There is nothing cowardly about wearing a riding helmet. There is nothing wrong with considering your horses well being first. I do not have OCD because I give intellegent thought to all that I do. I do not obsess over what might happen. I take pride in being prepared, but I do not obsess. I do not fear horses, nor riding. I think it is fun and uplifting to be able to ride well.
My daughter is in pony club. She jumps and competes with her Haflinger. She wears a helmet, gloves, boots, half chaps and a protective vest when out cross country. She is on a mount appropiate for her size and skill level. I have every confidence that she is safe. I do not worry about her.
My granddaughter is learning to ride. She is two. We have a little bitty pony that we lead her around on. She wears a helmet, and she has riding boots. She thinks it is fun to make grammy trot along side of the pony as she bounces along holding on to the saddle horn and shouts "faster grammy, faster Daisy".
In life we take calculated risks. We do what we can to be safe, and then we proceed and leave the rest to God. I do not have less fun because I am wearing a helmet! In fact, I may be able to enjoy myself even more knowing that *if* I were to come off, my noggin will stay intact. My brain means an awful lot to me.
Christopher Reeves was sadly paralyzed. He still had a brain. A helmet or a riding vest would not have saved him from the spinal cord injury he sustained. He lived on for nine more years and did many great things for people with spinal cord injuries through the Christopher and Dana Reed foundation.
I am not really sure where you are coming from about Toby Marilyn. I have never said it was wrong to take a youngster off property for walks. My filly Nightingale was in a city parade as a yearling. She has been all over the place. She's been ponied through rivers and up hillsides and through hay fields as a two year old. I totally agree that it is beneficial to get them out and about as early as possible. I just disagree with riding a horse before it's third birthday.
I'm not worried about myself or my horses. Believe me. I do all I can to keep us all safe... and still we manage to have fun! Imagine that!
Your Haffiefriend,
~Kiola~
Brier, WA
--- In haflingerfriends@yahoogroups.com, Marilyn Mitchell <marilynmitchell61@...> wrote:
>
> Dear, dear, Kiola,
>
> We DO love our haffies as much as you love yours. And, we each know what we wouldn't do. We take the calculated risks we feel up to and we just don't worry as much as you. I wouldn't even own a horse if I sat down and added up all the risks. I wouldn't even drive a car for that matter.
>
> Good grief! A light-hearted 20 minute trot around the field, while not something I would do at nine months pregnant, would not hurt the haffie. In addition, the mother definitely was hoping to "abort" (deliver) that baby. It's time had come.
>
> And, remember -- Christopher Reeve was wearing a helmet. His wife never smoked. We have no guarentee that having all our ducks in a line won't keep the fox from taking one.
>
> The cause of sway back is undetermined and may be hereditary. My vet recommended I take advantage of Toby's teachable age rather than wait for him to stop growing. There are so many benefits to taking this youngster out for walks down the street or on the trails. He loves it! There are so many things for him to see and learn about. He's bright and curious and I won't stifle his intelligence by keeping him on-property until he's "old enough" to ride. .
>
> So, there you have it. I'm a bit of a risk taker, you see. I'm willing to accept responsibility for the outcome.
>
>
> Marilyn
>
>
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