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The tack room
DDs first solo flight!
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 12/05/2011 12:18
DD12 went out with her friend13 for their first unaccompanied hack. It's about 2 or 3 miles round the block, and a bit of a rat run at peak times. They went out at about 7.30pm when it is quieter. I was absolutely shitting my pants!! They are ready for the independence, I trust them and more importantly I trust their ponies. They wore fluorescent and body protectors. I knew they would be fine. It didn't stop me going and hiding in the hay barn so I couldn't hear the imaginary ambulance/police/firebrigade/mountain rescue/coast guard sirens though! They strolled back in the yard looking smug half an hour later. I'd aged twenty years and my hair had turned White! I'm SOO proud though! 
Abbicob · 12/05/2011 12:19
Awww that sounds great - I would have been just like you as well. The days when we bombed around everywhere with no saddles are long gone I am afraid :(
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 12/05/2011 12:29
I used to hack out with a friend regularly at her age. I remember one day, hacking along the side of the A12 to the next village!!! That same dual carriageway is now one of the worst bits of road in the county. Gives me palpitations just thinking about it!!
MitchiestInge · 12/05/2011 20:22
Heh at mountain rescue. Whenever I'm in Constable Country I do notice how much more, um, undulating the landscape is than here but mountain is stretching things a bit!
Well done to you and daughter though, it's lovely that she has a friend to ride out with. Hope it gets easier for you each time.
molliemol · 12/05/2011 21:25
Times have changed! No one ever knew where we were- usually galloping madly wherever we could. we used to take so many risks, that I would never let my own dc take. I wonder if we are being too protective though? Do they have as much fun as we used to?
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 12/05/2011 22:12
Mitchie; You obviously haven't been on the hack round past Sir Alfred Munnings house. There's like a sheer drop!! You would definitely need mountain rescue. :-)) it's at least ten feet down to the bottom of the hill! :-))
Pixel · 12/05/2011 22:39
Good old Munnings. I'm looking at 'A suffolk fair' right now (not the original sadly). When we sold our pub I couldn't leave it behind so spirited it away before it got put on the inventory of contents. 
I can hardly believe it when I think back to how my sister and I would disappear all day on our ponies without even telling anyone which direction we were going, and no mobiles then either. We once took a wrong turning and were gone seven hours! My sister was epileptic as well but it never crossed our minds that anything would happen. Bet it crossed our poor mum's though.
Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 12/05/2011 22:57
We would be gone for hours too! We hacked all round the surrounding villages, along roads I'd never consider nowadays! I really wish we lived in the highlands, or on dartmoor, so DD could have nicer hacking.
seeker · 13/05/2011 22:27
My dd sometimes goes out all on her own. It terrifies me and I know I probably shouldn;t let her - but I know exactly how she feels about being just her and her pony with noone to interrupt them, so I grit my teeth and let her.
olderyetwider · 13/05/2011 22:59
I'm really struggling with this one at the moment. GD is nearly 12, her 13 year old friend at the yard is allowed out by herself, has been for years, and wants GD to go with her. Both ponies are pretty bombproof and there's a traffic free lane they could ride up, but I'm not sure about it
To start to allay my fears I allowed GD at the yard by herself for a couple of hours, and said they could ride in the school or the field alone together, but not off the yard. They went out. On the roads. Other mum said it was OK. Everything was fine, and apparently it's my problem and I should trust them. The trouble is, the less they respect what I say, the less likely I am to trust them! But the more I'm over-protective maybe the less they will respect my point of view?
seeker · 13/05/2011 23:06
I think the going out when you had said not would be a deal breaker for me and I would be having words with the other mother too. I would be saying no more solo flights til you're sure she can be trusted - but I know it's hard to be the Wicked Witch of the West!
Loshad · 13/05/2011 23:12
Well done to your dd saggy - I bet she was really pleased with herself.
It's so hard now though - at 10 i would hack 4 miles to a pony club rally, do the rally and hack home, at 14 i once hacked 10 miles to an ODE - did the event and hacked home 
now the roads are so much busier, and peoples perceptions of what is ok have altered so much - i take huge strides to stop my dneice from falling off our aged pony - whereas i used to be on the floor 5 x/day at one stage (difficult pony/overhorsed child)
changejustforyou · 15/05/2011 12:30
o can't believe I used to go out without body protector, hat etc etc
frostyfingers · 17/05/2011 14:30
Yes, when we were about 9 & 12 my sister and I used to be sent out on our ponies with a sandwich for lunch and told to come back at tea time. We used to go to the woody area about 1 mile away from the house, and certainly no body protector involved (just puppy fat to cushion the falls!).
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