Re: bring the kids!

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-10-26 13:36:35 EST, flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu writes:

<< Supervised children or children participating with a sponsor - ABSOLUTELY
 welcome.  Children who are unsupervised are a whole 'nuther story. >>

I have to second this one.  We have been blessed with the best and the worst
in our area.  We have WONDERFUL junior riders, and also many wonderful riding
parents with kids too small to ride who bring babysitters along.  The original
poster of the question about kids indicated that a babysitter was to be part
of the entourage--RIGHT ON!  The bottom line is that this IS a family sport,
kids are more than welcome, but kids AND riders can get seriously injured if
there is no supervision.  I was not at all put off by the lady who came to LWT
without a babysitter, as she had made arrangements and got stood up.  (Did not
put in my narrative that another mother of a three-year-old who was also from
her area was expecting the same no-show woman to watch the three-year-old, and
he spent the day having adventures with one of our shuttle drivers who was a
daddy and a new grandpa.)  HOWEVER--have seen a few parents really abuse other
crew people by repeatedly coming to rides with small children expecting to
pawn them off on whatever ground personnel they can find once they get there.
This REALLY gets to be a drag, and we all learn to duck when we see their
trailers coming in.  (Hasn't happened here for a few years, thank goodness!)
On the good side--have seen MANY conscientious parents over the years who
bring babysitters, or where one parent foregoes riding while the child is an
infant.  It isn't always Mom that foregoes riding, either--I can still
remember Terry Westlake driving like mad to the vet checks with one of the
various babies, and Darla riding like mad to the vet checks so that she could
get there before her breasts got too full or the baby got too hungry, and
breast-feeding at the checks while Terry crewed and presented her horse.  (How
else to you think she and Muffy set all those course records??  <vbg>  Always
wondered if the milk was homogenized...)  Our ride camps would be a lot less
fun without the kids, though--so as long as they are supervised, bring them
on, babysitter and all!

Heidi