Welcome

Welcome to So Your Child Wants a Horse! This blog will serve all "horse parents," that is parents of children who are interested in horses. Whether the horse world is still a daydream for your child or he or she already owns a horse, this blog will serve as a resource for your quandries large and small.

I'm Horsey Mommy and I've been horse crazy since birth. I remember riding my mom's horse when I was so little that she and her best friend had to walk alongside of me each holding onto one of my legs to keep me from falling off. That was long before I even turned five and had my first riding lesson.

As I began to learn about horses and soak in equine knowledge, my well-versed mother continued to "walk beside me" so to speak always able to help with years of experience in the saddle, riding and owning her own horses. Making friends at my weekly riding lessons and attending our first shows, I noticed many (most) of the other parents weren't nearly as skilled around horses as my mother was. Few had ridden, let alone cared for or owned a horse. The majority jumped in as best they could for their children's sake.

I remember feeling sorry for those kids. How frustrating, I thought, to have a mom who was too scared to come with you in the field to catch your horse, who had no idea how to help you groom, tack up or "give you a leg" (help you get on). How peevish those thoughts seem to me now! A new mother myself, I have an entirely different perspective. I should have been feeling sorry for the parents. How terrifying must it be to walk into a field of 20 horses not knowing what they might do at any minute or what you should do (let alone how to protect your child) if they...fill-in-the-blank. How hard would be to have to tell your child you had no idea which brush it was that she shouldn't use on the horse's legs or that the bridle looked right to you, having no idea whether any of it's been done correctly.

"Born in the saddle" is just an expression. No one is born with horse knowledge. What I have has been gained over more than 20 years of interaction with horses and more than 30 years of being a part of the horse world. I've taken riding lessons, showed horses, owned them and provided riding instruction for children and adults. I know full well, it's not just the kids who need to learn if they're ever to fully join the world of horses. You (their parents) will have to know it all too, especially if you're ever planning buy them a horse of their own (something you should NOT do until your child has had years (yes, that was plural) YEARS of riding lessons.

Want to know more? Tune in for my next post, part one of the article that started it all.

Happy Trails!