KIDS ON THE TRAIL

Well, I was worried. Twenty-two kids and their horses, at one time – are you kidding me! Sure, I had taught horse lore to kids and adults of all ages but never a herd of twenty munchkins from seven to fourteen. And all of those horses with who knows what issues. Just think of the things to deal with. Undisciplined horses, spooky horses, shy horses, dominant horses, who knows what kind of horses? And not just kids, what about twenty parents to go with the high maintenance horses! As I drove into the Yukon recreation center where the four day 4-H program was going to take place, I thought of a Kamloops hockey coach I once knew and his comment about parents. I had asked him if he was going to coach the Major Midget team again next year. His comment was, “The only way I ever coach again is if I get a team of orphans.”
OK, I told myself as I stepped out of the pickup, calm down, you’re being paid well to do a job. And don’t judge a book by its cover. Still, the first thing I did when I got out of the truck was head over to the holding corrals. Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover but I make my living judging the trail horse under its skin. Right away I noticed a surprising level of common sense. The horses were kid size, appeared calm, sturdy, with a good sprinkling of been there-and-done-that old timers. When a kid’s horse shows some age, I don’t feel bad for the horse, I feel good for the kid. And I can tell you the pleasant surprises did not stop there. That famous Yukon hospitality is for real and getting to know the kids, parents, leaders was a joy. I now think back and cannot recall a single issue that arose in those four days. In a nutshell, kudos to the 4-H program. They did it up right and they were way ahead of the game when it comes to kids and horses.
So, it was a lovely four-day experience; some teaching, some riding, some work and some fun, a learning experience for all of us. Let’s talk about those kids and their horses on the trail.
First, consider the most important aspect of kids on the trail - matching the rider with the horse. We always talk about doing things right - the right training, the right riding method, the right gear and tacking up, the right discipline. But there is no escaping that kids will be kids. Often they do not have the same physical size of an adult, the same ability to discipline, the same control, or the same focus and concentration to work through issues. Kids want a horse buddy and to feel the power of the horse and to enjoy their time with a horse. For an adult a challenge is just another challenge, something to work through, but to a child, a challenge is a disappointment. The bottom line is that the right horse for a child is a horse that gets along well when things do not go right, when the child does not make the right decisions - a horse that is honest, forgiving, and calm.
You may be somewhat of an old timer like me and remember the good old days when as kids we gleefully jumped on anything with hair, often times only for a few seconds. But those days are gone, and most of us would never risk putting our kids in trouble or in danger. Truthfully, aside from my own string and couple trail strings, I had never been around twenty calm, friendly horses at one time, so with these Yukon 4-H horses it was truly a relief and a joy. Little attention may have been given to looks or bloodlines, but these horses were big on calmness and steady minds. There was very little spook and an abundance of friendly behavior, a prerequisite for a positive experience between a young person and a horse.
There was a notable lack of very young horses, more wisdom as it may be possible for a young person to begin with a weanling, yearling, or a two-year-old horse, and learn and grow together, but it can be a long and windy road with many bumps. Unless an experienced adult is taking the child through the journey and the horse is innately calm and friendly, I would not recommend the experience. And remember, kids want to have fun riding, not waiting a few years to do so.
The child/horse bond, the friendly aspect of that relationship, and the astounding newfound power a child discovers when they find they can command and move and steer a big, beautiful animal around does wonders for a child’s self-esteem and is deeply satisfying. The problem is that many horses are just not that honest and will take advantage and control of the child, both while riding and on the ground. It is extremely important to buy a horse that is calm and forgiving and honest by nature. Second, regardless of the relatively small size of the child when compared with a horse, they need to be taught to take control, with groundwork, before they ride. They need to understand the concept of being the dominant or alpha being in the relationship. This does not mean that the child must complete a program in advanced horse training, but it does mean that they practice some basic and repetitive control exercises before riding. Again, the 4-H leaders were very good with these exercises and establishing the rider/horse relationship and borders.
From my perspective, it does not have to be complicated. A five-year-old girl can effectively lunge a calm, experienced horse on lunge line and gain a huge amount of respect from their horse in a short time. A small person can also safely initiate basic discipline when a horse is coming into their space without being asked or misbehaving, for example by aggressively rubbing the nose, pushing the face back where it belongs, or a downward tug on the halter or slap at the base of the neck. And because of the relatively small size of a child and how easy it is to get your foot stepped on or get squeezed or shoved into a dangerous situation, respecting space is paramount. A pushy, disrespectful horse is trouble any time but double trouble with a youngster. Truthfully, the child knowing and practicing that they can go into the horse’s space at will, but the horse cannot come into their space unless asked to do so, is the most important fact in this article.
Never, never, have a child give treats to horses freely, resulting in the horse(s) crowding and shoving their way into the child for treats, or for whatever reason, in the future. A very dangerous situation.
Children are often gentle and want the horse as a friend. It may be against a child’s nature to discipline, and they may have little desire or ability to establish their role as the alpha being. In these situations parents need to be particularly careful to get a truly gentle, willing, horse. Enter the old horse.
Does it really matter if your seven-year-old first-time rider manages only three good years with a geriatric horse before arthritis or lack of condition require putting the horse down? A few years is a long time to a school age child and if you can give them a few precious years with an old timer then bless you for giving the child and the horse a few good years that they can cherish forever. Very often, retired outfitter horses or packstring horses make great kid horses and a phone search of these businesses can turn up some good prospects.
Size counts. Big horses can be intimidating for smaller and younger people. The ground looks a long way down from the back of a tall horse. I did expect to find some big, friendly Belgium/Clyde/Percheron horses at the program, the type of horse grandpa safely sat the whole family on when we were kids, but there was not even one of these in sight, which was probably a good idea because grandpa would have had to be a permanent fixture just to get grandkid on the horses back. Fourteen hand horses were common at the clinic with a few thirteen hand ponies. Pony breeds like Shetlands and Welsh’s have earned a reputation for being somewhat headstrong, often not the best choice for a child, and I believe there may be some merit to that opinion. By comparison, on average, smaller individuals from many breeds including some Quarter horses, Morgans, Fjords, Haflingers, Icelandic’s, and other breeds may have softer minds. However, we have owned some excellent Shetland and Welsh crosses so be careful of generalizations.
Small horses may have some limitations but not many. In our own herd of more than twenty horses it cannot be said that the smaller horses are the slower horses when setting a pace on the trail, the speed at which a horse feels comfortable walking. Keeping up is more a matter of the individual, the breed, training, and habit. Some of our fastest walking horses are around fourteen hands. On the negative, if you do an abundance of wilderness trail riding and cross streams and rivers, smaller horses will struggle more when stepping over and on and around rock and boulders in a stream. They will be more prone to stumble and when water catches their belly, more prone to go down. Personally, I do not like to see a rider on a horse less than fourteen hands on a trip with deep or fast boulder strewn water crossings. If a child is riding a pony or unreliable horse, have them sit behind an adult rider on the most reliable, strongest horse, for the water crossing
Children need to understand the complete horse including basic grooming, care, feeding and management needs. They need to have kid sized saddles and tack if they are going to be able to effectively saddle and tack their own horses, and they should. The more they are involved with working with their horse the more they develop a relationship, teach the horse proper behavior, and earn the respect of the horse. Riding the horse bareback may be a rewarding experience as one feels the power or the horse and learns balance, but I would personally never let a child, or an adult for that matter, attempt a trail ride bareback. We have had a broken arm by a negligent rider, and a near disaster with our own two children from bareback riding - both times against my wishes, I might add. Trail conditions are too variable and there is always that branch, that bank, that mud hole, that is ready to dump you harshly onto the ground. If you want to try bareback ride, do it on soft ground, in a confined or controlled area, and with a bomb proof horse.
Horse riding has something else in common with hockey, thinking of the earlier comment from the coach. They can both be prohibitive with cost. That a horse can put a smile on a child’s face is an understatement. Studies have been done and it has been shown how ‘happy endorphins’ are released into our system, how stress levels drop, and how we feel better about life and ourselves increases, when we are around and riding horses. And not just for kids, I regularly set up rides for riders over seventy years of age, riders with more arthritis than those knobby old horses some kids ride. For all ages the experience can be deeply satisfying and even addictive. And just like the hockey kid in need of shin pads, skates, and a place to play, there is always more ways than one to skin a cat (really, who has ever skinned a cat!). There are horse sharing arrangements, barn rentals, and an assortment of camps and clinics like our own Blue Creek Trail Riding Clinic, to get the kids off to the races, on the right foot. And, remember the 4-H possibilities – good people all the way around!
HAPPY TRAILS!

Head injuries are the leading cause of death with riders, chest injuries second. All kids should ride with helmets. During wilderness journeys our kids also wore life jackets, they served well as flack jackets. If your child is riding a smaller horse or a pony and you come to a stream, place the child with you on a taller saddle horse. Small horses go down more often in deep water or boulder strewn streams. Do not allow your child to ride bareback – a good way to have an accident.
Kids need special attention when it comes to trail rides. You often hear a horse described as a ‘kids’ horse’ or ‘bomb proof’ – wonderful if they are – why would you put a child on anything but? The tough guy saying, “If you fall off your horse then get right back on and ride” may not sit too well with a youngster just learning to ride.

Marlene and Aaron on a 100-mile, one-and-a-half-month ride from Rancheria on the Alaska Highway, eventually coming out at Cassiar, BC. It is truly amazing how resilient kids can be under challenging circumstances.