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When to get DD a helmet and some other questions!

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CJCreggsGoldfish · 21/11/2016 11:42

DD is soon to be 5 and has been having lessons for just over a month now. She's loving them. She's a sensitive and shy soul, and often worries about attending new groups etc, but has been very keen from the get go and talks about it all the time.

Her lessons currently consist of a 'walkabout' where there is an instructor plus a girl from the stables holding the pony, and me milling about in the background. Once she's sorted her rising trot out she'll be going into proper lessons (she can do it, but us inconsistent and loses the rhythm at times).

So, we currently borrow a helmet from the stables for 50p a week, but when should we think about getting DD her own? Also, when should we look at getting a back protector and boots (she's currently in wellies)?

When she moves up to proper lessons, is it worth paying the extra for a private lesson? We may end up doing this anyway, as she can be very shy in groups, but I'd like to start her out in the best possible way.

I will chat with the stables too, but just wanted to get as many opinions as possible. I'm not horsey at all as my pleas for lessons as a child were also met with 'we can't afford it', which in fairness was probably true.

Thank you! I'm learnt so much already from browsing threads on here.

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LadyLance · 21/11/2016 12:03

Hi, helmets do tend to last a while, as children's heads don't grow that quickly, but they can be fairly expensive. If the stables is BHS approved or a pony club center (or even if they're not), they're probably going to require the helmet is up to current standards (usually PAS015 in the UK). I would be wary of buying a cheap helmet that is approved to the BSEN1384 standard as this was withdrawn at the start of 2016, and many riding schools will not allow you to use them.

The advantage of buying your child their own hat is that you can get it fitted by a qualified fitter, and it will mold to your child's head shape, making it a better fit than a borrowed one- so it may be safer and more comfortable.

At this stage, I don't think a body protector is worthwhile- it's unlikely she's going to have the kind of fall where a body protector will offer much benefit, and a lot of children find them very uncomfortable. Also, always riding in a stiff body protector can affect their position, making them more likely to fall off/become unbalanced in the first place. I would hold off on buying one until she's doing a lot of canter work and jumping, and then buy the lightest most flexible one you can afford.

Boots are a good purchase imo- especially if she's riding in ordinary stirrup irons where her foot could easily slide through the stirrup. I'd go for short "jodhpur" boots for her.

Re Private vs Group lessons, at this age it's very much down to what will suit your child. Private lessons can be very intensive, although she may progress faster, progress is likely to be relatively slow at 5, as she lacks the co-ordination and strength of an older child. Most children do find group lessons more fun, especially if they play lots of games etc. Shyness won't necessarily matter too much, as she'll probably still have a leader to start with, so someone will notice if she has any problems and can get the instructor's attention on her behalf.

I hope this helps a bit!