Oh my gosh, talent

We have just discovered that our 11 year old boy has a huge talent jumping ponies, any advice as to our marriage regarding Mum chasing round after youngest son and Dad looking after oldest, any help greatly appreciated.

He can jump over a pony, get him in the olympic high jump squad quick

Failing that I think the circus is hiring

I wouldn't dream of giving you marriage advice, but if you're going to start mixing with the Sussex horsey set, then I would suggest that you both brush up on your elocution dear, wot wot wot, hurrah, spiffing!

[gruntygiggles]

Suck it up for a few years. If he really is talented, he will be spotted and given a place on a competition yard at 16 or so OR when he is that age, you can look for a job for him on a pro jumping yard and theses are almost always live in positions. It is how the best of the best did it, minus those whose parents have their own successful yards.

It is very much about networking when progressing with equine sports. Meeting the right people and getting your son on the right ponies. He is at the perfect age to nurture it if he wants this. There is great potential in show jumping now, but only the most committed get to the top.

I set up work experience for an orgers daughter on the eventing yard of badminton winner Paul Tapner last year. Get your son opportunities like that...not work experience yet, but training days with top riders/instructors and if he has the talent, he will get the rides.

If you want any advice or contacts, or if you are offered anything and are unsure, just shoot me a pm and if i can, I will help.

DJ Fridge, my wife keeps talking about our son riding ponies, and I keep steering him back towards the cars and the motorbikes. Motocross gear and helmets are cool with the boys at school, jodphurs and silly hats are not. You need to get this sorted out quick.

pm mrs giggles
she's a dressage champion and all her family do the horsey thing

Not putting your son down or anything but when you say talent what we talking?
I have ridden horses since the age of 4 and as gg says a lot of it depends upon the horse as well as the rider. Horse riding is a very conpetitive and expensive hobby to persue and places at good yards are hard to come by, although location in the country can affect your choices or lack of.
Can't advise you re effect on marriage but my mum took me everywhere whilst i was competing and was happy to do it but then again it was her hobby too, and if your son has to be at competitions training multiple times a week are you willing to do it.
This can include getting up on ungodly sides of 6 am on weekends.
Also your son is 11 bear in no.d that he will be starting high school and the discovery of girls.all that said if he really wants it and is really talented then that's great a good on him.

Originally Posted by Mrs DJ Fridge

We have just discovered that our 11 year old boy has a huge talent jumping ponies, any advice as to our marriage regarding Mum chasing round after youngest son and Dad looking after oldest, any help greatly appreciated.

True story, stick with me on this...

Many years ago I was on a golf trip to Scotland. We had a late addition to the party who seemed (and was) a nice guy, until we drove past a riding stables on the way into Ayr. At which point he completely lost it and went off on a rant about ******* riding schools

Later over several beers he gave us the tragic story:

He bought his *12 year old daughter a set of horse riding lessons for her birthday. Cost about 10 quid.

She loved it and showed promise so she had to have all the kit, hat, boots etc.

And cos she's really doing well in mini competitions on the stable *nags she now needs her own pony. Mother and daughter pester until he gives in. Without thinking that you actually need to garage and feed horses and they need vets...

And with her own pony the daughter did really well but to progress to the next level needed a proper horse *to compete in regional events. So they did a part-ex on the pony and got a proper show jumper.

But that meant a horse box to go to the competitions and his car wasn't big enough to pull it so he had to buy a 4x4

He reckoned in the 4 years it had cost him well over £75k and that is at 1986 prices.

And the best bit, she was now 16, had discovered boys and given horse riding up....

Only boy I know who does alot of horse riding stuff is 17 years old and doesn't bother with girls, probably because he's a blatant uphill gardener.