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[RC] kids riding - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Carol Mittie fisnw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Well, I have to come out of my lurker status on this one. As the mother of three kids who have all done endurance I think I have a right to put my 2 cents here. I agree with all the posters who say no age limit. Kids are very different but the most important part of the equation is the horse. A junior is ready to ride when they have a horse that is at the right spot in its life: young enough to still have some miles in them, old enough to be utterly reliable in any circumstance. How many of us have a horse that is just right when the kid is ready? You throw an age limit into the mix and getting a match will be impossible! My oldest kid did her first ride when she was 14. (she had taken lessons for 5 years, been in Pony Club and all that) She went to school on the next monday and told her friends that she rode 60 miles and they all went "so what". She never rode again. My middle kid started on a training ride when she was 6. 15 miles of pure hell for me, but a great experience for her. When she was 8 and my horse was at the right spot for her, she started riding 50's with her dad. She has never looked back and has been #1 PNER Junior for the last 2 years. At 13, she is a great kid, responsibe horse person, and a very confident human being. I truly believe that one of the main reasons she is how she is, is that she competes against adults. When she does something well (like completing a 100 miler) her sense of accomplishment is not patronized by the "making all the kids feel good" attitude that is so prevalent in most kid competitions. Just look at a 4-H show it see what I mean. The kids get awards all out of proportion to the work they put in. It is not a good thing. Morgan will work her guts out all year for a t-shirt, (in an adult size) she will never wear. It is internal motivation vs external reward. My youngest child is 8 , and she has already put 2 seasons on a horse. Not a lot of miles, not a lot of rides and she would rather play in camp with a friend. But the few rides she does do makes her feel like a part of the family and man, does she like getting that t-shirt or bucket. She knows she earned it! If we had to wait for her to reach someone elses abitrairy age, this child would be like our first child where friends opinions would be more important to her than her own successes. OK that is my 2 cents, Carol Mittie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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