>>> I have some experience with kids and ponies. I don't think small children should be riding, as a general rule. I like for them to beold enough, usually 9 or 10, to reach that long-legged stage. I also want them to be begging for a pony. I know I wanted our first daughter to have a pony so badly that I put her up on a youngster that spooked, Her little short legs didn't keep her on board and she got pretty scared, although she wasn't hurt. Today, she's my non-rider.
That's interesting, Nancy. I only have the one daughter, so she's my only real pony-kid experience. I'd always wanted a pony myself, and so had my husband, so when Emily was about 4 or 5, I called a lesson barn to inquire. The old man who owned the place (whose family had given hunter-type lessons many years) told me pretty much the same thing. I think he said something like they could give a five-year-old lessons, but usually their attention span was short, and they lacked the strength and balance to be able to do much. I think he recommended that we wait until she was more like eight. I dropped it then, partly on his recommendation, but also because I was going back to college and we simply didn't have the time or money to spare. She was almost seven when I graduated, so it was about a year and a half before I got settled into working, and we recovered from the expense of college, so she was about 8 or 8.5 by the time we got around to starting lessons. She's not riding a lot right now, but it's still in her blood, and I know she'll find time again eventually. She was a die-hard rider from the time she started until she was about fifteen, and never really stopped. My nephew started lessons on one of our Icelandic's when he was about 7-7.5 I think, and he rode for about a year...but I always had the feeling that riding was more his mom's idea than his. He liked the horses pretty well, but he moved onto soccer. He's a big child though, very smart...and we are very cautious about kids riding, keeping him in the round (oval) pen and on a lunge line for a period. I don't think he ever got close to that "begging for a pony" phase...and also the caution that I feel is necessary for the younger, less physically mature riders does tend to make riding kind of boring, especially compared to all of the "exciting" sports kids are bombarded with these days. Looking back I wish we'd made him wait at least another year. Emily was really begging for a pony when she got Thunder, as you said, and he was her pride and joy - still is I guess, even though they are both 27. As I said, my experience isn't as deep as yours on this topic, but I suspect there's a lot of truth in what you wrote... Karen Thomas, NC
