04/10/2025
THIS! 👏🏼 Not just for our kids, but for every rider. Learning to ride all types of horses/ponies is where the learning really cements the rider.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122102766950829447&id=61574883420537&mibextid=wwXIfr
Can we please normalise kids riding “average” horses?
Contrary to what the current state of the equestrian world would have you believe, can we just hold up for a second and reintroduce the idea of our kids riding, competing and learning on completely normal, inexpensive and unexciting horses?
The money that has taken over the equestrian industry, is mind boggling, but the expectations of “what” our kids should be sitting on is out of this world 🌎
I’ve grown up with some of the best riders in this country, and watched plenty more on their journey to the top, middle and bottom 🤣 and i can truthfully attest to the fact that never has there been so much pressure to provide the “perfect” horse for our kids.
Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on horses, trucks and gear in the bid to “make a rider” of them, is not only a poor financial investment but in 9 out of 10 cases, completely detrimental to what kids actually need in order to become a riders, rider.
They need average horses, careless horses, uneducated horses, horses that are a bit tricky, hot horses, cold horses, good horses and bad as well as ones that are just plain uncompetitive.
Why?
Because in order to make a rider, we first need to make a problem solver.
And how are you going to make a resilient, problem solver out of your little rider if you continue to buy their way out of doing the hard yards.
It don’t work and there is absolutely no short cuts in this game.
As long as a horse is safe, I don’t see issue with kids doing their time, on the plain Jane’s of the horse world.
As long your kids got a helmet and a pair of boots, and a bit of gear, it doesn’t matter what brand they are, or how much they cost.
These things are irrelevant.
Teach your kids to figure things out, teach them to appreciate the small wins, and if you really want to teach them to be a winner, then first teach them to be a loser; because hunger and being hungry for success will make more of them in riding and in life than your wallet ever will.
Throwback to one of the best horses I’ve ever had, Nutmeg, my pony x trotter x thoroughbred who was the love of my life.
