This is why I pick, pick, pick at the Bad Parents du Jour here.
Jun 01 2010
Just read this tale online:
“My dad had my 4 yr. old son and 2 yr. old daughter on a colt just walking them around. A Photographer spooked the colt, he blew up, little girl fell off the back end and she was fine. When my son went to fall off, my dad’s rope wound around his leg, so the colt would buck and when he came down, my son dangling upside down would hit him on his chest and front legs. This went on for what seemed like forever……..Dad finally got the colt to stop bucking and grabbed my son before he hit the colt again. If there was an accident to have, that was it because no one got hurt, but it was the worst experience of my life and seemed to drag on forever.”
This is why I pick SO HARD on people who put pictures up of their baby/toddler on a horse with no helmet and no stirrups that they can reach and no one even holding them in many cases. I know everybody THINKS they can just throw the kids up there for a second, but this story is a classic example of what can happen.
If that’s YOUR video below, or you think it’s ok to do this “just for a minute,” please read that story again and ask yourself if you want to be that Mom or Dad. No one enjoys visiting the emergency room, or worse. It really does take only a second for a horse to flip out, no matter how quiet you may think he is. Older children and adults have (or should have) some idea of how to do a reasonably safe emergency dismount. They can take defensive action, and they have a chance of being able to execute a one-rein stop or otherwise divert the horse and stay on. A two year old? A three year old? They have NOTHING. They cannot POSSIBLY stop a horse. I am totally cool with three and up starting to learn to ride with helmets on their heads, boots on their feet and stirrups they can reach (yes, they do make saddles that small) – preferably safety stirrups – and with an experienced handler leading the horse at all times. Just take those simple precautions – please. Or take your pictures on the Merry Go Round!
NOT SAFE! (also, the horse needs to gain 100 lbs. or so and what the hell is wrong with his penis???)
Here’s another. No helmet, no boots, can’t reach the stirrups and no one is holding her. At eighteen months! People, are you INSANE?
Oh, and just because it was there, look, it’s another moron riding their yearling. Ugh.
For those of you who like super cute bay Thoroughbred geldings, check out Prince Oliver at Mid Atlantic Horse Rescue!
199 comments to “This is why I pick, pick, pick at the Bad Parents du Jour here.”
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Here’s the same idiot cantering her (now two years old) in small circles…
If you check out the you tube channel of these folks…there are videos of a baby being licked (tasted?) by pit bulls and the toddler teasing the dogs as well. Yikes.
ummm my dog licks my little girl – I don’t consider it ‘tasting’ her. Pit bulls get a bad name in news, but are known as great family dogs, they are great with kids (when trained and socialized properly)…. now allowing a toddler to torment any dog is bad parenting and bad dog ownership.
Please don’t start knocking the “pit bulls”. I have photographic documentation of my daughter verbally bitch slapping my dog to let him know that those were HER doritos and he didn’t get a single one. You know how Thoroughbreds are versatile, sensitive, intelligent but in the wrong hands can be an absolute train wreck? They are the Pit Bulls of the horse world. Same thing. Animal planet had a Dog 101 that Pit Bulls are actually down on the bottom of the list for bites, unfortunately our super best friend the media just reports them more often. Be educated, not ignorant.
Agreed – I hate reflexive pit bull bashing. They are the “bad dog” du jour. Rotties, German Shepherds and Dobermans (Dobermen??) have all had their bad decades in the press. I think I saw that same Dogs 101 show, and the number two biting dog by stats was Golden Retriever… The issues are with the bad human handlers not the dogs imo.
That’s a misleading use of statistics. Compare serious injuries and fatalities, not bites, and the picture becomes quite different. I have a neighbor who speaks with a computer because her throat was ripped out by a pit bull. A man down the street from me (I don’t know him, but he was in the papers 2 years ago) had his arm ripped off at the shoulder by pit bulls – several passing drivers stopped to beat the dogs off with crowbars, or he would have died. I don’t know of anyone who has had his arm ripped off by golden retrievers. Pits can be lovely dogs, but the problem with them is that a bad one is very dangerous. Saying that it’s the fault of the owners, not the dogs, makes no difference unless there’s some way to ensure that only good owners are allowed to own them – and the exact same people who say the dogs are great are opposed to requiring a special license for owners and breeders.
Alliecat, I absolutely agree with you. And I am opposed to “breed specific” legislation. Yes, there are pit bulls that never bite. But biting TO KILL is what they’re hard wired to do. They don’t just nip, and they won’t stop once they start. Most reported dog bites are single bites, not life threatening ones. Yet all reported bites are recorded in these statistics.
Re: being a fan of a specific “tough” breed. I’m a big Doberman fan. And I discourage others from owning them. Why? They’re hardwired to be ‘personal’ protection dogs. It’s like having a second set of arms. You have to know how to handle them, or both you and the dog will live miserable lives. Lots of people get skeeved out by the fact they’ll even watch you in the bathroom or having sex, then abuse the dog for what it’s bred to do—be there 24/7. And yes, Dobermans have been known to bite. In fact, until the ’60′s, a Doberman attempting to bite a judge in the show ring was acceptable. Because German breeders did not expect them to allow a stranger to handle them. The difference is: Dobes do not bite to kill. It is ONE BITE. They’re bred to stop an intruder—upon command, mind you—then wait for further instructions. The same for Shepherds, Labs, etc. ONE BITE. If we differentiated by the “one bite,” as opposed to killers, the top offenders would certainly be toy breeds. Shih Tzus, Chis, Poms, ohmygod, they bite so frequently it’s incredible. It’s just that no one reports them to Animal Control! I can’t find one instance of any of the large “top five biters” actually slaughtering a person. Except for some Rotties—but only in a pack situation.
Pit bulls are hardwired to fight to the death. That’s a fact, and what makes them different from other “biters.” I help rehome pitties (in an all breed rescue) because I believe all breeds deserve a chance. Also because I do a bit of “going along to get along,” and facing down the pittie fans takes too much damn energy. Would I own one? Hell no. I find even their play habits frightening. While other dogs come at each other face to face, pitties strike from underneath. They INSTANTLY go for the belly and throat. For the kill. They don’t slowly exchange body language, then escalate like other dogs. It’s instant, deadly aggression. I try to discourage people with kids from owning one. They scare the sh** out of me. And as I said, I’ve worked with many Dobes. And Shepherds. Including in protection work. You wouldn’t be able to call a pittie off that bite sleeve, let alone someone’s face.
I know of two instances in Vancouver where horses were attacked by pitties on the trail. One horse was hamstrung and gutted as the rider sat there. The other rider felt her horse shy, and looked down to find a pittie hanging on to her mare’s side. The dog barely missed the rider’s leg.
Agreed. Not all Pits are bad, BUT… they were bred to fight, and fight hard. The sad thing is, while people continue to breed the aggressive lines, the breed is going to continue to get the reputation as being vicious. Yes, its the people involved, but sadly that doesn’t change things for the dogs and its why some shelters have a instant kill policy on pit bulls. Not all are going to attack, but you don’t want to be on the business end if it does.
If you look back at breed histories, the English Bulldog had a similar start as an aggressive breed (bull baiting)… but the breeding changed to only breeding the non aggressive ones, the reputation has changed dramatically. And any dog (animal) can be dangerous under the right/wrong set of circumstances.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pit bull killed 9 yr old girl in Kokomo Indiana just last week. Grabbed her by the neck. Guess she just got a bad one huh? Seriously we own Rotties and we are respectful of them but we don’t poo poo that our breed has a bad rep. Our children have been taught how to behave around them. Pit Bulls, Rotties, and other dogs HAVE killed humans. NOT just abused ones. It’s up to the OWNER to have control of your dog, at ALL times. http://www.dogbite.com has good info, I reccommend reading it thoroughly. I’m sick and tired of people whining about people picking on their breed. It happens. Get over yourself.
oops wrong link, http://www.dogbitelaw.com great site. R E S P O N S I B L I T Y, yes other people may not have to be, but that doesn’t matter in end, YOU are.
Well here goes. There is two huge things wrong with the Pit Bull breed.
!.They are the #! breed of choice by uneducated idiot humans who get them to replace what they seem to be missing. These type never discourage or teach them right from wrong, some encourage bad behavior. These dogs are a fuse just waiting for a match. The Pit Bull breed is one of the oldest purebred breeds there is and they have always been bred to take on big animals and never back down. They do not have a stop button once they get going. People who think the problem is with the people breeding mean dogs are nuts. A good Pit Bull is almost always animal aggressive once they hit maturity. A good well bred Pit is never human aggressive. This is a breed that very few people should ever own because they take 10x the responsibility than the average breed. Most dog owners are not up to this and in the end the dog always pays for it, not to mention it’s victims.
#2. The well meaning but clueless dog lover. NO, it isn’t all in the way you raise them. Dog behavior is a combination of genetics, environmental and training. This breed was bred from day one to test their mettle against larger and stronger animals and each other. To expect anything other is unfair to the dog and others living in their community.I can not count how many times I have held a Pit Bull while its taking its last breath, all while its owners sobbing and saying “he never has done anything like this before” Hello ass wipe, it’s a Pit Bull. Yes he may not start it but he was sure as Hell will do his best to win and winning to a Pit Bull is to be the last guy standing. People who refuse to accept this breeds genetic background, something they have been hard wired for from day one does just as much harm to the breed as the low life thugs who own them.
This breed has deteriorated to the point faster than any breed I have ever witnessed. Human aggression should never be tolerated, ever. A good Pit Bull can be beat and abused and never show signs of human aggression.
I have worked with these dogs for over 35 years in several environmental and i can tell you that a game bred Pit Bull (bred for fighting) is a stable minded dog who would never think about human aggression. Now days we are seeing mostly dogs bred by idiots that are shy, human aggressiveness, just plain unstable. Match this up with the people above and what we end up with is a dangerous lethal weapon.
By the way this breed is one of my favorites but I believe they are a breed that very few humans should own, well bred or not.
As always it’s a stupid people problem like always.
A good well trained Pit Bull is one of the most level headed dog that you could ever have around your children.
Here is website my friend has. http://www.workingpitbull.com This woman has done more positive things for this breed than anyone alive. Full of correct information. These dogs are in danger of being ruined by stupid humans and its breaks my heart.
Did the link not work? Here it is again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbs4pfS5Mdw
That yearling is adorable, and he appears to have a nice temperament. Why are they riding him so early and screwing up his legs and back? My mare has advanced arthritis in her hocks at age nine, and my vet says it is hard to find horses without arthritic hocks. Because of idiots who can’t wait a few years to start young horses, and who push them too hard.
OMFG! In the second video, the little girl looses her balance and almost falls. The idiots laugh and say to the kid “You almost fell off, you have to be more careful!” It never occurs to these people that this might be a bad idea?
Actually, this is why children have parents. As a parent, it is your job to keep the child from doing things that could get them killed!
GAH!!
I noticed that too. My heart was in my mouth when she looked like she was going to fall, and I couldn’t believe they were LAUGHING about it!
I agree with the kids needing a helmet- even a toddler bike helmet is better than nothing. But I disagree with the stirrups however. Even in some pony saddles stirrups are too big for kids feet to fit properly so having kids put their feet in stirrups (and naturally point their toes downward) could be more of an issue if the child need to be removed from the horse quickly and gets feet stuck.
Adult leading horse with an adult alongside child, helmet on child. No stirrups. No spectators inside the ring or climbing up and down fences on the sidelines..
Believe it or not, there are itty-bitty western and hunt saddles out there. You just have to hunt around, but they are out there! Ones that even allow a three year old to have their heels down.
I know I used to have them. But for the above mentioned situations… they aren’t going to run out and buy itty bitty tack not to mention the itty bitty tack (that isn’t of any decent quality) typically does not fit the large horses these people own and ride. So in that situation- it’s safer without stirrup.
This is my daughter- her saddle is kids saddle, wider tree for the horses. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30788579&l=e11cb39927&id=1469231871
There are even itty-bitty dressage saddles. One of the big name dressage trainers in my area has one for her tiny daughter for leadline classes and that little girl is developing quite the independent seat and hands… and YES she wears a helmet, even if mom doesn’t.
For my son, who started riding very young before my dead safe mare went blind, I purchased a ~gasp!~ $300 Australian saddle. I swapped out the stirrups for english leathers and safety irons, and off he went– he was rock solid on his mare. That saddle was well worth the money, and I sold it for as much as I bought it for. It also was a horse sized tree, so no pinching.
Seriously, parents don’t even blink at buying a Wii or any of those ridiculous games that kids play. Why on earth is it horrifying to pay more than $50 for a kid’s saddle? Good kid’s saddles NEVER depreciate. You can always sell them for what you paid, as long as you take care of it.
When I was a kid, my friend’s parents were afraid of us falling off and getting dragged, so they removed all the stirrups. We would always ride bareback, but one day, we decided to use the saddles. After slipping and sliding on English saddles, we decided bareback was MUCH easier.
They had all barbed wire fences there — I’m glad I never went into one — but one of their horses was what they called a Fence Crawler. I saw her do it once. She would find a gap under the fence, get down on her belly and crawl under like a dog, stretching the bottom wire. I don’t know how she was able to avoid scratching her back, but I never saw a scratch on it, and it would have been obvious since we rode bareback. So it is weird how some horses avoid injuries in bad surroundings and others will find a way, when it seems impossible, to hurt themselves.
There are several varieties of a thing you can buy that fits over the horn of the saddle and provides not only a safe seat for the child and sometimes a handle, but child sized stirrups of the right height. They are extremely inexpensive. There’s no excuse not to have one.
Properly fitting ASTM-SEI helmet? Check!
Boots with Heels? Check!
Proper sized saddle with correct safety stirrups? Check!
Enclosed area and mom two feet away? Check!
Happy beginner level horse who takes his job as a squirrel mobile seriously? DOUBLE CHECK!
The smile on my daughter’s face?? PRICELESS
Come on Ya’ll! This isn’t rocket science and these little ones are worth dieing for. Don’t Put Them In Harm’s Way!
Good mom, and by the way, nice heels down and good form!
Thanks Fugs! That is SBR (Saddlebred Rescue) Harrison Ford and my daughter’s FIRST RIDE off the lead line! Yup a rescue and a ~scary~ saddlebred! LOL She said to tell you Thank You! for the compliment.
I took the time to outfit her before I ever let her on. I had the saddle and fittings shipped in from the UK! If anyone knows english, its the english. The prices were reasonable, the saddle better than I expected, cut back head to accomodate those withers and a multi adjustable tree. Here is a link to their site, I would definitely buy from them again and do recommend them.
http://www.styalways.co.uk/shop/
Even if you take all these precautions things can still go very, very wrong. I put my then-7 yo on my ancient, well-seasoned trail mare. This mare was my personal ride for years, a former drill team horse, Youth Pleasure champion yadda yadda yadda. Went for a short ride with her on leadline. sunny day, not windy, very short, flat trail with no challenges and accompanied by two other horses that were part of her regular herd. Child was wearing safety helmet and riding in what was supposed to be a child safety saddle (one of the ones where the bars don’t lock and the leathers are supposed to disengage if you fall). As we headed back to the trailer she asked if she could go off the leadline. Stupid me, I let her off — she had been doing a great job of guiding and stopping the mare and we were less than a quarter mile from the trailer. About 20 yards farther along, the mare got itchy and SHOOK. Daughter fell off. Leathers did NOT disengage. Daughter hung from the stirrup, swung under the horse, brushed her leg and the mare spooked and took off. It took every ounce of mental strength I had not to chase her on my younger and faster horse and I truly, truly expected to find a body as I began running on foot down the trail after them. The only thing that saved my daughter that day was the fact that she had tied her own boots and her foot came out of the boot and she fell the rest of the way off another few hundred yards down the trail. The “safety” leather never did disengage although the one on the opposite side fell off and vanished. The horse dragged her through blackberry brambles and over rocks. Her shirt was torn almost completely off on the back. Her helmet had a large dent in it from a rear foot (she probably swung under the horse as the mare ran). We airlifted her to a local hospital and amazingly she was beat up, but fine.
Moral of the story: don’t get smug about your safety precautions. No matter how good your equipment is, no matter how safe your horse is, there is always the possibility of disaster. My youngest is now 8 and is bugging me to go trail riding and I just can’t bring myself to take her. We spend a lot of time in the arena (fully equipped with helmet and German ‘jump out’ stirrups) and she can gallop and stop her pony on a dime, but I can’t do it. I want her to be larger/stronger before we go out somewhere that I cannot control the horse. Parents who pop kids up on these greenbroke horses truly don’t value their children’s lives.
Scary, scary. Glad she was okay and I bet you are VERY glad she was wearing a helmet!
And shaking is another good example of something a very tame, quiet horse can do to dislodge a little one.
I was waiting at the gate to lead my daughter and her pony in the ring for a Leadline class. The horse in front of us was a tall, full sized horse with a little tiny 2 year old girl in the saddle. Suddenly the horse gave a full body shake and that little girl just popped right out of the saddle and flew to the side. Thankfully, the adult caught the little girl right before she hit ground.
I was amused and saddened by the fact that my 3yr old daughter was riding a 40″ pony and had a helmet on, yet the other girl was younger and on a huge horse with NO helmet. In fact my daughter was the only child that day with a helmet on.
It never ceases to amaze me how Americans will put their tiny ones on those big horses, and how there are classes that allow such a combination to be shown!
Why on earth would anyone put their three year old on a 15.2 hh??
It isn’t as if there is a shortage of little ponies out there, we see them on the KB list ever time an auction is listed!!
So, someone explain to me, what is it? Is it just bravado, or is it stupidity (sorry,sorry, not being rude here,honestly asking a question) If it is the former, surely a campaign to stop these over horsed babies going in the show ring would be in order?
Yes, I know some ponies can be devils, but a 10.2hh pony being a devil has a short distance to the ground…….
And, for the record, none of my ponies was a devil, because I either raised them myself or I bought well behaved little angels. My child’s’ life is beyond priceless, if I have to shell out $2,000.00 I do not actually have in order to safeguard it , well, my bank manager understood!!
I think the devilishness of ponies is a major factor. Many kids are going to have an easier and safer time on a placid Quarter Horse than a Shetland intent on teaching them to be a miniature bronc rider.
That’s one of the main reasons people put little ones on big horses. That, and economics – if you can afford one horse, it may have to make do for Mom and Kid and there are many horses that can do that very well.
Actually, I advocate larger ponies or small horses for children– small ponies seem to attract kicks from certain types of horses, and if a child is riding a small pony by a horse, and the horse decides to kick, those few extra inches in the equine might be the difference between a child taking the kick or the horse it’s riding taking the kick.
Yes yes, I know. It’s a small reason, and in the end a well broke, kind, quiet horse of ANY size is better than a big horse just for the sake of bigness. But all things being equal, I’d rather have a small horse for a child.
I hear what you are saying, Kirri, but I can explain why you may see little ones on full sized horses in horse show pictures. In my industry there are no pony classes. The progression of a show horse’s life is as such: Junior horse, Open horse, Amateur to ride 18-39 years of age, then either Amateur to ride 40 and over or Junior to ride 13-17, then amateur to ride 50 and over, and then finally walk/trot 10 and under with some little peanut posting away. I personally would never put a three year old child on any equine, no matter what the size of the animal may be. In some cases the walk/trot horses are bought for a lot of money for the kids, but in many more cases they are hand-me-downs from mom, dad, auntie, or a barn friend.
I don’t know how to explain so much irrational behavior. Maybe these parents don’t realize how dangerous horses can be? I supervised a kid the other day for the first time, who had allegedly had many lessons. I watched as she broke every horse handling safety rule in the book. Mom just stood there, smiling. She had not a clue that if the pony was not fairly small and patient, the kid could have been: kicked, crushed, bitten, trampled in SO many ways. When she gets around a fullsize horse with some spirit, she absolutely will be. I had to stop her every two minutes.
On the other hand, there is willful ignorance and perhaps subconscious hatred of children. I’ve seen dozens of people put their toddlers and babies on their shoulders—and lean them right over the zoo’s polar bear pit. It’s to the point that the zoo hired employees that simply stand at the pit all day, cautioning people to “stop doing that.” And these insane parents tell the employees off.
I think this is a cultural difference, too. Here in France, you always see kids starting on little ponies. “Graduating” to bigger ponies, then horses, is kind of part of the learning process. But, as for myself, I was tiny for my age when I started taking lessons on ex reining horses at a quarter horse barn in CA. We all started with a bareback pad, one hand in a fist on the reins, in a relatively small arena. First lesson: emergency dismount. Second lesson: walk/steer the horse and emergency dismount from the walk. Third lesson: jog a little bit, and emergency dismount from the trot. My brother did get bucked off one day, so even quiet school horses have their moments, but golly, those were some kind, gently horses, much easier to work with than many of the snotty shetlands I see at the barn where I have my mares. My brothers, sister and I did earn a pony that we shared RIP Pepper, you were the best!) but he was nearly 13hands, big enough that my horse trainer uncle could give him a little tune up from time to time if need be.
Actually, my thinking is that at 10.2 hands, a small adult can climb on and school the pony in case he’s acting a fool. A shetland? Those are ponies trained by kids… not always the best solution for a beginner kid. Just because a pony is small doesn’t mean it likes kids; and just because a horse is big(ger) doesn’t mean it can’t enjoy taking care of kids.
Shetlands in particular do not make good child’s ponies…other pony breeds, sure, but the best use for a classic Shetland, IMO, involves wheels.
I’d agree. Every Shetland I’ve dealt with did nothing but eeeeeevil things to children – if he wasn’t strapped to a pony ride and unable to!
What a horrible experience! I’m so sorry for you. Just remember– if you hadn’t done everything right, it probably would have been a horrible tragedy instead of a nasty scare.
1. You had put her on a lead for most of the time.
2. She was wearing correct apparel. Imagine if she had had sneakers and shoved her foot through that stirrup. She might never have come loose.
3. You didn’t chase the horse. Good presence of mind.
4. Helmet with a dent is a head without a dent. It’s also indicative of a good fitting helmet. You didn’t get cheap and buy a helmet that ‘would fit for a while’.
5. You put her on a safe horse. Yes, she had a wreck, but imagine if she had been on a young horse.
I think what I have learned in years of lessons is that I better take every single precaution to prevent injury or accident for my students and horses. I do everything possible, but I also tell my parents that sooner or later, something bad WILL happen. Injuries will occur. It’s a tough hobby and a dangerous sport. My job (and every parents’ job) is to be as safe as possible so that when the accidents occur, the damage has been minimized by preparation and care taken before the problem starts.
Congratulations. I know you don’t feel like it, but it sounds like you get the Mom of the Year award on this one. Your care and thoughtfulness before the ride saved your child’s life.
I second that, Mom of the year.
You realized that anything can happen with horses, took every precaution without spoiling your child’s adventure, and prevented a bad situation from turning into a tragedy.
I hope this is the same kid who is still now itching to go trail riding? If so, I have hope for the next generation keeping the horse industry alive properly!
You know, I went over and over it in my head for months afterwards and I couldn’t really think of a single thing I would have done differently. The equipment was right, the horse wasn’t at fault and the kid didn’t do anything wrong. But it still didn’t help absolve me of the guilty feelings. My daughter was REALLY beat up (when I picked her up and carried her back to where my other daughter was holding the horses the older daughter burst into tears when she saw her sisters bruised and swollen face). You are right, I should be happy that it was only a scare. But knowing how guilt-ridden I felt afterwards I can’t imagine what the yahoos in the videos will feel if their kids actually die from parental stupidity.
Thanks for the ‘puppy upper’, tho’.
The worst horse-related injuries I ever had were due to those “safety bars.” I don’t remember it, but as I was told later, we were cantering in a circle, the horse tripped and fell, I got my foot caught, and was dragged for quite some time before they caught the horse and freed me. Messed up ankle and a concussion. I was wearing a helmet, but this was the 80′s when no one wore helmet straps, so the helmet was the first thing to hit the ground. The stirrup bars were the safety kind which is supposed to prevent you from being dragged by coming loose when you fall, but they were too stiff to move. The bars are positioned so the release part has to go over a rise in the leather, and only main force can get them open and closed. Even when open, the bump in the leather prevents the stirrup leathers from sliding off.
I’ve heard people say you can’t get your foot caught if you have your heels down. Well, good luck keeping your heels down when the horse trips and somersaults. I’ve heard people say you can’t get your foot caught if you are wearing boots. Well, I was wearing boots. If you do have those stupid release bars on a saddle, make sure they move, and if they don’t, demand a replacement. Or better yet, get safety stirrups. People can and do get dragged. There’s a young woman who has been in our local paper recently because she is covering from a coma after being dragged. She was just walking back to the barn after a ride when her horse fell for no apparent reason (turned out later the horse had a neurological disease and had to be put down.) She wasn’t wearing a helmet because she was just out hacking a little bit.
So – safety stirrups or stirrup releases that WORK. Helmet that STAYS ON. 100% of the time.
You can always get caught somehow – I mean, Murphy’s Law. Some things make it less likely.
I like the polo stirrups with the hinge in the middle. Those are pretty likely to release your foot in the event of a fall.
CUTE!
This video could also be titled ‘Wal-Mart People At The Petting Zoo,” because that’s exactly what it looks like. Judging by the video, those kids should be riding the people. Any one of them is better fed, and at least as stout as that horse.
The horse looks wormy, sickly, his front feet look like skis or elf booties – it screams backyard hillbilly BBQ. Bring the babies and beer and sunscreen, and we’ll all have a good time! Yeeeee-haw, mullets and Skynyrd forever.
These people should have old clapped out Camaros with child seats, not horses. Regardless, they’ll all wind up in misspelled ads on Craigslist when they’re worn out. But I have a lot more sympathy for the living things they trash and throw away.
The video has already been removed. That makes the WalMart people smarter than … well, smart enough to know the video is making them look bad. As for the harm they are placing their kids in, not so sure about that. Parents should be licensed before they are permitted to take their kid home from the hospital or birthing center.
Am I the only one that can’t see any videos? I see them fine on every other Fugly post, but on the one today, all I get are big blank white spaces…
They are showing up for me at this point.
You might need to clear your cache –
In their defense, you can see in both videos that the people are trying to be safe. There are multiple adults hovering, including the cameraman; the horses are placid and plodding. I have been guilty of the same thing, decades ago, putting my young nephew on a pony at the State Fair in one of those pony rides. I did walk next to him, and I hope I held onto him the whole time, but for sure he had no helmet, and it is true that anything can happen.
Similarly, I have often seen people, usually men, walking with toddlers near streets and not keeping the child within arm’s reach, or holding onto them. A young child can dart into traffic so fast, and turning around and yelling at a child 30 feet behind to hurry up does not constitute safe care.
I hope that people read this post and find it instructive rather than offensive. We all can learn to do better.
Yes, I noted that someone was almost always beside the child… BUT, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have a helmet on! Also, in the first video, there was a very young boy (I’d guess early teens) leading the horse and carrying the second child. What’s he going to do? Drop the kid he’s holding if the horse spooks? Then, he completely lets go of the lead to help “mom” put the second kid up. Yeah, that’s safe!?! One more thing, when there are two kids on that horse, what’s mom going to do if the horse spooks? Grab both of them? I think the odds are at least one will hit the ground hard.
My husband has grandkids. They come out here, and all clamor for “rides”. Not ONE of those kids is allowed on the 14.1 HH pony without a helmet. And we ALWAYS lead (and have someone walking beside for the younger ones), inside an empty pen (where IF the horse took off, there’s not far for him to go and no objects to hit).
I will admit, however, that mostly the kids are wearing runners (ie. no heels). There’s not much I can do about that, as none of the kids HAVE shoes with heels! The two that actually want to learn to ride, will have to have proper boots with heels before being allowed off the lead. And I’m always yelling “heels down”!!! I also make sure the stirrup is on the ball of the feet – always. I do what I can. I’m sure if there was a video out there of this, people would pick it apart. But, I do swear no one gets on a horse here without a helmet. That includes myself and my husband. Neither of us are good enough riders to go without.
PS: the kids are 14, 11, 10 and 7 (but the 7YO doesn’t like to go on) – so nowhere near babies.
hey if its not too late you should add these two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1-QybS3AIY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxckqAbovWI&NR=1
Poor little guys is TIED!!! to the saddle with no helmet noone leading the pony and it looks like they stuffed his feet into the straps on the stirrups… I have no idea where these videos were taken but wow this woman is a total parrenting fail!
The tied thing makes me INSANE. Uh, you will regret that move when something falls down/goes over backwards.
Yea, this is like a freestyle version of horrid trail strings.. I mean, those horses are just loose with a small sort of string/fence thingo on either side, isn’t it? Is that even legal? It shouldn’t be….
If anything, it’s not the kids I’m worried about in that video, it’s the poor horse! In that first video, the boy is bouncing up and down on its kidneys! I mean, how is that creating a healthy respect for these animals? People need to learn that these are animals with a right to feel and react to those feelings, not a toy they can forget about when they’re bored.
And the pony’s ears are totally pinned – not a happy pony.
That chestnut pony was a saint, he put up with that kid bouncing, around, the kid’s mom’s filming, and the other horses. But that weird looking appaloosa-y paint-ish roan-ish pony (what color is that considered anyways?) looked ready to take off or reach around and bite that kid! He did not like the bouncing at all or the mother following so close. And who let the kid go around with the other horses? That’s a huge safety hazard. som
I especially like how the idiot father is holding the other baby while leading the horse. He’s the scenario I see in my head: something spooks “magic horse that never spooks”. The horse knocks mom over (who is at least standing next to the kid in the saddle, which is better than nothing) and then bolts, knocking dad with baby down and baby in the saddle falls down. I have two pictures of my kids in the saddle. One is no shoes, no helmet, my daughter is nine months old, my horse is in the cross ties and I’m holding her on his back after I’ve just worked him and he’s too tired to move. He still spooked at the flash. Second picture I’m wearing a helmet, she’s wearing a helmet. She’s holding the grab strap, I’ve got an arm around her and one hand on the reins and my husband has his hands up near the bit. A third person took the picture.
WHY are people so stupid? I gave myself the bad parent du jour award not too long ago, and I still owe the horse a triple layer carrot cake. I have twins and they are FAST and they love the horses but don’t yet grasp what is or is not safe. Two seconds after one of them was out of sight I saw that she had squeezed in between the gate post and the barn (literally about 8-12″ of space) and was standing behind the spookiest horse in the barn. Danish Warmblood that no matter what happened the sky was falling and the world was ending. Right behind him. My task: Grab the toddler without startling the horse and get her out of there. Fortunately no one was hurt but my trainer put a safety latch high up on the barn door so when the kids are there we can slide the doors shut and lock them. I’m going to bury some sidewalk chalk in a stall shavings and give the girls a shovel and hope they “accidentally” find it and draw on the walls. How naughty!
There was also a moron at a prior barn that thought it was “cute” to bring her 18 month old (who was walking, btw, not being held) out into the paddock with roughly 10 horses milling around when she went to catch her horse. And I’m the evil bitch mom that turned the electric fence back on when my kids didn’t listen to me after the first three times I had to make a mad dash to get them out of the paddock where my horse was didn’t have any effect (they were lifting up the bottom strand of hot tape and crawling under). The fence only told them once. Even though he was gold as gold it would only take one time for him NOT to be and I’d have a tragedy on my hand.
IDIOTS IDIOTS IDIOTS.
First horse…stallion in breeding season, who thinks he’s gonna be led to a mare???!!! And YES, I do hope these parents, including the one who’s story is included, SEE this blog and learn a lesson or two, if they haven’t already!!!
Well that’s what I thought too — at least thought I saw some extra equipment back there.
No, I don’t think so. That’s not stallion equipment — it’s a gelding who was gelded *very* early — and he has a bean so cannot pull it in comfortably. It’s *abnormally* small — 4-6 month old colt size.
(I have to add: He couldn’t get the job done at all with that “equipment”. Not physically possible.)
This drives me insane – a “friend” (who’s a vet of all things!) regularily posts pics of her daughter aboard horses with no helmet (sometimes with a friend who is wearing one..go figure!) – some of these horses are green and even known to buck (one broke HER back), and yet she still lives in her “happy pink bubble” and lets her kid run around the horses in flip flops with no regard to safety (at one point she was debating on returning to Canada, and I happily reminded her that in Canada we have laws that require all minors to wear approved helmets – got no response lol Even sent her the articles on Courtney King-Dye to no avail.
Mind you, she refused to wear a helmet herself despite the fact that her horses routinely tried to kill her (I’m not sure if she’s just that bad of a rider or just saddles herself with horses that are that poorly trained…I suspect both!)
I don’t get it – western saddles in particular are so bloody easy to make kid-safe – a pair of buddy-stirrups and a helmet go a long way!
I’d actually rather see no stirrups in a lot of situations tho – less likely to get a foot hung up (if they’re going to fall, better to fall cleanly than get snagged and dragged!).
I know a dressage rider who HATES helmets. HATES them. She also has some very difficult horses.
She said she had an accident recently where the horse moved as she was mounting up, she lost her balance and fell backward, hitting her head.
Was she wearing a helmet? Of course not. She needs at least a hunt cap, but she won’t wear anything. Said a helmet would not have protected her head. (She makes me wonder how many times she has been “near concussed,” because she isn’t thinking very straight).
My Dressage trainer is the opposite. If you’re on your horse, you’re wearing a helmet. No ifs, ands or buts. If she sees you without a helmet on she’ll say something and she has signs posted around the ring that helmets are required. She doesn’t care how old you are, what level you ride at, how awesome you think you are, how awesome your horse is, etc. She even wears a helmet when she does ground work, which rubbed off on me doing ground work with my two year old. The ONLY time I have ever seen her ride without a helmet is when she was showing her horse.
Same with my trainer. She is helmeted whether she is riding a greenie or her GP horse. Her mother, a nationally recognized rider/clinician, wears a helmet on her GP horses. Its a great example to those kids that think “my horse is so well-trained he’ll never spook or stumble”. It only takes once – see Courtney King-Dye.
The first horse screams HYPP to me. He seems to be unstable just when he walks and he throws his feet/hips out funny when he does it…of coarse that could be because his feet are in serious need of a trimming or because somethings wrong with his manhood and it hurts to walk. But if its neither of those things his build and bone structure and general look make me think he has been having attacks for some time and these idiots have retired him to being the kids horse because he isnt safe enough for the adults to ride.
He just looks to be in very poor overall condition to me – he’s not walking well, he’s thin. I’m going to guess he’s old but people are foolish to assume an old horse can’t/won’t spook. I could tell you tales all day about 25+ year old lesson horses doing crazy stuff. They may only do it once in ten years but oh boy can they do it if they want to! I have seen the old ones bolt even though their legs were so creaky you’d swear they couldn’t, rear and flip over, and trip and somersault. Old does not equal safe.
Definately with you on the age thing – our 14 yo cob hides behind the 5 year old who’s only really started working this year and who’s never seen traffic previously. Both of our younger two are much more bombproof than the older one who’s supposed to have been there etc, although in the school he is fabulous – I rode him the day after getting rid of my last cast while still on crutches! (wanted back on as soon as possible following nasty accident with another horse) Not one I’d reccomend though.
As for the penis — he has an obvious bean, so it’s uncomfortable for him to keep it in his jeans. Probably never had his sheath cleaned in his life.
My finest horse wreck was at the age of 10 on a 36-year old dead broke plug. Riding double and I kicked him in the flanks. He had not forgotten how to buck, and he did an excellent job. I have long forgiven sweet Tony for that. Entirely my fault…
Hee hee! I had the 30 year old I learned to jump on try to ditch me at the last show of the season. It was good and crisp that morning and he landed from a jump and took off bucking. Gotta love it!
My well-trained, smart, sensible horse I’d had for 10 years bucked me off one Mother’s Day, and I had a serious wrist fracture as a result (I almost never fell off, so I did it stupidly, with my hands out to break my fall). He was over 25 at the time — he didn’t exactly get “old” for another five years or so, but still! It was the only time he ever did anything like that in all the 18 years I had him. I figured it must have been a hornet or something. Something like that could have spooked one of those kids’ plodders and then what would they have!
Exactly. Sure, there are horses you are safer on than others but anytime you are on a horse, something COULD happen that could make that horse blow.
There was a 35 year old horse at the barn where I board that was WAAAY more trouble than ANY of the young horses. We had the NH trainer come in and work some of the horses and he gave her more attitude and trouble than any of the other ones. He was really spunky. I felt so bad for his owner – she rode him one day and that night he dropped dead from an aneurism or something similar. Old does not equal infirm!
Right now there’s a TB at my barn that’s also in his 30′s – no teeth, the world is ending if the wind blows the wrong way. Not spook proof. At all.
One of my old vets had a 38 year old TB and he tried to buck her off one day, LOL!
I don’t have any pictures but I do have something to say about riding with an 18mo!
My son has been out at the barn every week since he was 4 months old. He LOVES the horses, and they adore him right back. Several of them will hear him babbling and come running up from the far outer pasture, then walk slowly up to the gate, put their heads in his reach and just stand there with him while he pets (VERY gently!) and babbles over them.
But he is now 18mos old and gets VERY upset if mommy gets to ride and he doesn’t. So we bought him a helmet, he already has cowboy boots, and I have someone lead the horse while I sit up there with him and someone walks right next to us to take him in case something happens. No pictures because everyone is helping my son ride!
My son thinks it’s the greatest thing ever and I cannot wait to get him his own pony in a few years!
I think that we do it in a very safe manner, and I only ride a horse I KNOW is going to behave and not be a turkey!
Hm, that sounds very much like what they do for therapeutic riding. Just like (some) handicapped adults, small children have poor balance, little strength, minimal riding skills, and don’t have the mental ability to deal with an emergency. So similar precautions should be taken. I’m so glad your little guy is enjoying ‘his’ horses.
This one made me cringe…it was a 3 yr old GREENBROKE horse..and no one to catch that baby if that horse bolted or bucked..
not sure if I entered the code right but this was on Craigs List to advertise their green broke 3 yre old..
I saw that ad too. I emailed them about how unsafe that is, not to mention that it is horrible advertising.
The trailer in the background is the defining touch!
Actually that is a Camper, the kind that you hitch to the bumper of a pick-up. I have one the same year. Some of them last a long time because people take care of them. They are rather nice to take camping. I also use mine for a art studio and a guest house. Just because someone has something like that sitting in the their back yard or beside their house and so on…doesn’t make them trashy or stupid people. I like mine because it was cheap. I remodeled it myself and it looks awesome! It doesn’t look so pretty on the outside like the more modern campers but mines paid off and didn’t cost me $40k to start with. I bet you wouldn’t have said that about the trailer in the background if it had been more modern. Let’s not knock the camper just because the people are being stupid with their kid and the colt.
What they meant is that their three year old son, the one wearing the green diapers, is now broke because what happened after this picture!
I have now figured out that god puts stupid people on the earth to show the smart people what they are doing right
Is that it???
I always thought it was to annoy the hell out of us when we have to manage them at work, but I’m glad someone else has a more optimistic perspective on it.
Why – how hard is it to hold the kid on the horse with a hand in the back of their pants. I wouldn’t let any kid younger than 4 or so (depending on the kid) sit on a horse without holding them on there. We’ve had kids (8 or 9) ride our’s in out the field without a saddle but they’re good riders, had helmets on and had hold of mane whilst being lead. My friend’s 9 yo has ridden one of ours but because she’s not used to riding she had a saddle with correct stirrups and was still held on till we saw how she coped. How on earth can a 3 yo who probably falls over when sat on the ground be expected to keep their balance on a moving animal when it’s walking calmly never mind bucking or spooking?
One story my mom has told is when my sister was approximately 2yo they were out for a walk, mom looked away and looked back to see her with arms wrapped around this horses leg (horse was in field next to path) with 2 people holding the horse and the horse looking down in a very puzzled fashion. Luckily it was quiet and the people with the horse got her away. My mom has always been one of those who kiddy proofs everything and most of the time at that age we were in reins but even so toddlers and horse unsupervised aren’t good.
Have to laugh: In the line separating the two videos above, there is a link for the word “another.” The link is from Anthem Blue Cross.
snerk
Ugh, ugh, ugh! Definitely makes me crazy. I know I can be a little bit more on the other extreme but I’d definitely rather err on the side of caution than take my kid to the ER or worse. My middle girl was born with only one kidney. When we were talking with the specialist about it one of the first things he said was they recommend we stay away from horseback riding. He said they see the vast majority of kidney injuries from horses, trampolines and contact sports. If my daughter wants to learn to ride I’m not going to stop her but we will most definitely be taking all of the precautions we can.
OMG scroll down, it is an entire page of FAIL. Extra credit idiot points for the kid FALLING ON HER FACE trying to load the filly in the trailer.
http://www.bigoaksranch.net/Shadow_Star.html
If those kids make it to adulthood, I will officially be stunned.
God Forgive me. I’m laughing so damn hard I need to pee.
I know I know… I shouldn’t laugh. But seriously, it’s like a Who’s Who of disastrous equine owners. The foal is 6 months old when that little girl’s riding it…. with a tractor running in the background, driven by what.. a 2 year old? But it’s all okay, because they train all their colts (and evidently their children too?) within 3 days of birth.
This link might be worth saving to favorites, for those days when I’m down on myself.
If you are horrible for laughing then consider me right there with you… Good GAWD! I almost peed myself when I saw the pic of the girl eating &$*% in the trailer… Simultaneously terrifying and hilarious…
Those kids will be just fine. It seems to me that redneck horses and children are always just fine, no matter how hard their parents/owners try to have them killed.
Who in their !@#$ mind would A. Let their baby be worked by a baby, B. Ride their baby, C. Take pictures and publish them!!! That filly isn’t even a year old!! (well a little over a year at this point!) I wonder what damage was done to her!! Horrible horrible horse owners, and horrible parents!!
OMFG!!!!
And what would posses you to let your 4yo to train your 6mo filly?!
And you know in a year from now, after she kicks that little girl, we will see a CL ad with some no shirt wearing yehaw cowboy on that poor filly bragging that a 4yo trained her and can do anything with her she is bomb proof and worth a million dollars.
And we all know in a little over a year from now when she doesnt sell we will see her passing through the auction yard and going onto the meat truck with 30 other horses like her.
These are the truths of the current horse industry. Wake up people!
*cough cough. Can’t electric wire short out easily when branches fall on it, or when shrubs and bush grow up around it? And without the current, it’s really not a very stable fence, correct? I live in a very hurricane prone state. (of the country, not of mind, lol.) I cannot imagine having to put my horses in temporary fencing because my electric fenced 10 acre pasture is no longer electric. There’s so many other things to worry about when you have no electricity or water. Just saying. Someday I would like to graduate to that square-y wire mesh thing welded onto basically hitching posts. But that’s when I get enough money to do that, as there is no way I’m asking my parents to completely refence every pasture. (I’m already asking for a truck, lol.)
Anyway, it is slightly impractical and generalizing to say that everyone should rip down all their barbed wire and put up hot tape.
Pahaha, I actually have my 3 y/o filly with me at work right now, so she’s in a paddock fenced with electric wire on one side, and the wire mesh on the hitching post on the other three sides. She had been here for one night and she’s already got a gash just under her chin.
thanks for that, horse. She has a tendency to get hurt nomatter where she is, thanks to her defiant nature. She will not run from the lead horse, she’ll just back up faster than they can. 
Silly….
Well, my reasoning is I’d rather see them get loose than die. They may break hot tape but the odds of getting hurt on it (the thin tape, NOT the electrobraid or the wide stuff) is so much less than barbed wire.
In a perfect world, everybody’d have horseguard fence or something like it but I know few of us have wallets that deep. I try to be reasonable. Hot tape is a cheap fix that is VERY likely to prevent a severe injury. If you can replace it with something more solid eventually, great.
I would love all horse guard too – but the electric high tensile is fine for our purpose right now – we do have horseguard for the smaller paddocks – I love that stuff – but I don’t find it that expensive – not nearly as much as wood or diamond mesh – the big thing for us at the time that we moved in and needed fencing was that we need fencing fast (and cheap helped too) and with the wider spacing allowed for High tensile (I think ours are 60ft – with 2 spacers between posts – not sure – it’s been a while) most of the the savings was in the posts, if I recall – HG required 16ft post spacing.
I agree horses will hurt themselves on anything – I’ve known of more dead horses due to wood and paige wire than anything else. Almost anything is safer if kept maintained – a droopy paige wire fence is more dangerous than a properly tensioned barbed wire one – but I agree – no barbed wire for us – we still have some to clean up on the property but none is near where horses go.
i truly know what it is like not to have enough money to do the safest thing fast enough, believe me , i do. but, did i not just say in the previous post’s comments “when the horse gets hurt, they just say stupid horse?”. i am moving into a place where my horses will be exposed to some barbed wire, i am putting electric up (they are all accustomed to electric) in front of the barbed wire, but in my heart i know it’s a gawd-awful chance i am taking. i will be sharing the expence of lovely new pipe fencing with the neighbor shortly, but he wants the wire left up for now. i tell ya what, if one of my horses gets hurt, I WON”T BLAME THE HORSE! they are not born with a sense of how to deal with fences! they are lovely intelligent creatures, but when afraid, they act on instinct (actually, don’t we all?). if i leave a big open posthole in the ground and my horse steps in it-it is not her fault! it has nothing to do with the horses’ smarts and everything to do with mine. omg. no one wants responsibility for anything any more. bah
Horses don’t know when the power goes out. Except for stallions, which in my experience check the fence every time, and donkeys, which seem to test the fence a couple of times and then run right through it, most horses will only get “bitten” once or twice and then stay away for a lifetime.
We have vinyl with hot tape at the top. The vinyl was not as expensive as you’d think, seems to be lasting really well, and looks beautiful. There are plenty of safer options than barbed wire! Even smooth wire, which can cause horrific injuries, is safer.
LOL, I DID have an old broodie who knew when the power went out. Then again, she’d walk through it even if it was on. She was just a bulldozer. She wouldn’t go anywhere though…just would find the nearest grass and settle in to lawnmowing. I miss her.
Actually, our two mares can tell if the power is out/fence is shorted out. If it is, they walk through it within 15 minutes. I am pretty sure that they can either hear or feel the current. It does buzz just a little, and if you get close, it makes the hair on your arms rise. I’m not sure exactly how they know, but if they are in a pasture they shouldn’t be in, we know to check the fence.
It is my understanding that they can feel the electricity with their whiskers.
Poor filly will be a cripple before she’s old enough to actually ride.
My daughter is not allowed near our filly unless she is in my arms. Absolutely no exceptions, even on the other side of the fence. Youngsters are too unpredictable. She’ll be 2 months old and weighs more than I do and a child has no business around an animal that big unless extremely trained and gentle.
My two year old is super calm, great temperament and more stable than some adult horses I know. Doesn’t flinch when I start throwing tack around (what are the odds of me throwing a tarp while I’m riding him vs me dropping a girth?), doesn’t care about dogs, screaming toddlers, etc. But he’s a horse, he’s a flight animal. I don’t care HOW good he is, he’s a big animal that is young and clumsy and will react without thinking about my tiny people that are less than 3′ tall that are very easy to knock over and smoosh. I can train him until the cows come home. Training will never overcome instinct. Train the children, train the horse, put a helmet on the kids and hope for the best.
OMG these people are insane. I guess the whole point of “no horse is old enough and calm enough to put a baby on it,” seems kind of moot to people who put their baby on a suckling foal. Their interpretation of the Bible is kind of unique too.
I went and checked out that link. That just breaks my heart to see a filly, not even 2 months old have someone sit on them!! To me that is as bad as going up to a baby and tapping on it’s soft spot on it’s head. It’s bad enough that people ride yearlings but there isn’t anyone small enough for a 2 month old foal. Actually, if you look at the date, the filly isn’t even 2 months old. Was born on 5/7/2009 and they put that little girl on her on 6/30/2009 So sad. Sorry, I’ve just never seen that done until I started reading this blog.
One thing confuses me. Why do parents think they are safe if they are walking next to a horse? Hello, if that horse leaves, the best you can do is pick your baby up off the ground. PUT A HAND ON THAT KID! KEEP IT THERE!
Is it that hard? I will admit that I have put kids on horses out in a pasture. I’ve also always kept a hand on the kid. Maybe I should apologize for doing such things– it might be that trainers who allow themselves to make judgment calls encourage people with NO judgment to try the same thing? Regardless, you won’t catch me playing with toddlers and motorcycles or toddlers and hand gliders– I don’t know enough about those types of critters. So why do people with only a minimal clue about horses assume they can get away with endangering their children?
Last thought– they have books on child development that even a moron can understand. Parents, consider picking one up and finding out at what age children develop self awareness and balance. Because until your child has those two abilities, he or she can NOT ride a horse.
What I never understand is that everybody understands children need a car seat in a car. They understand that a child needs extra protection. But they don’t get that a horse is MUCH MORE UNSAFE than a car?
If CPS is running around citing people for not using car seats, why aren’t they citing people for putting their child on an unpredictable 1,000 lb. animal with no protection whatsoever, not even a hard hat?
On a recent drive through the US my Dad was amazed (in the horrified way) to see many toddler stretched out on the back seat of cars, next to the car seat???? WTF? He noticed as I am as safe as possible with car seats – with my near 17 month old still rear facing (and she will be to 35lbs….. whole other blog
)
I will admit my daughter has been on a horse w/o a helmet (her’s is still a little big yet) but only on a horse/pony that was on a lead and there was an extra person with TWO (2) hands on the baby – like one on each side – as in she could have been safe in that location with nothing under her. I can’t imagine even only holding her pants – or a leg – and that’s not even a worry about the horse – she’s too damn squirmy to leave her there without total support – even just long enough to take a picture! Heck I don’t move out of arms reach when she’s on the spring pony (as in the plastic one on springs), and I’m pretty positive that ones not going to spook!
Noooo, not “everyone” – I see toddlers climbing around moving cars & vans all. the. time.
And I also see helmetless toddlers riding with their parents on scooters & motorcycles every damn day.
In Indiana, if you lose your license, you can still drive a scooter under a certain CC. A lot of people use motor scooters as the “family car.”
This is for my own learning, what in the world is up with the first horse video’s penis? It almost looks like it’s prolapsed, which I would assume would lead to infection. Then again I have never owned a gelding so I don’t know.
To those parents who think it’s “cute” to put your baby up on a horse w/o any protection….WOW! You’re just asking for it! And the person who didn’t change out the barbed wire…I’m sorry you lost your horse, that’s really sad, but again, hot tape doesn’t cost that much!! Much cheaper than the vet bill you had to pay to put down your horse!
http://www.wildponybeast.blogspot.com
Alphamare said you can see a bean on it which is preventing it from retracting. She has better eyes than I do, so I’ll trust her on that and it makes sense.
Yes, this is why boys need their sheaths cleaned.
But that means that either A. Your horse needs to be trained to let you do that, (gasp! Time! ENERGY!) or B. You’d have have to pay money to the vet! Oh the horrors!! The money! …. The idiots. UGH!
The pain that poor boys jankity jank must be in….makes me want to go at it with warm soapy water myself!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!
The assymetrical “point” is the bean enlarging the area over the blind pocket where it forms. I think this fellow has issues anyway — that’s the smallest “item” I’ve ever seen on an adult horse. He must have been gelded almost at birth, and even then. But when you see a horse constantly at “half mast”, there’s something uncomfortable about the normal retracted position, and lack of cleanliness creating a bean is the most likely culprit.
A friend of mine rehabbed a starving Halflinger who was in such poor condition he couldn’t retract his penis. And he lived in briars & thistles, so his poor “unit” was trashed. OW OW OW. The vet had to amputate a chunk, and the horse will never be able to retract it. All her posted photos of him feature a leg strategically placed.
Now he’s fat and happy, rehomed with someone who’s training him.
Forget the saddles and safety equipment; I’d go a step further and say that no child under 5 years old has any business being astride a horse. The risk is immense and the benefit de minimus. The child can wait to learn, just as s/he will have to wait to learn to drive, read, use a carving knife, etc.
If it’s mine, they are waiting until they are 9 or 10, when they’ve got just enough cognitive skills to stand a chance of reasoning and reacting properly in unanticipated circumstances.
OMG. The worst thing about it is the fact that “Grandpap” is soooo proud of his little cowgirl. Downright sickening. Big surprise, they breed chickens and goats and who knows what else, too.
Just because a person breeds other animals doesn’t mean a thing. Maybe the family likes to eat without the government’s say-so.
Oh, and they also obviously breed stupid… in a BIG way.
For the gelding: there is a common tranq that has a tendency to make a gelding unable to fully draw back up. My vets don’t use it on studs. that could be the cause of his penile issues.
Also, of of my biggest issues is ‘rides’ where the kid, no matter what the age, does not have reins in his/her hands. In my book ‘bomb proof’ just means you haven’t seen the horse spook. Not that it won’t spook. Riding means reins, full stop. I have nixed my son being led if he has no way to stop the horse. At 9 he has been riding for 4 years (with helmet and boots). He has also never put his feet in the stirrups.
He did fall off once last year, at a full stop. Just lost his balance. His gelding is 15hh, so it involved a lot of grab attempts on his part. BooBoo didn’t move at all.
Point is: kids fall, adults fall. Name of the game. Why wouldn’t you want to minimize the owie factor? Isn’t the ground hard enough?
He looks like he has been aced for sure. Ace is known to do that sometimes. He is clearly drugged though looking at him and then his penis issue. Poor horse.
Oh, good point. He could be. They do “hang out” when they’re aced – always watch for that when horse shopping, particularly at auctions!
But he could just be old and decrepit, too.
Our rescue Belgian is nearing 40 accoridng to the vet. I thought he had a sheath infection when he came, because it had 30+ years of smegma encrusted on it & it was always “hanging out”. But, I cleaned it up, the vet looked it over, and said, “Welll… it’s just kind of what he does”- so maybe it is just a symptom of being old and decrepit?
I believe I posted this earlier… but…. I worked at a good-sized open show this weekend.
NOT ONE of the kids in the leadline class had a helmet on.
NOT ONE.
They were all 5 or 6 and younger.
And I don’t believe there was an EMT on site either, but I was mostly in the announcer’s booth and I do know there were at least 2 parents there who were EMTs, so I didn’t get picky.
But I will be sending a note to the association in charge of the show, you betcha.
(repost in CORRECT place)
Don’t put too much stock in off duty EMTs. Unless they’re a total whacker with BVMs and an O2 tank in their suburban, they can’t do much more than anyone else. I’m an EMT and I’ve almost finished my Paramedic degree – and honestly, with no equipment we’re as useful as any other schmuck on the grounds. I, personally, would be very leery of helping out anyways. Even though in my State off-duty EMTs and Paramedics are covered by “good samaritan†laws, enough EMTs have had their lives ruined because they couldn’t save someone with brain matter leaking out their ears and the family wanted someone to blame. When you’re not on-duty, you’re not covered by worker’s comp or your employer’s insurance, and you’ll be hung out to dry. So unless you’re my grandma, if I’m not on the clock the most I’ll do is chest compressions and call 911. Maybe hold c-spine, but that’s it.
Re: the first video. These people are insane. Re: the skinny horse’s penis. Either his sheathe is THAT filthy, or he has tumours that make it impossible to withdraw. I saw a horse recently who had such big penis tumours, it was hanging to the ground. And the owners were doing nothing about it. SPCA time again. Sigh.
Umm…are we sure this horse is not just masturbating? Horses, even geldings, masturbate by slapping their penis against their underbelly (gross, but it’s true). At the beginning of the video it certainly looks like he is actively lifting his penis and touching his belly — not something you would expect a horse in pain to do. My Arab pony used to do this so much I literally had to scrub smegma off his tummy — EWWW! The horse’s penis does not look swollen (as it would if it had been “stuck” out for a length of time). He does appear to be slightly erect, though, which would be consistent with masturbating and not straining i.e. to urinate.
It is virtually impossible, as far as I know, to get a bean so large that the penis “is prevented from retracting.” My 30+ Arab gelding has melanomas in his sheath and penis much, much bigger than any bean I have ever heard of, and he can urinate and extend/retract his penis just fine (and still masturbate!).
I suspect this is one of those good ol’ kids’ horses who is so relaxed his mind is on anything BUT the idiocy around him!!
It may not be prevented from being retracted, but it might be too painful to do so, especially if the horse is constantly straining to urinate and getting out a dribble here and there. I mention below digging a bean out of a sale horse the size of a golf ball or larger, and there was blood in the wax that I got out. That this animal stood still without a tranq for almost an hour while I got it out spoke volumes about just what kind of a nice guy he was, and I was glad I could help him get rid of such a horrible predicament. Miracle he didn’t wind up with a bad infection.
Oh my. That was awful. Hello people, you don’t wait to ride horses because you are too heavy! They are not matured!! OMG. I’m going to assume that weanling got some awesome training between those kids “riding” and “working” with them. Oh, and do you not know that it’s dangerous enough for you to be in a trailer with a horse, let alone a 4 year old! That’s why I have (almost) all of my horses trained to go in the trailer when I point. I don’t want to be in a 6′x10′ space with a horse! Geeze.
I was just looking through some of my old pictures over the weekend and came across this picture of my son in one of his first riding lessons. He was 3-1/2 years old at the time. I have plenty of ponies he could have been sitting on earlier than then, but I couldn’t find a helmet small enough to fit his little head until he was 3-1/2.
And here is Will that August at his first show. Yes, he is riding Western but that is a helmet on his head, boots with heels and stirrups adjusted to the proper length!
Here is the only pony he rode at that show without a helmet!
I do not know which is cuter, your son or your ponies, but you can post as many of those pics as you like!
OMG SO CUTE.
My 3YO TB filly and I have given pony rides to little kids (ages 3, 5, 10.) In a small enclosure, kids wore a helmet, horse was NOT bridled, I had her in a halter on a lead rope, and kids’ mom was right beside her to support the child or pull it off if necessary. Horse isn’t spooky and was totally in her comfort zone, otherwise it wouldn’t have happened. Photos were taken from OUTSIDE fence by a spectator, not someone involved in handling the horse and/or children. Everything went A-OK and I was so proud of my girl. I had thought she’d make a good hippotherapy/special needs horse and I think I was right.
The gelding in the first video had a boner, and was playing with himself. Most of our geldings, even the ones that are 20-30, can be caught standing in the sun having a group play session. They get their sheathes totally cleaned 2 times a year, and get checked for beans every time I catch one hanging out. Pretty normal.
If it was a bean, and it hurt to retract, it would just be hanging not erect.
I started my daughter riding when she was about 7 years old, with a helmet on and proper footwear and on a pony. The first while I always walked beside her holding on and leading the pony (very good childs pony that walked nicely beside you) Eventually daughter moved up to riding on lead without me holding her, then to riding in small area with me close by. I will soon have my first grandchild (well November) and that child’s father (my son) is not a horse fan, but he’s decided that they won’t be paying for daycare and that the Grandma’s (wifes mother and I) can do the babysitting while they are at work….that’s okay with us. I DON”T PLAN on putting this child on a horse until they are co-ordinated enough to sit up and actually participate (well, that’s if they are interested in horses to start with) I’m thinking probably 7 yrs old, all depends on the child. Yes, I will be buying a kids helmet and boots and investing in a childs saddle (did I mention this is my first grandchild?) At this time I just have my 2 Appaloosa geldings at 6 & 9…I figure by the time my grandchild is ready to ride, one of the boys will be suitable….if I don’t think one of them will work…..it will be a case of finding the right pony. Not that I didn’t do it right with my kids….but I’ll be taking no chances with my grandchild!!!
One of the most irresponsible things I have ever witnessed was a passerby who came into the barnyard of a friend and put his kids up on two of the horses, bareback, that were on the hot walker. Two young horses that had less than 30 days on them. It was a miracle nothing happened. Also one year when we were trying to sell the place, one of the potential buyers kept coming back with his kids, I had a broken leg and decided I was finished with doing visit the farm animal tour for him, until I heard “Daddy I want to ride the horse next”. I look out the window and he has got one of his kids on the back of my shire gelding by himself in the pen. I nearly had a heart attack.
But…. isn’t the world a big fat petting zoo???
Really, people get STUPID when they don’t know animals.
My 4-year-old daughter knows enough to ask everyone if it’s OK to pet their dog… and she’s seriously squirrelly.
For the link to the ranch page with the kid ‘training’ the weanling, did anyone else notice that there is an entire section of the website devoted to scripture quoting? They run a bible camp on the property. I guess “Thou shalt not be stupid”, and “Thou shalt not allow your children to die” isn’t part of the ten commandments!
http://www.bigoaksranch.net/Bible%20Studies.html
Not only that, the ranch is up for sale… beautiful piece of property but what a mess of a site it is.
God will protect them.
Unless someone dies. Then it will be “she was so special, God took her young.”
FTW.
That’s exactly what these morons tell themselves.
My husband’s family can be.. um…. VERY Christian, and they all believe that “when it’s your time, it’s your time.” They use this “God’s Will” excuse to justify their heavy smoking (post heart surgery, of course, and don’t even ask them to NOT smoke around your baby) and other fabulous health habits, not neutering their mutt animals, etc.
Of course don’t ever drink beer in front of them. Cuz God sez it’s BAAAAAD.
Sorry but I have to comment. What does someone’s faith have to do with their common sense? Is it that people think Christians are stupid or that they should be smarter? Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean they aren’t human. I respect the fact that there are a lot of people out there that do not believe the things I believe or have the same opinion I do and that is fine with me. Please don’t bash someone because they believe in the bible. I am an extremely well educated person who has a very good job, I own horses, and I call myself a Christian. Does that mean I never get angry or use bad language or maybe do something stupid? Or is it if I do then I am a hypocrit? I have never understood this way of thinking. It isn’t God’s fault people do stupid things, unfortunately he gets the bad rap for it. Sorry to vent.
It’s not that people are bashing Christians. What we tend to bash here is Christians with the specific ideas that:
God will protect them (no matter WHAT stupid thing they do!)
God will forgive them (even if they do the SAME stupid thing 46 times in a row!)
If someone dies because they were doing something Darwin-Award-level-dumb, it is because they were so SPECIAL that God wanted them home early.
You’ll see that a lot of Christians agree that these concepts are a bunch of bull. I like the story where the man is drowning and he ignores the raft that floats by and the people who try to save him by saying “God will help me” and then is shocked when he drowns. When he gets to Heaven, God tells him “hey, I sent you a TON of help…you ignored it.” That’s my take on things. Believe whatever you want but realize YOU have free will and part of that includes your personal responsibility to make good decisions and not assume some higher power is gonna bail you out/protect you.
I see your point. There is so much bashing of Christians these days, that set me off. I tend to err on the side of caution with most things in life, horses included! I don’t currently own a horse I would trust to pack a child around just yet.
FYI, Smart Chic– I’m like FHOTD, so don’t take this as antiChrist, but I did notice and roll my eyes at the Christian part of the website. While I respect religion, I can’t respect poor decision making based upon the premise that “if we do it in God’s name it is okay.”
I lost my job recently. Do you know people like that will still say to me, “Don’t worry Dear, God will provide.”
What God are they hanging around with? Mine takes care of my soul, but I’m pretty sure he isn’t filling out applications for me and doing my interviews, nor is he writing out unemployment checks. As my mom, a wonderful Christian, says, “God already provided. He gave us hands and a brain.”
I think your Mom is on target with that!
Your mom sounds like a true gem!
Wow, that first video was disturbing. Didn’t even bother to watch the second one. That horse looks as if it gave up on life long, long ago. Which is sad, cuz he looks like a cute horse that is just wishing his old owner would come and save him from this hell…
Aside from his “I just wish I would die” expression, his front hooves in the last min or so look to me like elf slippers. The angle is all wrong. Can’t really see the back feet well enough, although they look pretty funky as well. I have to agree with you – WTF is up with that horse’s junk? It’s like a Shrinky-Dink. And I’ve rarely seen a male horse walk around w/o retraction (with the exception of a stud). They typically put it away when they’re moving. It’s the same throughout the video, almost like he forgot it was even there. To me, that is just screaming something’s wrong!!!
I thought the same same thing… there are a few moments in the video where the horses seems to be thinking, “See the brand on my hip? I’m supposed to be working cows, not packing germ trollies. Shoot me now.” He is obviously now enjoying himself or enjoying his job.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this. And here’s something else ppl: When you have a baby or a small child that wants to ‘pet the horsies’ please, for goodness sake, quit making them stand RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM or HOLDING THEM UP TO THE HORSE’S FACE. You make my life as a horse owner in public DIFFICULT!
And quit looking at me like I have a second head when I tell you these things. These are MY animals and *I* spend EVERY DAY with them. So freakin’ listen!
They could be stomping at flies and step on them or put their head down to rub on them and knock them over, or pick their head up very quickly if something startles them while grazing… and I have seen a baby’s face GET RIPPED OFF by a horse (albeit it was a mare just protecting her baby). And if a horse’s head whacking into you can black my adult eyes, imagine what they can do to a child. And even a saintly horse will kick when startled. So imagine what it does to squealing, short thing it can’t see in a crunching diaper making a bee line for its flanks. Exactly.
At parades, we do not allow strangers to enter our staging area or pet the big horses. It’s like protecting the ignorant (and I’m not using ignorant in a derrogatory way — it’s that many non-horsey people simply DON’T KNOW).
Thank goodness we have some wonderful, gracious friends with a genuinely people friendly pony, and we’re able to let people pet and give him cookies.
Children also tend to run up to a horse while talking/yelling very loudly, which can unnerve even the most seasoned animal. I constantly have to tell small children to walk up to the horse slowly and quietly.
The general, non-horsey public do often put themselves in danger. I usually try to put on my “kind, informative, tactful” persona in situations like state fairs and horse expos that attract the general population. I’m always telling people to stand far away, approach 1-2 people at a time, hold your child’s hand, stand next to me, please don’t put your child on your shoulders, that’s scary for a horse…. don’t try to reach for his face, reach for his shoulder/neck…. He has big feet, they move, watch out for them….. It’s like managing a 3 ring circus!
This is SO true. I kept a 3 year old selle français filly at a barn where there were always people coming to visit the horses, etc. It didn’t help that there were soccer, baseball, football fields and tennis courts right at the same huge sports complex. I became kind of known as the bitch of the barn because I never once hesitated to very clearly indicate to a parent that by walking a stroller directly behind my horse’s haunches, or letting a baby outstretch its fingers toward my horse’s mouth, they were putting their child in direct and imminent danger. As for kids old enough to learn, I definitely don’t mince words: it’s get OUT from behind that horse, do NOT pet a horse you don’t know, STOP running like banchees because otherwise, I’m going to LET this mare kick you to next week and then say I didn’t see a thing (and if there’s one thing my TB mare would love to do, since she’s crabbier than even I am, it would be teach a lesson to some of the brats that never listen).
I have all the patience in the world for kids and people who are willing to learn the safety rules and abide by them. I’m even known to take a break during a ride so that the little kids eyeing my horse from the arena side can pat her nose (and she does love that, in fact she loves kids, as long as they are polite). But the ones that don’t listen to anybody? I have zero patience for them, and even less for the parents.
My best guess about the naughty guy letting it all hang out is that he’s either giving himself a bit of fun and no one realizes it or he has either a mass or a lot of dirt up in his sheath or urethral opening. I have seen all those things happen and have had to dig a massive bean at least the size of a golf ball out of a gelding who had never had a sheath cleaning in his life; he too was always letting it hang out, but this looks more like he’s being naughty. If they’re this stupid with their kids, you KNOW that horse never gets his sheath cleaned. I have to wonder that the diapers got changed.
Then there was the grandfather, maybe, who sat his little kid on the railing of the overhang, of the grizzly bear pen, feet over the edge, 15-20 feet above the grizzly bear, hanging on to the kid’s shirt, with one hand.
Oh I know. I swear, it is amazing what people do.
I really hate it when a parent’s ego and stupidity gets in the way of common sense.
We have an extra small helmet and an itty bitty saddle for our two year old. Our son does not fit the helmet yet but he likes to sit in the saddle while it’s on the saddle rack. I put the helmet on him before I put him up on the saddle. He already associates the helmet with riding and he’s never even been on a horse. We have a well-broke Shetland Pony for him to ride when he finally grows into that helmet but it will be looong time before he is off the leadline. The pony is actually our niece’s but she has almost ready to pass her on because she’s getting so tall. BTW, we will not be ‘giving’ the pony to our son. When he is old enough, if he shows interest, he can ‘earn’ her by taking care of her.
I like the bit about earning the pony. And great idea on getting him used to wearing the helmet even though he hasn’t been on a horse yet! I’ll be hanging on to these ideas for if I have kids some day…
Off topic (sorry).
Didn’t know your blog till a student told me I’d been mentioned over the weekend. Thanks for the kind words. Regarding “dieseling,” it wasn’t the free walk, it was the transition to medium from the trot. In it, the horse didn’t make a clear downward transition but sort of dribbled into walk over a handful of steps. Like the way a car won’t stop running on a cold morning even if you’ve turned off the key. That’s called dieseling for some reason that mechanics can explain.
Aha! Thank you!
And I do have to say, your site made even me want to try dressage (and I admit I am a lazy rider. Grew up in polo and like horses you can just cruise on…polo ponies, barrel horses, rope horses).
Bill– Wish I could send you my son for training. Your sense of humor and no nonsense approach to horses is tonic for my soul!
I wish I could come visit. Its so nice to see dressage horses that haven’t forgotten how to go forward.
Years ago I was one of those “stupid” parents who let their 4 year old on a deadbroke horse who was trustworthy, without a helmet. I (and my daughter) was lucky it wasn’t worse. Today my daughter at 15 carries a 1 inch scar on her forhead from the 8 stitches it took to close the gash she got when the gentle mare got stung by a bee, spun in an awesome pieroette (sp?) and bolted. My baby girl stayed with her (she was bareback) in the spin, but jerked backwards and flipped ass over teacup over the horse’s rear and landed face down on the ground, hitting her forehead on a rock. My blood ran cold, I’ll tell you what. At the ER we had to hold her down (poor child) to get her stitches. The doc was an avid horseman himself and asked polite questions and offered advice about helmets… something I hardly knew anything about at the time. The next day I purchased a helmet, although my 4 year old didn’t mount again for quite a while. A few months later, my eldest daughter, who was 9 at the time, joined 4H and HAD to wear a helmet as Washington State 4H had recently adopted the rule that all riders under 18 MUST wear one. At first it “looked funny” in a western class, and many argued against it, but now, looking back I’m 100% FOR it. Now…to me…a western class with cowboy hats looks kind of odd, since I’ve gotten used to seeing many kids competing now in helmets. Today, many states (including Virgina where I am now) require helments in ALL 4H horseshows, and strongly encourage members to wear them whenever mounted, even during non-4H horseshows. I cringe when I see kids from other states (and non-4H kids), who don’t require them, riding without. Southern Regionals was held in Virginia a few years back and a few states boycotted going as their state didn’t require 4H to wear helmets, and since Virginia did, they HAD to wear them at the Virginia Horse Center where SR was held. Many parents (and leaders) complained, whined and refused and since Virginia stood firm, they either had to pull out or comply. Holy cow people, you sometimes only get one chance to compete regionally, why not suck it up and comply and let your kid HAVE FUN. This year I’m taking a child and horse to Southern Regionals in South Carolina. SC doesn’t required helmets and I’m not looking forward to seeing all those children without, but I AM pleased to know that all kids from Virginia WILL BE wearing helmets since Virginia by-laws state that if you are a member of a VA 4H club and competing in a 4H mounted/driving event (although miniature horse classes also required a helmet in VA, there are no mini classes offered at Southern Regionals), you MUST STILL wear a helmet, even if the state you are competing in doesn’t require it! Big thumbs up there!
4H requires children to be at least age 8 before joining (some places it’s 9), unless it’s Cloverbuds, because they feel young children do not have the ability to grasp the concept of safety and understand and focus on what they are taught when it comes to horses. It’s all about safety. Around here, Cloverbuds ARE NOT allowed to have a horse project with a real animal. We focus on learning about horses and safety around them using books, pictures, puzzles, games, videos, internet, Breyer Models, and a varied array of projects for them. Occationally we will hold a horse judging clinic for them using Breyers to identify basic breeds and colors. Sometimes they even get a hands on clinic for grooming, using gentle, kid-friendly miniature horses and each child is required to wear a helmet while working around the horse.
People like those in these videos need to contact their closest 4H Extention office if they want their kids to get involved with horses. Start out with Cloverbuds. It’s fun, educational and very inexpensive and not overly time consuming for the parent! Most 4H clubs have none or at least a minimal fee for joining (usually for insurance or buying club shirt) and once or twice a month meetings with occational weekend field trips, fund raisers, projects or clinics. It’s worth it and your child will walk away years later with valuable skills for the future, and maybe even a scolarship. And with many clubs you don’t even have to own or have a horse! I now have a 21 year old daughter, a 20 year old son, a 15 year old daughter and a 10 year old daughter who were or are involved with horse 4H. None have ever been involved with drugs, alcohol, gangs, or had run-ins with the law (okay…I’m not counting the speeding ticket here! LOL!) and I give the credit to horses and 4H.
Thanks for sharing that. I really think it helps for people who think “oh, what can happen?” to read the first hand accounts of what CAN and DID happen.
4HMom wrote: “4H requires children to be at least age 8 before joining (some places it’s 9), unless it’s Cloverbuds, because they feel young children do not have the ability to grasp the concept of safety and understand and focus on what they are taught when it comes to horses. It’s all about safety. Around here, Cloverbuds ARE NOT allowed to have a horse project with a real animal.”
This was precisely my point. Thank you for the confirmation that a respected group has adopted the same position. I have always been impressed with the 4H set; now even more so.
The Kindergarten – 3rd grade 4H’ers here are called Minis, and our county is one of the few places where they are allowed to ride. I’m in charge of them at meetings: in the winter they hang out and color horse pictures while I ask them questions and we do some “parts of the horse” easy stuff.
At the riding meetings, they use the small warmup ring at the Fairgrounds, and no one is allowed to go faster than a trot. I have to explain to parents why it is NOT adequate or safe to duct tape wood blocks onto their kids’ stirrups – just punch some damn holes, and if you still can’t get the stirrup short enough, take the saddle to the local shoe repair guy, who is a real old school wizard with all things leather. He can cut ‘em down to work. Also I have to explain a LOT of things to various parents & children, who this year are all thankfully appropriately mounted. Tactful things like “gee, you might want to call the farrier” or hilarious things like “Seth, you need to sit up straight and not slouch” “Well, I’m too HUNGRY!”
Cute kids. It’s pretty sedate, and the Mini show at the Fair is held the night before the Fair starts. We block off one end of the ring with a living fence of grownups, and then there are always more adults than kids in the ring. Usually at least twice as many. The older kids are not allowed to have their horses out of the stalls for the event – not in the make up ring, not at the wash rack, not in crossties. And of COURSE I am the helmet harridan!!!!!!!!!!!!
We do lead line, showmanship & walk/trot.
There is a Facebook group called “You know you’re a horse person when you cluck at slow things.”
By the end of the show, my clucker is about worn out.
Oh and of COURSE they all win ribbons, candy & little horsey prizes. The judge is usually a kid-friendly horseperson who can give a couple bits of advice to each child or parent, and it’s all very cute and positive.
Or, which I have seen, the kid’s feet wedged into the leathers above the stirrup.
Heck, with English stirrups, you can temporarily shorten them by wrapping the leather a second time around the iron…there’s NO excuse.
our 16 month old granddaughter was visiting last saturday and we put her up on my 26 year old pally mare, who usually doesn’t pull a wrong move. mare had halter on with me leading, my son was walking next to mare holding onto back of his daughter’s shirt and pants. my instructions: if i say “off!” you pull mady off immediately. even with a good old horse who is known to be quiet, you just never know. so it is good to have a plan and tell the side-walkers what they are suppose to do in case of an emergency. mady was wearing her new helmet and boots (nothing cuter in the world then her astm/sei blue helmet with horsies/hearts and her six-inch long boots). i had also bought her a tiny saddle, but it doesn’t fit a horse, just mini/pony. so she sat on a pad, no stirrups. i think we kept it a safe as is possible.
funny, my son was riding from the time he was a little guy and i was never nervous about him being on/around the horses. it must be my age (60) now because i am very concerned with granddaughter. what is so cool though, is that granddaughter is riding same pally mare that son rode and showed twenty years ago. good old horse.
Saw a demonstration this weekend of trick riding. 2 little girls, about 10, in an arena, with special saddles. Horses racing around the arena, girls hanging in different positions from the saddle, including upside down with head inches from the ground. I could not watch the whole thing. My husband later told the mother of the girls that he would have enjoyed the performance more if the girls were wearing helmets. The mother explained that helmets messed up the peripheral vision of the girls. Huh? These little girls had no control of the horses as they were hanging from the saddles, they did not need any peripheral vision, they needed a helmet.
I always hear from the vaulting folks that helmets are a danger for them. I don’t know. I am not a vaulting person but when I taught lessons, kids wore helmets every time and I don’t think I’d make an exception for that just to compete in one particular discipline. I’d say, pick something else from the 50 or so other disciplines you enjoy. Better than cracking your skull.
I just can´t believe it!!! :-0 Parents usually sh*t themselves over every little detail when it comes to their children but let them ride w/w helmets…
And concerning that ppro little yearling, I really can´t find any words for it!! The foal (!) looks pretty cute and the grandparents (?) are just sooo proud… Wait til sth. happens, that it´s that evil horse…
I taught some kids how to ride, or rather how to stay on a horse and take good care of it.
The first thing they learn is never ever to wrap the lead line around their hands!! I see children (and adults…) do that very often cos the lead lines are usually pretty long. Some years ago, there was an accident in the paper. A girl went to get her parents´ horses and tied (!) the two lead lines around her body. The horses spooked an ran off… I don´t think I have to tell you the end of that…
Another very important thing is good shoes with heels!! No child ever gets on my horse w/o proper shoe wear, NO sneakers!
My fjord horse is really, really child-proof, he loves being fussed over and as soon as they start to wopple (is that even a word?), he stops and waits for them to collect themselves.
One day, we went out on a hack, my little cousin on my horse, my uncle and me on foot. My cousin led the way when the trail became very narrow. The trai was slightly downhill and my pony started trotting slowly. Then he remebered that the stable was also that way and he took of!!! :-0 I can´t even begin to describe how scared I was to turn the corner and find my cousin hurt or dead on the ground and just because I wasn´t careful and trusted my horse too much! My uncle stayed pretty cool and soon we saw my cousin holding my horse (he was eating grass). He was able to stop him and dismounted. We were both pretty shaken because my pony is usually such a bomb-proof cutie!
It just shows that horses are horses, accidents can happen ALL the time, no matter how many precautions you take…
Again, here everybody has to wear helmets at shows and usually at riding schools, too. When I was a teenager I was the only one of our gang to wear a helmet!! And not because my parents made me do it but because I wanted to..
I was also a 4H leader for about 14 years, at the time I first started leading 4H ….kids didn’t have to wear helmets; in our club if they were under 18 we made them wear helmets, regardless. A few years ago, it became mandatory for all kids under 18 to wear helmets. We were way ahead of that! And any time we had a function that the 4H kids attended and the leaders were riding, we also wore helmets to set a good example. And we also emphazised safety around horses at all our meetings. And would pull parents aside and talk to them if a child happened to mention something unsafe at a meeting. Yeah, we were kinda interfering bi**** but we were always nice about it and the parents were grateful if we helped them out.
I started riding when I was 8. My parents are non-horsey, but my aunt wasn’t. My cousin and I started riding at the barn I’m still riding at today. I have never ridden a horse there w/o a helmet, I’ve always had stirrups and I’ve never been too far over-mounted.
I also climb and I can say that both sports are full of habits you form because someday you’ll need them. In riding, it’s wearing a helmet and shoes and not wrapping your lead around your hand and putting the reins over the head before you take off the halter and letting your horse go by the stall door so you have a quick escape route and of course never sneaking up on a horse(especially from behind). In climbing it’s the checks and double checks you do before you hop on the wall, the treasure knot you put on top of the trace figure eight knot, the helmet, replacing your ropes after they’re too old, pulling back long hair… The list gos on and on.
Do I really believe that the sweetest horse in the barn is going to run away from me if I don’t put the reins over his head before I take off his halter? Of course not. Do I do it anyway? You bet. Besides being just a habit, there’s a good reason to do it. And then there’s the BO who is not afraid to remind you that you forgot something even if you’ve been riding for 9 years and you’ve done this 100′s of times and the horse is not going to do anything; she’ll tell you what’s up even if you’re her 28yo daughter/ riding instructor.
So anyway, even when you know nothing will happen if you cut corners (and who does?) you still do not cut corners because once you’ve graduated to the fresh OTTB, you don’t want to learn how to handle him correctly, or even worse, handle him like you handled your previous ride- a 25yo broke-to-death school horse (unless you’ve formed the proper habits).
This makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LlhcLvY_LE&feature=related
You know I have this on my favorites on my youtube if only because it shows to my non horsey friends why I refuse to take their kids into the paddock to see horses no matter where I am and when my gelding was around ( R.I.P Renegade) why they had to wait outside the fence in the ring, at the picnic table while I got him and brought him out. I admit, the girl deserved it and both she and her parents were lucky that all he did was catch her ponytail and haul her off her feet.
After reading this blog, I checked out a bunch of videos on youtube. It’s amazing how many videos like this I found. And why was that little brat slapping that horse? It was just eating stuff in the pasture! I hope she got spooked enough to stay away from horses until she developed a a greater sense of self-preservation.
I agree this kid “looks” like a snotty brat to most. What I personally see is the possibility that she’s quite familiar with horses, and slapped the side of the horse for some reason (I mean, come on, we’ve all slapped horses for one reason or another!). Now, I have been down in my paddock slapping my three horses silly this week. Why? Horse flies. Big, huge, nasty horse flies! My three are wearing fly sheets, but sometimes the horse flies land on the sheet, or even are flapping about UNDER the sheet – and I slap the fly to kill it.
Plus, my big guy Beau, well, he gets in a bad mood because he’s getting bitten. He also gets mighty pissy when it rains. Not that he’d ever do to me what that horse did to the girl… but I suspect he’d do it to my husband because Beau doesn’t respect my husband the way he respects me.
Is it not just possible that this little girl slapped the side of the horse to kill a biting insect?
I´ve got a question:
I´ve read the expression “4H” several times. What is it? Like a pony club?
Kind of! It’s an American youth organization that involves kids in competitive activities of many types. Some have to do with agriculture and farming but they also have things like cooking and science and all sorts of activities.
http://4-h.org/
It is only as good as the “leaders” so in some places, 4-H is a great place to learn about horses, and in some places, it is the blind leading the blind. You have to (if you’re a parent) check out the leadership pretty carefully.
Thanks a lot!
I´ve never heard of that before.
The four “aitches” are Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. It’s a program with all kinds of interest areas for youngsters including cooking, sewing and other “domestic arts,” as well as all kinds of farm animals. Sort of like Future Homemakers of America or Future Farmers of America, only it starts with younger students.
As Fugly said, the leaders are often just those who have the time to devote to the meetings and the “lessons.” It isn’t always a positive learning experience, based on the teaching ability of the adult in charge as well as the basic knowledge of the leader. I took cooking and sewing when I was in the 4H program at my elementary school.
I did Horse & Pony, Tube & Textile Painting (remember Tri-Chem paints??), Cooking, Small Animals with my ferret, and Photography. My sister always made it to State Fair with her drawing. My nephew is in a Robotics club! There are clubs for catttle, sheep, pigs, goats, dog obedience, models, leatherworking, cake decorating, gunsmithing, general agriculture, electronics……
I love going to the State Fair. My husband always gets a laugh over how I make a beeline over to the Hay exhibit and stick my nose in the Grand Champion bales.
Band Day, where all the state High School bands compete, is a HUGE deal.
Unfortunately, unlike when I was a teen, in Indiana you don’t have to qualify for State Fair in Horse & Pony. You just show up, like any old horse show. It used to be that you had to qualify at the county level, and it was AWESOME to make it to the State Fair and compete – and win – against the rich Indianapolis & Fort Wayne kids with their fancy hunters. Well, I never won, but I always placed well, and my favorite ribbon was the 3rd I got in Hunter Under Saddle when i had a yellowjacket stinging me under my ratcatcher the whole damn class. My mare was quite BRILLIANT and FORWARD that day, I must say!!
I agree on the “its as only as good as the leaders” I attened my County’s 4-H meeting for the first time as a leader and the other leader was giving demonstration on how to saddle up a horse and other misc. He gave out some very misleading information. I wanted to interject but since I was new I decided to keep my mouth shut. Most of the kids are beginners.
I’m lucky to live in a county that has very active 4H programs, not only in horse projects, but dog, various other livestock, marksmanship (shooting firearms), archery, fishing, sewing, cooking, art, photography, gardening, beekeeping, maritime (sailing, canoing, etc.), and several others. Whatever club a child is in, he/she can still do additional projects besides the type of project the club specializes in (example: several of our club’s kids not only do a horse project, but also marksmanship, photography, art, and dog projects).
The 4-H Pledge:
I pledge…
My HEAD to clearer thinking,
My HEART to greater loyalty,
My HANDS to larger service,
And my HEALTH to better living,
for my club, my community,
my country, and my world.
I forgot this:
“Cloverbuds’ are the pre-4Hers…those kids usually 5 to 8 years old who want to learn and have fun and “do” something too, but are actually too young to become 4Hers. Many are 4H babies, brought up in the world of 4H when Mom and/or Dad drug them around while supporting big brother or sister in 4H. My 2nd, 3rd and 4th children were all raised like that….I took them with me (when I couldn’t find a sitter) to shows, clinics, fundraisers, programs, hippology contests, horse judgings, etc.
Oh BTW, we are also a Navy family, so moving from area to area, state to state when my hubby got transferred was VERY hard, but we managed AND still moved horses with us. Of course, we don’t have $$$ for vacations at Disney World, or trips to seaside resorts or camping at Yellowstone, so our family “vacation” (minus Dad since he’s usually out at sea) is loading up horses, tack, camping gear, living off the dollar menu and going to State 4H Horseshow for a weekend!
reading these is a lesson in itself; nver understood the hollywood mentality around very large animals who CAN hurt, fte without meaning to – here is a sad story from my own province which illustrates perfectly exaclty what fugly is saying:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/06/02/14227481.html
Oh, that’s so sad!
And I’m from Ontario as well. HI!
The topic of today’s game show is:
My Idiot Husband Knows More about Horses than You Do and he doesn’t even like horses!
I asked my husband a few questions – how old should a horse be when you first start teaching it to be ridden? His answer: you can start a little bit of training, tacking up, etc. when it’s 2, but no real work until three, no jumping until at least four. How old should a child be when it starts riding a horse? His answer: well, it depends on the child, but until a child is 9 or 10, they aren’t responsible enough to groom and tack up their own horse properly, and a child should learn to do those things along with learning to ride. Okay… but how old should a child be to just sit on a horse, like at a pony ride? His answer: old enough not to be floppy, fragile as an egg, and easily stepped on, and old enough to have some clue that they should get away if the horse freaks out. So… how old, exactly? His answer: Maybe four? Final question: under what circumstances do you put on a hard hat? His answer: whenever you are not standing on your own feet. (We drive, as well as ride, and the hard hat goes on when you drive too.)
I thought those were pretty good answers – so, I guess he listens to me sometimes. I showed him the site with the people putting their baby on a foal and he just about choked. Good job running a ranch while being so ignorant that my husband who is so allergic to horses that if one licks him he looks like he’s been beaten with a belt knows more about horses than you do!
Ha ha, I would watch that show!
Good job educating hubby! I know what that’s like. My husband had never had so much as a goldfish before we moved in together (I already had a horse and a husky dog at the time; we’ve since added a young pony and a second dog to the menagerie) and so his animal related skills were non existent. It took awhile to help him understand how to be safe and effective working with the horses, especially the young pony (just 20 months old when we bought her; she’s now going on 3) and more than once I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I grew up around horses, and so tend to forget that just because it’s second nature to me, doesn’t mean that will be the case for him. There were several instances of, “Um, honey, please unwrap the lead rope from around your hand” or “that’s cute for the moment, but when that pony decides to play rough with you like she’d do with one of the horses, her hefty body slamming into you isn’t going to seem so cute anymore.” He’s got it down pretty well now, and is much more patient than I am about explaining to barn visitors how they should behave around the horses.
I warned my husband over and over again not to “play” with Beau (my 16.1 HH QH) – Beau is immature for his age, mischievous, and doesn’t know when to quit. Hubby ignored me – until he learned the lesson first-hand. Beau snatched hubby’s hat off his head (Beau thought he was pretty funny) but hubby got a small cut on his temple (he didn’t think it was that funny). Hubby realized it could have been much worse.
Bad grandparents du jour!! I feel SO bad for this little filly… she has weight on her back, being taught to lounge etc and a few months old!
http://www.bigoaksranch.net/Shadow_Star.html
ooh, sorry, i didn’t see that fugly posted it cuz i panicked lol!
Exactly! Each state is different, and I too think it’s wrong to be able to just “go” to States without working for it….qualifing. Here, we go to District Horseshow (most counties here only have 1 or 2 horse clubs….a “district” is a cluster of counties in a certian area…ours is held in May) to qualify to go to State Horseshow. You don’t have to place at Districts to qualify, just compete in it in at least 1 class. That qualifies you for State (September). Since there wasn’t alot of stall space at the VA State Fair, they broke off and made State Horseshow to be able to accomadate all the kids and horses. Once you get a Champion or Reserve at State, that qualifies you for Regionals, BUT since Regionals is held during the summer months (July) you have a “hold-over” for 10 months. During that time kids outgrow ponies and horses, change project horses, etc. so they allow you to take a different horse than what you qualified on to Regionals, as long at the horse you are taking is your current declared project horse. Basically, for Regionals, it’s the kids qualifing, not the horse. You don’t even have to compete in the same event you qualified in! For example: there are no miniature horse classes at all at Regionals (not yet anyway), so say a child qualified at State by winning the Mini Driving Championship. As long as they declared their QH the next spring, they can take it to Regionals and ride it in Western Pleasure, even though their qualifing horse was the mini. Another example: My 4H leader’s daughter is leasing my 13.3 Marsh Tacky mare for this year’s project: games. I’m, hauling her to Southern Regionals in July. Last September at States, she qualified by winning the Small Pony Games Champion on a smaller welsh pony mare. By this spring, she had outgrown that pony in leaps and bounds, so is using my mare, a faster, and much better fitting pony for her lanky 13 year old frame.
Gee whiz….apologies Fugs for going so off topic!
Don’t put too much stock in off duty EMTs. Unless they’re a total whacker with BVMs and an O2 tank in their suburban, they can’t do much more than anyone else. I’m an EMT and I’ve almost finished my Paramedic degree – and honestly, with no equipment we’re as useful as any other schmuck on the grounds. I, personally, would be very leery of helping out anyways. Even though in my State off-duty EMTs and Paramedics are covered by “good samaritan” laws, enough EMTs have had their lives ruined because they couldn’t save someone with brain matter leaking out their ears and the family wanted someone to blame. When you’re not on-duty, you’re not covered by worker’s comp or your employer’s insurance, and you’ll be hung out to dry. So unless you’re my grandma, if I’m not on the clock the most I’ll do is chest compressions and call 911. Maybe hold c-spine, but that’s it.
Freaking classic. After being bombarded with comments, though constructive and informative, as opposed to rude, all of the above video posters, except ‘babys riding horses’ have disabled the ability to add comments. Better to forge on stubbornly than admit defeat and wrong doing…
I’m pretty sure that I’m way off on this post, (I like to click the random ones at the bottom
) but, I’ve got a comment on the helmet thing. Back story on the mare has to come first, so the helmet thing will make sense 
I’ve been riding since I was eight, I’m seventeen now, with high hopes of riding in college and becoming a horse trainer. The very first horse I ever leased and showed was an absolute doll, Solo, a bay quarter horse mare by Boston Mac. She had this glitch, where she just would not, for the life of her, back out of the trailer. She absolutely had to go in first and be allowed to turn herself around and walk out of the trailer. This was apparently a problem for her owners as the decided she WOULD back out. How did the “teach” her? The beat her, in the face, until she backed out. Result? VERY head shy little mare. Later on, she was sold to a VET (note the emphasis on VET!!!) who I ended up leasing her from. I won on the mare, cause we got along very well. Little miss VET couldn’t win. She got mad and decided to break the lease early, I was eight years old, this was my first horse, and take the horse from me. I was absolutely devastated and didn’t see that mare I loved so dearly for eight years. By now I’m sixteen, have two of my own horses but still can’t get my mind of my dear Solo. One day I got a call from my old riding instructor saying that she’s found Solo and I need to come see her as soon as I possibly can. I fly out to her place, thrilled to have found my dear mare. The VET (!!!) has starved her and dumped her at a rescue. Though she could barely walk, Solo made her way, carefully, to greet me because she remembered me! That was when I truly realized that a horse remembers those who treat them well.
Okay, helmet story! (Sorry this is so long..)
The vet that starved Solo, had a little girl. (Six I think) and she was a snot. terrible little brat. They decided they were going to use Solo, instead of the steadfast, cute little appaloosa pony, for costume leadline. They throw the long, swoopy tresses on Solo, and a pretty show halter (with the lead chain under her chin). Throw the kid up on Solo and off they go, no helmet. Solo sees the scary things following her and stops to look. Anger problems, scary, plumber husband snatches the chain under (already headshy) Solo’s chin and she freaks out. She starts turning circles, trying to get away from the chain, still repeatedly being snatched and the now screaming brat on her back. Long story short, brat falls off, almost under Solo’s feet but is ultimately okay. Had Solo not paid attention to where the little brat had fallen, little brat would have had a nice little hoofie print square on the forehead. After anger management plumber husband comes out with scared Solo and crying brat, he proceeds to snatch Solo’s face quite a bit more and blame the whole scenario on my dad who “spooked Solo with a chair he was assembling”. Can I call BS?? Solo calmed down after I had a nice calming chat with her and a few good pats. Kindness goes a long way with horses, and helmets are essential in every situation.
Again, sorry for the length, I tend to rant when it comes to my Solo.