Indeed!

I enjoy Snarky Rider (you probably will too), today she has posted this:

http://www.snarkyrider.com/2013/09/12/let-me-grow-up/

Indeed!  Although I am all about handling your young stock getting on them before 2 (preferably later) is not a part of that!

This is not a rare exception, sadly enough.  Seems there are a lot of people who think riding baby horses is OK.

I don’t rightly remember when and how I learned you don’t ride a foal, but I was fairly young.  Like 12.  It is something I thought everyone knew.

Apparently not….

This morons bent legs, and the foals stressed stance, tell me some of her weight is on the foals back.  She needs to be slapped off that baby, into the next county!!

And last time I checked, we should be smaller than the horse we expect to carry us….

WHO does this?  And WHY????  And where are the parents?  Or are they just as stupid and think this is cute?

There is so much you can do with a foal that does not involve getting on their backs.  Like LETTING THEM GROW UP!

Seems the stupid people go to one extreme or another, they either want to ride their horse way too young, or they don’t even bother trying getting a halter on it until it is 9 *eyeroll*.

Foals can be led, taught to move over in response to pressure, loaded into a trailer.  Taught to be bathed with a hose, stand for the farrier.  There are lots of lessons for foals that do not involve stressing growing bodies.  And *gasp* foals can be allowerd to just be babies after they have learned some basic manners, to play in the field and not become sour, overdrilled, tail swishing horses before their time.

Then we have the idiots who think riding a mini is OK:

Here’s a tip folks….if you could probably pick the equine up and carry it you should NOT be asking it to carry you!!!!  I’ve always heard miniature horses are not really built to handle weight on their backs and are more suited for driving (any mini enthusiast is welcome to correct me here) except for perhaps a small child.  I would not get on one, and I am the size of your average 11 year old!

I suppose, until the internet,  I led a sheltered equestrian existence.  In a land where foals were allowed to grow up and minis were mostly for decoration or companionship, not riding horses for full grown adults.