Hello Debbie,

As an Early Childhood Educator I had brought my classroom to the boarding facility where my Meadow Rose was boarded.  We had strict rules and had the children in only very safe places near the horses.  Only one at a time could come over and give a carrot.  Meadow would be cross tied and two children on each side would be brushing her along with an adult assisiting.  The children had been taught prior to the visit the rules that we strictly enforced.  We stressed the importance of safety and even told stories about people who were careless that DID get hurt. In the 16 years that I shoared my horse not once did anyone get hurt.  We would take 15 children per day for two days.  I am very proud of my mare for being so wonderful with the children.  She gave countless first time rides to smiling chilren who will never forget their ried on Meadow Rose..

Now we have our own daughter Hannah who is 8 and she wears her helmet when she is brushing the big horses and riding them. She always wears a helmet as soon as she enters the show barn she takes lessons.  We do not allow running near the horses at all.  That is an absolute must. Visitors must follow our rules andif not they must leave the barn area and the paddocks.

 Debbie, if your daughters refuse to obey the rules that you give them then they shouldhave to stay home.  Following the rules will be rewarded by visits to the barn.

Take Care, Good Luck, and Happy Trails,

Paula, Hannah Cook

Horses for Hope

Dear Debbie,

 When my children were very young, I kept my horse at my parents' ranch. I was mainly concened that something would happen to me and I would not be able to get to my children, so I would only groom if they were along and saved the riding for grandma days. Depending upon the temperament of your horse, helping Mom groom is a great way to teach small ones their first riding lessons. Both my girls had helmets and I would lead them on my horse and later on their pony. They learned not to walk behind a horse and to post and change diagonals before they ever rode independently.

 I don't believe that there is a way that small children can be watched adequately if you are riding even if they are playing just outside of the ring. I had a friend who took care of this problem at her own place by constructing a play area "paddock" with non-climb fencing and lots of toys but, she still had to make sure that someone was there in case of an accident. If you board your horse, the problem is even greater. The staff is not there to babysit, so, during those years when your children are not old eneough to sit quietly at ringside and do their homework, you should pay attention to the kids and not to the horse on the days that Grandma, Dad or a sitter are not available. Take heart, they will grow up faster than you know!

Boots

Debbie,

I own a boarding stable and give riding lessons. I have two daughters of my own. They are 4 and 10 years old. My 10 year old also helps give younger riders their lessons. We also do "Pony Parties" where we give pony rides at birthday parties. We stress safety from the get go. Most of my boarders do have kids of various ages. I don't mind having the kids run up and down the aisle and play out in front of the barn as long as the horses are safely in their stalls or in the paddocks. It also desensitizes the horses to all that kids do. But as soon as the horses need to come out of the stalls or paddocks, we play a freeze game. All the kids go to the sides of the aisle and "freeze". Untill the horse goes by they are not to move. Same goes for outside. They go to a place away from the gates and "freeze". These rules are told to all new boarders with kids and they are expected to follow them. I also make sure that the kids are comfortable around the horses. The more comfortable the kids are with the horses, the less mistakes they seem to make, i.e. walking or running behind the horses, or yelling etc..... It doesn't seem to matter the ages of the kids, if you explain why they can't do certain things around the horses, they usually don't do them. Although, kids have short attention spans sometimes and they have to be reminded. We have one older pony that I let the kids lead around and groom. I know he won't do anything to hurt any of them and I supervise them at all times, but the kids learn quick what his likes and dilikes are and they aim to please him so they learn what to do and not do. Most of the time same goes for the big horses. I also make them wear helmets when grooming and riding.

The freeze game works really good. Maybe others would like to try it.

Kids, especially little one's need to be aware that horses and ponies are a heck of a lot bigger than they are.  I have little brothers and sisters, one of whom is a two year old, and she knows that when a horses ears go back he or she is "cranky" and she should probably stay away... I'd say education is the key.  At fifteen years old I have been around horses for pretty much the same, and when I was little I knew around feeding time to stay right out of the way.  Before taking children to the barn, make sure they at least have a basic knowledge of horses, and unless you plan on holding them, make sure that5 they know what is going on and make sure that they stay out from under the horses feet (big hooves + little toes = BIG OWIE).