Re: NOT FLUFF/mileage

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

>> 
>> To me, taking a 5 year old on a 100 mile ride could constitute child
>> abuse!  How many 5 year olds can concentrate on anything more than
>> 20 minutes at a time, and how many take naps?  Also, to expect a
>> child that young to have any concept of how dangerous a horse can be
>> is absurd.

In the Southeast, we made a rule that Jrs have to be 8 years old to
compete.  We did this partly on the advice of an orthopedic surgeon who
said that the young bones could be stressed by extreme conditions like
this.  I wasn't so sure about it until I heard someone talking about one
of these 5 yr old wonders.  Seems as a teen she has the knees of an old
woman.  Goodness knows we get those soon enough.

Angie (bad cartilege on the left, torn ACL on the right)

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