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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
   
Location: Missouri | When and where did you let yours enter for the first time?
Mine is only 3, but begs constantly to "run in a barrel race." I've thought about taking her to a playday/shodeo, but she does NOT want to be led (I can imagine the melt-down!), and I'm too scared to let her go by herself.
Here she is yesterday, her version of barrel racing. She would ride 24/7 if I let her... https://youtu.be/uKQ7AZNNBqU
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Mine was almost 6 and had just gotten her new horse 2 days previous the first time she entered and did it by herself. It was at a little timed event rodeo. Before that, we were lead lining or letting her follow me on my horse. I would have been ok with it before that, but her leadline horse, while very broke and bomb-proof, would lose his go button if she got too far from me. That was great when she was 3, but not so much when she was wanting to be more independent. |
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Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | Three 4 Luck - 2015-10-02 10:20 AM Mine was almost 6 and had just gotten her new horse 2 days previous the first time she entered and did it by herself. It was at a little timed event rodeo. Before that, we were lead lining or letting her follow me on my horse. I would have been ok with it before that, but her leadline horse, while very broke and bomb-proof, would lose his go button if she got too far from me. That was great when she was 3, but not so much when she was wanting to be more independent.
Thanks for sharing. The horse she is riding now used to be my barrel horse. She takes very good care of her, but I don't know what would happen at a race. Like you described, at home she just comes right back to me and stops. I think we'll just stick to playing at home as long as possible! |
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| My "mini-me" is 4 and has been riding by herself since last summer. This spring we got her a "step-up" pony that was patterned on barrels and will generally just trot for her unless she uses her "spanker."
We have been doing local horse shows and playdays just for fun, but she does it on her own and even runs poles on her pony.
Sometimes the pony can be a turd, like turning the first and then coming back to the alley, but for the most part my daughter keeps her lined out.
I'm thinking of letting her ride a big horse next year and selling the pony! It doesn't matter what she rides, she is "running barrels" and having fun at it!! |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | just4fun - 2015-10-02 10:47 AM Three 4 Luck - 2015-10-02 10:20 AM Mine was almost 6 and had just gotten her new horse 2 days previous the first time she entered and did it by herself. It was at a little timed event rodeo. Before that, we were lead lining or letting her follow me on my horse. I would have been ok with it before that, but her leadline horse, while very broke and bomb-proof, would lose his go button if she got too far from me. That was great when she was 3, but not so much when she was wanting to be more independent. Thanks for sharing. The horse she is riding now used to be my barrel horse. She takes very good care of her, but I don't know what would happen at a race. Like you described, at home she just comes right back to me and stops. I think we'll just stick to playing at home as long as possible!
Her mare she's riding now is broke broke, and solid as a rock. But there was one time last spring she got a little revved up out back from the atmosphere, forgot herself and took off running down the alley. Lilly got her stopped and eventually got her settled enough to make the pattern, but it shook her up a little. She made me lead her down the alley for a while after that. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
| I started my daughter at 2 doing time only lead line runs. She could ride be herself at home but I explained if she was going to "run" mommy had to help her. At 3 we took the line off and walked with her through the pattern. She entered her first jr rodeo at 3 and her dad rode in front of her on another horse and her pony followed. This year she did her first jr rodeo "run" all by herself in the 0-7 age group. I was scared ****less because it was during our county fair and rodeo and we always have a big crowd that really gets into the pee wee barrels at the rodeo. Her and pony did great, didn't break the pattern and had a blast. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 495
Location: Washington | My oldest is six, seven in a month, she was slow loping an almost standard pattern be herself at 3, on my 1D horse. She was loping on her own at 2 1/2 on same horse. Took her last week to a race if I'd entered her, her time run would have placed in the money in 5D with 170+ entires.
That being said she has a 4 yr old little sister who barely trots and no way in H*** would I turn her loose.
ETA: Both ride the same horse, my "ex"-barrel horse
Edited by Lopin' Leopard 2015-10-02 9:01 PM
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Expert
Posts: 1586
Location: west of East Texas | My oldest didn't really start riding until she was 6 and I let her go by herself in playdays and the like. The youngest one was always on a horse and I did the leadline thing until the day she turned 4 because I was tired. She asked me to go back to doing the leadline and when I asked her why she said "because we go faster". I told her if she wanted to go faster she'd have to make it happen. By then she knew the patterns and was on an old cripple that wasn't going to bust any quick moves. |
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