Should my daughter start horse riding lessons?

eliviajen

I have recently been thinking about taking my 5 year old for horse riding lessons. I have found a well recommended local stables that will give a hours lesson for £8 - this includes hat and boot hire.
I think this is a super price as i was expecting it to cost ALOT more than this. We can do as few, or as many as we like
My OH does not think its a very good idea. His arguments are :
-expensive and we could use the money elsewhere
-eventually she'll ask for a pony
-dangerous hobby
-we have no experiance
-Elivia is "fickle"
I do understand his points but Elivia does no other extra curricular activities, we tried a dance class but the teacher was in her 80's and didnt do much "teaching" just shouting :eek:
I do believe its important for her to do something, i never had any hobbies. She has never asked to do horse riding, she has aked to start Karate and gymnastics recently but am reluctant to start these as they run on the same evening as Rainbows which Elivia is on the waiting list for and will definately start after the summer if not in June.
Do you think its feasible to take her occasionally, perhaps as a treat initially which could then develop into a hobby slowly?

martinthebandit

I think that at one time or another all my kids had horse ridding lessons, probably they were at a younger age than yours.

They all enjoyed it and none of them ever gota pony bought them although the oldest (who is now 30 plus) now has a few horses on his small holding for his wife and kids.

So, if your daughter wants to do it and you can afford it, go for it.

JodyBPM

If she has never asked to do horse riding or shown any interest in it, then I am confused as to why you want her to take riding lessons. It sounds more like something you want her to do than something she wants to do herself.

Personally, I'd let her do gymnastics or karate since she has shown an interest in them. Worry about the clash with Rainbows when it happens, she may well have lost interest by then. (Does she actually want to go to Rainbows anyway, or is that another thing you think she should do?)

pennywisepoundstupid

My daughter has been riding since she was five and loves it, personally i think children should always be get a chance to try something, its the only way to find out what they enjoy and gives them the confidence to want to try new things.
You can pick up 2nd hand riding clothes cheaply on ebay, really no point on spending £25 on a pair of jodders for them to end up covered in horse poo, also can i ask where in the country you are because £8 for a lesson is really really cheap, most places usually charge between £18-£25 to be taught by a qualified instructor, maybe want to double check.

January20

eliviajen wrote: »

I have recently been thinking about taking my 5 year old for horse riding lessons. I have found a well recommended local stables that will give a hours lesson for £8 - this includes hat and boot hire.
I think this is a super price as i was expecting it to cost ALOT more than this. We can do as few, or as many as we like
My OH does not think its a very good idea. His arguments are :
-expensive and we could use the money elsewhere You will probably find that any hobby will cost money that could be spent elsewhere!
-eventually she'll ask for a pony Perhaps - and this is when you say "no"!
-dangerous hobby You can injured in any sport: ballet - trampoline - football, cycling - even just running!
-we have no experiance you don't need any - if it's a reputable stable they'll take care of her!
-Elivia is "fickle" What is wrong with trying out a few things - as long as you don't buy the full kit every time?
I do understand his points but Elivia does no other extra curricular activities, we tried a dance class but the teacher was in her 80's and didnt do much "teaching" just shouting :eek:
I do believe its important for her to do something, i never had any hobbies. She has never asked to do horse riding, she has aked to start Karate and gymnastics recently but am reluctant to start these as they run on the same evening as Rainbows which Elivia is on the waiting list for and will definately start after the summer if not in June.
Do you think its feasible to take her occasionally, perhaps as a treat initially which could then develop into a hobby slowly?

I have experience of horse riding myself - and taking my dd to riding lessons. £8 per lesson is quite cheap. Especially with the boot hire!

It's a great hobby, one I missed very much but I have no time to do it My dd loved it too and she never asked for a pony lol! She just had some preferred horses/ ponies at the stable.

peachyprice

Have you asked her if she actually wants to do it?

I do think your OH is clutching at straws with his arguments. Money can always be spent elswhere, but you cannot put a price on a child experiencing a new activity. If you don't want her to have a pony, you just say no, not all girls that enjoy riding enjoy the hard work of actually looking after their own pony. All activities carry some degree of danger, that's how children learn to be safe. You're not teaching her so you don't need experience. And all children are fickle.

As long as she actually wants to do it, and not at the expense of an activity she has taken an interest in herself then I really don't see why not. However, if she would rather do karate or gymnastics I don't think it would be fair to make her do riding instead because you want her to.

heretolearn_2

I'd be a little bit concerned at the stables; that is so very cheap I can't believe they aren't cutting some corners there, it's not a viable business price to charge for lessons. Who is recommending it? Other parents who also don't know anything about horses? MAke sure it is registered with the local authority, make sure it has proper liability insurance in place and find out who is teaching and what qualifications they have. Use your eyes too, even if you don't know much about horses you can see
a) are the stables clean or are animals standing in piles of their own poo/wet stinky bedding. Do they have bedding (straw or woodchips)?
b) are the paddocks safely fenced and in decent condition - i.e. not covered in poo (should be cleared regularly) and with a decent amount of grass this time of year.
c) Does the tack (bridle and saddle) appear to fit the pony, you won't be able to tell properly but obviously too big or too small will show.
d) Does the pony have a nice covering of flesh on neck and hip bones (bum), having a hint of rib there is ok, but should not be skinny. Any injuries? Runny eyes/nose?

I'm really dubious about somewhere doing lessons for £8. REALLY dubious. And if corners are being cut that will effect both the animals' welfare and your daughter's safety.

pennywisepoundstupid

Agree with everything that heretolearn says, the price sounds scarily cheap, i currently pay £18 for a 1/2 hour lesson with a qualified instructor and Pony club costs £25 for 2 hours (group riding lesson and then lesson on pony care etc, help to muck out and feed round).

heretolearn_2

put it this way, riding lesson prices seem to pretty much match up with driving lessons pricewise throughout the years.

so if your 17 year old daughter came home and said, I've found a driving school that will teach me for £8 an hour, when you know that all the schools are charging more like £20-£30 an hour, a few alarm bells would be ringing, wouldn't they.

It's possible it's a city farm type place that is subsidised by local council/charity- that's the only type of stables I can imagine could properly run at those rates. If so, ok, if not, please keep your eyes open and be careful.

moromir

Why not take her for one lesson and see how she likes it?

One thing - I wouldn't be comfortable using a hat thats 'been round the stables' so to speak, you don't know whether anyones had a nasty fall using it, whether there is damage inside the hat you can't see which means your daughter won't be protected as well as she would with a hat you knew the 'history' of.

I may be a bit neurotic but whenever I had a fall where I hit my head or landed on my head, I bought a new hat, better safe than sorry!

paddy's_mum

You might want to point out to your husband that by the time most girls hit the early teenage years, they will have developed a powerful passion for either horses, ballet or boys.

Of the three, I'd say that boys were the most dangerous!

In your shoes, I think I would be taking the child to visit ponies/horses, perhaps at a petting farm or local home for retired horses so that she can judge whether or not she even likes them. Close up, even a little pony can seem enormous to a small child - very daunting - and quite a number of children are in fact allergic to the dust in their coats.

Do you need to be spending money on lessons before you test the water??