Growing Young Horse Lovers

Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803 - 1882)

Some children are born horse lovers. Parents cannot pry these kids away from the horse barn with a muck fork. Other youngsters may express an interest in pony rides or even horseback riding lessons, but seem to lose interest after a few sessions.

What makes the difference between a passing interest in horseback riding and a lifelong passion for horses? How can parents encourage a passion for equines in their children?

Horse Lovers Simply Love Being With Horses.

Ninety-five percent of the pleasure of horseback riding occurs on the ground. For every hour spent in the saddle, a real horse lover will spend at least two to four additional hours at the stables, helping out and just hanging around horses.

True equine enthusiasts show up at the stables a few hours before their horseback riding lessons. Their pockets bulge with peppermints, carrots, apples and oatmeal cookies. Of course, real horse lovers won't indulge in such treats on their own. The snacks are intended for favorite horsey friends.

After their horseback riding lessons, avid horse lovers tend to linger. They stop at each stall to stroke a horse's mane, pet a pony's muzzle or smooth out a tangled forelock. If a child has caught the horse-loving bug, it will be immediately evident to all.

Horse Care and Barn Chores

As a horse-crazy family, we have an unwritten (but oft-spoken) rule in our home. "If you didn't get dirty, then you haven't been to the barn."

Some horseback riding barns, or stables, employ grooms, who prepare the horses for student riders. The full-service equestrian centers may not allow children to participate in the grooming and tacking up of horses.

However, horse-loving parents may choose to offer their children more than just horseback riding lessons. Instead, these parents will try to expose their children to opportunities to lead horses to and from pasture, to sweep barn aisles, to clean saddles and tack and even to muck out horse stalls occasionally. This is where young horse lovers are born.

At some stables, preteen and teen horseback riding students may be enlisted as grooms and junior barn staff. Many of these children are able to work off the costs of their horseback riding lessons by serving at the stables. Smart parents will look for such opportunities.

Because these older kids tend to become fixtures at a barn, gaining confidence and competence around horses, they are often invited to ride boarders' horses. These horse lovers enjoy opportunities to mount many breeds of horses and try out diverse equestrian disciplines.

Owning or Leasing a Horse

Before parents or grandparents begin pondering a horses or pony for a child, they would be wise to encourage that youngster's interest in equines. If the child demonstrates an enduring interest in horses, then the family might consider adding a horses or pony to the clan.

Of course, owning or leasing a horse or pony may be a dangerous proposition, but not necessarily in terms of actual safety. The danger lies in a youngster's development of an insatiable, consuming and never-ending passion for things equine.

Once a child has experienced a taste of horse ownership, he or she may develop an irresistible attraction to horses. As a result, the youngster may become exceptionally persistent in asking parents for a horse of his or her own. Alas. Another horse lover has arisen.

Horses simply have a mysterious way of nuzzling their way right into the family and transforming the entire household into horse lovers.