Ridecamp: [RC] [Guest] young riders

Carol Wadey gcwadey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Although I realize this particular thread is pretty much gone, I still felt 
I must express my feelings about this subject.  Having returned to Alberta, 
Canada very early Tuesday morning from the Owyhee Canyonlands 5-day ride 
(WOW - what a wonderful event!!) with my just-turned-8 and 11-year-old 
daughters, I only found out about the heated debate Tuesday night and it 
has taken me hours and hours to wade through all the e-mails, which I 
wanted to do before responding.

Both of our daughters have participted in endurance events since they were 
3 years old, being ponied or riding with me in our "tots-in-tandam saddle" 
in one or two 10-12 mile "fun rides" at ages 3 and 4, and moving into LD at 
5 years old.  The oldest daughter, Rae-Anne, started doing 50's at age 7 
and rode her first 100 at age 10.  She now has 2,970 miles (not all 
AERC).  The younger daughter, Robyn, had moved into 50's at age 5 by the 
end of the season and completed her first 100 this summer at 7 years of 
age.  She has completed 1,385 miles.

Am I proud of their accomplishments?  You bet!! Did they start this young 
and ride so many miles to satisfy my ego?  Hardly!!  These girls LOVE 
endurance.  Rae-Anne made her feelings quite clar at the age of 2 years and 
9 months as I was driving her to her grandparents' house to stay for the 
weekend while I went to an endurance ride.  Not her usual chatty self on 
the trip, she finally turned to me and started her little saying that she 
had come up with earlier that summer, "I'm going to have a pony.  And I'm 
going to put a bridle on my pony, and I'm going to put a halter on my pony, 
and I'm going to put a saddle on my pony, and I'm going to an endurance 
ride", only this time finishing with, "and YOU'RE going to Grandma and 
Grandpa's!!"  Reading about Ceci Butler's accomplishments in Endurance News 
showed me that young children really could participate in this 
sport.  Thankyou Darolyn for your thoughts on the subject.

Allowing my children to participate in this sport at so young an age 
because they wanted to does NOT equate with letting them drive on the 
freeway when the're 12 or any other ridiculous comparison.  Of course there 
is an element of risk, as with just about anything we do in life, as so 
many others have pointed out.  Frankly, I consider the travel to and from a 
ride to be far more risky than the ride itself.  The risk is reduced by 
suitably-sized saddles, covered stirrups, helmets, comfortable shoes and 
clothes,  a steady horse, and plain common sense.  The girls have learned 
that "To Finish is to Win".  They ride within their and their horses' 
capablities.  If other children, like CeCi, are capable of riding to win - 
that's great!  As for the idea that children should be able to care for 
themselves and their horse before being alowed to ride, that's like making 
your children mow the lawn and care for the yard before they're allowed to 
play in it.  My daughters have taken on responsibility as they are 
ready.  Yes, it makes for a huge amount of work for me that I gladly bear, 
although the load is finally starting to lessen each year.  If I sponsor 
other kids I do expect them or their parents to look after them.

Have people heard my kids complaining during a ride?  Yes, and it's usually 
at the vet checks where the most people can hear them. I think Robyn cried 
at least once every day during the Owyhee Canyonlands ride:  when her reins 
fell in the water tank and got wet (then when they fell into the dirt after 
she cried even harder!), when her horse kept trying to drag her to some 
other horse's "better" food, and when her horse was pulled on Day 3 (I felt 
like crying too because of how sad she was).  People like to equate crying 
with not having a good time, but generally it just indicates moments of 
frustration.

Is there a risk to their bones and joints?  I do not deny that such a 
possibility might exist on an individual basis.  But there are so many 
known positive physical results also:  improved balance and co-ordination, 
and what is termed "core strength".  My oldest daughter is on the junior 
swim team.  When the coach found out about her "other" activity he 
commented that that was probably the reason she had such strong abdominal 
and lower back muscles and good posture - unusual for a girl her 
age.  Perhaps if I had had the opportunity to endurance ride as a kid I 
wouldn't have had such poor posture and resulting lifelong back 
problems.  It seems to me that there are so many positive results of 
endurance riding:  wonderful adventures and memories, active lifestyle, 
accomplishment, self-confidence - things that benefit young children as 
much as any other age group.  Considering that there hasn't been a problem 
with young children in my neck of the woods or anywhere else that I've 
heard about, why not just let those of all ages who enjoy this wonderful 
sport continue to do so.


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