What age did your children start showing?

[mydaddysjag]

Im curious, how old were your children when they started showing, and what classes did they show in?

How did you get them started? With young children are there any types of shows that allow someone in the ring with them?

I have a family member who wants to show a horse in youth halter classes but shes young and not really confident yet. If your by her side shes fine, but if your not within 10 feet or so she gets nervous. She'll be 5 next season, so Im not sure if shes old enough to show yet or not, just wanted you guys opinions.

 

[MiniDashofBlue]

I have a friend that I show for and we had another friend bring her 3 year old little boy to try showing. We put him in the 7 and under class and I walked in with him since he would get his directions confused. At home I taught him to tell the horse "Show Suggie!" (Sugar, the mare he showed) and hold up his treat to make her stretch. He was very cute and got 6th out of 6 but the mare isnt really a halter horse. We also had a 6 year old girl try showing the same mare and she went in by herself and had fun. It helps to have an easygoing horse that doesnt creep on the handler very much.

Amanda

 

[Miniv]

We had leased out our "bomb proof" gelding to a good friend so her 12 yr old daughter could show him in driving and hunter/jumper......... Our OWN daughter was FIVE.

It worked out that I packed up my 5 year old and met up with our friend at a Northwest AMHA Show. Our gelding, "Gwydion" wasn't going to be shown that after afternoon in performance, but youth halter gelding was! BINGO

Brianna practiced with Gwyd in halter and she had practiced with a horse at home........and then strutted confidently into the youngest youth gelding class.....

She won the next to the last ribbon given, but SHE GOT A RIBBON!

After all those years, she still remembers that and I feel that's important.

If the young one enjoys it.......do the "baby steps" and GO FOR IT!

 

[Marty]

Both my boys began at the exact same time. Daniel was 18 months, still in pull-ups, and Michael was 1 1/2 years older. They both started in leadline that day, I led Michael and a friend lead Daniel, and then Michael went in showmanship, grooming and conditioning, and aged geldings with our pony Frosty. I did not go in the ring with him, but my buddies were ring stewards, knew them both and stayed really close just in case. But I must add my boys were very prepared as we practiced "horse show" with a lot of other kids practically daily so they knew what to do and what to expect.

 

[txminipinto]

It depends on the child. Our son started at 6 (granted we adopted him at 6). We started easy with leadline. Then this year we have started him in obstacle, jumping, and driving. We're leasing a bomb proof gelding that I actually trained several years ago. Its funny how things come full circle. We don't push the showing or the classes but it made it clear that if he was going to go to the shows, he would have to show in something. The most important thing is to have fun and not make it work.

 

[TomEHawk]

Megan, my son started showing at local shows in classes like leadline & costume when he was four. When he was 6, he started showing at the AMHR Nationals in showmanship, leadline, halter and driving divisions. But what age the start showing really depends on the child.

 

[Minimor]

I think it depends on the child. I've seen some out in the ring that I felt were just too young & not at all ready to show--they had no idea what they were supposed to be doing out there and in one case the child was so young he was barely able to walk without having someone hold onto his hand or shoulder to give him some stability.

If it's an AMHR show an adult can go into the ring with a small child--you're not supposed to assist with the horse, you're just there for moral support and "just in case" you're needed to assist for the sake of safety.

In most cases 5 is old enough to start. I would say if the child can lead the horse by herself, and have some idea of what will be expected of her in the ring, and she can follow any instruction the judge or ring steward may give (and judges & ring stewards are usually extremely kind to small children, giving extra instructions and repeating instructions if necessary, so they wouldn't be telling her to do anything difficult) then she is old enough to start showing.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Definately depends on the child! My own were never in a show ring but we were not into minis then, or even showing. Minis can be a great confidence builder, with training & size in mind, IMO.

My children had an AWESOME old pony mare....son was very confident and wanted to ride (neighbors kids, etc. had own horses), so at 5 he was really into it. As he grew so did the pony sizes and he was good until those darned motorcycles came home -- about 12. Daughter, not really into the horses. Loved to pet & groom but happy on ground level.

If they don't want to do it, no interest, it just won't happen. Age is not the only consideration.

 

[Davie]

My oldest granddaughter was 5 when she started driving with me in the cart and was driving by herself when she was 7. My second granddaughter won her first AMHA Nationals top Ten in Pleasure Driving when she was 3. She had to stand up in the cart and her "Aunt Jan" was in the cart with her. She won her first AMHR Reserve Nationals Championship by herself when she was 7 with the same horse.

It all depends on the child and how much they want to show. My girls do not like to show halter but they will but the love to "DRIVE".

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I did lead rein (on a Mini) when our youngest was two and a half, but she did not start showing on her own until she asked to! (Around six, I think) up til then she rode, on ponies that gradually got a bot bigger til she was on an 11.2hh, which she then took into first ridden and did quite well, as I remeber.....

 

[Sandee]

My sister took her grandson in on a big horse in leadline when he was old enough to sit up my himself. Judge said it was the first time he awarded a ribbon to someone with a pacifier!

My grandson started in costume at 5 and I think we expected too much of him - now that I look back at the movies we took. However my granddaughter went in leadline at 2 on my 2 year old 34" filly and she's been doing leadline and costume every year since. This past year at age 5 she went in her first driving class while sitting on my lap (single seat cart and she's too short to touch the floor). The horse was an old gelding that's pretty much "push button". Ribbons really make her smile. All of this was at our club fun shows but I'm hoping that next year my son and his wife will let her go with us to some AMHR shows.

 

[dannigirl]

If the 5yr old girl is able to handle the horse by herself and show him, she is ready to go in the ring. Ask the show steward if it is ok for the friend to walk into the ring with her. She should do everything herself and, if possible, tell her to pretend the friend is not there and to not look for her and to for sure not ask her questions. If she goes in and knows the friend is there in case of a problem she will probably be able to do a great job. She just needs to get past that "first time scary part" to move one. After showing a time or two, she will be confident enough to go in herself, knowing someone is just outside the gate.

 

[JWC sr.]

It will be one of the most rewarding things you can do with your mini's I am sure, as it was for our grandkids. With our 10 grandkids, 7 show or have shown. They currently range in age from 3 - 15. For us it depends on the child as to when they were ready.

Lance the current 3 year old showed when he was barely three and was ready, he could get the mares neck and is an aggressive kid, he has a mare Huggems that he plays hide and seek with and she has been the starter horse for 4 of the kids.

Megan the 15 year old has shown for 10 years and only went in the ring when she was five, but her brother Ryan went in when he was 4, both are excellent show people now days. Megan loves to show in open more than she does in the youth classes.

What we do and it helps them a bunch is require them to first pick out their horse at the beginning of the year, if they commit to a horse then they have that horse for at least all of that year. They also have to daily groom and feed their horse if they are going to show it.

They also have to practice at least 3 times a week prior to the first show for about a month with the whole group out in the practice area. Then after they successfully show in the first show the requirement is that they have to work with the horse at twice a week and daily groom/feed it.

Winning is not what we are after at first as they just need to get their feet wet so to speak and see if they like it. 3 didn't and have dropped out.

But with a lot of work and practice they can and do get better & better. Two so far have won World Champion's and two others have been reserve World Champions. It has been and continues to be a family ordeal and we love this part of it more than open or ammy wins for sure.

 

[wildoak]

My daughter started showing a big mare when she was 5 (leadline on my mare when she was probably 3 or 4). She loved it and we were fortunate to have a wonderfully gifted older mare who babysat her as well as keeping her in the ribbons. We started with minis when she was about 10, and she jumped right into halter, driving, hunter, etc. It does depend greatly on the child - I've seen some 8 or 9 yr olds who looked terrified in the ring, and I've seen 3 and 4 yr old kids who were absolutely right at home.

Slightly OT, but the scariest thing I've seen in awhile was at a barrel race recently - they velcro the little bitty kids onto the saddle and run them through the barrels!!! Mostly leadline, but they are still trotting and bobbleheading around the arena!

Looks like shaken baby syndrome to me.

Jan

 

[RhineStone]

Our family only shows driving shows, so our son started driving at age 6 at a local driving fun show, hence the lack of "show clothes". Dad carried the whip for him there. They even won a class!

Kyle started showing in American Driving Society shows last year at 7. He showed in 3 shows.

This year, he helped Dad groom for our Tandem in one show and showed in Novice Driver at Villa Louis, where he went Reserve showing with 13 other adults! Kyle's horse show friends are his best friends! Too bad they live far away and he only gets to see them at shows and other driving events!

The ADS shows are very Jr. friendly around here.

I agree, it totally depends on the kid. Kyle complains a little bit about the hot show clothes, but he has finally learned that some sacrifice has to be made to get something good. After he won his Turnout class, he didn't nearly complain as much as he did last year! And it helped that the Ring Steward walked by us in line up as Kyle was whining to me how hot he was. The RS turned and looked straight at Kyle and said, "I know how you feel, Buddy!"

Kyle lightened up after that when he realized everyone else is in the same boat! (Next year, I think I am going to try to find him a khaki coat instead of the black!)

It is VERY important that parents and grandparents not try to live vicariously through their children. Children will ultimately resent this, and it makes for a rotten, bitter show. We have decided a long time ago that if Kyle doesn't want to show, he stays home with Grandma while we show. However, a bit of "peer pressure" comes into play when his "show friends" are showing, too! I CAN'T STAND parents that are SO hung up in their child winning that they become "not so fun" people to be around! I go to shows to have fun, not listen to some parent whine and complain about the judging especially when their "parent-blindness" comes into play and they can't see that their child really isn't as good as they think!

I also don't like it when parents put the child and everyone else in a dangerous situation by "over-horsing" the child. The right combo of the right horse, a prepared child, and the right attitude go a long way!

 

[Sandee]

Oh, just remembered our club fun show. Wish I could post the picture as it is on our club website: http://www.sewmec.com/snap-shots/category/15-2010-fall-fun-fest A lady brought her kids and the littlest one was not quite a year and not walking yet. So she had it in a sling type carrier on her chest. Now the baby is around and exposed to the minis a lot, as I understand.

For our Fall Fun Fest we had a couple of different (in-hand) obstacle courses. She gave the baby the lead line and the two of them took one of her horses around the course. With the baby laughing and tugging on the mini's rope. Waaaaay cute!

 

[My2Minis]

My daughter showed in her first driving class at 11, but went in her first riding (fun) show at 9, and my son went in one at 6 or 7. I agree that it depends on the kid and what they are comfortable doing. It should for the kids, not the parents. Though it is fun for parents, too...just saying if the kid isn't having fun then maybe they are too young or just not interested enough.

 

[LC Farm]

My son started this past summer with on show and one class which was color. It was the day after he turned 3. I went in the ring with him and he made momma proud.