Horses make farm life fun and can also prove to be quite useful. We’ve used them to pen cattle and run cows back across the river when we know flood rains are on their way. Nathan and I grew up riding horses. Mostly, my family rode them for pleasure, shows and junior rodeo. In Nathan’s family, riding horses was mostly about competition – rodeos and racing. My brother-in-law is a retired jockey and won the 1983 All American Quarter Horse Futurity in his race days. We have siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews who still enjoy riding.
It was inevitable with four kids on a farm, they were bound to take an interest in riding. The first horses Nathan brought home were some “free” ponies. They had been outgrown by their owners and were anxious for kid riders. I am not a horse expert by any stretch of the imagination.
Our girls were little then. One pony was broke to ride with a few stubborn quirks. The other one, not so much. We fiddled with these ponies for the kids for a year or so. Nathan sought help from his family to get them broke. During this time the unbroken pony was bred without our knowledge. Suddenly we had three horses and only one the kids could “sort of” ride. We made the decision these probably weren’t the horses for us. They were sold.
We decided stubborn ponies were probably not the best way to build up our kids’ confidence in learning to ride. We set about looking for an older, gentle, kid-broke horse for them. It took a long time. We asked every horse person we knew to help us look. We finally found her last summer. Her name is Gracie and she is a gem! She’s 26-years-old and has raised more kids than I have. She has been a perfect addition to our family. The kids love her, I love her and all the neighbor kids love her too.
Things are never simple though. My husband decided we needed a second horse for our older daughters to ride together. Someone he knows from the horse business contacted him about a kid-broke horse that had been abandoned. He stated the horse was broke, starving and needed a new home quickly. They wanted a small price for her and it included a saddle. Has anyone else seen any RED FLAGS yet?
This new nameless horse came to the farm and we’ve been fattening her up. She’s been named Merida and has a very strong will. We have been riding her for a few months, but I’m not sure how long she’ll stay if her manners do not improve. Did I mention things at our farm are never simple?
Soon after Merida’s arrival, my husband brought home another stubborn pony. By this point I was exasperated from “trying out” new horses!! This pony got off the trailer one evening around dusk. Nathan was the only one willing to ride him. The first night he got on him, he was promptly bucked off and kicked in the quad. Nathan walked with a limp for a week but I believe his pride is still a bit wounded. The next time we got him up, Nathan worked for 20 minutes trying to catch him and finally used a lariat to rope him. Long story, short – the pony went back to his original home.
Finding quality horses for kids to ride hasn’t been easy but well worth a few bumps and bruises. Happy trails, neighbor.
