Gamesmanship - Do you get

kick_On

kick_On

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 February 2006
Messages
5,770
Location
muddy bit!!!
Visit site
involved???

Normally i don't get inolved, but if big time provoked can and will do back, esp if verbal, but defo will do back if bullied on horse in warm up arenas.
But is bullying, gamesmanship or just rude???
 
I've never really thought of it as gamesmanship, just that some people have no consideration for others or their horses and the way it affects them.
As long as they get their warm up going well they couldn't give a stuff who they smash in to the fence to do it.
 
Rude , I will not be ridden down in a warm up but I also try not to get involved either.

Have been ridden into a bit water trough in the corner of a warm up once, yes the chap who did it then managed to beat me (I'd beaten him in every previous test prior to this. ) Got my own back by beating him in every test after wards to.
grin.gif


I will also ride with my whip sticking out if necessray as self defence.

Flip side if things happen when I'm actually in doing my test (crying babies, loud bangs, horses spooking etc) I just put it down to luck and ignore it.
 
The first time I took my young stallion to his first dressage test was unbelievable. He had ribbons on and was perfectly behaved, a little vocal but he did not put a foot wrong. He was the only stallion there and there seemed to be a massive amount of mares in season for some reason??!! There was one silly women who kept coming upto me and chatting on a skinny 15hh throroughbred mare who was in season and standing it in front of my boy. He just stood and behaved but I was sure she was trying to wind him up, didn't work though!! When I went in to do my test, he was bing a good boy and doing quite well, it was outdoor to so quite a lot of distractions and he stayed fairly focused. Next thing I see is a big grey irish draught type mare flying around the practise ring bucking with no rider on and stirrups flailing! That did get his attention! It proceeded to run through the ropes of the practice arena and all the other horses were going mad. I was sooo annoyed, it just seemed like everything was aiming for me!! I still got a decent score though, I think the judge sympathised!!!
 
I think people are just oblivious to anything outside their own little world, I've never seen it as being deliberate just inconsiderate.
 
I think it's definitely that and, in the case of a lot of dressage riders, them only being able to ride whilst looking at their hands rather than where they're going.
mad.gif
 
I think most are just oblivious to others too. I see a lot of rudeness like this in SJ warm ups. You always get the usual buggers who cantering right in front of you expecting YOU to stop or change direction. They yell at you if you get in their way! And talk about hogging fences..... thats the worst. The ones with about 4 grooms surrounding the fences and putting them up every time THEIR rider has jumped - sod everyone else. Morons.
 
I've seen it more in showing...

The worst one I've seen, horses were cantering then one at a time galloping down the long side, so you were expected to collect, then on your turn - gallop.

Asti went to gallop and someone undertook - on the inside - so the judge didn't see Asti gallop at all. Horribly bad manners if you ask me - not gamesmanship!
 
I dont think in dressage its 'gamesmanship' i think its bloomin ignorance of working in a school with others, the story of the stallion is not news to me , i've even when through clenched teeth i've said 'do you think you could give me space' the reply was' yes , i was just wanting to know if my mare was really in season.!!!'
Other infuriating 'habits' not knowing left to left , doing a 20m circle at E or B , not giving way to lateral work or counter canter but mostly walking on the outside track 'chatting' with friends or taking boots of on the outside track. It really gets on my T*ts and believe me i do SAY SOMETHING!!!!!!!
Oh and i forgot .... for god's sake LOOK UP!!!!!!
 
How true Partoow, I wonder if the message would get to them if they suddenly had a 17hh warmblood around their shoulders???!! I have a right mind to let him sometimes!!!!!
 
The only thing I dislike about Sj warm ups is those people that like to put the spread about 6 feet wide and then hog it. They seem to enjoy putting their horses a bit deep and showing off how scopey they are.. Then they leave the bloody thing 6 feet wide and some unsuspecting person clatters the back rail down. By all means go up to the max height, but they're should be a max width rule too. Infuriating.

Dr warm ups tend to be fine for me as Im BE I often have a whole field to play in!
smirk.gif
 
I went to a local showjumping thing yesterday and it was amazing that noone was hurt in hte warm-up arena. Like Shaab I am mostly BE and prior to that was mostly Dressage so it has been years since I have seen anything like yesterday's scrum.
There were more then 30 horses in the arena (which was not large by any means), many out of control or with small children on them, the fences were put up to the point that they were being knocked left right and centre and everyone was so rude even to their own parents! I went along thinking it would be good for Clover to see another side of life and I'm just glad that she is such a tryer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top