Should my daughter start horse riding lessons?

lauren_1

My mum still takes my DD horse riding. I dont have the nerve since my sister was thrown and broke her back but accidents happen to even the most experienced riders, just like car crashes, its pot luck.

I would say go for it, you never forget how to ride a horse and she'l thank you for it!

Tropez

heretolearn wrote: »

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.

I can't speak for anywhere else in the country but there's a local countryside organisation here that subsidises many of the local "outdoor pursuit" type businesses and so here at least (which may be nowhere near the OP) it is quite common to find riding lessons very cheap. I took a look at one of the local websites dealing with that type of thing and saw £9.50 for 45 mins during the week, £12.50 at weekends.

CH27

It's potentially a very expensive hobby.

I'd concentrate on swimming lessons & making sure she is safe in the water before looking for something more.

May2013

paddy's_mum wrote: »

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!

Haha...so true

My daughter had her first lesson when she was 6 and from that moment on developed a passion not only for horses but also the great outdoors. From the age of 12 she spent every weekend down the stables (a whole weekends entertainment costing no more than an hours lesson!!) Hats, boots, jods, body protectors etc were given as birthday and Christmas gifts so no extra outlay there. When she hit her teenage years boys simply didn't get a look in unless they shared her passion for the country life.

She did indeed end up getting a horse of her own but not until she was 20 and able to finance it with her own money! She now has a daughter of her own who was introduced to the horse and stable life from 10 days old....and so the cycle continues!!

Let her have a lesson...she'll either love it or hate it

Carolyn12

Why not let her have a go? A couple of lessons won't hurt...at that age she will have someone leading the pony anyway, and it will be like a pony ride, she will not be cantering over jumps, trust me.
£8 does seem rather cheap, I paid £10 an hour when I first started but that was a few years ago now. I didn't have any experience, nor did my parents, my friend loved ponies when I was at school and wanted to try it to see what she was talking about. You don't need fancy kit for a few lessons, boot and hat hire and you're sorted.

WolfSong2000

Go for it! You're never too young to start riding and the skills it teaches you are invaluable. I've been riding on and off all my life (pretty regularly until I hit 16 and exams got in the way ) and it taught me so many life skills - my confidence improved, as did my co-ordination (which is naturally atrocious) and after falls, I learned to pick myself up, dust myself off and literally get back on the horse. lol. Ditto for dealing with moody mares (give me a gelding any day!) It's stood me in good stead when I've had non-horse related "falls"/confidence issues.

I'm also in the very lucky position of having had some really wonderful times with some of the horses, and to this day I look back with immense fondness when I think about how lucky I was to be able to spend time with some of my favorites. From the age of 11 to 16 I worked part time in various livery yards (full time during holidays) which has given me an excellent work ethic, plus I have fond memories of spending my breaks with a horse magazine, sitting in the corner of one particular horses stable with him standing next to me dozing. He was a shire horse (so big), I was about 12 (so not so big) but we got on very well . I wouldn't trade memories like that for the world.

As for accidents - yes, I wont lie, accidents happen, but touch wood, I've never had a serious accident. Worst I had was a nasty case of concussion from a fall, and have had one or two close calls, but as long as you're sensible, you're able to minimise risk. And if the kid is too young to be fully aware of potential dangers, that's where responsible and experienced adults come in

If your daughter likes horsey stories, get here reading Christine Pullen-Thompson (think I've spelled that right!). Her books are old, written a generation before I was a child, but I still enjoyed them, and I think kids today who are into horses probably would as well

MX5huggy

kaya wrote: »

statisticly horse riding is more more dangerous than taking ecstasy and cocaine, would you give your child class a drugs? if not then i suggest you leave the horse riding well alone

All that proves is how safe Ecstasy and Cocaine are.

Another vote for let her go for it.

lauren_1

Statistically a child is less likely to be hurt in a fall than an adult rider, kids bounce!

Dont let stories of injuries scare you.

WolfSong2000

lauren_1 wrote: »

Statistically a child is less likely to be hurt in a fall than an adult rider, kids bounce!

Dont let stories of injuries scare you.

This - first off, even if you fall off a pony, it's not a long way down - I've fallen (well, been bucked off) a shire horse (about as big a horse as you can get) before and had absolutely no injuries (aside from a bruised ego as we were at a show!). Besides, eventually you learn "how" to fall, which minimises injuries.

That aside, horses aren't stupid - they recognise that kids are more vulnerable and generally tend to behave appropriately - in other words, I've found in my own experience that as a general rule, they're more likely to mess around with a more experienced rider. Plus any horse that your daughter will be riding will have been specifically chosen for its temperament, whic again, minimises the risk of any accidents.

kingfisherblue

I've no idea about horse riding - I'm a bit scared of horses to be honest, although I have my son on a waiting list for Riding for the Disabled (he loves horses and I'm willing to overcome my slight fear of them to go with him, as long as I don't have to get on one!). It is supposed to be a healthy activity, though, and I think it encourages responsibility if the child has to care for the horse as well - a benefit in what is sometimes a selfish society.

I do have some idea about Rainbows, though, as I am a Rainbow and Brownie guider. Like other activities, it isn't for everyone. There is often a waiting list (as you have found), because we do not have enough volunteers to open more units. All volunteers are fully trained, including child protection and first aid training, CRB checked, and run their units because they want to be there. As with everything, some units are better than others. Uniform is just over £20 for the polo shirt and trouseers, but we recommend you wait until your daughter settles down and has decided she likes it before shelling out (usually about four weeks). It is an inexpensive activity - we charge £1.60 a week, which includes our annual census (membership fee which covers insurance, many resources, leader training, etc), room hire and all activities within the unit. It also subsidises the cost of trips sometimes. The girls learn a wide range of skills and enjoy games, food tasting, crafts, quizzes, visitors, etc - depending on what the unit has planned.

My daughter tried all sorts of activities, but she rarely stayed. She did stay in guiding though (and is now a leader herself) because she didn't get bored doing the same type of thing each week.

Even though your daughter isn't in Rainbows yet, she could look on the Rainbows website and read some stories, play games, and generally enjoy herself in a safe environment. If she really doesn't like it, you may change your mind about Rainbows.

https://www.girlguiding.org.uk - click on the Rainbows window on the homepage.

Whatever your daughter decides to do, I hope she enjoys herself. After all, that is what childhood is about!