Arena Etiquette….

[TheBayThoroughbred]

Disclaimer: this happened at my old yard but I thought I’d share (and feel free to share any stories you have as well!)

At my last yard we had one arena for all liveries to use, no booking system, just be polite and share etc. I was taking my boy through a little schooling session when another livery came in with her little unbacked 2 yo cob on the lunge. I didn’t really know her at all, and I tend to be really shy (and I was brand new to the yard), so I just kind of said hello and wandered up to the top of the arena to give her the bottom half.



I tried to keep away from the centre of the arena, so I just did some circles and walk trot canter transitions. I heard shouting and looked up to see her horse had torn away and was charging to the gate (which she had left open). Thankfully, another livery was walking by and managed to grab it, so no harm done, and my boy is about the most laid back horse on earth, so he just kind of watched the whole thing from afar. I rush over to see if she is okay, and she says “you’ve got to remember not everyone is as advanced as you, you need to be more considerate!”

I was totally stunned into silence! Especially considering we had been trotting 20m circles at that point!

She ended up complaining to the YO about it. Thankfully, the YO was pretty sensible, but I couldn’t believe that it was somehow my fault.

 

[abbijay]

Our yard has 2 arenas but some pretty set rules. Only one arena can be booked at a time, the other must be free for anyone to use. If you wish to lunge you must book the arena. If it is not booked you may lunge but may get kicked out if someone else wants to ride and the other arena is booked.
We had an issue a couple of years ago where one arena was booked for someone having a lesson and myself (on fire-breathing 17.2 shire horse working on canter transitions) and a young girl on a fiery pony club pony (well known for bucking and f4rting) were schooling in the other arena. Another livery came down to lunge and i took it upon myself to explain that this was not allowed in the yard rules and would create a safety risk for all 3 of us. I could feel the venom from doing this but it did mean she looked up the rules afterwards to find out I was correct. I'd rather not have done it (and there are horses I will ride with while being lunged) but not on the Big Idiot, not with a kid also in the arena, and not with a horse that is known for being a little wild on the lunge!

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Our arenas use a booking scheme but if not booked we can share it.

I once went down on a morning to show a friend around and let her have a lead rein ride on my big sensible horse.

As the yard was quiet I thought I could use the arena for a quick walk around. Got down there and the racehorses had it booked all morning and were just doing endless canter laps. (It's a very large arena)

Head groom was there and saw what I'd been thinking. She said if we could hang around 5mins they'd be switching lots and we could have 10mins in the arena while they changed horses.

My friend not only got a lead rein ride, a short trot in the arena but also got to watch racehorses in training thanks to the lovely head groom.

 

[TheBayThoroughbred]

Our yard has 2 arenas but some pretty set rules. Only one arena can be booked at a time, the other must be free for anyone to use. If you wish to lunge you must book the arena. If it is not booked you may lunge but may get kicked out if someone else wants to ride and the other arena is booked.
We had an issue a couple of years ago where one arena was booked for someone having a lesson and myself (on fire-breathing 17.2 shire horse working on canter transitions) and a young girl on a fiery pony club pony (well known for bucking and f4rting) were schooling in the other arena. Another livery came down to lunge and i took it upon myself to explain that this was not allowed in the yard rules and would create a safety risk for all 3 of us. I could feel the venom from doing this but it did mean she looked up the rules afterwards to find out I was correct. I'd rather not have done it (and there are horses I will ride with while being lunged) but not on the Big Idiot, not with a kid also in the arena, and not with a horse that is known for being a little wild on the lunge!

I love it when people get angry at you for asking them to follow the rules…especially the ones designed for the safety of them and their animals!

 

[Red-1]

The lady could see what you were doing and chose to come in. Her losing control was therefore on her.

I hate gates open, seen a rider nearly smash their knee with a nappy horse.

However, had I been teaching a novice and scatty lady/horse had come in, if that is within the rules, I would have left for the safety of the rider. Not because I thought my horse would be affected, but if scatty horse had broken loose and run into my student, that would be on me as the person in charge of their safety as it was foreseeable.

I prefer a no lungeing while others are being ridden rule, unless the rider specifically does not mind.

 

[ycbm]

I was riding in a 40x30 and a girl came in and joined me. I hadn't ridden anywhere nearer her than 15 metres when she snapped "can you give me room, my horse might kick off" . I asked her how much room and she ignored me. I said "I'm not being snippy with you, my horse is good and I will stay exactly the distance away from you that you want me to. 5 metres, 10 ?". Her reply "oh never mind! ".
.

 

[TheBayThoroughbred]

I was riding in a 40x30 and a girl came in and joined me. I hadn't ridden anywhere nearer her than 15 metres when she snapped "can you give me room, my horse might kick off" . I asked her how much room and she ignored me. I said "I'm not being snippy with you, my horse is good and I will stay exactly the distance away from you that you want me to. 5 metres, 10 ?". Her reply "oh never mind! ".
.

Yeah I’m not sure if it’s from a place of anxiety/insecurity? Like they’re stressed so they snap at you? Either way it drives me insane, I’m always happy to make accommodations for spooky/nervous/nutty horses, but you don’t have to snap at me!

 

[ihatework]

She is an ignorant prat. Ignore her or even better, put her in her place

 

[Annagain]

I'm grateful that our yard is very good when it comes to sharing the school. It's only a little 20x40 but there are only 10 horses and only 7 that get ridden so it's never really a problem. It's quite rare that people want to ride at the same time but we all share happily if we're riding and someone wanting to lunge will always wait for riders to finish or vice versa if there's an overlap. Once a week in summer we do jump club where we take it in turns to put up a course or a grid and be on the ground and the rest of us all ride together. There are often 6 horses in there then but we'll park in a corner for a couple to go round and swap over. It works well.

 

[smolmaus]

Yeah I’m not sure if it’s from a place of anxiety/insecurity? Like they’re stressed so they snap at you?

Very likely, I think.

We only have a 20x40-ish arena so it can be a little close if more than one person is using it. There are some horses/ people I am fine with sharing and some I wouldn't be. If someone is lunging one that I knew could be a bit spicy I would probably ask before I trotted or cantered but as you say, you barely knew the person and she could equally have come to a better decision about trying to lunge a baby (???) when someone else is already schooling.

 

[Surbie]

So you were already riding, they came in to lunge, didn't shut the gate or communicate what they were doing if it was needed, lost control and that was somehow YOUR fault??? What a wally.

I've only been at one yard where lunging and riding at the same time was permitted. I do remember a livery's young horse throwing some impressive shapes while we were in there and being thankful it was a very large space and that my horse isn't generally reactive to other horses.

 

[Caol Ila]

My biggest arena usage pet peeves:

1. People who don't follow what I think of as the 'skiing rule.' If you are a fast downhill skiier, it is your responsibility to watch out for and avoid slower skiiers in front of you. Similarly, if you are doing fast canter laps of the school, you should not expect riders working at walk or trot to have eyes on the back of their head and to dodge you as you come barrelling up behind them.

And if you are caning it around the rail and you see someone in front of you doing a slow leg yield in trot to the rail, shooting through the narrow gap between them and the fence is really stupid.

2. Lunging in the arena when people are riding. It takes up a lot of space. However, our yard allows it, so it is what it is. BUT if your horse is likely to be spicey on the lunge, then maybe don't? I have bailed on a schooling session because someone came in after me, started lunging their horse, horse went bananas, and I made an escape because it looked like the handler was going to be kicked or the horse was going to pull the line out of their hand.

 

[J&S]

It is surprising sometimes how people think they can ride in an arena. I used to have quite advanced lessons with a lady from the Talland, it was pot luck who one shared with but the organiser did try to pair one up. I was riding with this woman who kept barging into me in a pretty big school, she never gave me any room when passing in either direction! After a while i appealed to the instructor who thank fully explained some arena etiquette. The person in question ran a local equestrian centre..... would you believe! As we were both leaving the venue I stood and held the gate for her, she hung out of her window and offered apologies as she said she had never heard of the "Left to Left" rule. I was more than astounded under the circumstances.
In the circumstances the OP describes there was total lack of common sense from the lungeing person combined with an uneducated attitude.

 

[SEL]

Its not just small arenas....

I was at a yard with an enormous outdoor. You could easily have two lessons going on in there or a lesson at one end and lunging at the other (common). On a Saturday morning it was used for external lessons so we had to use it by 9 or stay out. I'm in there with my young horse and one of the liveries is in there on an 11h ancient pony. Her mum has set up some cross poles and we are keeping a good distance from each other. All is good.

In came another livery. Got her hubby to set up grids down both long sides and started jumping her feisty TB. Kid is trying to do x poles without getting run over and I'm trying to find anywhere in the arena to ride that doesn't involve getting in the way of a selfish rider blatting down both long sides over jumps. Poor YO got it in both ears when she turned up to do lessons and had to message everyone reminding them that pre lesson Saturdays the school was likely to be busy so don't be selfish.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

A friend and I were riding our young horses in a 20X40 non-bookable arena. Both on 4 year olds. A parelli student came in to do some ground work. Waggled her rope around a bit as horse moved forward and backwards. No problem. Then suddenly she cracked the whip loudly either side her her horse's head! She has obviously done this a million times before as her half-asleep, bored horse ignored her. Meanwhile our horses were going bananas. She was either oblivious or indifferent to this as she carried on crakcing her whip one side then the other, while our 2 were dancing around. My friend yelled 'can you stop that' and she said 'I'm desensitizing him'. I said 'I think he's ok with whips now. You don't need to keep doing it.' She indignantly said 'It's not a whip it's a carrot stick'. Friend's reply 'well my horse doesn't know that does he!'

She still thought it was our fault for not having 'desensitised' our horses well enough before riding them.

 

[Wizpop]

We had a 20 x 40 arena. When I was riding one day, someone came to lunge their horse and asked could they come in. If they had been riding I would’ve said yes, but they were going to lunge and I said no. They couldn’t see the potential problem when I explained but I still politely said no.What could possibly go wrong???

I think your person was probably looking for someone to blame - or they were embarrassed at their silly behaviour! Leaving the gate open is such a non starter!

 

[Jenko109]

Well they were clearly a t*** if they were lunging a 2yo.

 

[toppedoff]

Yard girl was having a lesson on her horse, lady came down wanting to use the arena (We have 3, 2 weren't in use), anyway, they shared the arena and for the whole lesson the person who came down was chatting with the instructor and the poor girl had only around 25 mins out of an hours lesson. Felt quite bad for her! And the lady is staff and oh, she didn't even groom her horse before coming down to ride. I don't blame her for complaining to me about it I can't lie!