mild rant over warm up arenas

R2R

R2R

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I went to two shows this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. I am not going to go on about the warm up - which has to be said was a nightmare at times (people walking round three abreast having a chat) but I was wondering what peoples opinions on kickers were.

At both shows I have had horses back up and try to kick mine - the fist time it happened, I was coming towards the warm up jump and therefore had at least the distance of the jump either side. The horse in question stopped and backed up (literally ran backwards) into mine. I had to pull up and get out of the way - and the girl didn't smack her horse or anything. From then on, her horse swung its arse in every time I, or the other person who was also warming up, came anywhere near it.

I don't think this horse should have been allowed in the warm up? Or am I wrong? It was clearly a danger?

Yesterday a horse was passing left to left with me, I was going the right way so she came off the track - her horse stopped and swung its arse and threatened to kick mine resulting in me having to smack/spur my horse to get out of the way - the girl just looked at me and said sorry? No smacking of her horse or anything?

Its just something that did my head in, and thankfully no one was harmed, but but what do you all think? I am inclined to think that if your horse is going to put others at risk it shouldn't be in the warm up at all, or at the very least should be disciplined if it did play up?

Neither of these horses had red ribbons in their tails either.
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well I would imagine that these were possibly horses that if smacked would kick out hence making the situation worse, hence why they were not smacked. I dont think I would smack anything that was backing up in case it did kick out.

if neither horse kicked maybe they werent kickers? particularly the reversing one it might just have been being very nappy. Warm up arenas can be stressful places for horses and you cant always predict how they will behave, it may have been a new horse for the person etc.
 
It's blooming annoying! My mare has been known to kick and if she's backed up I cannot smack her or she'll double barrell the horse behind....very crafty!
 
I have to agree, in my experience a smack can result in a kick so I would not smack a horse that was backing up into another horse/person.

If they were just backing up and not kicking as such, they were nappy which is not good, but these things happen when you get a lot of horses together...
 
I agree - I hate it when people don't do anything about their horse's bad behaviour. I also agree that smacking a kicker can sometimes make it kick, but at least trying to make the horse swing the other way then walloping it, or apologising, would be a start.

The problem with a red ribbon (in warm ups or hunting) is that people seem to think this gives their horse licence to act up and that they can blame other riders for not staying out of the way. Uh, no, sorry, your the one with the problem, do something about it! It's meant as a warning to to others, not an excuse. At least put the horses bum to a fence and try to stay out of the wya, don't just stand there with it's backside pointed at others then say 'Oh well, he has a ribbon' when they've kicked.

Sorry, that turned into a mini rant all of itself
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yesterdays person did say sorry though.....

On the flip side I smacked my pony yesterday (with noone that near at the time I might add) and was told by someone else as they then trotted past me........ well that's going to wind my horse up......
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Hi - i am on the other side of the coin! I have a mare that kicks if anything gets close her ears go back and she will even charge from a distance - its a huge problem at shows and i put a huge red ribbon in her tail and people completely ignore it!!! I spend most of the time keeping her out of other horses way - if she was to kick out it would make the situation alot worse for me to smack her - if i was to smack her she would kick out violently which would then be even more dangerous - so by the time i get her out of the way to tell her off would she even know what i was then telling her off for? I am very careful with her and thus far have had no real problems but there are certain venues i wouldnt even take her to because of cramped warm up arenas - it would just be asking for problems. Honestly i know when my horse will kick and if someone is getting close i always call out to warn them even though they have ignored my ribbon!
 
People are blind to ribbons - the only person that matters in that collecting ring is themselves apparently!

I had a young horse that didnt like horses too close in the collecting ring - he wouldnt kick but wasnt happy and would shoot forwards.
I put in a green 'young horse' ribbon - not a blind bit of notice taken by anyone.
The next time i put a red ribbon in thinking more people would know what it was and take notice - err no.
The poor horse had a wound up thing plough inot the back of him - resulted in him shooting forwards into the path of the warmup fence - luckily nothing was on its way to the fence.

The girl did get a rollicking from numerous people on the ground for being so dim though!
 
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Hi - i am on the other side of the coin! I have a mare that kicks if anything gets close her ears go back and she will even charge from a distance - its a huge problem at shows and i put a huge red ribbon in her tail and people completely ignore it!!! I spend most of the time keeping her out of other horses way - if she was to kick out it would make the situation alot worse for me to smack her - if i was to smack her she would kick out violently which would then be even more dangerous - so by the time i get her out of the way to tell her off would she even know what i was then telling her off for? I am very careful with her and thus far have had no real problems but there are certain venues i wouldnt even take her to because of cramped warm up arenas - it would just be asking for problems. Honestly i know when my horse will kick and if someone is getting close i always call out to warn them even though they have ignored my ribbon!

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But that's fine as it sounds as though you are taking responsibility for your mare and being careful where you take her/warning people etc. It's the people who do nothing or use the red ribbon as an excuse for their horse to be evil and blame you if your own horse gets kicked when theirs has reversed into you that get my goat
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I agree - I hate it when people don't do anything about their horse's bad behaviour. I also agree that smacking a kicker can sometimes make it kick, but at least trying to make the horse swing the other way then walloping it, or apologising, would be a start.

The problem with a red ribbon (in warm ups or hunting) is that people seem to think this gives their horse licence to act up and that they can blame other riders for not staying out of the way. Uh, no, sorry, your the one with the problem, do something about it! It's meant as a warning to to others, not an excuse. At least put the horses bum to a fence and try to stay out of the wya, don't just stand there with it's backside pointed at others then say 'Oh well, he has a ribbon' when they've kicked.

Sorry, that turned into a mini rant all of itself
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Competely 100% agree. I am not fussed if a horse kicks or not, just that it affected my warm up and was detrimental to my horse as he was smacked forward twice when the horses backed up.

I had an email about kickers on from my hunt this w/end - basically saying sort your horse out and show it some manners, and get to the back of the field or else you will be asked to leave - I think the same should go for warm ups!

The 2 incidences were nothing to do with me avoiding a horse - firstly I was on the track so they had to move around me...and secondly I was approaching a jump, so what the hell was I supposed to do? Leave the w/up until they had finished?
 
Millie can back up when she gets a bit overwhelmed in the warm up sometimes.

she doesn't kick though and if i smacked her i would get a big flybuck which would very likely catch anyone behind her.

she is getting better about it as she gets older and i do always apologise if we end up in anyone's way but the only way to get her better is to keep taking her to shows.

i do get annoyed when people start loudly complaining about the 'kicking horse' to each other when she hasn't tried to kick at all and would have reversed with or without a horse behind her!!

i don't really understand what you wanted the 2nd girl to do? smack the horse and perhaps cause it to actually kick yours?
 
I want to know how many have had accidents during a warmp up and what was actually done by the stewards on site, as I am sure there are hundreds of incidents and warm up areas should be manned, I know this is difficult to do at times but some times you have kids bombing around all day "warming up thier ponies" even if they are not in that class,

My 16.2 is terrified in the warm up area and does all the shooting forward and jumping out of the way of others, making warming up very difficult, I usually do a good walk around out side and maybe a sneaky trot to the warm up area so then I only have to do minimum trot work and some cantering, I use a smaller class as a warm up then.

I have considered putting a red ribbon in her tail, she has not kicked out yet but I would be worried if she did as someone may try and make some sort of claim that I knew she was a kicker and that I was admitting liability by putting ribbon on tail. (may start a post on that one now)

My rant over

I can see your frustration and I know that If i did smack my horse she would prob kick out, but I would at least shout and growl at her, and would be alot more respectful of others
 
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Any horse has the potential to kick.

I got told once that if you get kicked you were to close...

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The 2 incidences were nothing to do with me avoiding a horse - firstly I was on the track so they had to move around me...and secondly I was approaching a jump, so what the hell was I supposed to do? Leave the w/up until they had finished?
 
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