It is sad how much some kids are pushed to show..

[BuckSkinBabe]

At work the other day I had a woman come in with her little boy and she spent $500 on him (yes 500 bucks! and this was after a 20% discount) on show stuff for him. Apparently he was only 6 and this was going to be his first year showing and he was going to be showing both Western and English discipilines. I kind of felt sorry for the kid because I could tell that his mother was just trying to relive her childhood though her son and that he was less than enthused. I could tell he wanted nothing more than to get the heck out of there and his mother seemed more excited about that whole thing that he did. She already had a whole show scheduel in her mind about where they were going to show and what he was going to do. I mean showing is a lot of work and it shouldn't be pushed. I very much doubt that kid will ever enjoy it and will probably end up giving up on horses all together, because he has been pushed to hard into it. Poor kid.

[specialsparkle3]

That happens all the time at top level here BSB Last year at Royal windsor a child in one of the ShowPony classes was sent into the ring on a pony she was clearly frighened of. After a couple of circuits at trot the child was crying and begging her mother to take her out! Her Mother was next to us and all she said was " shut up and get on with it" OH and I were disgusted, and said loudly, we thought showing was supposed to be fun!. In the end her producer brought her out when they had lined up, and the Mother went balistic-------I found it very sad

[Alrac]

I know someone who is 27 and has moved out and is still pressured by her mother into it ?!?! Her mother has even said what kind of bloke she should marry to produce good sized children for lead rein classes ?!?!?!?! (luckily I think she will be ignoring that little bit of advice). It's scary how obsessed these parents get !! I hate it too when you see kids crying and being forced to compete, how sad.

[jennyb]

It happens in riding schools and pony club too. Not often, but I have had children in lessons who are clearly petrified and do NOT want to be on a pony - very sad. I always just let them walk around in the middle and give them simple things to do like steering and stopping, but unfortunately sometimes the parents have other ideas....

[daisydaisy]

I couldn't agree more - I did a "teach in" quite recently where a little girl of 7 came on the most gorgeous WHP which had been placed at RIHS last year. She had, apparently, asked her aunt (no offence Kelly) for a pink pony and this is what the aunt had come up with! It was strawberry roan to be fair. Everytime I asked her if she would like to trot, she wimpered and started to cry - it was awful.
I am so grateful that my mother (who is very keen believe me) didn't start me riding until I was 12 - I will be 21 soon and am as still wanting to compete - some of these poor kids only get a choice at 16 and then stop point blank.
My mother calls the Cradle and Nursery Stakes classes at the BSPS - Legalised Child Abuse.
There will always be the plucky child that can cope but there are a hell of a lot who are just frightened to death.

[amelia]

I've seen it in showjumping as well. There was a family at the competition yard i used to keep sunny at who did BSJA at high level. There were two kids one of whom was a girl about 10 yrs old. She was a brilliant little rider but her parents went out and bought a fairly young and very strong pony for about £20k without her even trying it first, she'd gone from a 22 yr old schoolmaster. She was so pressurised into jumping huge courses on a pony that she was scared of that she'd end up in tears all the time. She desperately wanted to do pony club etc but her dad wouldn't allow it as it was apparently a waste of time Her older brother was extremely enthusiastic so unfortunately the little girl was overshadowed. That was many years ago and funnily enough I no longer see her name in the horse and hound results section

[Native Ponies]

It is very sad, kids should be enjoying their ponies at that age and not subjected to the pressures of showing, if they do do showing it should be fun!

He should be out doing the gymkhana and pony club!

[BeTheBest]

YEp its crazy it happens all the time, shows and SJ are full of poor kids who just dont want to be there cos there terrifed and other spoilt brats who dotn want to be there because there not going to win. and they only have two ponies whereas little billy has 4. grr its blinkin madness. The parents of these childre arent doing them any favours at all and most will lose interest altogether by the time they hit their teens.

[jor]

People used to think my poor mum pressured me into riding/jumping/showing. In truth it was completely the other way round, from being tiny I was obsessed by horses, I was the one who pressured my mum into letting me do l/r classes with a lovely lady with her fantastic ponies. I was the one who bought myself a pony and decided to go off doing BSJA with my poor mum driving the lorry and hiding everytime I headed towards a fence lol. I also feel sorry for the pressurised mums as well as the pushed kids!

I have seen some awful things, in a l/r class when I was little I remember a girl who would have been a year or two older than me crying her eyes out on a pony stood next to me in the line up and her leader telling her to shut up or she wouldnt win a rosette and would have to go straight to bed, I remember it clearly though I must have been about 5!
When I was teaching at a riding school there was one little girl of about 6/7 who was brought every week by her two parents, she was terrified from the moment she set foot on the yard and when taken near a pony started to cry in absolute terror. Her parents used to force her to sit on the pony every week despite the instructors fromt he yard trying to tell them otherwise. In the end they left, probably took thier child elsewhere to torture because people questioned thier motives every week they came.
Another one Ive seen and been appaulled by was last year at a small show, a woman had a nice looking l/r pony out with a small jockey of four. The child looked tense but I assumed it was his first ever show, however during his second show the pony but in an almightly buck and sent the kid sailing over the ponys head. The leader pretty much caught the lad and just plonked him back on again and continued, poor lad was crying his eyes out and was obviously terrified. The pony did this in another class too, same thing happened yet the pony still went on to get reserve champion, the leader looked completely nonplused by the poor lads crying and his pleading to get off, it was like torture that poor kid. I did learn when I came out of the ring that the pony is known for bucking like that, he has done it for years which is why he isnt on the main circuit but doing locals...what kind of person firstly buys a pony like that for thier child and secondly doesnt think its odd that such a lovely pony puts in the most almighty buck 'every now and then'
Honestly...

[KoLaTo]

I'm at the opposite end of the scale, my daughter (8) is desperate to get out and do pony club and some local shows/gymkhanas but i have no transport. It was awful the other night she asked me when i went to my first show and i had to admit that, other than shows at the riding school, it was not until i had bought my own trailer at the age of 19, her face dropped to the ground when she then asked if she had to wait until she could afford to buy her own box to go to shows.................

[amelia]

oh bless her PP, isn't there anyone nearby who could take her to shows??

[jennyb]

JoR, that's awful, poor kid. It really is tantamount to abuse, and how can the judge place them so highly with the kid crying and begging to get off? It's only encouraging the parents!

We never thought your Mum pressured you into SJ btw, it was obvious you and Swift were enjoying yourselves immensely!

[jogypsy]

Ponypit - I have the same problem! Competitive daughter desperate to get out and do everything - but wrong pony for the job and alas no transport as we had our uninsured (doh!) trailer pinched and cannot afford to replace it. Her friends have all moved up into horses and she's still poddling round on a 14hh po Bless.

[daisydaisy]

Just thought of another case which was funny in a terribly sick sort of way! We were at Henley show a few years ago - the rules are at BSPS shows that if you fall off you have to leave the ring which seems a sensible precaution. This poor boys was thrown into the air over a fence and as he hit the floor with a thud, his mother shouted:- "You can get back on, it's unaffiliated".
Don't see him about much now when I come to think about it!!

[rosiesmumof4]

It's not just horse though, some prople are so competitive for their children. always pushing them to do really well, allowing them no time to be children, chill out and have fun. I picked my DS3 up from his friend's - his sister shows to a high level. she didn't even know the anmes of her ponies!, they're not at home and she only meets up with them at shows ( I hasten to add they have loads of space at home for them) seems so sad missing all that pony fun and bonding.