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Post by catkin on Apr 9, 2015 15:30:23 GMT
All very true CarolineNelson. My son couldn't abide LR, so went solo at 5 years. My daughter was ambivalent and we did a bit and my latest tiny niece adores it, so I begrudgingly get dressed up and yearn for the moment we can let her go!
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Post by bigmama on Apr 9, 2015 15:52:26 GMT
Oh Caroline, I am rocking in my chair with laughter following your tales of "fweee" and "fouwer" .. so funny
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Post by CarolineNelson on Apr 9, 2015 16:14:45 GMT
LOL - thanks again Caroline - I have met some lovely judges over the past 3 years we have been doing LR - I want to meet you next!!! I remember going into a LR class one day and whispering 'smile' out of the corner of my mouth. We walked up the long side and along the short and it wasn't until we were coming back down the other long side that I glanced up and saw my daughter grinning - teeth all on show - in the judge's direction. Well I suppose I didn't tell her how much to smile !! ;-) Bless. . . . Smile is good. With or without teeth!! (they can't help the 'without teeth' bit at that age) . . . . I'm sure you'll meet me at some stage. A word . . . when you say 'smile' - remind your jockey that they are doing so because they are a) having a great time (genuinely) and/or b) love their pony (genuinely). . . Anything else looks phoney!!!
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Post by CarolineNelson on Apr 9, 2015 16:39:49 GMT
Oh Caroline, I am rocking in my chair with laughter following your tales of "fweee" and "fouwer" .. so funny :D I can imagine!!! Hope you've recovered !!! - FIVE is easy. Tho' the nexht age ith EIGHT - and NINE. Can't do anything with NINE. (unless you're from Brruminggham of course, when it's Noine . . . Between those, you get "THIXTHHH" and "THEVEN". But, seriously, it's genuine and they do KNOW things about their pony!! Which, to me, ithh very important. I don't seek a 'put -on' attitude, the genuine article is great. I DO seek a potential rider of the future. I met one, the other week. A real rarity, a gem. A little pro who was sooo concerned about what she would ride in the Championship. (she'd won both LR & FR) To have that in your head at that age is a great pro attitude. We agreed to go with the FR (to me, the most important class a small person can ever do and all that . . . . . so, yes, she won with the FR.
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Post by bigmama on Apr 9, 2015 18:12:47 GMT
Kids are hilarious, aren't they, God bless em
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Post by Toaster on Apr 9, 2015 20:15:58 GMT
Whether it be a HOYS Q or 'Little Puddletown-on-the-Hill', if you desire that your child continues ridden showing, don't chastise her or him for making a wee mistake. Or, whinge on the way home that this child or that child is going to HOYS and shouldn't have been in the class. They should all be playmates outside the ring, not hear wrong of their friends. Great post but this bit in particular is so right I only spectate not show but have spent the last few years driving miles to watch at shows and am so sad when I hear little children either being told off, yanking the reins in temper having lost, parents running down other parents on the basis of looks or what they can/cant afford and overall miserable looking kids and parents Its supposed to be fun isn't it?
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Apr 17, 2015 6:36:29 GMT
Years ago I was stewarding at the aforementioned small show for OH's now dead aunt - lovely lady, top Shetland breeder and judge with 6 children of her own who had between them gone through every horsey activity you can imagine. FR class. She lines them up, then says to me soto voce that she thinks one of the ponies, placed about 5th or so, wasn't quite sound. I said that we didn't really want to throw children out unless really necessary, and she stepped up to the child and asked her how old her pony was. 37 was the reply, so we reckoned it was entitled to look a bit stiff and left it in its place. Another wonderfully human judge who knew her stuff re children and ponies.
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Post by highly amused on Apr 17, 2015 16:54:52 GMT
Well on the subject my tiny little pilot has been 'banned' from riding at our local club as she has been to hoys on a lr! The little dot wanted to have a go off the lead but has been told that she is a professional rider therefore NO ? go figure!!
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Post by Louise Dixon on Apr 17, 2015 17:07:31 GMT
No, I love the chatty child who clearly enjoys the class, loves the pony, can tell you what she/he had for breakfast and equally delights in telling you that the pony was covered in pooo this morning and that Mummy / Auntie / whoever is leading has got a hole in her tights . . . . This would be mine, closely followed by a lengthy explanation about why pony only has one eye, what happened to the eye after it was taken out, and then "Is it nearly time for handy pony and jumping yet?". Not so sure about enjoying showing, though, so we haven't really tried. The demanding to be off lead whilst still randomly leaving go of reins could be an issue.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Apr 17, 2015 17:11:39 GMT
Oh for heavens sake! I could understand if they said she couldn't do LR classes on that pony, that's if they have them, but anything else? What are they thinking? We always used to take our ponies to our RC with no problem - I used to dressage my D, 4th and BoB at Olympia but wouldn't have taken her in showing classes there. Daughter and I had a hilarious time doing RC Pairs dressage on two half sibling palomino Welsh Ds, mine was angelic and hers was a fiend, even worse in the Best Rider dressage, or whatever they called it, when asked to fill in to complete a team in the Open class. Daughter came back apologising for such an awful test, but she won the class for coping with him so well! Our special needs pony, sold as a foal to a home that didn't manage him correctly, sadly you don't always get it right. but isn't that what RCs are for, enjoying our ponies and gaining experience along the way?
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Post by highly amused on Apr 17, 2015 17:51:16 GMT
I was gutted for my little one to be honest as she had been looking forward to having a go with her friends! When you talk about kids having fun to me that's what it is all about. So what if she has been to hoys she got there through sheer hard work and determination ( ok the pony is a class act) but was actually a novice when she qualified. Little one has the right attitude actually as she says they are only jealous mam! What a mature attitude think a few adults could learn from her ? So basically she is allegedly a professional jockey at age 5-6 therefore can only now compete in affilliated classes only including fr? I see that some people are pot hunting but not always we are totally home produced and have no big contacts or friends in high places so why shouldn't my little one have fun locally? she is the kind of child who would give her rosette to the next kid anyway, not sure that she would part with a sash so easily mind! Also IMO I think it is a good thing for a class to have a mix of novices and more experienced children as doesn't it help for the beginners to see how it should be done? They need something to aspire to! I love when my little one says ' I wish I could ride like so and so' shows ambition so this year they will be contesting open fr classes so she has at least an experienced pony and jockey to follow which will hopefully give her and the pony confidence bearing in mind that they are now novice fr's and tiny tots :-)
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