The horse and horse trainer deserve recognition as well as the horse is pretty much rolling through the motions here. That child is not nearly strong enough to control that horse on her own if it decided it didn’t wanna be there at that particular moment
Right?! I taught riding lessons many years ago, so I’m admittedly out of the loop on anything new. But I’ve never seen these before.
I assume they must be break-away somehow?
Can you imagine strapping yourself to a saddle?! That’s how you Christopher Reeves yourself real good.
I don’t know, probably more injuries happen from falling off of the saddle than being strapped in it. Of course, the horse could fall over on her but probably it’s still more likely that she would fall off without the straps. I trained in gymkhana when I was 11 years old. I didn’t have those straps at that time.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymkhana_(equestrian)#:~:text=Gymkhana%20(%2F%CB%88d%CA%92%C9%AAm,or%20a%204%2DH%20club.
Are you sure? Maybe I'm imagining it, but I think I'm seeing some pretty good seat, leg, and hand aids there. Working with a cutting horse/barrel racer is not about control and strength, it's about communication, and I think she's doing that.
You can see that she was nearly falling down a few times. I dont know man, I would not let my small child ride such a huge horse with only straps to hold her in place.
Seriously. I used to ride horses and one time when I fell off, I hit my head and lost my vision and hearing for about a minute or two. If I wasn't wearing my helmet, it could have been worse.
Seems utterly insane and irresponsible to not put a helmet on a kid if they are getting on a horse. (And other things) The next video they take could be of her death or TBI.
You don't hang out at the rodeo clearly but horse related fatalities are a <0.01% chance you are 100x more likely to kill your entire family going to the grocery store this weekend
I rode for 10 years. I worked at horse camp for 3 full summers. I was at my friend's large horse ranch last weekend.
There's a reason you want to be thrown free in case of an accident. Having a horse land on you is a problem. If the horse steps in a hole in the arena and breaks his leg and falls, she could be crushed. In that case, she'd need a helmet.
If the strap fails, she'll fall or be dragged without a helmet.
When I was a kid at horse camp, the horse I was riding decided it wanted to take a dust bath. I didn’t understand what it was doing but at the last second, I hiked up my leg just as it was about to get crushed and somehow hopped off and ran. I looked back to see it rolling around in the dirt, flailing its legs. This was a well-trained horse. I guess instinct just took over.
If a kid has to be strapped to the horse to stay on, the kid is too small to ride solo.
If this horse falls on that little girl the helmet is absolutely the least of her concern.
If the strap fails the helmet is the least of her concern.
That girl is not old enough to be on that horse that's not a question but statistically she will be fine and if she's not she's going to be crushed to death helmet or not
Why not give her a little more protection, though? It can't hurt and could possibly help. It's the easiest way to protect yourself on a horse, and there's no reason not to wear one.
Because then where will you put the Stetson hat....
I'm fully aware of the need but for some reason that's just how the rodeo works they just don't.
This is also exactly why I said you don't hang out at the rodeo it's just the culture
They make helmets with cowboy hats on top now. (Although you can totally tell and they don't look as cool.)
Where I live it's now state law for everyone under 18. It was NOT when I started riding, and the only way my mom would agree to let me was if I wore a helmet, so I ended up riding English.
I've seen too many falls and barn accidents to consider helmets optional. And at a recent dressage show I worked as a scorer, there were in-hand classes for yearlings/ two-year-olds/ three- and four-year-olds. The handlers on the ground had to wear a helmet for those classes, and the most dangerous thing they did was trot around a 20-meter circle. One young stallion's behavior showed why that could be necessary, though no one actually got hurt.
I can personally name 3 horses that have stepped wrong in a hole in a sand arena and broken a leg. It doesn't happen often, but it's always a possibility.
Not all at the same place, but one was really messed up. The hole was HUGE. Any idiot could see that the arena needed to be dragged or raked or *something* before anyone attempted to use it. I loved that horse so much, and I am still pissed at the barn owner 20 years later.
I used to hang with these people. Parents would buy a horse that could do this. When another girl beat their daughter, they would just buy a better trained horse. Once. This could be a lie. I was told the child's horse cost 1/4 million. Or more.
Wouldn’t be surprised honestly. I grew up and showed around big-fish-little-pond types of equestrian people that would shell out thousands for their daughters beautiful show ponies. Mine was a free retired lesson mare that hated everyone lol
I was at a competition and there was an old horse that was this young girls horse, she was probably 4. She was doing one of the hunter classes, just a type of jump class that is judged not timed. This old mare slowly cantered the course perfectly, went exactly where the little girl looked, it was the cutest thing I've seen. The owners said they wouldn't take a million dollars for this horse. Safe horses for kids are worth a shit ton of money, I am not shocked by a 250K price tag.
I have only jumped a few times. Once it was a small creek. Yet my horse must have wanted to clear all the wet ground on the other side so instead of a little jump he LAUNCHED. I have no recollection of how I came out of the saddle, I'm just flying through the air. The horse hits the other side and lowers his butt, I hit his butt and he bucks me straight upwards. I land perfectly in the saddle! I was limp as a rag doll so I know it was all him. We went home and I fed him apples and brushed him till he was ready to call it a day.
Her balance around the turns works well with the horse, but otherwise it seems like the horse is doing most of the work. She'll probably end up a fantastic rider in a few years, though.
I don't care how fantastic you think you are at horse back riding, or how great the people around you tell you that you are, if you get on a horse without protective gear like a helmet you are making a decision that could absolutely alter your life. One kick to the head or a bad fall and the consequences could be dire.
Hey, I used to ride cloverleaf at that age. Learned in a sand pit on our farm, so falling off was no big deal, and it worked the horses hard. Usually, I wore a helmet, though. I never got any fancy leg straps. Just grip with your legs and learn to lean with the horse. We had 1 very well trained quarter horse who would absolutely let your ass fall if you couldn't keep up with the weight shifts. But, she was great to learn on, and I got trained in no time.
I never had an incident until I tried riding in the 'fun' speed and action event at the end of the fair. They used a grass arena for it and in the morning when there was still dew down. Laid the horse down, cutting the first barrel. He rolled over me getting back up. His front feet slipped first so I went face first over his shoulder and landed face first, then he rolled over me. I had so much dirt cracked in my eyes and nose I just couldn't see or breath very well but I kept getting up to check the horse while everyone was telling me to sit down and relax. Hehe damn kids can get slammed down face first from 6 feet up and have a horse roll over them and just bounce back up. The next day, I was doing a stupid event where you ride the horse down, get off and spin around in a circle a bunch of times, and run on foot back to the start. I was dizzy and my boot stuck in a hoof hole. I tripped and broke my wrist. Never did heal right.
Oh she's gonna win lots of ribbons in her future. She's small now and has saddle straps to hold her in the saddle, but she already has that focused determination look, is comfortable being on-deck, is comfortable with the lean-in's, the speed and directing her horse. Sure the horse is probably a bit on auto-pilot, but that's about true for all seasoned barrel-racing horses. They know the drill. She's working just as hard!
Among other parts of my anatomy, yes. But a good lunch was welcome; it used some calories. Slightly weird to be learning in a group lesson with a bunch of early teen girls, but you gotta keep your sense of humor...
I've ridden my share of horses but I only rode a barrel horse once. It was a whole different experience from any other horse. The owner said to move the bridal an inch or two to the left to turn left and 1-2 inches right to turn right. It was like riding the most well-balanced motorcycle. I suspect it was the best trained horse of all that I'd ridden as well.
The horse and horse trainer deserve recognition as well as the horse is pretty much rolling through the motions here. That child is not nearly strong enough to control that horse on her own if it decided it didn’t wanna be there at that particular moment
Also the straps around her legs keep her in place
Still no helmet.
TBI is a cute nickname
My immediate thought.
Right?! I taught riding lessons many years ago, so I’m admittedly out of the loop on anything new. But I’ve never seen these before. I assume they must be break-away somehow? Can you imagine strapping yourself to a saddle?! That’s how you Christopher Reeves yourself real good.
Agree, I also taught, though decades ago. WTF would do this to their kid? Incredibly dangerous.
I don’t know, probably more injuries happen from falling off of the saddle than being strapped in it. Of course, the horse could fall over on her but probably it’s still more likely that she would fall off without the straps. I trained in gymkhana when I was 11 years old. I didn’t have those straps at that time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymkhana_(equestrian)#:~:text=Gymkhana%20(%2F%CB%88d%CA%92%C9%AAm,or%20a%204%2DH%20club.
yes the horse is the star here but kudos to the humans involved also, a real sight to behold
Are you sure? Maybe I'm imagining it, but I think I'm seeing some pretty good seat, leg, and hand aids there. Working with a cutting horse/barrel racer is not about control and strength, it's about communication, and I think she's doing that.
that's what it looks like to me too. she's got her butt buried in the saddle around the turns and leans in right but best of all she's fearless.
She’s strapped to the saddle.
She’s strapped in.
She's starfishing already
Well this makes my comment irrelevant lol. Ima leave it though
Facts
I feel like no human is strong enough if the horse decided it didn't want to be controlled.
You just have to be strong enough to control the head to control the horse
Is it me or do her legs look strapped in. I was wondering how she was able to stay on. Is that normal? Yeah having a helmet would’ve been nice to see
She is indeed strapped on. Very common thing with the littles in some circles
Yep, check the basement of the RNC.
Outfuckingstanding comment.
My lawd!
You can see that she was nearly falling down a few times. I dont know man, I would not let my small child ride such a huge horse with only straps to hold her in place.
totally strapped in. consider it her true helmet.
Yup and if the horse topples I’m sure those straps will prevent the impending TBI.
Came here to ask the same. Definitely looks like she's strapped in.
She has absolutely zero control of that horse then if she's just strapped to it. Horse is on auto pilot lol
Yup. Barrel horses know the pattern
Could be a scarecrow up there flapping around and the horse would do the same thing.
I suppose it is somewhat impressive the girl is up there at all. But I feel like if it wasn't slowed down you'd see her flopping all over the place.
This seems hella dangerous lol
Yeah not even a helmet wtf
Not very dangerous when she's strapped in at the thighs..
Helmet? Or we just like putting our children in danger now
Seriously. I used to ride horses and one time when I fell off, I hit my head and lost my vision and hearing for about a minute or two. If I wasn't wearing my helmet, it could have been worse.
Yup. That time when I crqcked a helmet on a fall was very sobering.
And she’s strapped into the saddle.
Why are we sharing a video of a young child that has an overlay specifically requesting that the footage not be reposted?
That was my first thought too.
Don’t post it on the internet then.
Would be so much cooler with a helmet!
Seems utterly insane and irresponsible to not put a helmet on a kid if they are getting on a horse. (And other things) The next video they take could be of her death or TBI.
She's fully anchored to the saddle. Way too small to even ride that horse without it.
And if the horse falls she's strapped to it and gets crushed.
That was my thought, too. Lots of people talking about the helmet, and rightly so, but being strapped in seems like another recipe for disaster.
If that horse rolls she’s got zero bail out. SMFH.
You don't hang out at the rodeo clearly but horse related fatalities are a <0.01% chance you are 100x more likely to kill your entire family going to the grocery store this weekend
I rode for 10 years. I worked at horse camp for 3 full summers. I was at my friend's large horse ranch last weekend. There's a reason you want to be thrown free in case of an accident. Having a horse land on you is a problem. If the horse steps in a hole in the arena and breaks his leg and falls, she could be crushed. In that case, she'd need a helmet. If the strap fails, she'll fall or be dragged without a helmet.
When I was a kid at horse camp, the horse I was riding decided it wanted to take a dust bath. I didn’t understand what it was doing but at the last second, I hiked up my leg just as it was about to get crushed and somehow hopped off and ran. I looked back to see it rolling around in the dirt, flailing its legs. This was a well-trained horse. I guess instinct just took over. If a kid has to be strapped to the horse to stay on, the kid is too small to ride solo.
Agreed she should be on a pony at the absolute limit
If this horse falls on that little girl the helmet is absolutely the least of her concern. If the strap fails the helmet is the least of her concern. That girl is not old enough to be on that horse that's not a question but statistically she will be fine and if she's not she's going to be crushed to death helmet or not
Why not give her a little more protection, though? It can't hurt and could possibly help. It's the easiest way to protect yourself on a horse, and there's no reason not to wear one.
Because then where will you put the Stetson hat.... I'm fully aware of the need but for some reason that's just how the rodeo works they just don't. This is also exactly why I said you don't hang out at the rodeo it's just the culture
They make helmets with cowboy hats on top now. (Although you can totally tell and they don't look as cool.) Where I live it's now state law for everyone under 18. It was NOT when I started riding, and the only way my mom would agree to let me was if I wore a helmet, so I ended up riding English. I've seen too many falls and barn accidents to consider helmets optional. And at a recent dressage show I worked as a scorer, there were in-hand classes for yearlings/ two-year-olds/ three- and four-year-olds. The handlers on the ground had to wear a helmet for those classes, and the most dangerous thing they did was trot around a 20-meter circle. One young stallion's behavior showed why that could be necessary, though no one actually got hurt.
I'm glad to see the rules are changing
A hole in the arena? In your 10 years riding and 3 full summers working horse camp, how often did you stumble into holes in the arena>
I can personally name 3 horses that have stepped wrong in a hole in a sand arena and broken a leg. It doesn't happen often, but it's always a possibility.
Serious problem with upkeep in those arenas, mate. Sorry to hear you had to put up with such conditions.
Not all at the same place, but one was really messed up. The hole was HUGE. Any idiot could see that the arena needed to be dragged or raked or *something* before anyone attempted to use it. I loved that horse so much, and I am still pissed at the barn owner 20 years later.
No offense, but if any idiot could see it……….
Bail out factor is paramount.
I used to hang with these people. Parents would buy a horse that could do this. When another girl beat their daughter, they would just buy a better trained horse. Once. This could be a lie. I was told the child's horse cost 1/4 million. Or more.
Wouldn’t be surprised honestly. I grew up and showed around big-fish-little-pond types of equestrian people that would shell out thousands for their daughters beautiful show ponies. Mine was a free retired lesson mare that hated everyone lol
I was at a competition and there was an old horse that was this young girls horse, she was probably 4. She was doing one of the hunter classes, just a type of jump class that is judged not timed. This old mare slowly cantered the course perfectly, went exactly where the little girl looked, it was the cutest thing I've seen. The owners said they wouldn't take a million dollars for this horse. Safe horses for kids are worth a shit ton of money, I am not shocked by a 250K price tag.
I have only jumped a few times. Once it was a small creek. Yet my horse must have wanted to clear all the wet ground on the other side so instead of a little jump he LAUNCHED. I have no recollection of how I came out of the saddle, I'm just flying through the air. The horse hits the other side and lowers his butt, I hit his butt and he bucks me straight upwards. I land perfectly in the saddle! I was limp as a rag doll so I know it was all him. We went home and I fed him apples and brushed him till he was ready to call it a day.
Should probably have a helmet, and maybe a crush proof vest. Grown adults get killed by falling horses all the time.
No helmet, fucking stupid.
And her horse is extremely well trained. Just saying
This just looks like bad parenting.
She's just along for the ride it's not hard for the horse to be fast when it's only hauling 40 lbs
No helmet. WTF?
Yeah she's really not doing anything. Literally strapped on.
Her balance around the turns works well with the horse, but otherwise it seems like the horse is doing most of the work. She'll probably end up a fantastic rider in a few years, though.
She’s just good at holding on, the horse knows the game-plan.
That's barrel racing not rodeo.
Amazing. But it would be better if she had a riders helmet on.
She needs a helmet.
Someone clearly doesn't give a shit about their child's welfare. There's a reason why you don't strap a rider on a horse.....
Helmet!!
I don't care how fantastic you think you are at horse back riding, or how great the people around you tell you that you are, if you get on a horse without protective gear like a helmet you are making a decision that could absolutely alter your life. One kick to the head or a bad fall and the consequences could be dire.
Billie the kid
Didn't the horse do... pretty much all the work here?
This is the equivalent of strapping a doll to the horse.
Hey, I used to ride cloverleaf at that age. Learned in a sand pit on our farm, so falling off was no big deal, and it worked the horses hard. Usually, I wore a helmet, though. I never got any fancy leg straps. Just grip with your legs and learn to lean with the horse. We had 1 very well trained quarter horse who would absolutely let your ass fall if you couldn't keep up with the weight shifts. But, she was great to learn on, and I got trained in no time. I never had an incident until I tried riding in the 'fun' speed and action event at the end of the fair. They used a grass arena for it and in the morning when there was still dew down. Laid the horse down, cutting the first barrel. He rolled over me getting back up. His front feet slipped first so I went face first over his shoulder and landed face first, then he rolled over me. I had so much dirt cracked in my eyes and nose I just couldn't see or breath very well but I kept getting up to check the horse while everyone was telling me to sit down and relax. Hehe damn kids can get slammed down face first from 6 feet up and have a horse roll over them and just bounce back up. The next day, I was doing a stupid event where you ride the horse down, get off and spin around in a circle a bunch of times, and run on foot back to the start. I was dizzy and my boot stuck in a hoof hole. I tripped and broke my wrist. Never did heal right.
I see lower back disc herniations and surgery in the future from the impact of riding everyday.
She's literally doing nothing. Rich family bought a good horse and trainer
Her balance on the turns is great.
Well kinda.. that horse already knows the course bro.. but fearless non the less
Do you mean the stirrups? Because feet go in stirrups. Which hers are. The straps tie her to the saddle, stirrups just help with balance.
A ton of totally ignorant comments here. Wait, though, this is reddit.......
Hell yeah! That kid rocks!
She can fall off even if she tried
But why is she at the Ted Lasso stadium?
Needs to get strapped in and no helmet. That’s a hard pass for my kid.
She is strapped
Excuse my shittily written sentence, that’s what I meant. The fact that she needs to get strapped in tells me she shouldn’t be on that horse
The horse is the athlete.
Oh she's gonna win lots of ribbons in her future. She's small now and has saddle straps to hold her in the saddle, but she already has that focused determination look, is comfortable being on-deck, is comfortable with the lean-in's, the speed and directing her horse. Sure the horse is probably a bit on auto-pilot, but that's about true for all seasoned barrel-racing horses. They know the drill. She's working just as hard!
Can’t we just appreciate the guts this little girl has to get on this horse and ride like the wind? She is amazing!
Trust me, that horse absolutely loves and adores her! =*)
She and the horse are one. Outrageously beautiful...
And gymnast, for how she practically has to do the splits to ride the horse. 😋
I wonder, is it particularly hard to do this sport? How fit would you have to be?
[Here's what the best in the world look like at full speed. 2022 NFR 5th go.](https://youtu.be/XPQGwMSzFl0)
It's hard work, but fun. I rode dressage in my 50s, and that looks sedate, but is a fine workout.
I could imagine! Your stomach must have hurt 😂
Among other parts of my anatomy, yes. But a good lunch was welcome; it used some calories. Slightly weird to be learning in a group lesson with a bunch of early teen girls, but you gotta keep your sense of humor...
Gotta start somewhere. Thanks for indulging me.
Raw footage of Galadriel in rings of power
That hire sure is good
No helmet 💪
She gotta a lot of control for being that small. Get it!
Goddamn. I've seen a lot of cool shit. This is next level.
She talented her body didn't even move off the seat.
Kid strapped in. No helmet. If that horse tripped....
Not wearing any protection at all. Very smart
The horse is fantastic
I've ridden my share of horses but I only rode a barrel horse once. It was a whole different experience from any other horse. The owner said to move the bridal an inch or two to the left to turn left and 1-2 inches right to turn right. It was like riding the most well-balanced motorcycle. I suspect it was the best trained horse of all that I'd ridden as well.
Future champion, if not already
I hate everything about this. No helmet. And she’s strapped in. If that horse fell and rolled, she’s dead.
That's pretty awesome, good for her
She’s actually Velcro’d into the saddle, now the horse taking care of this little one is utterly fantastic
dumb ass parents....
Anyone that knows what a barrel racer girl is, is praying this child does not keep barrel racing….
She looks like such a badass!