Top 7 Ways You Know You Are a Horsey Mom

Do you secretly (or not-so-secretly) hope that your offspring will inherit the horse-itis gene? By Heather Benson.

From Heather:

Let’s face it, horse people are, well, a different breed of folk. And horsey parents, those of us who have children of both the two-legged and four-legged variety, are another breed unto ourselves and our parenting styles reflect it. Here are some sure signs that your horse and child parenting worlds have overlapped:

7. While pregnant, other moms were worried about whether their child would be healthy, smart or successful in life. One of your main worries: Whether or not she (or he) would love horses and want to ride as much as you do. Your child is welcome to live in your basement until age 30, as long as he mucks stalls happily and still wants to ride every day!

6. While pregnant, you were more worried about whether your added baby weight would affect your horse’s ability to balance, flex and bend than whether sitting a trot bothered the baby inside you. A good seat is learned in the womb, right?

5. Before the child was ever born, you started gathering the most needed item for new baby: The First Pony. While other moms were searching for the perfect crib, stroller, baby-pack, etc. you were keeping your eyes peeled for one of the gold-minted leadline ponies that everyone wants and nobody can find.  Because who doesn’t find THIS to be the cutest thing ever:

Photo courtesy of Peter Armstrong

4. One of the childhood milestones you look towards the most is when she can finally play with the Breyer model horses you have been storing (hoarding) for the last 20 years. Well, really, you just want her to be old enough to not break them when YOU take them out to play with them.

Model horse hoarder? What? Me? No!

3. You have established a savings plan for your child’s first show hunter (or jumper/warmblood dressage horse/rodeo superstar/etc.) but not necessarily for her college education. Never mind, she’ll won’t need college because she will probably be the youngest ever winner at WEG and then have a full professional riding career in front of her… and that’s just about the same plan, right?

2. Another important childhood milestone is when he or she will be old enough to start learning about the importance of hard work and being a part of daily chores (a.k.a. unpaid farm labor). And really, you really can never start too young:

1. You cringe at the idea of hauling your kids to a dance class, a soccer match or a gymnastics event, but you will braid manes at 4 a.m., spend two hours trying to get their faintly evil pony into the trailer and then drive through rain, sleet and snow and STILL pop out of the truck with a smile on your face at their first horse show… all to to see this joy for the first time:

Mother’s Day is a big holiday here on Horse Nation. From driving us to our first riding lessons, to hugging us when we fall off, Moms mean everything to our sport. Join us in thanking your Mom with a fun story about what your Mom has meant to your life with horses. Here’s how:

1) Share your story or shout-out on the Horse Nation Facebook page.

2) Share your story in the comment section of this post.

3) Email your story (with photos!) to [email protected].