There’s something really special about horsey mothers and daughters. After all, what could be more wonderful than sharing your beloved sport with your equally beloved parent/offspring?
Whether you’re hacking partners, hunt together or have a mother-daughter share, there are so many opportunities to bond over cosy chats about their latest crush, why teens fancy that latest TikTok star, and all that kind of stuff. Right? Hmm, that appears to be something of a deafening silence. Perhaps it’s for one of the following reasons…
1. It’s Saturday morning, and you leap out of bed, bright and early. “Come on darling, let’s muck out and then exercise the horses,” you trill gaily. Strangely, though, your teenage daughter does not wish to be disturbed. This may be something to do with her crashing in at 2am, waking up the entire household in the process. Of course, you’re not one to hold grudges, so this has absolutely no bearing on your decision to bustle into her room at 6am, turn on all the lights, and threaten to stick a wet flannel on her if she doesn’t get her breeches on and into the car this minute. It’s for her own good. There’s nothing like a good ride to sort a hangover out!
2. Or as you grimly muck out two horses for the fifth morning in a row, because your daughter’s school bus leaves at some unearthly hour in the morning and there’s no chance of getting to the yard before then, you may wonder why you gave into that whole “please can I have a pony, please, Mum, please, I promise I’ll look after it” malarkey….
3. And that’s before she’s left for university. Now you have two horses to look after and exercise for the next three years. Good luck!
4. From a teenager’s perspective… It’s somewhat annoying when you’re boasting to your mates about jumping 1.10m, and one of your friends points out that your mum jumped the same class as you. And won it.
5. So you’re booked in to do a showjumping clinic, only to find that your mum has booked herself in to a sponsored ride the same day. You only have one lorry — and possibly only one horse between you. So what do you do? You could try paper-scissors-stone to see who gets the horse but don’t trust your mum to play fair. She always cheats — and if she loses, she’ll end up pulling rank anyway because she’s the only one who can drive the damn lorry. It’s so UNFAIR!
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6. And she’s always there, isn’t she? You just need a bit of time to yourself, but there she is, covered in hay and waving a dandy brush about, banging on about cleaning tack or something equally irritating. (This could apply to either mother or daughter. You choose!)
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Amanda Vlietstra is a freelance writer and editor who’s worked for a number of national magazines and websites. Having thrown herself back rural living with gusto since moving from London to Buckinghamshire in 2012, she juggles her horsey life with work and two small children. She claims to do dressage, but really just potters about having fun on her 14.2hh Belgian Warmblood mare, Roxy. She also enjoys a good gossip over a coffee in the tackroom!
