[Jack16]

I don't have children, but I have to be honest - in my opinion, people who object to children tend to make me think they are over 50, fat, and cat hoarders and generally hate everything.

Of course, being over 50, fat, and a cat hoarder, I might possibly be prejudiced against such folk. I try not to hate everything though....

I am not sure what you mean by object to children. I don't have kids and don't want any, ever. I would prefer kids not be around me riding but it isn't because I am scared for my horse's "fragile psyche", I am worried a kid may be seriously injured or killed. Kids are kids and running and playing is what they should be doing but too often I see them doing it at shows or around the barn and being completely unaware that they are putting themselves in harms way and their parents are nowhere to be found to discipline them. You can be assured though that as soon as something bad happens to the kid, the parent will be looking for someone else to blame.

I saw a 4 year old girl get kicked in the head by a pony at a show this past summer. Thank God it was a pony and not a horse and thank god it was a 'you're really effing annoying me' kick without shoes. Little girl was knocked unconscious and had a pretty bad concussion but got out lucky if you ask me. Should the pony be better about little kids running directly behind his butt screaming over and over? Sure. Does it matter when the pony is just fine but a little girl is rushed to the hospital with a head injury? Not so much.

[CruisingforGold]

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Didn't realize I was speaking to you directly! Darn that ESP - it just doesn't work the way I wanted it to....

[Peggy]

We had a kid at our barn recently walking around bouncing a playground-type ball. Many horses were terrified. He bounced the dang thing almost under Star's nose. He was fascinated and I think wants one of his own.

[Ibex]

The first big show we took my mare to for mileage we were swarmed by a class trip while I was out handwalking. Mare had only turned four the day before and was getting bigger by the second and threatening to rear. She's good natured, and good with kids, but 10 kids, all at once, who have no idea how to act around horses? And this was a dressage show, so generally no where near the level of chaos of a H/J show. She'd been super relaxed and on her best behaviour until that point.

What REALLY PO'd me was the fact that the kids weren't listening when they got told to back off. Either by me, or by the teacher. Turned out they'd come to play mini-put next door and decided to go see the horsies... I cannot imagine what would have happened if someone had gotten hurt.

[OTV]

Best barn moment ever? 3 non-horsie kids (siblings of the gal i was teaching) were jumping up and down and hanging off the electric fence in the front field. Fence wasn't on since there were no horses, but the kids were pulling the wires loose and it was starting to 'hang'. Talked to the kids and to the parents...and they kept climbing it and being idiots. Finally found the BO, explained the situation...and she walked into the barn and lit the fence. We watched out the window as the fence became 'hot' and zapped the little brats. Problem solved.

One time at a show, a bratty young teen kept sticking her hand out and whapping my horse's butt when we went around and did our flat classes. I eventually started cutting the corner to avoid her, but it was obvious she was doing it to all the horses who went by and some were starting to spook/balk about going into the corner. Next time I purposely went deep into the corner and whacked her hand with my crop. HARD. I thought I'd freak my horse out or least make him spook but he didn't do anything! He'd been tense about going by the little PITA again but he obviously 'knew' the crop wasn't for him!

Child was screaming and carrying on and her parents - who'd watched her hit other horses as they went by and did NOTHING - complained. Everyone in the class told the steward what had happened and she told the parents to get control of their daughter or leave. They demanded 'punishment' for the rider who'd whacked their daughter but funnily enough, somehow no one saw me do it...and the parents/daughter couldn't pick out one rider on a plain chestnut from the other 10 in the class.

[short strided]

I am the OP. I don't hate children as has been implied by a few. But I also don't think they should be allowed to run wild anytime and anywhere. There are varying standards of behavior everywhere you go, and barn rules are in place because of SAFETY.

I was annoyed yesterday because the smaller siblings of the lesson kids were running, jumping and screaming in the dead leaves and bushes/trees next to the ring. My horse is kind of a handful, so it caused a problem, as they were partially hidden from view and looked like shadowy horse eating monsters.

In addition, the dogs were in the ring during our lesson running out in front of horses. Someone actually jumped one of them when the dog was laying on the opposite side of a brick wall and we couldn't see it. It didn't seem to bother the person in question, but I couldn't help but wonder... What if said dog had decided to move?

Anyway, it was just a bad day at the barn. All I can do is avoid taking lessons when I know the place will be crammed with kids, and that's my plan.

[HGem]

I love how people just complain to complain. The majority of people who posted on here voicing their conern about kids lose at a barn did so because they CARE about them and don't want them getting hurt. Not becuase they HATE kids.

OTV you just made my day! Thanks for the lol

[Running Fox Farm]

I have 3 kids and 4 dogs- none of them ever are allowed to be alone, running amok in public. Pinned down in a class @ Cap. Challenge several years ago because two young teens( who should have known better) were stomping uo and down the aluminum spectator stands and spooked my horse).Aren't the adults that own these kids/dogs, especially the young ones, concerned for their safety? Horses are in fact big, dangerous animals. One kick and well, I wouldn't want to think about it. I trusted my youngest once, at MD Pony show, and some nice person brought him to me and let me know he had been " throwing stones into the ring!". That was the end of his wandering along unattended.

[Trixie]

It really isn't about "hating" children or being 50, fat, and having cats (I am none of the above, thankyouverymuch for your assumptions). It isn't about expecting them to "be perfect."

It's about wanting them to STAY. SAFE.

It is much harder to keep a child safe around thousand pound animals if they are UNSUPERVISED, for goodness sake.

I have twin nephews. They are welcome on our farm at any time as long as their parents are along and watching them. My horses are well-behaved, but accidents happen.

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Didn't realize I was speaking to you directly! Darn that ESP - it just doesn't work the way I wanted it to....

And this? It's a really snotty response to someone who wrote a thoughtful reply to you.

Maybe we can do something about adults that act like badly behaved children, too.

[kmwines01]

Good heavens, spectators at a horse show?! No empty stands on all sides? Such a travesty. Something must be done. We might actually get some more sponsors, or some of those kids might go home and ask for riding lessons or ask to go see another show--the horrors.

I have no issues with the presence of the kids, I thought it was fantastic that they were there and it was part of the school tour. However, I did have some issues with where the show management chose to put the activity area for the kids. As well as allowing free roaming throughout the barn area. Nobody wants a child getting bit or a child giving your horse some unknown item to eat.

[Patty Stiller]

I boarded for a year at a barn were the BO's hired pretty much anyone to clean stalls who could speak english and push a dung fork. (well I even did it for a while when they were short handed...) Well they finally hired this couple ho had a large number of kids of all ages (polite little home schooled beggers though) Anyway one day about a week into their employment I go in and find the EIGHT and NINE YEAR OLDS is in my stall cleaning, unsupervised. I immeditely removed them from the stall, and went traight to the manegement and told them that under no circumstances were children of ANY age to be allowed in my horses stalls. Even WITH an adult. The said that in the future the kids would not be in my stalls and that several other boraders had expressed the same concerns so they would not be in those stalls either .
But they never banned the little ones from any of the other horses stalls, so it is not always just parents who are morons.

[Jumpingrules92]

I love kids. I do. I don't have any of my own- mostly because i'm too young, single and not ready for it. However, I do have neices and nephews and friends who have children and lots of them. I like kids when they are well behaved and know how to listen. Kids who don't/won't listen are a PITA and its not their fault its mom/dad/who ever raised them for not holding them accountable and I do feel sorry for these kids in the future.

That being said my best friend has two kids. A 3 year old and a 7 month old. The 3 year old listens worth crap- thats her fault, everything she says he screams "no" to and she says "im going to pretend I didn't hear that". Makes me really sad that parents don't parent anymore. Kids grow up confused and not knowing their role in society because they don't learn it in the household.

It makes it really unbearable for me to hang around her sometimes because he is so unruly. Last week at the barn I had my horse in the cross ties and was getting her ready to be tacked up and he came running behind her with his little plastic wheenbarrow- not an inch from her legs. He has no fear- mom lets him run inbetween her fillys feet because she thinks its cute that she tolerates and loves him so much! There are much better ways to get rid of unwanted children He runs around the arena while I ride. While she rides, he lays on jumps, trot poles, moves things, bangs on loud surfaces. There are much better ways to get rid of unwanted children

*sigh* You need to be a parent first and a friend second. When will parents realize this?

[Carolinadreamin']

OP, does your barn owner have rules regarding behavior at the barn? Can he/she speak with the parents? I find things go so much better with disruptive behavior (whether by kids, dogs, parents, etc.) when our trainer/barn owner addresses the offending person herself. Her barn, her rules, her lessons, her responsibility to ensure safety for all.

[JollyBadger]

I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to kids (in general), though I prefer to avoid them just because they irritate me. My horse doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

There are a lot of horse owners/riders who want some kind of climate, noise-controlled world for themselves so that nothing spooks or disturbs them while they are "schooling."

Suck it up, buttercup. Life happens. You cannot control the world around you, and the sooner you figure that out, the better off you and your horse will be.

But. . .having said all that. . .I have a very short fuse when it comes to feral kids and their inattentive/permissive parents or guardians. Not just around horses, either.

A lot of the parents I've seen who boast about how "great" their kids are the same ones whose kids basically run the show because the parents are too afraid to take charge and tell them to knock it off.

Yes, kids are kids.

They can be rowdy and loud and don't always think about the consequences of their own behavior. A barn or horse show is not the place to take your kid if you're not able to control them. Unless advertised as such, it is not a petting zoo or a playground.

If parents/guardians aren't going to bother to supervise and discipline their kids (including removing the child if the kid refuses to behave), they'd better be ready to deal with the "child haters" who will yell at their precious lil cherubs.

We were all kids once, but some of us were taught to respect other people, respect property, and behave appropriately in public.

[short strided]

OP, does your barn owner have rules regarding behavior at the barn? Can he/she speak with the parents? I find things go so much better with disruptive behavior (whether by kids, dogs, parents, etc.) when our trainer/barn owner addresses the offending person herself. Her barn, her rules, her lessons, her responsibility to ensure safety for all.

Yes, the BO did speak with the parents... just like last week, and the week before that. The parents do stop the behavior that is taking place at that moment, but they seem to forget the rules from week to week. Non-horse people just don't really understand. And the dogs are the BO's, so they aren't going anywhere.

[Crazy-Pony]

OP, in some cases, you just have to go up to the parent and simply say, "Look if little Johnny is going to be running around like that, I can't let him come to the barn. He's scaring my horses and is going to get hurt/get someone else hurt." It may seem mean, but you'll seem even meaner when the kid gets kicked in the head and in the hospital for eight days.

[Pennywell Bay]

Well, I know I am out of the norm but my child has been welcome at EVERY barn she has visited. BUt she is never out of my site, says please and thank you, no running, no screaming. Even at inspections ( all I did was trailer for a customer).

At my barn, she has free reign but that kid tows the line and knows the rules. Period. Even though she is 4. She knows how to act around horses and people. So do my dogs.

Last night, for the first time, she had a hissy fit at a barn where my horse is in for training. It was cold, she was tired. I apologized AND LEFT.


But then, I am a good child and dog owner..... My boyfriend tows the line as well...... or else.

[Mayaty02]

we don't generally get unsupervised kids at our barn, other than the ones that ride there, ages 9 and up generally and very very horse savvy. BUT THE DOGS!! oh god help me. And then the parents of the dogs, constantly screaming in my ear to keep dog #1 from running into the ring and then dog #2, 3, 4 and 5 yapping like crazy animals. I cannot stand loose dogs at the barn. We have some teeny tiny dogs that run loose when they owner's kid comes for a lesson, I am waiting and hoping that one of our ponies steps on them, they run in between and under the ponies feet all the time. argghhhh

[nasalberry]

Is this a joke?? If you have an issue do t go back to that show. Kids are kids, you used to be one... Ignore them. ... Seriously.

Bullsh1t!
I boarded at a barn where this slob of a woman let her hyperactive 8 & 10 year-old devil spawn run loose. One evening I caught the nasty little brats in the office with a knife, stabbing holes in the window screens and throwing the barn's carrots around!
Their pig of a mother? Ignoring them as usual while running her mouth and sticking her nose in everyone's business. She didn't even board a horse there!

[Patty Stiller]

Bullsh1t!
I boarded at a barn where this slob of a woman let her hyperactive 8 & 10 year-old devil spawn run loose.

devil spawn..I Love it!