clueless mother simply smiled and waved to me as we raced past after nearly collecting her child. Seems they were waiting to have a lesson and her daughter saw the big horsey and wanted to say hello so her mum decided to open the side pedestrian gate to let her into the indoor.
Needless to say horse and I too full of adrenalin to continue our schooling. I jumped off as soon as he stopped and had to lead him back to the stables breathing fire and walking on two back feet.
Mum still smiling like a goon and not too sure as to why I suddenly left the scene. Had I stayed both she and he little girl would more than likely have learned a new vocabulary mostly consisting of four letter words.
Would she have let her daughter run across the road on her own because she saw something pretty on the other side she wanted to pat/cuddle/meet?
I'm honestly of the opinion some people should be made to pass an intelligence test before they are permitted to reproduce.
Rant over... and breathe
 
That’s truly shocking! Are there no rules regarding clients wandering round the school on their own? There really ought to be to prevent exactly this situation.

Good horse though :)
 
many years ago whilst out hacking on my youngster a very small child came running upto my horse and threw her arms around my horses legs to hug her, i had to haul my horse to a halt, thankfully she was a complete saint and stood there with eyes on stalks looking at the child stuck to her front legs, i quickly asked another small child to bring the child who was stuck to my horses legs mother. My horse was only 15.2, but still one step would have been enough to cause a serious injury and i was only a teenager myself!!
 
eek. Lucky escape for you all, really.

I'm really puzzled by the behaviour of some parents, the other day I was hacking baby horse out solo and came across a family with young kids on scooters coming towards me on the road. I called to them to ask them to stop so I could pass safely but the kids just ignored their parents half hearted instructions and kept scooting along... horse was growing by about 4 hands a second so I hopped off just before they drew level. What if I had been trucking along in a lorry or something instead? I'd have been in so much trouble for ignoring my parents and never seen the scooter again if that had been me! :mad:
 
I think some parents just see horses as big cuddly teddy bears. I was riding my old warmblood on a track when a little girl on a pink bike started to follow right behind us - & the bike squeaked. He was a very good boy but she was within kicking distance & he was getting jumpy. When I asked nicely if she could hold back a bit I got a load of abuse from her mum "we have every right to be here". Luckily i was able to divert down another track to the sound of screams as "horsey had gone away".

A parent at my last yard thought it was fine to let her little girl bounce a ball against the outside of the school. I firmly told the child to Go Away. Apparently I should have discussed it with mum first - I think I'd have been in A&E if I'd waited. Mum got a pretty firm answer then as well, but she did have a habit of thinking the yard was some form of nursery for her kids....

I'd be mortified if my horses hurt a child but equally you do need parents to actually show a little common sense!
 
It seems that the non-horsey have no idea. I have been hacking on the road and a mother attempting to cross the road pulled the child she was leading by the hand into my horse's back leg. Fortunately the horse was a saint and didn't react, but really?
 
I was using an indoor school with two parents of small children. The children were told to play with their toys in the middle of the school while their mothers schooled.
 
We have to do about 10 minutes of roadwork to get to the off-road hacking at my yard. This involves going past a garden with a tall hedge - I can just about see over it when I'm on my 16.3hh share horse. There's a kid living there who deliberately tries to spook the horses going past - kicking his ball at the hedge, popping his head out of the gateway and screaming, etc. Thankfully, while B will have a total meltdown about a different coloured leaf, he's pretty immune to sounds, but most horses end up shooting across the road when he pulls his tricks. For added fun, the house is right on a blind bend.

I know at least six people who've spoken to his parents and explained the danger, but the parents don't believe the little s***stain's doing it deliberately, and just start complaining that he's allowed to play in his own garden.
 
Once on a hack, in the middle of the bridleway - not the widest part, but in the direct sun -were two people sunbathing . Few clothes, beach towels, radio, coolbox, etc. We'd already met their child who had been left to amuse himself. He was incredibly polite, walking back to a wider section so we could pass, asking if he could pat the horse (yes, of course) and would the horse be scared of his bike (no, not really). By contrast, when asked if they could move to let us past, one of his parents rolled over, seemingly expecting B to tiptoe up the edge of their towel. I had to point out that if he accidentally placed a hoof on their softer parts, the leg of a 500kg horse would probably go all the way through them and out the other side.
 
I shouldn't be surprised by now but the number of parents with buggies, prams etc that stroll in and out of hunter collecting rings is sizeable
 
Frumpoon said:
I shouldn't be surprised by now but the number of parents with buggies, prams etc that stroll in and out of hunter collecting rings is sizeable
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Try taking a shetland stallion to a show where there arent any/many shetlands! I get loads of kids bombing up to him - ponies in tow or on them! Asking to pet the pony! And then they get annoyed when I tell them no. I don't mind kids patting him and making a fuss of him - The Wee Coloured Job actually loves the attention but not when they have their own pony with them! I trust Lance 99% to do as I tell him but I can't know what the kids pony will do.
 
Pippity said:
We have to do about 10 minutes of roadwork to get to the off-road hacking at my yard. This involves going past a garden with a tall hedge - I can just about see over it when I'm on my 16.3hh share horse. There's a kid living there who deliberately tries to spook the horses going past - kicking his ball at the hedge, popping his head out of the gateway and screaming, etc. Thankfully, while B will have a total meltdown about a different coloured leaf, he's pretty immune to sounds, but most horses end up shooting across the road when he pulls his tricks. For added fun, the house is right on a blind bend.

I know at least six people who've spoken to his parents and explained the danger, but the parents don't believe the little s***stain's doing it deliberately, and just start complaining that he's allowed to play in his own garden.
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Sorry - but the child IS perfectly entitled to play in their garden, it is up to the horse rider to control their horse.

It's the same as when people complain that does bark at them through a secure gate, the rest of the world shouldn't have to tiptoe through their lives just incase they spook a horse - riders shouldn't be out in public if they can't control their horse. As riders we can't control or environment but we should be able to control how our horses react
 
My kids were actively encouraged to play football by my ponies, great densensitization! We've had parties at the fields, so lots going on next door to their field. I know we can't prepare our animals for every situation but as riders we do need to as much as we can.

There are however parents who do need to take more care of their children!
 
I completely agree the rider is responsible for controlling their horse. We have no control about what situations we might come across out hacking but we do have control over how our horses will react.
I heard a local rider now refuses to hack past our house as my young horse likes to have a bit of a trot (and even god forbid, canter) about when horses pass. I use her own horses as spook busting as they do the same, en masse, when we pass their yard. It's good for him.

It's not really surprising non horsey people often do seemingly daft things is it? Why would they necessarily know what to do/what not to do? What I can't stand is seeing riders talk down to others. I've seen it often enough to appreciate why we often have a bad name as a group.
 
Riding down the lane, fortunately on my geriatric dobbin, I had a child come out of a garden and go straight under his belly in a ride on toy car.
 
C1airey said:
Once on a hack, in the middle of the bridleway - not the widest part, but in the direct sun -were two people sunbathing . Few clothes, beach towels, radio, coolbox, etc. We'd already met their child who had been left to amuse himself. He was incredibly polite, walking back to a wider section so we could pass, asking if he could pat the horse (yes, of course) and would the horse be scared of his bike (no, not really). By contrast, when asked if they could move to let us past, one of his parents rolled over, seemingly expecting B to tiptoe up the edge of their towel. I had to point out that if he accidentally placed a hoof on their softer parts, the leg of a 500kg horse would probably go all the way through them and out the other side.
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Honestly some people! Can't decide if that's better or worse than the couple I met who were um... 'engaged' together on some lovely soft grass on the bridle way, a few strides along a canter stretch. We jumped them!
 
EllenJay said:
Sorry - but the child IS perfectly entitled to play in their garden, it is up to the horse rider to control their horse.

It's the same as when people complain that does bark at them through a secure gate, the rest of the world shouldn't have to tiptoe through their lives just incase they spook a horse - riders shouldn't be out in public if they can't control their horse. As riders we can't control or environment but we should be able to control how our horses react
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Any rider who has ridden past there once and experienced the child's noise should make sure that they are ready to distract their horse by asking for shoulder-in, etc. You cannot expect the world to stop just because you are riding past!
 
Hmm I allowed my son to play with a spacehopper on the yard the other day while my pony was grazing loose. He's 12 and knows how to get out of the way, and it was great for her. She jumped a couple of times when it first rolled near her and ever so gently booted it away, and then just flat out ignored it
 
I am so glad for you that the kid darted back .I can assure you that one can never forget the sound of ones horse hitting a child ,at speed. I was going down to the start at a pt to pt and a small child (maybe 4) was left on one side of the track while stupid (should never have been allowed to breed)parents had dashed across.The kid stepped out straight out under our hooves .I had no chance of avoiding ,or slowing a racing fit TB.I know the impact was hard . I was at the start before I could gain any semblance of control,but my nerves were shot to pieces. I had to withdraw . My fellow jockeys , I am not sure whether they thought I had simply lost my nerve or knew what had happened. Regardless, they were incredibly supportive. No one ever told me tha fate of the kid so I fear the worst. WHY ,just WHY ,have they no sense ? .
 
Having had an ADULT cyclist pull out from a side street in front of me whilst driving on a 40mph urban road, I can entirely understand the rush of adrenaline & nerves. I was nearly sick. After I had called him some choice names & made him realise it's not his own ******* life he needs to worry about.
Some people are so irresponsible. Not only for their child's life, but to what may happen from the child running into / towards a horse.
 
I was once out on a ride with T when a child of about three saw us. He was on a little bike with stabilisers, and when he spotted the horses he decided to shoot down the hill as fast as his legs could pedal him. In fairness, his mum tried to call him back, but I don't think he could have stopped if he wanted to. T was at the front, as usual, and had an absolute terror of bikes. We'd been working on it ever since I'd got him, and whether it was the desensitisation that paid off or just the fact that it was a child, he managed to maintain his cool. Child went slap-bang into his front legs, where his handlebars wedged him and thankfully stopped him from going underneath. I could feel T's heart hammering away, but he simply looked down at the little boy, blew in his hair, and very carefully stepped away. His mum didn't even apologise - just asked if they could stroke the horses! Luckily, there was no harm done, but I dread to think what would have happened if T hadn't held it together so well.
I can't say that it surprised me though - I mean, how many times have people had dogs hanging off their horses' tails/chasing after them/running through their legs? I just think that most members of the public have no real idea of how dangerous horses can be.
 
EllenJay said:
Sorry - but the child IS perfectly entitled to play in their garden, it is up to the horse rider to control their horse.

It's the same as when people complain that does bark at them through a secure gate, the rest of the world shouldn't have to tiptoe through their lives just incase they spook a horse - riders shouldn't be out in public if they can't control their horse. As riders we can't control or environment but we should be able to control how our horses react
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I agree, he is entitled to play in his garden. The point is that he deliberately tries to spook the horses going past. It happens too often to be accidental. There'll be no noise and then, just as the horse goes past, he shoots out, screams, and laughs. Or there'll be absolute silence and then, just as the horse goes past, he kicks his ball at the hedge, and looks out to laugh.

He's about ten, so definitely old enough to know better.
 
Bob notacob said:
I am so glad for you that the kid darted back .I can assure you that one can never forget the sound of ones horse hitting a child ,at speed. I was going down to the start at a pt to pt and a small child (maybe 4) was left on one side of the track while stupid (should never have been allowed to breed)parents had dashed across.The kid stepped out straight out under our hooves .I had no chance of avoiding ,or slowing a racing fit TB.I know the impact was hard . I was at the start before I could gain any semblance of control,but my nerves were shot to pieces. I had to withdraw . My fellow jockeys , I am not sure whether they thought I had simply lost my nerve or knew what had happened. Regardless, they were incredibly supportive. No one ever told me tha fate of the kid so I fear the worst. WHY ,just WHY ,have they no sense ? .
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And you didn't ever try to find out what happened?
 
Pippity said:
I agree, he is entitled to play in his garden. The point is that he deliberately tries to spook the horses going past. It happens too often to be accidental. There'll be no noise and then, just as the horse goes past, he shoots out, screams, and laughs. Or there'll be absolute silence and then, just as the horse goes past, he kicks his ball at the hedge, and looks out to laugh.

He's about ten, so definitely old enough to know better.
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I agree just because it’s his garden doesn’t mean that he can have total disregard for the rest of the world. I’m sure he’ll grow up to be an inconsiderate selfish barsteward that makes his parents proud.
 
Nothing shocks me with non-horsey parents. The time I was at a big agricultural show with a 4yo very excited 15.2hh Welsh Cob, walking him along the walkway to my ring -those with sense would stop and let us through but one mum decided to barely break pace so rolled her stroller with little baby in right behind my horse who was clearly wound up - my mum was following behind and she said the lady literally brushed past his tail she was so close and he did a massive bucking kick. He missed the buggy by inches. Truly terrifying and how they keep their kids alive I dont know :(
 
I remember getting on my then 4 year old and riding in walk down the yard to the manège when one of the other livery’s children (she must have been 4 at the time) came flying out from behind a wall and ran straight into my horses chest. Horse was a very sharp type but, thankfully, was an absolute treasure with children. After an initial jump in shock, he saw it was a child and stood stock still until she clambered up and moved away. My heart was in my mouth, I thought we’d squashed her!
Child is now a lovely 21-year old but I still remember that moment vividly.
 
My mare is a very pretty, rather stand-offish and sensitive type and I have to handle interactions with children with great care. It usually starts with me yelling STOP in a stern voice to shock them into stopping death rather than running towards her which freaks her out and put everyone in danger. I then explain calmly she's a bit frightened but would love to meet them is they come up to her slowly and quietly. We've made quite a few horse sensitive little friends over the years who have all forgiven me for shouting at them first time we met.
 
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