You’ve just bought your dream home. It sets right on the outer edge of suburbia and there is room to keep a horse, either on your own property or at a boarding stable near by. All of your new neighbors own horses so naturally your child wants a horse. Here are some things to consider in buying a horse for a child. I’m going to list them backwards in importance because I find most people put their emphasis on the wrong things.

First let me clarify that in this usage a Kid’s horse is a noun in the same way a Cutting horse, Heading horse, Heeling horse and any other type horse would be depending on what job or discipline they are being used for. Being a Kid’s horse is definitely a job. The other point to note is that the age of the rider has little to do with the animal being a Kid’s horse.  Many an adult is out there searching for a Kid’s horse even as you read this. Most of them don’t even know that is what they are looking for. But, they are, now back to the things that are most important or less important in buying a Kid’s horse.

The size of the animal is probably the least important factor in buying a Kid’s horse. Everyone wants to get their child a pony. The pony is so cute and he’s close to the ground.  The kid’s can get on him easier.  It won’t hurt as bad when they fall. Your little ones won’t be as scared. These are just some of the justifications I’ve heard over the years and they all sound very sensible. The problem is, they don’t take into consideration the temperament of the pony.

Before I go on I’d like to address a few of these concerns. When a friend of mine’s daughter was five up until she was around ten or eleven, Traci rode a big rangy sorrel horse that must have been seventeen hands or taller to run barrels on. Traci didn’t weigh fifty pounds most of that time and was tiny.  I don’t know the exact age of the horse but he had some years on him. He was the best baby sitter you ever saw.  On him, Traci learned how to ride, compete, and she grew up into a pretty good cowgirl. It was a long ways to the ground but children are fearless. His height never seemed to be an issue with her at all.

Getting on a horse is a problem when you’re short, but I have yet to see a child who couldn’t figure out some way to mount their horse.  The main thing is to have a horse that will stand still while they shinny up a front leg, climb up on a fence, swing from a tree limb, use a pickup truck bed, or this was my favorite for an old white horse we had, jump off the barn roof onto his back. These were all techniques I used when I was young. There were others but I don’t want to cause my Mother heart failure if she reads this.

Yes, it can hurt when you fall off a tall horse. It can also hurt when you fall off a pony. I noticed, when I was learning, that the landing area you chose had much more to do with the amount of hurt accompanying the fall than the height of the horse did. There is an old saying that if you’ve never hit the ground, you’re not a cowboy.  This is an unfortunate truth.  It’s the same in most sports; until you’ve really been tested you don’t know how good you really are. You really can’t judge how well you ride until you’ve found out at what point you’re coming out of the saddle. Parents, it’s part of the experience, protect your children as best you can with good horses and helmets but expect to have to wipe away a few tears (depending on the age and toughness of the child at the time) and then help them get back in the saddle.