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>Oh yeah, and none of them are into drugs
either...................................................
One of the
things that too many people don't consider when arbitrarily legislating younger
kids out activities is what the alternatives are for many kids. When the
adult world constantly tells them "no" then one alternative is to simply go off
and do things WITHOUT permission. Drugs are just one problem of
many. BTW, if you haven't had a reality check about drug abuse lately, it
is STARTING in elementary schools these days. I work part-time in our
school district, and the FIRST grade has active anti-drug campaigns and
discussions about drugs. And yes, folks, this is a rural school district,
not on the beaten path. I work with kids who have special needs, and no,
they would NOT be able to do an endurance ride or much of anything else at this
age. But in the first grade classrooms where I work, I see a few kids who
are sufficiently precocious that they NEED an outlet for their energies, and
yes, they are mentally mature enough to grasp what they are doing. Shame
on us if we close doors to those very kids who need a healthy pursuit that
captures their interest and their desire, even if those kids happen to be less
than 8. Here locally the one sport that is available to those youngsters
is hockey--three cheers for the active hockey organization that provides an
outlet to these kids. If they are handicapped, they may get the chance to
ride in the therapeutic riding program. If they are normal, 4-H has closed
its doors, and the only possibility is pee-wee rodeo. What a travesty that
we can put tiny kids on horses to sprint around barrels and poles, or to ride
calves and sheep that buck them off, but that those of us who can offer
something less concussive, less dangerous, etc. are considering cutting off one
more outlet for these kids.
Maryben is right--the kids that I've seen out there
as both a ride vet and an RM are NOT being pushed by their parents. They
are there because THEY want to ride. Although I didn't start quite so
young, I can relate--my parents never heard of endurance when I was a kid, and
*I* was the one who wanted to do it. I started out with CTR, because it
was local. I rode my horse to my first event, because we didn't even own a
trailer. We didn't need sponsors in our CTR organization back then, and my
parents simply came as spectators. My mother does not ride at all.
My dad ranched part time and taught me to ride, and he was proud of me--but also
I think a little bit confused that I wanted to do something outside of our
family experience. HE learned about endurance riding from ME--and started
endurance riding when he was 60, having caught the bug after conditioning with
me when I was in college.
Hats off to the folks who are willing to sponsor
those kids whose parents don't ride, and who understand that kids pushed by
parents are NOT typical of the juniors in our sport.
Heidi
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