Really irritated with this girls mother.

[Balloonhearts]

More of a vent than anything.

I work at a riding school who do weekend pony clubs in the summer, and a longer one over the holidays.

We match the riders to their ponies based on height, weight and experience/temperament.

One of my group is very overweight. Three stone heavier than her mother said she is on her form. She cannot ride the pony assigned to her or any of the ponies. She needs a horse. Which would have been fine if we knew when she booked.

Now I'm desperately trying to find a suitable mount before the 3 o clock hack so I don't have to tell this sweet girl that she is unable to go on the hack due to her weight.

WHY do people do this? Just be honest ffs! If we had the right numbers, she would have been given one of the horses but now there is no one suitable left.

You are an absolute star and gave that girl a day to remember, bless you. Her mother, on the other hand......

You and Major Tom are legends, and the child herself sounds like a nice girl with good instincts. Well done on saving the day and surviving being savaged by a resentful equine biter.

What county are you in OP? I’d love for my 10yr old girl to come to you

It is!!!!!!!

Love this!

I rode as a kid but didn't learn much. Am ignorant about horses.

So Major Tom is retired but was happy to join in. Maybe he'd like to do more than pasture? He's a lucky chap though to have a lovely retirement.

Also do ponies get very tired from doing classes / lessons? I had imagined horses and ponies could go on for hours and hours.

No experience of horses what so ever, but just wanted to say you have a lovely way of writing! I could definitely read a book by you, you describe things so well and comically @Balloonhearts

Reading all this just made my day!

I was taught to ride in India, where my DP were living at the time. One afternoon when I was 8 the riding stable didn't have anything suitable for me, although it was a long standard booking, and so shoved me on a newly retired racer, far too keen and far too big. 10 minutes into the hack, I was promptly thrown off and broke most of the bones in my right arm. I'm so glad that you care about your riders but more importantly the horses and ponies!

God I loved riding out Dads hunter turned éventer. He was so lovely with me even though he could barely feel me.

Well done for saving the day and respecting the girls feelings. Maybe mum thinks that’s her weight, guess she is in for a shock tomorrow when she picks up. Perhaps it will be the start of some changes so the girl loses some weight, as 13 stone at 5ft ish is very overweight. But that’s up to her, you’ve managed to make it work but it wasn’t good that it caused you a headache. But well done OP, you are amazing.

Just tell the truth instead of all this faffing around. It may actually act as a spur for the girl to take her weight and health seriously. I don't understand all this tip toeing around fat people. Especially as this presumably affects others if the hack is running late.

It's more than overweight, especially at such a young age. It's very obese and the mother needs to get on top of this.

Yes, because it’s well known that if you make fat people miserable by pointing out their fatness often enough, then they’ll lose weight 🙄
Honestly the most likely outcome of that approach would be that the kid was so mortified that she never rode again which would mean she’s lost an opportunity to do something that’s great exercise and makes her happy.
Well done Op you sound like you handled this really well in spite of how frustrating it must have been…and your retired horse is gorgeous 😍

You sound brilliant OP. What a stressful day, but you and MT saved it.

I know better now but when DD was younger, I signed her up for a pony camp so she could give riding a go before committing to lessons. I haven't ever ridden and didn't have a clue about different sized horses, other than huge (Shire), tiny (Shetland) and standard (everything in-between). DD was at school when I did the online forms, I was flummoxed by the weight question and just guessed. I weighed her properly when she got home so I could amend the form but I can well imagine forgetting, especially if you haven't a clue why it's so important.

OP, I know nothing about riding but you are very, very funny and if you wrote books about this (names changed to protect the guilty!) they would sell!

Good grief, this is a thirteen year old girl that has done absolutely nothing wrong that we are talking about.
Everyone in school will have made her more than aware of her weight problem and I am sure she assumed everything would be sorted as her mother booked the weekend for her.
I am so glad OP managed to muster up some empathy for the girl and dealt with it like a trooper with a cracking sense of humour!

Gosh that made me cry (and I don't cry easily!) I think it was the thought of her taking care of the 'poorly' pony. I hope you get it sorted for today and she enjoys herself.

Lovely person. Took me back to my riding days as a pony mad girl. No one ever seemed to care what they put you on. I always got the mad welsh pony that bucked. Broke my arm once. Damaged my back permanently on another. Did anyone on here ever ride at Wimbledon riding stables and remember Nobby, who was so old his withers showed through. Should have been retired before I was born! 1970s - just chuck a kid on a pony and hope for the best.

❤️🐴❤️

Oh you poor thing but this is on the mum and not you.....call her and explain she needs to rebook and you'll have a horse available but you need to put the welfare of your ponies first. Hopefully the girls mum will be kind and not tell the girl the real reason, but that's out of your control.

👏👏OP, and hope you’ve told the girl’s mother that she needs to be honest another time.

So glad you got it sorted and didn’t overload poor benji - who by the sounds of it, got spoilt rotten and had a lovely day off in the heat.

Well done for sorting this out! Sounds like a clusterf**k but a successful one

definitely quiet word with the mother

I know you couldn't name you stables at this point, but I'd love to come from
Or a ride because nowhere around me will take on anyone over 14st for the good reasons I understand .

You are a gem, OP, with a lovely turn of phrase. I bet Knobhead was pissing himself, knowing his bad attitude meant he got an afternoon off while your marvellous old retainer had to schlep around with you and James had the full shame of doing a pony day. The indignity!

I hope the kid has another super day too.