A Parent’s View From The Sidelines With Shayne Clark

This article is from the July 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

How did Riley (13) and Cameron (9) commence their riding careers? Both boys were very similar at the start of their horse riding. They both started on little Mick, a black and white Shetland. When they were babies we would hold onto them, then once they got their balance we would let them go. I used to have a little western saddle for them. At about three years old, off they went on Mick in the round yard by themselves, then they rode outside, fully supervised. The boys started pony club around the age of three years old, on Mick and then onto Miss Piggy, a 14.2hh Quarter Horse cross Stock Horse, a beautiful palomino mare, my A Grade polocrosse horse. Approximately the age of four/five, it was the beginning of Sub Juinor Polocrosse (under 12s) on Miss Piggy and also competing in team penning, gymkhanas, helping with work droving and mustering. Polocrosse is the boy’s main sport. Being four years apart in age worked out well with mounting the kids.

What were your initial thoughts when you realised Riley and Cameron were into horses? The best feeling was watching them ride by themselves for the first time. Horses are wonderful creatures with their own personalities, and our kids are so lucky to have them in their lives. The boys talk about their horses like best mates.

What was your equestrian experience prior to your children’s interest? Both Michael and I had ridden since we were young children. Michael competed in pony club, show riding, campdrafting, sporting events, and polocrosse for over 20 years. I’d competed in gymkhanas, done a lot of mustering on a farm I grew up on and worked on Northern Territory and Queensland cattle stations. Also campdrafting, team penning, sporting, and the most experience I had was working in the Thoroughbred industry, especially with young horses.

Does your own personal experience with horses have an impact on your children’s sport? Yes, we teach our boys techniques we have learnt along the way and gradually add more as we progress. We take ideas from different people and put them together and do what works for us. You can never stop learning new things young or old. We also attend polocrosse coaching clinics, friends, horsemanship clinics etc. Sometimes it is hard to mount children as they progress but we have had help from fellow polocrosse players to mount our boys. We have done the same for our friends’ kids.

What were your expectations of your children’s first pony and what did you end up with? Our number one expectation was the child’s safety. Children need to learn to respect any horse they come into contact with, and how to approach horses; e.g. not from behind or run at them. The ponies need to respect your children too so you don’t want a pony who bites, kicks or walk on top of them. We were lucky with our boys’ pony Mick. He was great little pony to start riding on and Riley and Cameron would bring him into the house.

How do you juggle your time for horses between the rest of your commitments? We work around it, I do shift work and Michael works on the family farm. Sometimes, especially wintertime, we are in the dark, feeding and exercising horses. We just make the effort. Polocrosse ponies need to be fit and we clip our horses in winter. It is a lot of work but we seem to manage.

What do you think the life lessons and benefits are of your children being involved with horses? Horses are beautiful creatures, our children can learn a lot from them. Being with any pets can teach responsibility, confidence and respect. Playing a team sport like polocrosse teaches sportsmanship, being kind and humble, empowering fellow competitors, encouragement and it’s also great for hand-eye coordination.

As a family what sacrifices have you had to make in order to fulfil your child’s passion? Of course, there is the $$$, as with any equine sport. We breed some of our own horses, borrow, and brought a couple of Thoroughbreds off the track which we trained and prepared ourselves. We do our shoeing and trimming and sometimes money is tight but we make do. There have been tears and injuries along the way, emotional sacrifices, politics playing a part in that situation, but I can say I am so proud how they pick themselves up and keep on going.

Horse riding is known as a high-risk sport, how do you come to terms with the risk factors? We do safety procedures and gear checks before we get on. We don’t put the kids on any horse we haven’t ridden and handled first and they lunge before getting on a horse. My kids always wear a helmet and are supervised. I have explained to Riley and Cameron from a young age that sometimes you may fall off, but we can’t go through life thinking we are going to get hurt every time we ride or do anything risky. Children learn how far they can push the limits, and Mum and Dad are always watching.

What enjoyment do you get out of watching Riley and Cameron ride? It brings a tear to my eye, happy tears, watching the boys playing on a five hundred kilo horse as a small child, with control getting better every time they ride out. I love it, especially seeing big smiles after a tough game of polocrosse on a great horse. Polocrosse is a great family sport, it’s social, gives an adrenaline rush, and the kids have a lot of fun with their mates. There have been proud moments too when Riley and Cameron started their first young ponies and sold them to loving homes. Also over the years, from when they started riding little Mick, getting braver and moving on to the next horse.

What advice can you give to other parents whose children might be interested in riding? When they are little, don’t push it; they may want to ride for five minutes or an hour, as a parent you go with the flow. If they are too tired, forget it. Every child is different. You don’t need the most expensive pony to start off with. If you ask around someone may have a pony sitting in the paddock with plenty of experience. Helmets and saddlery are safe. Always supervise on and off the pony. Also being cocky, I despise it, my kids know how we both feel about that. Yes, it is so nice to win but you are going to lose too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Never forget to have FUN.

Sign up to our newsletter