Kids, Horses & School

Posted by Laura Thompson Sep 1, 2009

Lots of kids own or ride horses in the United States. When I was growing up, most of my friends were from the barn rather than from class. I also remember spending every moment I could at the barn, riding and hanging out, which sometimes threatened the quality of my schoolwork.

It's tough for parents to manage kids, horses and school. A Suite101 reader asks:

"My thirteen year old daughter had trouble in school last year because she spent too much time with her horse! I'm worried this year is going to be a redux and I don't know how to keep her priorities straight without threatening to restrict her riding time. I don't want to reward bad behavior but I also think her horses are good for her. Any tips?"

I think this is an issue that many parents of horsey kids experience -- including mine. While horses improve leadership skills, create positive relationships between kids and teach lifelong lessons, they can also be a drain on any child's time. Any moment spent at the barn is a moment not spent studying.

I'm going to publish several articles this week on horse/life balance, including articles for teenagers and parents of teenagers. However, I'll offer a few gems of wisdom here:

Encourage Studying at the Barn. Most stables have a place where kids can hole up for an hour or two with the books. If you don't want to limit "barn time," ask your daughter to take her backpack to the barn. There she can get homework over with before she gets on her horse.

Ask About Schoolwork. Left to their own devices, many teenagers will simply pretend their homework doesn't exist. It's an effective way to justify more time with horses, but it doesn't do much for the old G.P.A. One way to encourage more attention to schoolwork is to ask about it. Inquire about upcoming tests and projects to remind your daughter she has other responsibilities.

Set Ground Rules. If your daughter knows there will be no consequences for earning poor grades, she isn't going to buckle down. Much as it might pain you, set ground rules at the beginning of the school year with regard to grades and horses. If she earns below a certain letter grade, she can't go to the barn. Period.

Kids can actually prioritize their time quite well when given the proper motivation to balance school and horses. To keep kids involved with both school and horses, it's the parents' job to make their expectations known and enforce the consequences they outlined in the beginning.

Got a question? If you have a horse question you'd like Laura Thompson to answer, e-mail her at horses@suite101.com and she'll answer in an upcoming blog post.