I don't think you need to be overly cautious here. If the barn owner offered lessons in exchange for work then she knows that that's exactly what she's going to get. Trust me, it is very, very, very hard to find people to work in this situation who are dependable. The barn owner probably realizes that your daughter really, really wants to do this and is willing to help her out so that she (daughter) can help her (barn owner) out. You have to realize too, that, your daughter is going to learn so much more than just how to brush a horse and clean a stall. She's going to learn responsibility, dedication, hard, hard work, she's going to learn that the horses need to be fed and cleaned even when it's cold, rainy, snowy, hot and humid out! It's not all fun (not even close). This is how my daughter started out. We were blessed, I have to say it again, we were blessed to have found a barn owner who was willing to let my daughter be a working student and her riding went from getting one lesson in exchange for work to her being able to ride at his barn on any of his horses, free trucking and trainer fees at shows, all because she did her job and she did it well. She earned every single perk she got and she has also grown in leaps and bounds as a responsible teenager (14) and has become an excellent rider. I would much, much rather have my daughter (in this sport) find a working student position because there is no way that anyone who wants to go further with equestrian sports to be able to do it with just one riding lesson a week. We also have a horse so that's just the cherry on top! Let your daughter do it, neither you nor she will be disappointed.

Someone mentioned that accutane can change a person's life. I know she was meaning that it can change a person's life for the better, but it can also change a life for the worse, hence ALL of the warnings. My daughter's dermatologist recommended putting her on Accutane (and her acne isn't THAT bad, just very persistent) and I said "no way". She would have had to take pregnancy tests and a bunch of other tests, before, during and after. I just couldn't see putting my teenaged daugther (or son, if I had one) on an antibiotic that is that intense. Something just isn't right about that drug. Yes, it is a miracle worker in that it clears up the acne but what other havoc is it causing in their young bodies? Obviously something othewise there wouldn't be so many precautions about the drug.

Congratulations to Natalie on her placings. Horse showing can be so much fun. It sounds like with 4H shows that there's not alot of the political junk that goes along with non 4H shows. Can't wait to hear how she does in her next show. We're planning on taking my daughter's Thoroughbred mare to her first show in a couple of weeks. If you think of it, please pray for them (me) because this horse will barely keep four feet on the ground when she's not in familiar territory. That and the fact that I will probably be trailering us there and I haven't had any trailering lessons....yet....! Way to go Natalie. That little mare is really pretty too. I love Arabians!

we were taking the dogs for a walk and we saw two ducks sitting in the grass (male and female). When we looked closer we realized that the female was dead. That poor thing and her husband was sitting by her side. I almost burst into tears. It just broke my heart. When we went back by there, he was still there. I went home and called a wildlife specialist because I wanted to bury her but I didn't want to do anything more to traumatize the male. The wildlife specialist said to just either bury her or put her in a plastic bag and that the boy would find another mate. When I thought about it more, I wondered if I should just leave her there but I didn't want that poor boy to sit there day after day and have her just rot. So, we went and got her and he flew away. I think people should take lessons from ducks.

I LOVE BJ's cakes. They are the best priced and best tasting around here.

oh, hands down, the Gentle Leader/Halti. One of our Jack Russells had her throat ripped open by a wild animal (we think) and we couldn't put anything on her neck so we got a Halti (they are cheaper than the Gentle Leader) and it works wonderfully. I wouldn't use anything else!

I too agree that a spoiled horse may not be an ill behaved horse. My daughter's mare is spoiled rotten too but she knows her boundaries and she respects them. It kind of bothers me when people say she's spoiled. She deserves to be. This horse has brought my once timid rider to a rider who wins championships at horse shows. I will always spoil her because we love her and she's a member of our family. Yes, we hand feed her treats (and YES(!) we've been told more than once that it's "wrong"), yes, we let her rub on us when her face is shedding and itchy (and again, we've been told it's wrong) but what bothers me is this....just who are these people who tell me it's wrong? They're just other regular horse owners (like us), who don't happen to like it, but what, really makes it wrong? Back to the OP though, I too, noticed that your children were older and my first thought was I wouldn't hesitate because they are older and yes, I would stay away from the stud. Maybe the guy keeps them all together because all of the other horses are geldings. I also think that farmers who own horses, do things way differently than those of us who are not farmers, as horse owners.

I was so afraid, with the track as muddy as it was, that someone was going to get injured therefore, I had the tv on mute and my eyes were closed and I waited until the race was over to open my eyes and turn the volume on! I know that's stupid but I get so angry when one of them gets hurt...why?...because I feel like those horses don't have a choice in whether they race or not (unlike human athletes). The ONLY thing I like about horse racing is the awesome horses you can get off the track when they're done winning for their owners. We have an ex-racer and she is the sweetest horse I've ever met!

she injured her rear leg. Not sure what happened but it's swollen and she doesn't want to put weight on it. When she rests it, she rests it on the toe. Not sure if she pulled or strained a tendon. I talked to the vet (he can't come until Wednesday) and he said it could even be an abcess. I just spent over $200 for spring shots on Friday and being a single mom, money is very tight. I just can't afford another vet bill right now and it looks like (right now) the vet will be out on Wednesday unless she gets worse and he can try to come tomorrow (probably an emergency farm call, which, as we know, is even more expensive). So please pray for healing. I know the Lord loves animals because He's healed her when we've prayed for her before. Thanks everyone.

My daughter had the same thing for over a week except she didn't throw up. She felt like she had to but she didn't. I took her to the doctor twice because I was convinced that she had strep. Nope. She didn't even after two throat cultures a couple of days apart. They were going to test her for mono after a week but I didn't take her back and thankfully, she is feeling better. She had the exact same symptoms as your son and she too would offer to go to bed and that's not like her! Take him, just to be sure.

Okay, I've been the boarder at a place like yours. I'll tell you about my experiences. 1.) The first place we boarded our horse didn't charge us a dime BUT we worked our tails off and here's what we got. It was a brand new four stall barn. Stalls were 12x12 and bright and airy. We cleaned our stall every day. We bought our own grain and hay and shavings. We had to clean their horses stalls as well and do most of the barn chores which included picking up poop in the pastures. There was no indoor ring just a large, uneven outdoor. They actually put my horse in the upper pasture but most of the time we had to bring her in. We had to water the upper pastures and they weren't close to the barn. Finally we wised up and left. 2.) The barn where we're at now is privately owned as well BUT...it is SO much different from the last one. My daughters clean stalls 4 days a week (12 stalls for the week) and we get our board for "free". It works out to about $120 a month and you can't TOUCH that around here. Here's what we get...the owner's feed every day am and pm. They also put the horses out and bring them in. There is an indoor arena too. We are so blessed to have this as you can't touch anything like it in this area (NY). Around here for self care, outdoor ring, box stall, you buy feed and shavings, you clean your own stall and let your own horse in/out would cost around $300 a month.

I work for a major insurance company and we recently had a customer from esurance come to us for their insurance. I can't remember what they said about them, but they weren't happy. Also be careful because companies like those ones lure you in with low rates then jack them really high in a year or two or they will raise your rates for the smallest thing.

Ibbygirl: I would like to tell you his name but he's very well known around here and the family would like to keep this as quiet as possible right now because of the business. I don't think anyone on here lives near here but I'm not sure so I don't want to give his name out per the request of his family members. I hope you understand, I don't mean to be rude.

for the owner of the barn where my daughter rides. He had a stroke last night. It was very,very bad and it doesn't look good. He is 52. He was in the hospital for heart related tests, and praise the Lord, he had the stroke there. He is intubated (at last I knew) and he is in the trauma unit not sure why. He had emergency surgery last night. He is much more than just our barn owner, he is also a very very good friend. Please pray for him and please put him on any prayer chains you know of. Thank you so much.

Well, my car has been making some funny noises quite some time now. It was a really nice day out and I wanted something to do so I decided to take the car to the mechanic and have him check it out. It's a good thing I did because there is a problem with the transmission! It could've blown at any time now. The really cool thing is that it was going to cost me between $600 and $1700 (I know, big difference, but that's from two different transmissions places). Anyway, I called Chrsyler because they had put a new transmission in the car when it was only a week old (2005) and they are going to cover it! It's only going to cost me $150. Thank You Jesus! And...I called Enterprise Rent a Car and they're giving me a car for the weekend for 50% off (which is a special they are offering right now). I am so thankful.

Love the gooseneck in the backround. Can I please have it? I said please???

I watch and I am SO glad that it's on for 2 hours! I was so mad when they didn't complete last weeks show in the two hours! I don't like Donald Trump either but he's where he is because he's a good business man. The one I have trouble with is his daughter. I can't figure out if I like her or I don't! I so want Jesse James to win. I think he is most original and smart one on the show. Don't care for Melissa Rivers and I can't believe that she's already had plastic surgery at her age. I can't stop looking at her mouth!

Okay so I'm 47 years old and I actually want to see it! It's a good thing I have girls. I can't stand the girl, I really can't and I can't explain why I want to go to the movie but I do! I know it'll be cheesy.

Diagramming (or trying to) was one of the hardest things we did (or tried to). It was overwhelming and stressful and I don't get why it is so important either. I've never had to use the skill and I've been out of school for longer than I care to admit. So what did we do? We skipped it. I don't feel guilty about it either (my child was in the same grades as yours are).

Oh my gosh. I cannot believe that. I mean, I do believe you, I just can't believe that he would do something like that. I know it's easy for me to say this, but I do hope that you will really try to trust the Lord. When He does things like this, and it seems so hard, He always brings something better. I will be praying for you.

I seem to think that Pony Club is much more intense that 4H. If your daughter is just starting out riding, then 4H might be a better fit for her. If she's been riding for awhile and/or has her own horse, then maybe Pony Club would be okay. We were going to do Pony Club a few years back but neither my daughter nor I were interested in all of the rules and regulations that were involved. It kinda seemed like it took some of the fun out of it. Besides, we didn't have a trailer to get to all of the farther away places she would have had to go.

Soph I totally agree with everything you are saying about earning money for braiding or even helping out at shows but that's more prevalent in the hunter/jumper world right? Do western riders braid their horses, I didn't think they did. I am all for the kids earning their riding time because it teaches them that there is so much more to riding a horse than just putting its saddle on and riding. I think each child should be taught from basic horsemanship on up. The riding part is just the icing on the cake. Proper horse care needs to be taught way more than it is these days. Half the kids at the show barn where my daughter rides don't even know the basics about horse care and that's really sad. I'm so sorry, Soph, that your parents weren't there at your shows. It breaks my heart when I see kids from our barn at shows and their parents aren't there to cheer them on or when their parents come all dressed up like they're going out on the town, just to watch their children showing and then leave as soon as the kid is done. It totally shows in the kids attitudes who have parents who don't care. I just feel so badly for them.

I have an LD child that I homeschooled. I had to go right back to the basics with her when I pulled her out of school. That's my suggestion. Go right back to where the child feels the most comfortable with what she's learned. That way, you'll have started off with success and even if you have to re-teac her, it will be worth it.

Another thing that I would suggest for people just starting out in equestrian sports is to NOT buy a used helmet. You just don't know if that helmet was ever involved in a fall. Also, helmets should be replaced after a fall or two. Just an FYI that might not have been thought about!

I say this at least once a week to the parents at the barn where my daughter rides....if a child is only riding once a week it is going to take much, much longer for them to get anywhere. Especially with riding a horse because they can't practice at home (unless they have a horse) so they actually have to remember what they were taught the week before and contrary to what alot of people think, there are a TON of things a rider has to remember and work on. It is so hard for these kids that don't have horses, to advance. Maybe your daughter can work off another lesson or a hack by doing chores at her barn. That's how my daughter started out. She cleans stalls and feeds once a week and because our barn owner can now trust her and depend on her (my daughter is 14) she can ride his horses whenever she wants. She also has a horse of her own. I can tell you that when her trainer told me that she has natural talent, I was thrilled (I rode when I was younger and to have a child who loves horses as much as I still do just makes me happy!). I love, love, love watching my daughter ride the horses that she rides. I love watching her go over 4 foot jumps even though my stomach is in my throat Just remember that horses are big and unpredictable and I truly do believe that equestrian sports are just as much an extreme sport as motocross...even more so if you ask me, because we all know that a motorcycle doesn't have a mind of it's own but a 16.1 hand 1100 lb. horse sure does! When someone says to me that my daughter's riding is just a "hobby" I want to scream at them..."let me see YOU do it"!!! Anyway, try to nuture your daughter's love of riding any way you can, in the end you will be so glad you did. It teaches them SO much more than just how to ride a horse.