Think before you ride or work a horse..........

[Countrymom]

Just a bothersome problem I see repeated over and over in the horse world. I was confronted by it when I went to a local show and saw a horse who was upset by something start to buck. The rider yelled at the horse to stop and she would get off. She promptly jumped off and anounced that her tranqs had finally worn off. Later that week she told me that he now has a bucking problem. And then that kid that they flung up on a older mare who already seemed ticked to be at the show let alone have a young 8 yr old with little riding experience plopped on her back. Then send that kid out into a class only to have a good time rodeo happen the minute that kid got a good grip of the bit. Luckily the show steward grabbed the mare and stopped the kid from being flung.

I ask parents many times where are you when your children ride? Rule number one around here is that we supervise. No one rides alone....even myself and I have been training for several years to say the least. And if you have a horse that isn't fully trained, be there and don't put your beginning rider on or your child for God Sakes! Even my now 13 year old daughter who is just beginning to train and already has a few Championships under her belt is supervised by ME. She can ride a bronc like a champ. She worked the neighbors rearing horse like it was nothing. But I was there and I know her ability,,,,,,but I was there.

Never think like a human around a horse. NEVER EVER. They are a horse. You need to study your herd....or a herd if you only have one. Before you atempt something new, think about all the possible outcomes that could be bad. Like the one that I heard recently of a man tying a few plastic bags to his horses halter. Great get the horse use to plastic. Well, until he flipped out so much he went over a panel hanging up his hind leg in the top rung and basically hanging himself by his back leg. They had to rope and tie the horse's head back while they lowered the panel to get him out. And he took the hide off the inside of his back leg all the way up. Took months to heal.....and the horse never would stand to be near plastic bags again.

It just drives me crazy. Sorry for the long rant, but I hope someone who reads this gets a little smarter and stays a little safer.

Just wanted to edit this first post with a comment on first time horse owners. Please if you can invest in a horse and the care of one, think of training as a need for the horse's and your health. Put the value of your worth on your head and then figure out how much that is compared to a few months of decent training. The training is priceless really. If you have a horse and something just feels scary or you are unsure, don't just follow the TV trainers and try and fix the problem with a lack of experience. Even the simpliest things can be made so much easier when an trainer's eye is watching and helping. I say that for children, but also for adults. I mean, shoot, we don't get a driver's licenses one day without ever learning how to drive first. And we are tested by a trained professional to obtain that. So why would you not get help or invest in your safety when you climb aboard the average 1000 pound animal with it's own thinking mind?

 

[big brown horse]

Spoken like a true mom. Great advice!

I have a terrible story to add: A friend of a friend's daughter was finished with her ride and snapped one end of her horse's rein to her belt loop and let the horse (dead broke and bomb proof) follow her to the barn. (Small child around 9.)

Her parents WERE outside with her and in close vicinity...but they didn't see that one little glitch until it was too late.

The horse spooked, knocked the child down and drug her to her death right in front of her parents. She was apparently not heavy enough to break that belt loop and her dragging body frightened the horse even more. Tragic way to see your child die.

I have since switched out all of my snap-end reins AND gave my own daughter a long talk about what happened.

 

[FarmerChick]

yea I used to ride all the time and what I see how people ride horses is insanity...lol

but hey, most won't listen anyway.
so many "don't know how to ride" jump on and get hurt or by some miracle they survive the craziest situations.

I always rode alone. I boarded my horse in PA and while everyone owned horses, no one could ride. They were scared of their horeses...weird. So I would tack up and go. No takers to go trail riding with me...all scared of their insane horses they bought..LOL....me, I buy only bombproof broke horses. Hey I ain't dumb..LOL

I know how to ride though. Jumped for many years and turned over to trail riding. So I am not afriad to ride.

I think that is a difference....I know how to ride, have fallen off many times and have learned to respect the horse. Beginners don't understand the "big hurt" they can get. I do so I ride very smart.



but you are so right, the horse world is super wild out there.

Buying 2 new horses for me and DD, but again, they will be super safe ones. Waiting another year or so so she will be 6....that age should be good for her to start to learn.



(and BBH--that story is just horrible..oh my!)




But less and less are buying horses. Luxury item. With the economy many can't swing that horse bill.

 

[freemotion]

I was at a Monty Roberts demo a few years ago and the coloseum was full. The horse that "no one could stay on" was brought out. Monty asked the owner a few questions. They'd bought it at auction (first mistake) and brought it home and threw a saddle on it. Freaked out and bucked everyone off. Ya think maybe that is why it ended up at the auction?

So, microphone in hand, this mom calmly relates how they then put their TEN-YEAR-OLD CHILD on this horse, thinking the horse would not feel so "pressured!!!" I almost passed out when every last person in that audience sucked all the oxegyn out of the room with the collective gasp.

 

[()relics]

In theory your advice is true...BUT unfortunately some of my kids, the Boy in particular,seem to operate under their own direction, seemingly most of the time. Sure I tell them don't ride until I at least check your rig. Or please wear a helmet. And horses were not made to stand on....But do you think they listen? NO they usually go riding in sandals and shorts, my son thinks he is the next PBR champion and horses are "way too easy to ride"...By themselves. In the fields and on the trails.....
Do I worry ? Yeah I guess a little BUT they have been taught since they were very small that if they show respect to a horse it will respect you....Our horses are trusted friends. Believe me, my son can rig any of them by himself and he is 10. You don't have to catch them, they want to be around you. You fall off, they stop turn around and want to know "what happened?".....
I can hardly wait to read all the responses to this post....No I'm not a terrible Dad....Yeah I realize there is an inherent danger with horses. With Respect you will find a measure of safety....You respect an unbroken colt by giving him "plenty of room" while you might respect your tried and trusted gelding by sitting underneath him, The boy told me when it gets "real sunny" it is shady and cool under his horse....Picture that one...I guess I would really like to teach my kids not ride unless supervised But I remember when I was a kid...I learned alot ,on my own, about horses....So as not to be hypocrittical I teach the horses....Try anyway....besides they listen and remember better and you only have to say it once....Please JMO

 

[big brown horse]

LOL ()relics, most folks would fall over if they knew how my parents let me ride as a child. Your son sounds a lot like me. (Barefoot, shorts, bareback etc. racing all my horse riding mates from goal post to goal post at the football field, racing on the streets, rearing up to show off and NO helmet! ) I grew up in the country and we all rode as children w/o parents hanging around. Simpler times back then for kids in the country.

I hear ya on kids will be kids too. I make my daughter wear a helmet, proper riding clothes are optional but she must have heeled boots to ride in a saddle. I did the best I could to teach her safety around horses. I trained my horses to all be very well behaved on the ground and in the saddle/bareback. At this point I rely on faith for the rest of it.

(Thankfully my daughter has built in "caution", unlike me as a child.)

 

[Countrymom]

In theory your advice is true...BUT unfortunately some of my kids, the Boy in particular,seem to operate under their own direction, seemingly most of the time. Sure I tell them don't ride until I at least check your rig. Or please wear a helmet. And horses were not made to stand on....But do you think they listen? NO they usually go riding in sandals and shorts, my son thinks he is the next PBR champion and horses are "way too easy to ride"...By themselves. In the fields and on the trails.....
Do I worry ? Yeah I guess a little BUT they have been taught since they were very small that if they show respect to a horse it will respect you....Our horses are trusted friends. Believe me, my son can rig any of them by himself and he is 10. You don't have to catch them, they want to be around you. You fall off, they stop turn around and want to know "what happened?".....
I can hardly wait to read all the responses to this post....No I'm not a terrible Dad....Yeah I realize there is an inherent danger with horses. With Respect you will find a measure of safety....You respect an unbroken colt by giving him "plenty of room" while you might respect your tried and trusted gelding by sitting underneath him, The boy told me when it gets "real sunny" it is shady and cool under his horse....Picture that one...I guess I would really like to teach my kids not ride unless supervised But I remember when I was a kid...I learned alot ,on my own, about horses....So as not to be hypocrittical I teach the horses....Try anyway....besides they listen and remember better and you only have to say it once....Please JMO

Relics, your sons do remind me of myself growing up. Not having a horse of my own I relied on neighbors and their horrible horses. Can't tell you how many times I was thrown.....and always got on and got better.

And after my big lecture I have to admit, I do not nor do my children wear helmets. After having one myself and required riding when I use to ride Dressage years ago, I can't stand the things. So I do what I can to supervise and I do also let the kids be kids to an extent. My daughters rode over to the neighbors house the other day. The oldest on a 3 year old she trained from the ground up and in a saddle and snaffle. My middle daughter rode bareback on her horse with his halter. Oldest Text me when they got there and I came half way on another horse to meet them on the way home when they had finished their visit. Mind you it was dark. That said, these horses they were on were in total control by my daughters. Shoot a baby (as long as it could sit up) could ride that one bareback.

So that being said, I am not the strictest parent or the meanest parent or trainer for that matter. I am someone who has seen a lot of absolutely stupid stuff done with horses and want to strangle some sense into some people. Not out of anger, but more so out of frustration because it ultimately leads to an injury and a claim of a problem horse. When in reality it wasn't a problem to begin with in 99% of the cases.

 

[FarmerChick]

it comes to common sense with horses.

you got the insane type hyper horse, don't be thinking he is a big play toy.

you got the low key broke to death horse, yea you can push your luck and enjoy him like all us riders would do. Doing a few crazy stunts and stuff, we all do that and kids will be kids.

And it always reminds me that people did grow up with lead paint on their cribs and lived, kids do race cars and lived, people do crazy things all the time and survive....no helmuts and I survived childhood, no life jacket swimming, us kids did fine.

anything we do in life requires common sense and we hope that pulls us thru..LOL

 

[mully]

Most horses learn about you way before you learn about them.

 

[dianneS]

I ask parents many times where are you when your children ride? Rule number one around here is that we supervise. No one rides alone....even myself and I have been training for several years to say the least. And if you have a horse that isn't fully trained, be there and don't put your beginning rider on or your child for God Sakes! Even my now 13 year old daughter who is just beginning to train and already has a few Championships under her belt is supervised by ME. She can ride a bronc like a champ. She worked the neighbors rearing horse like it was nothing. But I was there and I know her ability,,,,,,but I was there.

I agree totally and thanks for the advice. I wish my parents had known that a kid requires supervision when riding. Both of my parents grew up on farms and they would jump on the backs of the mules or plow horses and go for a ride. That was horseback riding to them. They weren't horsey people, but they were stuck with a horsey kid. I begged for a horse or pony from the time I was born. I finally got a pony when I was 8. My parents just expected me to know how to tack up, jump on and ride with no lessons and no supervision! Well, I didn't get much of a positive start in the horse world and gave it up before I was a teenager due to lack of supervision as well as support or encouragement (and I outgrew my pony!) I'm finally a horse owner as an adult and I'm trying to do thing RIGHT this time around!

My family does not understand why I don't ride when my husband is not home. Nor do they understand why I don't allow inexperienced people to ride my mare. She's a one person kind of horse and isn't trusting of strangers. It takes a long time to earn her trust and people just don't understand that. My family thinks that when they come to visit I should just allow anyone and everyone to be hopping on my mare and taking her for a spin around the pasture! I would never subject my girl to that kind of treatment, she's much too sensitive and she's a horse, not a dirtbike! Nor would I want someone getting hurt!