msmayasmom asked:
My daughter is 2. she loves horses. we have 2 very special QH geldings, one that is 21 and pays no attention to her. (good sign huh?) and the other that is 6 and obviously too immature for such special cargo. we also have a friend that runs a traning facility for kids. she has had kids as young as 3 begin to ride. i was 5 when i started riding but i begged for years. how old do you think is appropriate? little help parents! thanks
WADE
My daughter is 2. she loves horses. we have 2 very special QH geldings, one that is 21 and pays no attention to her. (good sign huh?) and the other that is 6 and obviously too immature for such special cargo. we also have a friend that runs a traning facility for kids. she has had kids as young as 3 begin to ride. i was 5 when i started riding but i begged for years. how old do you think is appropriate? little help parents! thanks
WADE
Tags: Geldings, Parents, Qh, Riding Horses
I started at 2. Doubled with my mom until 3, by 5 I was jumping.
I would think that you’d want the child’s neck to be strong enough to hold up the weight of the helmet she’s wearing. You also want to make sure that she’s not going to do anything to spook the horse and then make her have a bad experience. I didnt’ really ride until I was about 4, other than pony rides and stuff.
Started all my kids (3 of them) at age 3-4.
whenever you think the kid is ready
i was riding with my parents almost from the day i was born.
(baby backpack! woo!)
then as i got older i was riding double with a parent, and by the time i was five or so, i was riding my own shetland pony.
since your daughter is 2, i would recomend some sort of riding double/with you somhow. its important if she is going to grow up around horses that she be tought how to behave near them. (not walking up behind them and all the things that get you kicked, ect)
but yea, riding with you is best for now. and, once she’s a bit older, let her sit on the saddle as youy lead the horse around, to let her get the feel for solo riding in a safe way.
I think the age is different for everyone, but your daughter could start taking little rides now and then if there is a pony available, she can start actually riding in a year or two…
if she wants to ride, then it’s never too early to get her started.
i started riding at 7 wish i would have been allowed to start younger!!!
if the horse is calm, you could put her on it and lead the horse around at a walk.
It’s great to let kids spend time on horses at a young age, even if they only sit on the horse’s back for a few minutes at a time, as long as they’re calm and well-behaved.
As far as real riding though, it probably depends on the child. A few years ago I sold my pony to a family with three little girls, and it was a lot of fun to watch all of them ride him when they came to look at him. The littlest one was probably 3 or 4? I can’t remember exactly now, but she did a great job for being so young.
A calm child will be better suited to riding at a young age. Some thing you should consider before thinking about signing her up for lessons:
- How does she act around horses? Is she calm enough that she won’t get too excited when riding a horse?
- Does she follow direction well (as well as any child that age at least)? If you tell her she needs to sit still, be quiet, etc, will she do what she’s told?
- Does she/can she understand that if she jerks on the reins or bangs on the horse’s sides with her legs, that it’s uncomfortable for the horse and can cause problems?
- Does she have a long enough attention span to keep focused for a certain period of time, or does she get distracted/bored very easily?
The best thing to do for now probably is to just to set her on a calm horse’s back (your 21 year old sounds like he’d be a good candidate for teaching her to ride) and lead her around for a while. Have someone else walk beside her with a hand on her for her first couple rides or until she seems like she’s able to hold her balance. Don’t go any faster than a walk until she’s been able to support herself and stay balanced comfortably for a while.
You can do some things like teaching her how to direct the horse with the reins and ride in different patterns, or walk over some ground poles, which will be fun for her.
She probably won’t be able to ride by herself for a while, but she can still learn a lot in the time in between now and when she’s old enough to control a horse on her own.
I started ti ride when I was 4 but I would sit with my dad on his horse. I started to ride a Shetland pony, then a pony finally a horse, palamino which I loved very much. Now my sis, her daughters started to learn to Ride at the age of 3.
I never have a child start riding lessons until they can steer their tricycle through cones, skip, and have an attention span of longer than 15 mintues. They need to be able to understand verbal commands like put your hands forward or pull back, be able to move one leg to squeeze at a time, and be able to do all of this even if they are scared. I have had two 4 year olds in my 15 years of teaching lessons be able to pass my pre lesson skills test and take 15 minute lessons at a time. Toddlers heads are the biggest, heaviest parts of them. If they fall, they are more likely to fall on their head and sustain a terrible injury than older children whose bodies are more in proportion. I would also look for an instructor that is certified, insured (sometimes the liability insurance company will put an age limit on who can ride) has first aid and cpr, and has some formal lesson policy that adresses age. Anything short of that and you are risking your child’s life being around a 1000+pound animal that can quickly revert to its wild untrained state if frightened. Better to have your child keep begging to have a horse than to visit your child in the hospital or worse.
Regardless of who you are, wear a helmet that is SEI and ASTM certifed for equestrian activities.
I started at age 10, but once I went this one rodeo where they had a 4 year old barrel racing. No lie!
i started riding miniature horses when i was like..3-4 its ok to have them start at any age where they can hold their head up just make sure u hold on to the child and the horse but most importantly the child. it works better if u have 2 people to help out good luck!
I can identify with you! Our daughter is 14 months and wants to ride already. She sits on the back of our old kid broke mare, and I just stand beside and hold her steady. The other horses she just gives hugs to. I think as long as you’re watching, holding, and caring for her, no age is too young.
If your old gelding is reliable, I would say she can start riding alone when she’s three, or able to hang on tight. There is always the possibility of an accident, but you can encounter accidents anywhere, doing anything. I think as long as you know your horse and your daughter, you will be able to tell when is the right time for her to start to ride, at least in the saddle by herself, with you leading the horse, and then later holding the reins, and learning to cue the horse. But only if your old gelding is totally reliable.
I was five also when I was finally allowed to help my dad and the older siblings with cattle work. I remember crying when my older sisters would ride away at a gallop, and I wanted to just trot. I learned quickly, though, and would do ANYTHING to get to go along with them!
It sounds like you will have so much fun teaching your daughter to ride…I think you’ll be able to tell when she’s ready. But my advice is to take it easy for another couple years, just letting her sit on them once in awhile, or ride with you. Then you’ll get to a point where you just can’t keep her away from them, and just give her a horse and let her go! Good luck, and have fun!
Most of the parents I know who have horse loving kids usually start them in lessons around age 9 or so. There are some exceptions to this, but this seems to be the right age for kids to start lessons. I started riding at that age, and I was just fine-no falls or injuries. The biggest problem with teaching really young kids ( I am a certified riding instructor myself, and have taught kids for years) is their lack of balance, coordination, and their short attention spans. If you add kids who have ADHD or a related disorder into this, it becomes even harder. Young kids are also easily intimidated by large horses- but ponies can be brats, and younger horses are usually too spooky and silly to be safe for a young child to ride. Kids as young as 3 DO ride- some of the larger horse shows, such as the Devon Horse Show, actually have leadline divisions that are reserved exclusively for them. It really depends on the child and on the parents, I think, when it comes to the age issue. It also depends to a degree on the horse, and on the child’s maturity level, as well as how comfortable you feel with this subject as a parent. Trust your instincts on this one- if you feel that your little girl is old enough to try riding, then go ahead with it. If not, wait a year or two. Good luck , and I hope this helps.
My son started to ride when he was 2…my daughters trainer refused to start him intill he was 3 maybe 31/2…I found a very old POA that needed a good home and took her to the stables with our other horses …my son loved her and rode everyday while I led her around….one day I was standing talking with another trainer and had my back to my son …I could tell the trainer was watching my son very intently so I turned and looked ….my son was hopping in front of the horn, behind the cantle, standing on one leg of one sturup, (he was also in gymnastics at the time) he was just having a great time….anyway my daughters trainer became one of the spectaters of this clinic on vaulting ponyback …after he realized everyone was watching him he got even more into the show…he could stand on her butt, stand on the saddle and hang over the side…when all was said and done my trainer said…. YES!!!!… she would take him as a student even if to just teach him safety ….this child was born to ride…he has gone on to become on of the best trainers for ponies, he has rode rodeo, he excelles in jumping and hunt seat.. but his true love is vaulting….he will tell you ..”I have been bucked off 100 times ” that may just be true ….he has always been ready to get right back on and try to correct what he did wrong….one of the his favorite things to say after meeting the ground is ” man that hurt” then he gets right back up…he’s been taught to respect all horses and has a very calming effect on some of the worst horses…
but I do have to say:
1) he had one of the best POA’s ever to live as a first pony
2) one of the best child trainers you can find
3) some of the most patient boarders that always stepped back and watched while he was stunting
4) some of the best trainers taking him under their wing
5) and some of greatest horses and people to work with
so to answer your ??… it depends on the child and the starter horse …I could have so easily put him on an evil little pony that scared the heck out of him ….then he may never have wanted to ride again…some children are born with natural balance….gymnastics helps alot too….and I believe the child will let you know also…I could not have stopped my child from riding young he was holding his arms up starting at 1 year old …he wanted up on the horse and has never gotten down
(my child did spend 2 years on an evil pony when he turned 4 and that little pony taught him some of the best lessons ….to this day that pony is his favorite horse and his best friend)
Well if she is 2 she shouldnt ride horses yet. Start with ponies. Thats how i started out. Now I have about 10 ribbons for jumping. I started riding when i was 7. I think that is a good age.
My son started at 4
Around 5 is good
Ive known some people that learned to ride before they could even walk haha– it all depends. I personally think that kids can ride anytime with the help of a parent nearby and at 4-5 I think they can be on a lunge line–I think thats a good age to take them to a kids training facility too…
At 6-7 they can probably be taken off the lunge line but it all depends on their progress. If you are comfortable with starting your daughter in riding you should go for it– it’s great when parents get their children involved in riding while they are young.
My mother rode the whole time she was prgo with me. She started riding with me when I was 3mos, in a baby holder. I have been riding since. & I am 31 now. Go with what you are confortable with!!!
Children can have ‘Pony Rides’ as soon as they show interest in horses. Just be sure to have someone hold the kid up, and use a quiet horse.
People vary as to when they say kids should start riding independently. I started at age 6, and the early elementary school years like that is a common choice.
Avoid using riding double if you can. If there is only one person a quiet horse that neck reins, you can support a child with one hand at a walk, but never go any faster double. If the kid doesn’t fit in front of you, don’t ride double.
well i think 7 years old