Need kid advice for AFTER the big trail ride

[BaaramuLuke]

Not sure how to title this...I have a kid in my 4-H club who spent all spring conditioning for a 50 mile ride (over three days) that happended last week. She went, she and horse did fabulously well, and now she comes home and has ridden once since then. Yes, I expect she was wasted from camping and traveling for five days, and the horse (mine she leases from me) was glad to be rid of her too for a couple of days, but she seems to have reached her summit of experience with this, and I worry she thinks she's done all she can do now. Kind of a depression I guess.
Anyway, is there a proper way to let down a horse who has been conditioned for this kind of work other than to just not ride. I know the answer, but she has issues with accepting my answer, or any answers for that matter (18, knows all;) . I need to just give her a protocol for giving him back to me sound and healthy and ready for another kid and she will have to oblige me.
Examples: She thinks he's "skinny" and he's not (vet body condition score 5.5) She thinks he's stiff, but he has straightish hind legs, goes that way. Trainer, vet, farrier agree he's fine. She doesn't think so. Frustrating, and now this...
Step one-pull his shoes next farrier trip...
Okay maybe this is more of a vent than anything. Her next goal is to take a green/not broke 8-9 year old pony I have and do this trip with him next year. hahaha.
Thanks for any suggestions on this otherwise sweet and well-intentioned kid.

[Prieta]

Yeah, those teens...

Have you drawn up a contract with her? It is legal and binding which she will have to oblige to. What is the consequence if she does not meet the obligation? Are you willing to follow through the consequence with her? That will help her to wake up to how useful you are on ensuring that the horses she works with are sound and healthy to begin with.

I wish that my horses would be scored 5.5 to begin with! My horses are FAT pigs which can't seem to get thin no matter what I do. :yes:

[saratoga]

I dont really get the question.....when I come home after an endurance ride, I generally dont ride my horse for at least a week afterwards, to give him time to fully recouperate and I spend that time catching up on riding my other horses. He is fine not being worked- I wouldnt lock him in a stall, but as long as they are turned out and can move around, they dont need anything special after a big ride.

[CosMonster]

I don't think I get it, either. Five days is a long time to be camping, travelling and competing. I know at 18, I was useless for at least a week after that kind of thing. I'd give her another week or so and see where things are at then before making any decisions.

[Auventera Two]

The horse needs the time off to rest so I don't see the problem. :confused: Even after a 25 I give my horse at least 2 or 3 days off just because the traveling and camping is stressful. If I spent 5 days on the road riding and camping I'd probably give the horse 2 weeks off, but that's just me.

[ToiRider]

Yeah, those teens...

Have you drawn up a contract with her? It is legal and binding which she will have to oblige to. What is the consequence if she does not meet the obligation? Are you willing to follow through the consequence with her? That will help her to wake up to how useful you are on ensuring that the horses she works with are sound and healthy to begin with.

Contracts with minors are not legally enforceable against the minor. However, I like the idea of a goodwill contract between you two. Writing out your expectations, on both sides, would help avoid disappointment. Communication is always good!

[ToiRider]

The horse needs the time off to rest so I don't see the problem. :confused: Even after a 25 I give my horse at least 2 or 3 days off just because the traveling and camping is stressful. If I spent 5 days on the road riding and camping I'd probably give the horse 2 weeks off, but that's just me.

I agree with the two week break and regular turnout for the horse. 24 hour turnout is good, as long as the horse has a shelter. After that, riding him twice a week for a total of 25 or so miles should keep him in fine shape.

[Prieta]

hey, I have an idea! How about getting a book about this sport and give it to her as a present? She can use it as a resource. Then, again, it might not be a good idea? :( :no: Who will want to read such an educational book especially when it is summer? I do but the others???

[ToiRider]

hey, I have an idea! How about getting a book about this sport and give it to her as a present? She can use it as a resource. Then, again, it might not be a good idea? :( :no: Who will want to read such an educational book especially when it is summer? I do but the others???

Great idea!! The Lighter Side of Endurance, by Angie McGee, would be a great start. It may wet her appetite for more endurance riding, and it is hilarious! I love the cover picture of a Tevis competitor going over Cougar Rock with about two feet between her and her saddle!

[BaaramuLuke]

See, that's what I need to know.
It's a 4-H thing, so she should at least be here to groom him and see to him even if she doesn't ride, my problem is she seems to be in a "now what" kind of place. If he needs time off, he's turned out and fine, and that's what I'm unfamiliar with. If she never intends to ride a long trail ride again, then we can look toward what she does want to do in her project work with him til October (new year, her last).
I just needed to know it was okay to let her give him a week or more off from being ridden. The rest I'll deal with, but hate to see her just evaporate from the scene now that the thing is over and done.
No contract with her, just the understanding that she treat him like her own horse and not so much a boarder of mine, so I naturally want her to be here to be sure he's doing fine and getting himself back to normal.

[ToiRider]

Is the horse pastured or stalled? I believe that horses do best with regular turnout and don't need to be stalled, just given shelter. They generally will exercise themselves quite a bit. I just reread your original post and saw that the 50 mile ride was over 3 days, not one. In that case, he doesn't need 25 miles/week to maintaining his current level of fitness. Two or three shorter trail rides a week or one longer one totaling about 15 miles should do fine. Of course, more miles is fine too.

I would give her a call in a few days and just have a conversation about what her plans are for the future. It is nice of you to let her use your horse!

[BaaramuLuke]

I actually did that today, we got an email about this being last call for entries to State Championships, and her mom had told me she was pretty much done showing, but this would be her last chance to show at State. Forwarded the email to her, she called me at 7ish tonight, now she wants to go. We need to get her entry in to the extension office by 8:30am tomorrow to get the proper postmark.
Made me happy, it'll make her club members thrilled (all 14-10 year olds) and now she has something else to work toward, what I needed to see from her.
Her pony (horse, 14'3) is turned out days, kept up nights, and a really great all around kind of guy. We do CT and dressage, and this trail ride was a dream of hers, and she did all the work to get him to it fit and to do well, and sounds like they were an awesome pair. I'd love to see her take another club member next year and get us involved in this kind of thing more. I might look into that book, a nice "way to go" gift, that was a great idea.
Thanks for all the help.

[betsyk]

Maybe I'm reading too much of myself into this, but - I can totally understand that feeling of being a little let down, and a little "now what" after having accomplished a big goal. She may also just need a week or two to see her friends that she has presumably blown off in order to get ready for this, or maybe parents are telling her to stay home a little more now that this is over. Is she heading off for college in the fall? that may be the next big thing on her plate now that the horse activities are winding down.

So based on my experience with other teenagers, and myself, I'd almost expect her to lie low for a week or two. She'll miss riding and come back. Around here, some of the kids and families intentionally plan for a light August w/r/t horse activities so they can go on vacation, get to the pool, and have some down time before school starts. I've talked to parents who like the kids to have some time to just go to the barn and mess around and enjoy their horse without the pressure of having to get ready for something. Maybe totally different from what you're talking about -- but something to think about.

[clanter]

Contracts with minors are not legally enforceable against the minor. However, I like the idea of a goodwill contract between you two. Writing out your expectations, on both sides, would help avoid disappointment. Communication is always good!

Nor are contracts with the insane... so that pretty much voids all horse contracts

[BaaramuLuke]

Funny you should mention insane.

I could be insane for worrying about other people's kids, and I might have a troubled kid on my hands. I have had issues with this poor kid (and her mom) from day one, but they can be very sweet and well-meaning too, all an aside to this problem.
The kid is 18, my "contracts" are written training goals all the kids do when we start a new year in October. She technically is aging out, but sat out a year from school in middle school, did home schooling for a couple of years adn thenwent back to public school in high school. She is smart, but has depression issues, so I do get more involved in my worries for her. I am who I am, and I try to be kind, positive and supportive, but I'm not the best at being that really kind, positive and supportive person they want me to be. I give them a lease (also not legal, just pay toward the care of a horse and I offer all my resources for them to experience horse ownership) and they get to use this horse until the kid goes to college, I lease it to another kid somewhere down the line. I have a total of 6 kid in this program. SHe's the second oldest, one above her is in a local college and acts as a 4H volunteer and still leases "her" horse.
As of today, she decided to go to State, a big change, and also wants to lease kid 1's horse next year to try something different, but I'm not inclined to let her, as that would boot kid 1 from her beloved horse. Now, she states she will move on from our barn and go do more serious dressage at a big barn near us in a lesson capacity only, since I don't have what she feels she wants or needs. She thinks she needs more experience on different horse 'personalities" than the guy she's been on for the lst five years.
What happened to trail riding? The immediate plan she had when she did come back was to take an untrained 8 year old and train him to do the fifty miler next year. I suggested that wasn't likely to happen since it took 5 years of work on her part to accomplish this with horse number one.
I'm fine if she needs to move on. Sad, but fine, I'll miss her, but she seems angry with me for being unwilling to give her what she needs or to okay what she wants to do. If I argue this, her mom gets upset with me and challenges how I can be so hard on her given how much this kid looks up to me. (hmmm). She has issues getting along with all the other kids too, but doesn't see her role in it. So, I worry about her.
Thanks for the sounding board.