One of the most frequent questions people ask my kids is: “Do you have your own horse?” A great question to ask younger children in Wrangler’s and cowboy hats, right? Easy for them to answer and expound on a bit, if they choose. (My 8  year old will go on at great length about his horse. If you ask him that question, please be prepared for a lengthy response. Don’t worry, it should only take about ten minutes of your time--which will feel like an eternity as we stand in the parking lot loading groceries into our pick-up and you are standing by your cart looking longingly at your vehicle several rows away.)

Sometimes this leads to a discussion about children riding horses. We are asked a variety of questions: Do they ride by themselves or still sit in Mom or Dad’s saddle? How old were they when they started riding? What makes a horse a good kid's horse?

How old should a child be when you throw him on the back of a 1200 pound animal, smile at him and tell him to hold on tight? I don’t believe that subject was covered in my copy of “What to Expect in the Toddler Years”. Obviously, this is a personal parenting decision.

For us, our children are around horses from the beginning, but don’t actually sit astride a horse for long periods of time until they are around two years old. Then they ride with a parent. When they are about four or five, they ride by themselves, but Mom or Dad lead their horse around because it’s hard work staying in the saddle and being in charge of driving. Finally, when they are six (or so) we give them the reins.

So far, this has worked well for our family. But I know families who start much sooner and some who start much later.

Our older boys each have their own horse. These are older horses who have proven themselves mile after mile to be what we call “bomb-proof”. Meaning, that we can trust them to handle virtually any situation without getting skittish or doing anything to lose their rider. They know what to do more than the kids do at first. For example, they take wide berths around trees, so as not unseat their rider.

My oldest son has started roping and his horse stands there without batting an eye while the rope is dangling over his neck or around his ear or under his belly. I cannot tell you how much I love these horses who seem to understand that their job is to take care of my child. Ultimately, we hope to foster our children’s love of horses and to have a fun experience while riding. Thankfully, these horses make that happen.