Something to remember: Horses and Kids.

[RedTahoe]

(Used, with permission, from a non-horse forum of which I am a member)

We had our second of four horse local horse shows. As my daughter was getting ready to go practice in the arena we heard a scream and turned to look. A child, no more than 6, was on a 16HH horse bolting across the arena. Within seconds she had fallen off. In those first few moments, there was very little doubt in my mind and everyone else there that the little girl was dead. She had landed on her head and her entire body went the opposite way of her neck. The most beautiful sounds and sight I have ever seen was (a few minutes later) hearing her cry and seeing her feet move. I'm still shaken and crying over the incident a day later. If her foot had caught in the stirrups she would have been mutilated.

How she survived that fall is only by the grace of her guardian angel. She NEVER should have been on that horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control.

During one of the very first events of the afternoon, one of the girls from our stables was lining up in front of the judge when the horse next to her turned, eyeballed the horse she was on, backed up and blasted her horse by kicking. Her horse was, and still is, terrifed, backed up and "our" girl bailed from her horse who is about 17HH. Luckily she is ok, just took a hard fall on her side. That kicking horse was disqualified as the judge said there was NO WAY that was the first time that horse had ever kicked and there was no red ribbon in the tail to warn the other riders.

Both the horse that bolted and the horse that kicked came from the same trainer!! These are the same horses that are bucking, kicking and being lunatics every show!!

My point is this....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE research the trainer/riding instructor before you put the most precious thing in your life on the back of an animal that can kill you!! Call AQHA, do a google search, ask for references, ask if they are certified!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have a professional look at a prospective horse with you to make sure it is suited for your child's skill level.

I was horrified that a parent would put their child on a horse that they can't control. After doing a lot of thinking last night, and seeing that little girl hit the ground over and over in my head all night, I think that what happened is the parents are trusting the trainer/riding instructor to know more than them. DON'T!!! Ask questions!! Our trainer/instructor made a very good point one day...if the person is offended that you would question them then they aren't the right person for you.

I didn't pay a lot for my horse. He is completely outgunned in most of the classes, but he is exactly the right horse for my daughter at this time. She has fun and he would never hurt her!

[MunchkinsMom]

AMEN to that! When my daughter did her first AQHA walk trot class on my dead quiet WP gelding, I was still white-knuckled on the rail! And I made her wear one of those gigantic helmets with the western hat on it, and she was the only kid in there with a helmet on.

My daughter did come off my horse once at home during a lesson, whe was wearing a helmet, and I will never forget that sickening sound as her head made contact with the ground. Never. Luckily she was fine, although frightened.

I cannot imagine risking the greatest gift of my life, especially when we parents should be doing everything within our grasp to try to keep them safe.

[LisaB]

Did the judge or organizer say anything to the trainer? Banish them from the grounds?
Bet not
Bet they didn't even talk to the parents about how wrong this situation is.

[RedTahoe]

Did the judge or organizer say anything to the trainer? Banish them from the grounds?
Bet not
Bet they didn't even talk to the parents about how wrong this situation is.

I am not the original author so I don't know.

[RedTahoe]

I actually really disagree with the apparent idea that a 16 hand horse is any more dangerous than a pony for a kid.

I don't think it's as much "more dangerous" as it is impractical (for some cases). I imagine it might be "easier" for children to wrap their legs around a pony that is more suited to their size than around a large horse.

(I also don't have kids so.......I'm basing my judgment on speculation only :) )

[NJRider]

Did the judge or organizer say anything to the trainer? Banish them from the grounds?
Bet not
Bet they didn't even talk to the parents about how wrong this situation is.

Probably not...
1.Horsemanship is a lost art and instructors/trainers who are horseman are harder and harder to find
2. Something which is really sad is people are so worried about being politically correct that they will NOT ask the right questions for fear of "offending", they will risk their own child or horse before opening their mouth to ask a valid question
3. No one wants to be the ONE to actually do anything about situations like this, but they all agree "something" should be done.

[Come Shine]

That is so sad. Horses are unpredictable, at best.

I took some kids out this morning, as part of my DD's 12th birthday party, to ride our horses. When I asked the parents if it would be o-kay if I took the girls 'riding', no one asked me a thing. It would be like if I sent my child away to a ski instructor. I would assume they had the knowledge and common sense to keep my child safe.

[RedTahoe]

I asked the original poster about the trainer/judge, etc.

"I don't know what was done by the judge, other than the one horse was disqualified. The judge was really fair and on top of things though.

That trainer knew they were in trouble. The horse that got kicked is top ten at Congress every year and because it was AQHA they can be sued. Now he may not be able to qualify for World. It didn't take long before alot of horses cleared out. Our trainer does have the name of the trainer and owner of the horse that kicked. They didn't even apologize or come over to see if the girl and horse were ok. I don't know about the horse that bolted or how the parents handled the situation."

[fordtraktor]

(Used, with permission, from a non-horse forum of which I am a member)

I didn't pay a lot for my horse. He is completely outgunned in most of the classes, but he is exactly the right horse for my daughter at this time. She has fun and he would never hurt her!

I am glad you have a safe horse, but no matter how safe, your horse CAN AND MIGHT HURT YOUR DAUGHTER.

It always amazes me the number of people who think that Pookie is completely safe and is not capable of hurting their child. All horses are dangerous. You have done the best you can to mitigate the risk, but there will always be risk, and as parents we would all do well not to forget it. I've been lucky enough to have and teach with some super-safe old WP campaigners in my day, and even the best once got a kid off when he got stung by a bee. Things happen, that's life. Just because you saw a horse out of control once does not mean its people did not think it was just as safe as you think your horse is. They are not machines.

[saultgirl]

How she survived that fall is only by the grace of her guardian angel. She NEVER should have been on that horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control.

I suppose then, that NO child should EVER be on ANY horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control? Or just on 16h horses? Or is 15.2 hands ok, or must it be under 15hands?

That kicking horse was disqualified as the judge said there was NO WAY that was the first time that horse had ever kicked and there was no red ribbon in the tail to warn the other riders.

That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. I would also think the judge was full of crap if he/she had said, "Well, i'm SURE that was the FIRST TIME that horse EVER kicked!"


She has fun and he would never hurt her!

I hope reality doesn't hit TOO hard, when it inevitably does.

[RedTahoe]

I am glad you have a safe horse, but no matter how safe, your horse CAN AND MIGHT HURT YOUR DAUGHTER.


As I previously said.....I am not the original poster of this. I do not have a horse nor do I have a child.

[amastrike]

I'm unsure about the "never should have been on that horse" thing, as well. WHY should the child not have been on the horse? Was it a naughty horse? Spooky? Or was it just "too tall"? My gelding is just under 16hh, and he is dead quiet and perfect for small children. A 14.2hh pony (normally very quiet) cantered off with a little kid and the girl fell off.

They're horses. Crap happens.

[Ambrey]

I think there were a lot of opinions in the initial post (large horses being inappropriate, the assumption based on trainer's reputation that the bolting horse was known to be unsafe).

But the general message is good. Horses are dangerous. Be careful.

[RedTahoe]

(Used, with permission, from a non-horse forum of which I am a member)

Both the horse that bolted and the horse that kicked came from the same trainer!! These are the same horses that are bucking, kicking and being lunatics every show!!

I believe this was the Poster's meaning of "should never have been on that horse:" size and previous history.

The thing is...this trainer will continue to go to shows with the same horses until someone actually says/does something about it.

[FancyFree]

RedTahoe there are idiots everywhere. Some parents don't even use a trainer to help them buy a horse for their kid.

I have to say I don't agree about the height issue either. My first horse that I got when I was eight years old was 17 hands. He was the biggest deadhead on the planet. A great first horse except for saddling him, which my poor mother had to do.

Hopefully all the children who have stupid parents and incompetent trainers have angels watching over them.

The thing is...this trainer will continue to go to shows with the same horses until someone actually says/does something about it.

The trainer will get a bad reputation. Only people who don't know any better will go to him/her. Then they too will leave.

[equusvilla]

I cover horse shows for a Equestrian magazine. I have seen:
1. drop dead broke horses spook.
2. trainers over mount a rider (stronger horse than rider) to get a better ribbon. - ususlly does not work though!
3. small children that have better control over their horse than children twice their size
4. Trainers fall off of horses in a class.
5. and an academy horse actually slow down and twist his body around trying to keep a child on his back (GOD BLESS HIS SOUL!) who was just slipping off due to a lost stirrups.
6. Really tall sweet and evil horses
7. Really small sweet and evil horses.
...and I could go on and on forever...

Guess what I am saying is the only thing you can do is research the trainer, use correct safety equipment and educate the rider with lots of hours in the saddle before their first show..other than that - be aware that anything can happen at any time!

[Trixie]

How she survived that fall is only by the grace of her guardian angel. She NEVER should have been on that horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control.

I suppose then, that NO child should EVER be on ANY horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control? Or just on 16h horses? Or is 15.2 hands ok, or must it be under 15hands?

Erm, this logic doesn't make sense.

The original pot said that THAT child should not have been on THAT horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control.

Nothing about other children or other horses.

[saultgirl]

Erm, this logic doesn't make sense.

The original pot said that THAT child should not have been on THAT horse, especially without a lead line and an adult in control.

Nothing about other children or other horses.

It could have been any child on any horse.

[Trixie]

But since the original post was referring to a specific instance, and said quite specifically that child and that horse, it doesn't then extend to any child on any horse without using some seriously faulty logic.

I too have seen enough scary at the horse shows to wish that more folks mounted their children on animals that they can control, whether they're 6 years old and pint sized, or 16 years old and taller than I am.

[MistyBlue]

Well I disagree with a 6 year old unsupervised on horseback on showgrounds. Period. Even the most dead quiet bombproof horse can spook, bolt or kick at a venue with tons of milling people and unfamiliar other horses.
And since the judge seemed to know that the horses from this particular trainer had a habit of kicking, bolting, bucking, etc it's quite possible the judge did know *that* particular child should not have been off lead on *that* particular horse.

[Lori B]

The original post is a bit unclearly written, but if you read carefully, while the writer mentions the horse's height, what I think they were referring to was the horse's reputation and handling by the seemingly very irresponsible trainer.

While many ponies are opinionated little so-and-sos, it's still not as far to the ground from 11 hands up as opposed to 16. We all know horses that are darned safe and ponies that are menaces, but size still does matter.

While yes, there is a level of risk to this sport for anyone, I think that saying so doesn't negate the fact that there are unquestionably horses and trainers that are more trustworthy and quiet (in the case of the horses) and conscientious and safety-minded (in the case of trainers). And that parents should seek them out.

We should also remember that riding and horse world are at times quite opaque and unfriendly to uninformed newbies. It is full of jargon that non-horse people don't understand and full of people who are better with animals than with people. Everyone has stories about parents who think they know everything but who actually have more money than sense, many are desperate for a little information and advice from someone who doesn't stand to make money from their decisions.

[bort84]

I'm going to try to avoid the controversy that the OP has caused (seemed very simple and well-meaning to me...) and share my own experiences.

I don't think it's unfair of the OP to assume that the trainer of both ill behaved horses is likely a bit irresponsible and/or unknowledgeable. Certainly it could have been a fluke. However, as someone who grew up riding and showing (both small local shows and big national shows), most exhibitors at each show are fully aware which trainers' horses should be avoided... Well, basically every exhibitor except the poor clueless folks that ride with them.

Generally, the people that ride with those trainers are beginners with parents that have no clue, or they have been riding with those trainers since they were beginners.

My best friend that I grew up riding with had a little sister. She decided she wanted to jump (we rode saddle seat). Her grandparents knew a little about horses from my friend (granddaughter #1), but STILL ended up choosing a very poor jumping instructor because she was close and talked a good game. By the time my grandma (our trainer) found out who little sis was riding with, the new trainers had already developed a close relationship with little sis... Let's just say they were the trainers that CONSTANTLY had riders getting dumped at shows and horses acting up. Anytime you would say their name, anybody except an absolute newbie would say, "Oooeee... they are no good..." They were also the ones putting 6 year olds on 17 handers that were NOT bombproof. Generally in big curb bridles too... (saddle seat).

My friend tried to explain to little sis that it would be best to ride somewhere else since she fell off generally everytime she rode. Little sis told her trainer who responded with "well, at least my riders get to actually ride horses and gain experience! Falling off should be EXPECTED!" Yes, but they ALL fall off... 90% of their rides... not expected. Trainer really just had no clue. And little sis convinced grandparents she was perfectly safe... She never got extremely hurt, but I saw her on horses at 10 years old that I would not have trusted with most experienced ammies I worked with. Rearers, buckers, horses that ran backwards or forwards at top speed, etc. I wanted to vomit everytime I watched her ride. Oh, then she would JUMP these idiots! How do parents not notice these things?

Also, I have been a lesson instructor at a couple of different places, and I'm always APPALLED at the lack of concern parents show for little riders. HELLO! 1) I'm a STRANGER. 2) Horses are BIG and UNPREDICTABLE. Most will literally drop their 7 year olds off at the first lesson, and not even get out of the car. Wow, ignorance really is bliss, eh?

Anyway, not that most of the members of this forum need the reminder, but really, people, you would do a thorough check on a babysitter, right? Why would you let some unknown potential idiot put your precious baby on a 4 legged potential idiot with steel shoes... You tell people you are a horse trainer/instructor and they assume you are all-knowing... Why?

[MistyBlue]

We should also remember that riding and horse world are at times quite opaque and unfriendly to uninformed newbies. It is full of jargon that non-horse people don't understand and full of people who are better with animals than with people. Everyone has stories about parents who think they know everything but who actually have more money than sense, many are desperate for a little information and advice from someone who doesn't stand to make money from their decisions.
Very well put Lori...:yes:

[Sithly]

I am glad you have a safe horse, but no matter how safe, your horse CAN AND MIGHT HURT YOUR DAUGHTER.

It always amazes me the number of people who think that Pookie is completely safe and is not capable of hurting their child. All horses are dangerous. You have done the best you can to mitigate the risk, but there will always be risk, and as parents we would all do well not to forget it. I've been lucky enough to have and teach with some super-safe old WP campaigners in my day, and even the best once got a kid off when he got stung by a bee. Things happen, that's life. Just because you saw a horse out of control once does not mean its people did not think it was just as safe as you think your horse is. They are not machines.

Just what I was going to say, but you beat me to it. :yes:

Doesn't matter who the original poster was, that is a dangerous attitude to perpetuate. Lots of people think their pookie is just so sweet and would never hurt a fly, until one day pookie bites off half their face while "giving kisses" because the owner didn't make with the cookies fast enough.

[justpassingthru]

Wow...when Red Tahoe asked me if she could cross post I had no idea how uneducated and stupid I was.

Let me start by saying the horse was bucking with the kid on it, the adult took the child off the horse and then put the child back on the horse within minutes. At that point the horse spooked and bolted and when the child hit the ground head first and then didn't move, every single one of us thought she was either dead or had a broken neck with good reason. I stated the size of the horse to give an mental picture of what was happening.

Saultgirl: I am not so stupid that I think my horse CAN NOT hurt my daughter and that is not what I said. Does being nasty make you feel smarter? I'm well aware of the risks and I've seen her fall off her horse. I've also seen him spook and knock her down. My statement that he would never hurt her was misleading but my point was he wasn't too much horse for her which you would have gotten if you had read the rest of the post where I said he was the right horse for her at her level. I didn't write it in Chinese.

I never said the judge knew the trainer or the horses. I simply said the one horse was disqualified from that event and repeated what the judge said that she didn't believe it was the first time the horse had kicked. I also said these horses from this trainer are always lunatics and shortly after the one horse was kicked the horses from that barn cleared out.

My trainer has an excellent reputation and has top horses every year at Congress. I don't need to defend her. I've been in her house and seen the trophies, ribbons, merits and plaques.

My message was simply one of caution to please check out the trainer/instructor and to have advise in buying a horse that suited the child's skill set. There are younger children on bigger horses from our stable than my daughter because they have been riding many more years and have much more experience.

You guys are reading wayyy to much into this and making alot of assumptions. It is NOT an assumption that this trainer is an idiot, I've seen the horses and it most certainly is a fact. It was a simple statement that the child should not have been on THAT horse, not because it was 16hh but because it was way to much for her to handle.

[LisaB]

I guess you're area, AQHA?, is having the same issues that we eventers have had in that you have unqualified trainers. And how does a parent find a qualified trainer when they know nothing of horses?
Eventing has an instructor certification program that is really taking off. And it assures people that this instructor has this base of knowledge. It doesn't however stop the person from being an a-hole but at least a correct a-hole.
Hopefully, parents will go onto a basic forum and ask around. I know I always send a person asking for a trainer to the website that lists certified instructors in that person's area.
And we all hope that if we observe such a trainer that we would go up to the parents and help them instead of sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing. These parents don't know any better and certainly don't want to kill their child!

[Lori B]

LisaB -- are you saying that you think that ICP certification is an important consideration for parents seeking very young / new rider instruction? The situation referenced in this thread involves quite small kids. If you are, I have to differ quite strongly.

The ICP certified instructors with whom I am acquainted are not particularly interested in or suited to teaching small children. If your child is already riding BN and wants to work their way up the levels of eventing & dressage, they are great. But if you are a timid 7 year old who needs a steady eddie and position fundamental work over X-rails, not so much. For that, I think the only consistent answer I hear about is Pony Club, although I don't know enough about the organization of Pony Club ton know if that guarantees the instructors have a specific level of formal training.

[EqTrainer]

The original post absolutely makes my stomach turn.

LMEqT is six.

What I see so often in this sport is that people are really, really casual w/the safety of other peoples children. It horrifies me. Yes, all horses can be dangerous. However... you owe it to the kid to be as safe as you *possibly can ever be* when around horses. There is no reason to ever throw caution to the wind.

A six year old has no business on a 16h horse, no matter how well broke it is, unless it is being led. Why? Because the drop is too far. The "rule of thumb" is any drop more than twice the persons height is more apt to be life threatening. Told to me by my daughters pediatrician.

[MSP]

Whether the parents of that little girl are newbies or experienced horse folks could have been a factor. Although I have seen some parents take risk that I wouldn't and I think they should have known better.

My parents knew nothing about horses and my first pony at the age of 4 was a stallion. He was broke to ride but not trained well. I survived probably because he was only 10 hands!

Being a horse person I am probably overly cautious with my kids. I have a 6 year old daughter and no way would I even set her on my QH even at 14.2 hands with a lead line.

I got her an 11 hand pony that she can crawl all over in safety and she is still on lead line. I don't think she can grasps the concepts required to ride alone safely.

Height matters! I would much rather my child take a fall from an 11 hand pony then a horse of any size. Don't think height matters? Would you rather fall from half way up a ladder or from the top?

[amastrike]

A six year old has no business on a 16h horse, no matter how well broke it is, unless it is being led. Why? Because the drop is too far. The "rule of thumb" is any drop more than twice the persons height is more apt to be life threatening. Told to me by my daughters pediatrician.

Drop from where? Do you measure the height of the drop from the person's feet or their head or somewhere in the middle? (Asking out of my own curiousity, not being argumentative.)

[LisaB]

I have to disagree Lori :D
A trainer can do with their certification as they please. My instructor is a level 3 which means according to the usea, she's able to competently teach the ** level. So, does she only teach the upper levels? No. She teaches everything from the first time eventer up to advanced. Does she teach rank beginners? No. She doesn't have the string of horses/ponies to do so and she has plenty of students already. But that doesn't preclude her or anyone else to do so if they please.
What I'm saying is that if a parent wants their kid to do a particular style of riding, it would be very nice if they can go to the official site and look up certified trainers in their area. It's basically an insurance policy that the person has a base knowledge of the discipline.

[LisaB]

Oh yeah, I'm in the boat that height matters!
I personally don't buy a horse over 16h because I'm short. It's hard handling a horse bigger than that for me if they decided to exit-stage-right. I would guess the same for a child. You don't put them in too big of shoes because they will grow into them in 5 years.

[SmokenMirrors]

It is SO thankful to hear the child was okay, same with the one who bailed when the other horse backed and kicked. Never a fun ordeal for anyone!

I was witness to a Clyde stallion getting loose at one of our shows two years back and once the dust had settled, the stallion caught, the owners were allowed to show said stallion even though he was aced to the gills. Stallion had double barrel kicked my husband in both upper thighs and sent him backwards. Did they come see if he was okay? Hell no. Did they apologize and try to at least act like they felt bad? No...they came over AFTER all their in hand classes were done then admitted they KNEW the latch was faulty on his stall.

If that 2200lb 17H stallion had gone to the right instead of toward us, there were young girls, young foals, open mares, many people would of gotten hurt.

It happens all over....and I tried to get the rules changed about woman handling stallions, boy did I get barked at by many so I shut up.

Sorry that that was a bit off topic...

[Sdhaurmsmom]

A six year old has no business on a 16h horse, no matter how well broke it is, unless it is being led. Why? Because the drop is too far. The "rule of thumb" is any drop more than twice the persons height is more apt to be life threatening. Told to me by my daughters pediatrician.

I am of this opinion, which is why I got my daughter a 10hh shetland as her first horse. If she falls off him, it's as if she is falling off a chair, not the top of a perimeter fence.

Further, the little pony just can't run as fast or buck as high as a larger horse or pony (if he did buck - which he doesn't,) and if he ever did rear, he would gain a maximum of two inches in height, LOL!

Additionally, he weighs far less if they should fall together, God forbid. If he steps on her while she's leading, it's bruising, not broken bones.

I really think this is a safer situation than having her on an equally broke animal of greater height.

[Lori B]

LisaB, I agree that a trainer can do with their certification what they please. What I'm saying is, if you give a non-horsey parent the guidance that they should seek out an ICP certified trainer for their small child, I think that they would miss many good instructors who are far more suited and equipped to teaching younger kids. Some certified instructors are no doubt super at that part of teaching, but the ones I have met are much more interested in riders moving up the ranks. YMMV, of course.

[LisaB]

Ah, I think I need to elaborate then Lori. What I'm saying is that all disciplines should look into a certification program. Western, English, etc. BHSA has one and generally all trainers, including beginner oriented ones have a certification. It ensures the newbie that they aren't being led astray. Which is where our large portion of dangerous asshattery comes from. It's folks who don't know any better. I'm using the eventing certification program as an example. We have one and we are using it. It would be nice if other disciplines, including all-rounders had one.
And who's to say that you can't start off with eventing? Everywhere else they do. And I've know a few people to start off riding as eventers. It isn't and shouldn't be just for people who have horses already and come from another discipline.

[Lori B]

We agree on that then, because eventing (such as I have done) is where I've started and will stay.

The ICP instructors I am acquainted with were just so not for little kids. I'm not saying that certification is a bad thing -- in fact, it would be great if there were more of it. I'm just saying, that particular program seems to be mainly tilted towards the hard-charging competitors & trainers who want to help riders and horses move up the levels.

I think we agree more than disagree.

[RedTahoe]

On the side topic of non-horsey parents...I would LOVE to teach a non-riding horse class for newly-horsed parents! That way, at least they know what's right and wrong, "no honey, don't stand behind the horse like that," etc.

[Iropeum]

I don't know, maybe I am different. I grew up on a shetland pony who was mean as a snake! He threw me so many times, ran off with me, ducked out, ran under fences, kicked me, stepped on me, we fell together too:lol: I was constantly falling off him, he was a total a-hole! I started when I was 4. Parents weren't too horse-y either. Then I got a nice broke older horse who was just about 16hands, never, ever fell off him, he never ran away with me or threw me.. He was my first "show horse"

Now that my daugher is riding, shes 4, we just bought her a small horse, hes just about 14 hands. Sweet, old man.. She walks and trots around the pasture alone with him and I don't really worry too much, of course I worry, thats normal, but I would be MUCH more worried if she was on a pony... they can be evil lil bastards! lol!

[LisaB]

Lori, I know of a trainer in No VA who's certified and teaches beginners.
Anyway, can you imagine if that nasty Shitland pony was a 16h TB? What I'm saying is if you're going to wind up with some bad luck and getting a shitty horse, it better be small!

[Iropeum]

Lori, I know of a trainer in No VA who's certified and teaches beginners.
Anyway, can you imagine if that nasty Shitland pony was a 16h TB? What I'm saying is if you're going to wind up with some bad luck and getting a shitty horse, it better be small!


lol! yes, you are right about that! My folks weren't too horse-educated and wanted to start me on a pony, for the cuteness factor, I am sure and because he was "just my size" little did they know he was the spawn of satan himself! When they finally got tired of seeing me covered in dust and bruises, they enlisted in finding me a good trainer, they put me on the big guy and the rest is history. I kept the little pony at home, he even went to some shows with me, showed small pony hunters and usually did pretty good:yes:

One thing I will give him credit for, he taught me persistance and how to be a better rider, tougher. When I finally got bigger he couldn't throw me as easily, me and my friends use to jump on him bareback and he would try to toss us in the pen. He did give my friend a nice scraped up chin, he slammed on the brakes and she went over. :lol: that was his signature move.

[Groom to Priceless]

This story reminds me of how thankful I am for my girls' first trainer. She was the assistant who took all the "up/down" kids and very wise for her years (early twenties). When it came time for us to choose a horse for the girls we were very excited. The first horse we put the kids on was perfect in her eyes, but a little older than we had envisioned. While we were sitting and chatting about Priceless' merits (yes he did come home with us that day) Miss Trainer said something to us that suddenly made things perfectly clear. "Someone has to have a brain out there in that arena," she said. "And it's not going to be your kid!"

Priceless was the perfect choice and saved them from landing in the dirt many times . . . in fact, when Littlest DD was learning to jump he would literally catch her on the other side of the jump! It was great to see him hop over the tiny cross rail and then balance until he knew she was safe.

Yep, I knew, every time, every round -- somebody had a brain out there.

[Parker_Rider]

This story reminds me of how thankful I am for my girls' first trainer. She was the assistant who took all the "up/down" kids and very wise for her years (early twenties). When it came time for us to choose a horse for the girls we were very excited. The first horse we put the kids on was perfect in her eyes, but a little older than we had envisioned. While we were sitting and chatting about Priceless' merits (yes he did come home with us that day) Miss Trainer said something to us that suddenly made things perfectly clear. "Someone has to have a brain out there in that arena," she said. "And it's not going to be your kid!"

Priceless was the perfect choice and saved them from landing in the dirt many times . . . in fact, when Littlest DD was learning to jump he would literally catch her on the other side of the jump! It was great to see him hop over the tiny cross rail and then balance until he knew she was safe.

Yep, I knew, every time, every round -- somebody had a brain out there.

Horses out there like yours are really Priceless, so what an apropos name!! The first horse I ever rode was exactly like this, his name was Stonewall's Irish Red, he was a 16.3 saddlebred and he was absolutely perfect. My best friend and I learned to ride on this guy and didn't matter if you were an absolute monkey on his back, he would make sure you were up there for the long haul. Absolute babysitter. My mama even took lessons on him! I'm pretty much 100% positive that if a bomb went off in front of this guy's face, he would stand stock still until danger had passed. We were at a show in an indoor arena and there was a huge thunderstorm outside. While all the other horses were flipping out, Irish just walked and trotted around the arena, just doin' his job, didn't flick an ear. Absolute saint. I miss that horse, he died of colic quite a few years ago at an ancient age. His owner, my first trainer, was absolutely wonderful too. Sooo careful with us little ones, and made sure we were safe at all times to the best she could predict.

I hated ponies, always have, and I am SOOO glad I never had to ride one!! I'd take the fall from 16.3 any day over an evil little $(&#, and that was my opinion when I was 4 and bounced too ;) (Yes, I know there are good ponies out there, I knew some of the best ones. I also knew some of the worst too!) My mom probably had a different opinion though... :)

It's always a good reminder to make sure you + trainer is a good match and even more, you + horse is a great match. I'm so glad those kiddos in the story are ok!!!

[Paragon]

Last year, my barn had a horse and rider ship in from another farm for a show. It was a walk-trot kidling, maybe six or seven years old, on a horse who might have been dead lazy at home but was eyeballing the arena like he was ready to jump out of his skin.

Why the trainer - or the parents - sent the kid out to do her poles courses after seeing the look on that horse, I will never know.

Horse gained speed, trotting around the ring, until he finally cantered off, flinging the kiddie to the ground. She was kept on the ground until paramedics arrived, and she didn't stop screaming - nor did her father stop frantically yelling and crying - for the duration.

We all saw it coming - except, apparently, for the trainer and parents. Barn blind? At any rate, it was a nightmare. Thank goodness the kid was okay, but it could have been so much worse.