Re: Juniors

[Merryben <Merryben@aol.com>]

People used to ask me how I made all of my juniors behave.  I took as many as
six for the whole weekend with no parents.  I always told them, easy they
are'nt mine and I don't have to bring them again.  Also, if they were bad
enough, I could call their parents and say come get your kid.  They would
sooner die that not be able to endurance ride again.  Not being their mommy is
the best behavior control for any
kid.  However, at Stephanie's first 50, she was 9 and rode my old Appy gelding
on the Ft. Churchill ride, we had ridden along with a mom and her kid who
complained the whole first ten miles or so.  She ordered her mom around,
yelled at her and was totally awful.  I would have taken her back and made her
stay in the camper.  However, while Steph and I were waiting for Heather to
come in on the 100 miler, this kid comes along with her mother to vet in post
ride.  She is still yammering and being rude and disrespectful.  I couldn't
help it.  I looked at her and said "Are you still complaining?  If you were my
kid you would be in the camper where you belong untill you learn some
manners."   This is sure not the right thing to do, but I saw her mother smile
for the first time and the kid looked really shocked.