Having horses and young kids?

[Carolyn R]

I always had horses around when I was younger and I would love to get my kids into riding, but now that I am a parent, I think of things from a safety standpoint. Do you have your little ones around horses? How do you encourage safety to prevent kicks, etc.?

[karne]

Well, it goes without saying, never unsupervised. My kids have been around the barn and horses since they were little, so they have a lot of common sense about how to act around large animals. That doesn't mean that their judgement is that of an adult's though, so we're very careful. Sometimes being a part of something like Pony Club, or 4-H can be a good experience for the older child.

[BaBaBa]

I have 2 horses and a 2.5 DD. I never let her near them unless I am supervising (ie., I hold her up to pat them or hold her hand if we are sanding near them). Even the best horse can be unpredictable

[DisplacedYooper]

I would add that electric fences are a danger for toddlers - they don't hurt so much to touch with the hand, but can be a bigger problem when the wire is head-level...

[Britishmum]

I have to say that once I had kids, my horse days were pretty much done. I handed over care and competing of my horse to a younger single girl. My kids, however, did love going to watch them compete until my horse retired, and now we just visit the barn, feed carrots to our favorite horses, and give my horse apples and hugs. But I am always supervising them very, very closely, particularly the younger ones.

Last week we spent ages watching the blacksmith (4 yo ds was fascinated) and we're really lucky that there is a miniature pony there that we're allowed to take for walks and groom. The kids love it, and it's fun for me. It took a while to accept that unless I left the kids at home, serious riding was not possible, but once I got over that emotional hurdle, just having the contact with horses regularly was enough for me. Now, of course, my oldest two kids take riding lessons, but I am still limited to driver, supporter, organizer. And I was a very serious horse person.

Until I had kids, I always raised my eyes inwardly at friends as they gave up their horse ambitions once they had kids. But now I fully understand. I am looking forward to the time, though, when we can all go riding together. It will just be a few years though.

Once you get to the stage of having your kids take lessons, just be very, very picky. I looked at several barns before choosing a teacher for my kids, and she is amazing. So safety conscious, but still fun. I found that you have to pay a little more to get that standard. My girls take private lessons, so the teacher is focused on just that one kid and horse. She teaches slowly and doesn't rush them. I know other kids their age who were cantering off the lungeline, for example, way before my girls. But they took falls, which mine never have. And my kids are developing really really good seats and stability, so once they started cantering (on the lunge), they were secure, not bouncing around.

I've seen too many accidents to risk doing things carelessly. And I mean serious accidents - ie fatalities - because people just don't understand the risks. Safety comes first for me so my kids got their own helmets and boots, and don't borrow from the barn. I visited a barn where I saw kids riding in bike helmets, and the instructor riding bareback with no helmet at all. I walked out without even bothering to look around. Our teacher is very strict with the kids and if they make a mistake, like dd swung her crop around the horse the other day, they are taken back to where they made the mistake and made to walk through the entire incident again. Good habits need to be instilled from a very early age. My girls know that if I ever found them riding even for a few minutes without their helmets fastened, for example, that would be the end of their riding, period.

Off my soapbox, but please, don't consider having young children hanging around a barn while you spend time with horses. Instead, wait for them to be old enough to take lessons, then find a really good instructor for them.

HTH

[Peepsqueak]

My 11 year old daughter is taking lessons and I got a yearling for us to start taking care of and training. I realize this is a big "project" and responsibility both financially and physically (you definately get exercise mucking stalls, feeding and trying to deal with a young horse).

My daughter is riding English and spends most of her time training in that, and the horse care for our yearling is her extra activity for now....she is not expected to do dangerous work like lunge train, or be around the young one except to pet and brush her while I supervise.

Due to the economy many horses are being given up, so I wanted to start out with this one to give her a chance. Now adays it is very important to recognize the expense of a horse because if you do not have a stable income you are doomed. Also the horse will be hard to rehome or give to a rescue organization which is already heartbreaking enough. It is a big commitmnet.

Children under school age need not deal with that aspect of horses, however, once they get older it is wise to let them know they are animals not to be taken for granted. Young children benefit by being around them not to be fearful. They are huge animals to a child so they should be taught caution and sensitivity as well to these large majestic creatures.