"Swingman" wrote in message
...
On 1/14/2010 4:36 PM, wrote:

I don't know how much credence I would put in a 16 year old's
assessment when "thinking things through" when their life is at
stake. While she may be quite competent for a 16 year old, indeed,
she is still 16.

Just because folks have the money to do whatever they want when they
want, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

Experienced a tragic example of that a few years back.

I grew up on a horse farm; rode, trained, show jumped, rodeoed, roped,
rode dressage and three day events, and even held a farriers license at
one time, so there is little about a horse, and horsemanship, I haven't
been exposed to since I was old enough to remember.

Two years ago all the horse crazy kids and their Moms in this affluent
neighborhood were all talking up, and hiring, a 14 year old girl as the
"OMG!!, BEST 'horse trainer' in the whole world!!".

I'm sorry, but there is simply NO way a 14 year old kid is old enough to
have the "experience", knowledge, and judgment to be anything but a pimple
on a real horseman's butt.

Sure enough, and with parents with more money than sense pushing her all
the while, the young lady, two years later and tragically, is a now a
quadriplegic ... simply because of her inexperience and lack of judgment
in getting herself into a situation that no "horseman" would have gotten
into in the first place.

It was sobering for a lot of these kids ... but damn, there are simply
some things you just don't fool with without both lengthy experience,
knowledge, and a finely tuned judgment based on both ... mother nature,
and large quadrapeds capable of killing you, included.

Despite the current cultural perception to the contrary, life is NOT a
farking "My Friend Flicka" movie/video game ...

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)

I too have worked around horses most of my life, it seems that
teenage girls like to think of horses as friends and pets, they are neither.

Me and SWMBO recently got a Belgian Warmblood from a horse
barn that catered to young riders. This guy is 17.4 hands and 3/4's ton
of bad attitude, an animal like this requires constant vigilance when
handling, he will hurt you.(but he can also jump a 4 ft. fence without
blinking)
I can't imagine a 17 yr old of either gender being able to handle this
horse.

Three day eventers "have to own a crazy horse" it's in the rules.

Disclaimer: I no longer ride, I consider myself too old and fragile.

basilisk