# Do others feel the same or is it just me?



## Overread (Mar 7, 2015)

"First ride" might be a debatable point. They might mean first ride ever; or it could mean first proper ride that isn't by the person breaking the horse in to be ridden; first casual ride; first student ride etc.... 
Without more context on the background of the horse and its training its impossible to say how green the horse is.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

LOL, I don't actually have a major issue with this, IF the prep work has been done, it was usual to throw a competent kid up on a smaller pony/horse for the first few rides when I was growing up, all you had to do was get up there and sit quiet, if all the ground work and prep has been done it does not turn into a rodeo. It is up to the people involved to know the mind of the horse and the ability of the kid, and if it is a match, then no worries! 

Besides 11 year olds bounce better than adults :wink:


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

I started helping with the "breakers" at 12 and 13 years old, so this isn't too inconceivable for me if the ground work is laid well and the horse isn't of a rank temperament. Not every youth should do it and a good trainer should be able to determine skill (or lack thereof).


ETA:
Just noticed this is your first post! Welcome!inkunicorn:


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

My 11/12 year old has ridden extremely green horses, someone else might have been the first one on, but she was the rider on 2nd and 3rd or subsequent “Rides”.

It wasn’t like she was just slapped up there and left to her own devices, it was supervised and she was very well versed on if “X” happens do this, if “Y” happens do that and the invitation was not thrown out willy-nilly. The owners had seen her ride and extended the invitation because they believed she could get the job done. 

Yes, as a mom it makes you a little bit nervous, but so does first time you watch your kid get on their bike and ride out of sight to a friend’s house too……

I agree that as long as the proper foundation of groundwork has been laid and the horse is of the proper mindset, then I don’t see a problem with it.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Honestly it doesn't look bad to me. She's supervised, wearing a helmet, and her parents are OK with it. If the groundwork has been done and the horse is quiet-minded and willing, introducing the horse to the type of rider they're most likely going to carry for the majority of their working life isn't such a big deal in my mind.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

Reiningcatsanddogs said:


> I agree that as long as the proper foundation of groundwork has been laid and the horse is of the proper mindset, then I don’t see a problem with it.


I agree. I haven't ever started a horse, but I'm guessing a trainer has a pretty good idea of how the horse may react to being ridden after doing all of the groundwork. If our trainer asked if my son (age 12) could hop on a pony that she was training, I would 100% trust her judgment.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I was being stuck on ponies that were just broke when I was that age and younger - as long as the trainer is in control and the pony isn't showing any signs of being a nutcase it really isn't such a big deal. 
I've seen plenty of 11 year olds ride much better than the average adult and they bounce better.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Looks like the trainer was right there the whole time and they were working off a lead.

I remember how jealous I was when my sister (uhhh 8 maybe?) was allowed to be the first one on the just turned 2 year old. The owner/trainer held him and my mom stood next to her and they walked a few steps. Why her? She was smaller and he has literally never had anything on his back. It does depend on the circumstances, and while there are ways it can go horribly wrong, there are always ways I wouldn't be overly concerned.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Kids are coddled so much nowadays. When I was younger than that, me & my friends used to climb a tree in a field full of wild ponies and jump down on their backs and see long we could ride them. That's how you learn to stay on.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

waresbear said:


> Kids are coddled so much nowadays. When I was younger than that, me & my friends used to climb a tree in a field full of wild ponies and jump down on their backs and see long we could ride them. That's how you learn to stay on.


That sounds like so much fun! My friend & I didn't have wild ponies, but we'd do something very similar to her dad's sows. Those things were about as big as a pony anyhow. And if you can stay on the curved back of a pig, you can stay on anything. :lol: 

And I agree about the coddling!


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

I was riding greenies at younger than 11


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## KLJcowgirl (Oct 13, 2015)

I think it's fine, but I understand where you're coming from. If this girl has only been riding for a couple months, then yeah I would take issue with that. But even then, if the trainer felt that she had the ability to handle this particular greenie then I'll keep my comments to myself. 

Our 4-H has a "2 Hand" horse program (For horses 5 and under), and kids as young as 8 are showing their green horses, and I swear some of those horses are WAY better broke after a few days than 1/3 of the horses I see at the normal 4-H shows! I think as long as the riding skill is there and they know how to handle emergencies they are fine. 

I started breaking the QH I own now when I was 12, with Grandpa supervision and coaching of course. We did a TON of ground work and started very slowly in the round pen when I finally did get on. I was the only one to ride him for his first 5 years. BUT I have also been riding pretty much since I left the womb haha. 

I'm willing to bet money that this trainer knew what they were doing. They knew the girl and the horse well enough to make their decision.

I do totally agree with Ware, kids are quite coddled now... 

Anyways, there's my input. Welcome to the forum!


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I guess I'll join the chorus. An experienced kid and a well brought along colt shouldn't be a problem. Of the horses I've started, beginning as a young teen, the only one that has ever bucked on the first ride was a feral pony. My brothers and I "tag teamed" that one. We took turns riding, one after the other, until the pony stopped bucking. She never bucked again after that.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I don't know the horse or the kid, but in theory I don't have a problem with it. 

I put my 9-year-old on my 2-year-old last fall. I had already been riding him though and knew they would be fine with me right there.

She is more horse minded than her older sister and is dreaming of starting a selling ponies, which I am debating allowing. I also am allowing her to ride a broke outside pony that has bucked his little rider off a couple times here in a bit.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

+I see no problem at all. It is a pony, she has a helmet on, the ride is supervised
Sometimes, there just are no midgets around to put on ponies, and kids fill that void just fine!
When my oldest son turned 13, he not only rode the green horses I had started,as when he was younger, but then began to start horses on his own, and I would always give him a foal for his work in helping me train horses


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

I wouldn't hesitate at all providing that I had the parent's consent as long as I had a good idea of what to expect from both the horse and rider.


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