As a young girl, I was completely infatuated with horses.  My neighbor raised the most beautiful horses, and I would stare longingly out the window any time he was working with them, dreaming of the day when I could have my own.  My parents were willing to let me have one, but I had to be a certain age before I could get it.

Now that I have kids of my own, I have started thinking about when they could get horses if they wanted.  My parents had good intentions.  They wanted me to be old enough to handle the huge responsibility of caring for such a large animal.  I think by being caught up on a number, they overlooked the fact that true desire will make everything else fall into place.

A child of eight or even six is physically capable of caring for a pony, and if they want one bad enough, will be just as likely to be consistent in their care than an older child.  Starting children young will help them learn responsibility as second nature, and it won’t be something they have to be forced to do.  That isn’t to say all kids will go out without a hassle every day to care for a horse, but a strong desire makes the job much easier.

Rather than focusing on a specific age, I think it is a better idea to take each child’s abilities individually.  What do you think?  How old should kids be before getting their first horse or pony?