A Parent’s View from the sidelines with Jakke Bogie

This article is from the February 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Behind every child rider, there is a parent who supports their child’s chosen discipline. Any sport a child is involved in takes a commitment in time and money to realise the child’s dream. Add horses into the equation and the commitment in time and money doubles!

So who are the parents behind the child rider? What are their thoughts on the benefits and life lessons that horses and riding provide to their child? In this series, you will find out about the parent’s view from behind the scenes and at the sidelines.

How did Ally and Kasey commence their riding career? Kasey commenced riding competitively with her Grandfather Rick Sciberras back in 2013. Her Pop Rick had been reining and invited her to go along. Kasey had an instant love for the sport and enjoyed travelling with him. Ally was competing in gymnastics and would often attend reining events in support of her family. Over time Ally wanted to compete in reining as well and it became too difficult to split our time between both sports, so Ally decided to take up reining as her preferred sport. It has become a family investment, as we have three generations taking part in this sport today.

What were your initial thoughts when you realised Ally and Kasey were into horses? I too grew up with horses and thought that it would be inevitable that one day both girls would most likely ride. Living in close proximity to their grandparents that are deeply invested in horses meant that it was almost a given the girls would find a profound love and passion for horses as well.

Did you have experience with horses before Ally and Kasey’s interest? Yes, I competed at rodeo’s during the 1990’s as a teenager, barrel racing and breakaway roping. In 1995 I was successful in winning the ABCRA All Round Rookie and Junior Barrel Racing titles. I grew up with horses and our family competed in a variety of horse disciplines while I was growing up. I took time out from riding when I started a family and was then inspired to ride again when Kasey began to compete at reining events across Australia.

Does your own experience with horses have an impact on your their sport? Having personal experience allows wider family involvement where you can assist the girls in riding each day and preparing to compete at major competitions. Tapping into personal experiences and sharing those to provide insight and guidance is helpful, however not all of your own experiences duplicate as each individual and horse combination differs. Ultimately it’s up to the new ‘team’ to gain a toolbox of knowledge for themselves.

What were your expectations of your children’s first ponies and what did you end up with? We had an old allrounder horse named ‘Loopy’ who only recently passed away and has been in our family since he was a foal, and a Shetland pony named ‘Banjo’ who my nieces also learnt to ride on. We wanted horses that were quiet and safe for the girls, and they exceeded all expectations. As they were two great horses, the girls built confidence and further grew their passion for horses and developed some basic riding skills in the beginning.

How do you juggle your time for horses between the rest of your commitments? I am lucky to have a part time job that allows me to effectively balance work and home life. We truthfully don’t have much time for additional commitments to other sports or volunteer activities. We stay focused on practicing reining. The girls manage their time well preparing for exams and completing school assessments on time. Fortunately, both girls are interested in the same sport, making for alignment in scheduling of practice and competitions possible.

What are the life lessons and benefits of your children being involved with horses? The benefits are endless. Horses make children take responsibility and gain a sense of resilience as they are solely responsible for the animal while they are upon it, whether things go positive or negatively. It’s a lot of teamwork. If something goes wrong it’s up to the individual to think of a solution for the team of two. They teach you to think and make choices and you can see the consequence of the choices (good or bad) in how the horse behaves or performs. Horses teach kids to be caring and compassionate and think about something else apart from themselves. They are extremely time consuming and thus teach kids how to work hard. In the same respect they also provide tremendous joy to each individual as you progress as a team and have some success together. Kids learn non-verbal communication astride a horse and while on the ground. All communication is quiet and from the body, and children develop great awareness for other people in personal relationships from gaining this skill into their adulthood. Children that have grown up with horses know all about commitment. It’s not a sport that you get in and out of quickly due to the expense and ongoing upkeep, so kids learn all about dedication over a long period even when obstacles seem tough. Most of all horses provide freedom, a place to escape to from their normal world.

As a family what sacrifices have you had to make to fulfil Ally and Kasey’s passion? When it’s a family passion and all members are on the same page there really are no family sacrifices to fulfil their passion. 

Horse riding is known as high risk. How do you come to terms with the risk factors? We accept that there are risk factors relating to horse riding. We manage the risks by setting up some safety rules around riding and working with horses at home and at competitions. There will always be risks at whatever sport a child is involved in and in life in general, but assessing the risks and putting some boundaries in place makes me less worried as a parent.

What enjoyment do you get out of watching Ally and Kasey ride? My husband and I thoroughly enjoy watching our girls ride. It is great to see them enjoy what they do and be supportive of one another. I think it has made them close as sisters, as they are often talking about the show they were just at or what they are going to do different at the next event, and I enjoy observing that bond that has been further developed by horses. It personally makes me feel proud to see them succeed with a manoeuvre of reining that I know they have been having issues with. It is also momentous for us when they succeed, watching them achieve their personal goals, see them active and witness their love of the sport in general and horses. We enjoy watching them do what they want to do in life, being empowered as individuals to participate in a non-mainstream sport and not be affected by other people’s judgement.

What advice can you give to other parents whose child maybe interested in riding? I would say to take the time to research and invest in a suitable horse right from the start. Use the time when your child is riding, just like any sport, to take time out to watch them or go riding with them and provide as much support as possible, even if that means investing in some outside assistance. It’s invaluable time spent together as a family, even if you are not interested in riding yourself, there is plenty of work to be done together on the ground! I believe that your child will learn lifelong lessons and a love for animals in the process. Horse riding will teach them things about themselves, get them outdoors and physical, even if they aren’t particularly sporty, and provide them with a beautiful friend for life.

Sign up to our newsletter