by Angela Blair

Created on: October 17, 2009   Last Updated: October 27, 2009

When a child reaches driving age, somewhere around 16 years old, it seems parents research, study and diligently train their offspring before purchasing the very first car and that's as it should be. By comparison and we're not talking apples and oranges here due diligence often doesn't seem to apply on the occasion of purchasing a horse for a child at the age of six years and sometimes younger! Cars do not think and react horses do!

There's no age requirement for a child to ride a horse, no testing required by law and no license to assure either the child's safety or the general publics. There's also no guarantee or established criteria to assure a Buyer that a Seller of Horses is knowledgeable, truthful or a responsible human being.

Old Silver here is absolutely bomb proof there'll never be a better kid horse! Take it to the bank, if you've heard these or similar words while shopping to buy a horse for your child you're being lied to. The expression bomb proof means no matter what happens, including a bomb dropped out of nowhere, the horse will not react. No such horse ever existed and none ever will.

To begin with, horses are herd animals and take great comfort in being among their own kind. By nature they find safety in numbers. Obviously, one's child will not be among a group of riders at all times. Horses have two reactions to unexpected events fright or flight and both can be dangerous not only to children but to any rider.

A horse's age is also not a good barometer of trustworthiness. Much like people, some horses seem to be born with a calm and gentle nature, others are constantly wary and some, whether from mistreatment or poor training, appear incorrigible. It seems those traits should be easily identifiable, right? Wrong! Unscrupulous Sellers of Horses are not above administering drugs that make any horse appear calm and reliable at the time of sale. One often sees these horses in auction rings although they can appear anywhere.

Consideration also has to be given to a horse's individual bad habits and it often takes a while to ferret them out. If a horse kicks at anyone or anything behind him that horse is a tremendous danger not only to the child rider but others whether horseback or on foot. Obviously, the child could be kicked while walking behind the horse but the inherent danger goes farther than that.

As a general rule when one horse kicks another, with or without a rider, the horse that's been attacked kicks back. A small child can very

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