7 minute read
Riding Jane Paterson
A guide to having a pony
HOWmany of us have heard our children’s pleas: “If I can have a pony I promise I’ll be really good, I’ll do all my With JANE PATERSON homework on time, keep my room tidy, and not answer back EVER.” Which apart from driving us mad, does prove that they actually do listen occasionally … so what happens next? Well, for fortunate children who are brought up in riding families, maybe live on farms or have smallholdings, riding and owning ponies is almost a rite of passage.
It’s something almost everyone does, but for families who have a different lifestyle it is a bit more tricky. It’s certainly an advantage if one parent at least has some knowledge, if only to realise the implications and sense of commitment needed before launching in seriously.
Like everything these days, it’s far more difficult for children and young people to get out and enjoy themselves, take risks, push themselves, compete, and make life full of fun. Apart from the expense, there are regulations, permits, licences and all sorts of bureaucratic hoops to jump through before so many activities can take place.
Aeons ago who had ever heard of risk assessment or horse passports? And certainly the feared words Health and Safety were not banded around like they are today. It was accepted that of course people had to be sensible, careful, and respectful around horses, machinery, and all that goes with it, but there were and always will be accidents in sport just as there are accidents in life itself.
Bluebell
Maybe it has been the increase in litigation, with the need to apportion blame for accidents, which has made people far more reluctant to dive in. One of the reasons why many riding schools have closed has been that all the rules and regulations have prevented them from operating anymore.
SOME of the Mendip Farmers Pony Club members took part in a Tetrathlon in July, hosted by the Beaufort branch. There were mixed fortunes for some, minidisasters for others, but huge success for Isabella Penfold, aged ten, who won her class and was awarded a special prize for Best Ride.
In a mixed team, she also achieved a
Izzy Parsons
team First, so special congratulations to Izzy and her pony Eclipse who have been working together for a couple of years now and have gone from strength to strength.
Charlotte Smith, aged 11, also had amazing results at West Wilts One Day Event, coming first in her class, qualifying for the Championships on her own Pebbles. They stormed round the cross country in an exciting ride. Not so long ago Charlotte would probably not have had the courage to go out and do it, but determination and hard work have paid off and rewarded Charlotte with this great achievement.
The summer holidays are here and Pony Club Camps will be taking place shortly. This is a chance for the children and ponies to combine work with confidence building, learn to blend together in teams, and generally improve their skills. The Mounted Games Competitions will be held towards the end of the month too, so everyone will be busy and kept out of trouble…or will they?
We shall see! Happy holidays everybody and good luck and thanks to all the Instructors and organisers, not to mention the mums and dads who make it all possible.
Charlotte Smith
The paperwork has hit them like a deluge and there are not enough hours in the day for all that, let alone anywhere to put the computers. Gone are the days when children could spend all day at the riding school helping out, mucking out and having a wonderful time just being involved and getting dirty in return for an amazing ride through the woods or even a lesson or two, because some councils have deemed that there is a danger of children being exploited if they are allowed to enjoy themselves in this way.
Seriously? But, you don’t have to leap out and buy a pony straight off. Loaning or sharing are ways forward which can be economical options. Good ponies get passed round, because when they are outgrown by one, two or three children in a family, no-one can bear to part with them, but the last thing ponies need is to become field ornaments with no work.
For a first pony, the saying goes that the child’s and pony’s ages combined should be at least 21 until, the child is about 17. As well as that, if you can get one with three legs and half dead (I speak metaphorically of course!) then you are in with a chance.
Children then are able to mess about with their long suffering mount, crawl around the legs, slide off the back of their tail down the rump and so on, generally getting to know how to groom, fuss, and love the pony to their heart’s content. It’s all part of it. We have loaned many ponies over the years before taking the plunge and investing in the purchase of one, or more, it’s surprising how collectable they become.
Sometimes the owners prefer to keep them where they are and you take the child to them, or if you can rent some land together with anything which could be turned into a stable, you can offer your loan pony a home.
If you are offered land, there are various things to be aware of such as the possible presence of poisonous plants and you need good fencing, fresh water supply and no barbed wire etc. lying around, or other dangers lurking. You can look at the adverts on Pony Club and other websites, but word of mouth is the best option and someone will always know of a decent pony that might be becoming available soon.
Something will turn up if you are patient. Some of the loan ponies we have had… Millie putting up with a bath in the garden and Bluebell, an absolute star who is still going strong at well over 20, with yet another family Rummy, who put up with aliens sharing the ride.
An unlikely dressage pair
A HORSERIDER from Divoky Riding School near Shepton Mallet has completed his first dressage competition – aged in his 70s.
Phil Miller and Nobby – described as a “chunky eight-year-old cob with feet like dinner plates” – clearly make a good team. They came third in their section of the British Dressage Elementary test and are now setting their sights on the Preliminaries. Phil said: “I began riding in my early 40’s. I was taking my daughter – then nine –to lessons and got bored watching so I learned to ride myself and I’ve ridden ever since. It was the best ‘stress-buster’ I ever found.
“Most of the time I just hacked out with friends from a yard in Surrey where I used to live. Having ridden the yard’s horses for some years, I acquired a rescued ex-racehorse who was to become my friend and companion for 12 years. Sadly, he couldn’t manage dressage as he had an injury to his fetlock from racing, but we had many happy hours hacking out or participating in the occasional charity ride or gymkhana.”
Phil moved to Somerset and found Divoky on the internet. He added: “I decided it was time to improve my riding. Nobby was my chosen companion. It wasn’t easy at first, my riding position was, to say the least, not up to scratch and Nobby is not tolerant with people who don’t, in his opinion, ride properly. I’m sure my teachers, Pat and Holly may have thought me mad when I suggested we might learn dressage together, but we’ve stuck at it and we’re making good progress.”
An award-winning riding school in the heart of Mendip
Summer Holiday Courses
H Half days and full days | 7 days a week all summer H 10am-12.30pm & 1-3.30pm H All ages from 5-16yrs | All abilities H Half day £45 | full day £90 H Booking essential Summer for the Mini’s
H Half hour lead rein lessons for under-5s at 4pm most weekdays H Children must be able to be fitted with a safety helmet to ride H Booking essential Call or email us for more details
