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  Discussion on Riding a Stud Horse
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Posted on Friday, Jul 5, 2002 - 1:07 am:

This is probably going to sound very silly to most of you, but I am at a loss as to where to find the information I need, so here goes. I have a 3-year-old stud. He is the sweetest little guy in the world. We all ride him, and my 13-year-old daughter hops on him bareback with just a halter and leaDrOpe. We are members of our local saddle club and do most of our riding with them or on our own property. This weekend we are going on a trailride and my daughter wants to ride the stud. However, a friend of ours is telling me that it is Texas state law (not just the bylaws of the saddle club) that prevent anyone under the age of 21 from riding a stallion.

My question is, is this accurate and any ideas where I can find the documentation to disprove or support this?

Our saddle club bylaws prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from riding a stud horse for many reasons, and I don't necessarily disagree with their point of view on this issue, but our guy is so docile and has such a wonderful foundation, that I trust he and my daughter implicitely. My husband and I ride this guy on the trail all the time and he is wonderful, but now she would like to enjoy him as well.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Melissa

Posted on Friday, Jul 5, 2002 - 10:30 am:

Most states have their laws online these days, though it'll be time consuming if your state doesn't have a good search engine! Try your state's website at https://www.texasonline.state.tx.us

Easier would be to ask your friend where it's written in the Texas state law. Did she/he just "hear this" somewhere, or has the person actually read this in the legal code? Sounds like an unlikely law...

Posted on Friday, Jul 5, 2002 - 12:30 pm:

Does the Saddle Club you belong to itself have such a rule? When we have community rides here (usually fund raisers where the entry fee goes to a local 4-H or high school rodeo group), absolutely no stallions are allowed no matter who rides them. This "rule" is always written in bold type on the entry fee forms (the same form seems to just circulate from group to group, the disclaimer and waiver is two pages long). Don't know if the State here (Hawaii) has such a law, although I probably would have heard about it. You know, even though your stud may be very well behaved, I've noticed that some mares will immediately go into heat and get very distracted around a stud. So perhaps out of consideration to those riding mares in your group ride, you may want to leave The Boy at home and find another horse for your daughter.

Posted on Friday, Jul 5, 2002 - 12:37 pm:

Our saddle club does have a rule that prohibits underage riders, and I understand why they do this. My horse has never been my concern, but, as you stated above, other horses are. On the ride we are going on, we know all the horses there and all the mares are bred (mostly by my stud)and all the geldings know my horse as well. I would not take him out with horses that he didn't know for just the reason you stated above. The concern is of the legality of my daughter riding him on public lands which, according to some here in our state, is prohibited by law for persons under the age of 21. I still cannot find any information on this as of yet and any help in this department would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the info thus far!

Posted on Monday, Jul 8, 2002 - 6:08 pm:

Could you call your local county extension service and ask them if there are any restrictions?

It is where I'd start.
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