Do you know anyone who?

*****es all the time about how someone is riding? How thier hands are placed? How you are now holding or neck reining right? or how you are probably learning that from someone else. My daughter rides at a local horse auction & gets paid to ride other horses in the arena, if she were riding sooooo badly , do you think that they would let her ride them? My so called friend, always has to ***** and let me know about how my 12 yr old is riding. I get so freaking sick of hearing it. My daughter had lessons at a riding academy and rides well, her grandaughters ride as though they have chicken wings and does not comment on them, on how they are badly riding. Would you just ignore her & continue to remain silent or would you confront her? My daughter says to ignore her, she is just jealous that her grandaughters dont ride at the auction. Jeannie

I'm sorry I must be PMSing or something, I quess I just need to chill........ Jeannie

Nobody with any sense would criticize someone else's kid's horsemanship. Heck, your 12 year old is getting PAID to do what she loves the most! Most of us spend most of our lives trying to make THAT happen! Follow your daugher's advise and ignore them. I guess we all know people like that. Sounds like your daughter's a smart girl! Congratulations! Jill

Hi Jill, Thank you for the kind words. Jeannie

I think your daughter is exactly right--she's jealous and it sounds like apart from lessons, your daughter has a natural ability that's only been enhanced by lessons. If she was riding in a dressage or western pleasure class and your friend wanted to give some "constructive criticism" , that would be the time and place, evidently she's doing something right if she's getting paid. One of my friends and I got paid to ride Polo ponies on the weekends and after school--no right way to ride them either exept at the request of the owner to ride at a full out gallop for 15 minutes and a lope for another 15 minutes, we got paid $10/horse, it was easy money. Did I ride with my hands in the same place I would have if I'd been in the show ring, not no, but Hell No! Two totally different things. Confrontation is never easy and it's best done with a witness and done gently, your friend may not realize she's critical as she is. Monica

Hi Monica, My friend must have been having one of her bad days or something, I havent been as close as I was before, I think she may have sensed that there was a little tension and thought about her criticism and possibly regrets what she said before. I saw her over the Holidays and we had a good time, and she even gave my daughter a compliment (I was shocked), I shouldnt take it to heart too much, she is one of those complainers, but dang it, sometimes it is tiring listening to the negitivity all the time. That is so cool riding the polo ponies, I have always wanted, when I was younger, to work with horses, whether it be on a ranch or even what my daughter is doing. She loves it and thats all that matters. Her dream is to work with horses at a ranch or work for a equine vet. Jeannie