Re: RideCamp: Kids around horses

[Nancy DuPont <htrails@earthlink.net>]

The only thing I can think of that is more irresponsible than letting a
child of one year old run in and around horses legs, is to allow it to run
between cars on a freeway.  A horse is a beast of fear and flight.  I don't
know why I am even responding to this, it is so far fetched!

At 09:55 AM 2/26/99 -0600, you wrote:
>Ok, I am a parent and I would never let my children at one year of age
>run around my horses feet and under them. Not only are they in danger if
>they spook, but also what if they are kicking at flies and the child's
>head got in the way. I don't know how good of friends that you are with
>this lady, but I think someone ought to sit her down and have a good
>talk with her. I know I would. 
>
>Lynette
>
>April Lee wrote:
>> 
>> At 10:48 PM 2/25/99, Sylvia wrote:
>> >is.  When I was 17 I saw a 2 year old child kicked in the head by a
yearling
>> >colt.  The child died and the colt was shot by an irate father.  I will
never
>> >forget the experience.  Keep your kids AND DOGS under control.
>> 
>> That brings to mind a friend of mine.  She has a 1 year old that she takes
>> riding with her (short rides, walking only, kid wearing helmet).  She also
>> brings him out to the pasture with her everyday to feed her 10 year old
>> Arabian gelding.  She raised the gelding from a yearling, so she knows him
>> very well and loves him almost as much as she loves the kid.  I say almost
>> because if the Arab ever hurt the child, she'd probably shoot the horse.
>> 
>> However, she does seem a bit reckless...letting the kid run under the horse
>> and all around his back legs while the horse is trying to eat.  She's
>> usually pretty good about keeping the kid away from my horse (she hates my
>> horse...source of problem between friends...different story), but she's not
>> so good about the other horses (owned by people other than myself and her).
>>  She lets her son walk right up to them and pet them...which is fine, but
>> she often says that if any of them hurt him, she'd shoot them.  Most of
>> these horses are not violent and would not hurt a kid on purpose.  I see
>> the most danger in allowing the kid to not respect the horses.  It might be
>> hard to teach a 1 year old respect for horses, but if you can't, I say keep
>> the kids under the closest supervision around the horses.  And, for pete's
>> sake, keep them out from under the horses' feet.  A horse has big feet and
>> can easily knock over a child on accident.  And if you startle pretty much
>> any horse (never mind the "spooky" Arabians--not all are spooky, just a
>> large number that I have been around...there, did I cover myself?  :) ),
>> they will generally act unexpectedly.  I can think of no more spooky thing
>> than realizing all the sudden that something is moving underneath you when
>> you thought the child was somewhere else.
>> 
>> No, I'm not a parent.  I am very fond of this one year old we are talking
>> about and I have a lot of experience with other children.  Just because I'm
>> not a parent, doesn't mean I can't see dangers associated with not
>> respecting the nature of a horse.  I believe that there are some horses
>> that are VERY GOOD with children, including letting them run underneath
>> them... All I'm saying is that horses are not all like that and kids should
>> be taught that or kept away from the horses that aren't so good with
>> keeping up with where the children are.
>> 
>> Ok, I'm done...
>> :)  April
>>    Chattanooga, TN
>> 
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>> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
>> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp
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>
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
>Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
>
>


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=