Article Part 5: Have They Earned It?

You’ll know your child deserves a horse and that (if your financial and overall life situation allow) it’s time to buy when your child has proven their commitment to riding and their genuine love of horses. You’ll know they’re ready…

• when they want to spend more and more time at the stable
• when they’re willing to do barn work like mucking out stalls in exchange for more riding time.
• when they start to pass their knowledge to less experienced riders and you can see the excitement in their face while they’re doing it
• when they don’t look to others to tack or un-tack their horse, pick its feet or muck its stall
• when they go to the stable on an off day just to give their favorite horse a bath or a special treat
• when they’ve asked their instructor without outside encouragement if there’s more they can do to help around the barn

These aren’t all the signs and you may not see every one of these specifically, but you know your child better than anyone else and you’ll know when they’ve truly earned it, when you can tell that they’re not going to balk at the idea of getting up before school to go feed their horse in the morning if necessary, when they’ll turn down a birthday party or a movie with friends without a second thought in order to be with their horse themselves during its vet visit instead of letting someone else handle it. You’ll know without doubt that they’ve earned it, in essence, when they think of their horse much the same way that you think of them, wanting the best, wanting to be there and truly enjoying the ride.


So these last five posts are (in a nutshell) what this blog will be all about. Got specific questions? Send them my way. Got comments? Bring them on. I am here for you, for your children and for all the horses who come into your care. Happy Trails!