Pet hates at shows?

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Toby_Zaphod

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I hate to see cars parked in the lorry park when they haven't got a horse trailer on the back of them. The times I've seen what I perceived to be a gap & am ready to swing my lorry in to find a bl@@dy car parked there. This really annoys when it's a busy show, spaces are at a premium & there is an actual car park for cars at the venue.

Also at a busy show when lorries are not parked close to each other just because someone wants to tie their horse up alongside their lorry. Then they walk off leaving the horse unsupervised & are feeding a hay net outside the lorry which is contrary to the rules of the show.

I think it's all totally inconsiderate to other people attending the show. Rant over! ;(
 
People (usually kids/teenagers) cantering about the place when the rules clearly say that you're supposed to walk everywhere unless you're in the warmup or in a ring!
 
If someone hacks to a show then they may well have "ground crew" taking their show grear in a car and not want to take the horse into the car park (I've done that at local shows and sis has taken the gear).
I get more wound up about people using their horses as chairs, or putting them in loads of classes when they are not fit enough.
As both a competitor and an official I get very fed up of people who cause classes to go on over time, either by coming into the class late or taking for ever with their individual shows. If I am in a position to do so, then I either hurry them up, or even on occaisions not allowing them in the ring.
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
I hate to see cars parked in the lorry park when they haven't got a horse trailer on the back of them. The times I've seen what I perceived to be a gap & am ready to swing my lorry in to find a bl@@dy car parked there. This really annoys when it's a busy show, spaces are at a premium & there is an actual car park for cars at the venue.

Also at a busy show when lorries are not parked close to each other just because someone wants to tie their horse up alongside their lorry. Then they walk off leaving the horse unsupervised & are feeding a hay net outside the lorry which is contrary to the rules of the show.

I think it's all totally inconsiderate to other people attending the show. Rant over! ;(
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I'm with you on both of those!
Also horses/helpers stopped in gateways and access points, especially if the warm up is small or very busy!
 
Dartmoor Hill Ponies, part breds and dubiously bred optimistically labelled M&M ponies in classes for registered M&M's
 
People who are rude or inconsiderate in the collecting ring.

Those who don't pass left to left, who cut across you, who ride to the rear of a jump as you approach, who whip their horses,who put the jump wayyyyy bigger than the class, then crash through it, those who hang round the entrance when they are not about to go.... I don't enjoy collecting rings unless it is as it should be!
 
M+M judges who can't identify the native breeds.

People who let their horse get up your horse's @r$e even though your horse is wearing a red ribbon.

People who turn up for a M+M class with a black jacket/white jodhpurs/Dutch gag/plaited pony combination and then call the judge every name under the sun for not placing them.

People overtaking those placed higher than them in the lap of honour.

Bad language in the ring.

People overfacing babies. Your yearling who has never been on a showground in its life does not need to be entered in every single showing class it is eligible for; if you only entered one or two the experience would be a positive one, and then you would not need to be 'effing this and effing that' at it when it finally boiled over, neither would the judge have given you a warning for your behaviour... (I saw this at a show last summer).
 
People in the collecting ring, mounted, having a chat.
Pushy parents shouting at crying children (yes, seen it).
Lame horses jumping.
People in the warm up area on really badly behaving horses that they are clearly not in control of.
 
People in the warm up arena standing around! One place we do dressage has an indoor school to warm up. One side of it is open and normally people will stand there to watch. It's a small enough warm up space as it is but people then stand their horses along this wall to chat to those on the other side meaning you have to dodge them! Happens at another venue which has a fenced off area for spectators in the indoor warm up.
 
People jumping off horses and leaving them girthed up, stirrups dangling, while rider takes hat and gloves off, changes into comfortable boots, shows off rosette, has a drink, etc.

People with red ribbons in their horse's tail cutting you up as though the ribbon gives them automatic right of way, or makes it everyone else's responsibility to watch their back end (happened to me in a collecting ring)
 
Flicker said:
Pushy parents shouting at crying children (yes, seen it).
.
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Seen this many a time and mainly at childrens BS classes

I saw one mum threaten to sell a pony at a show jumping show in the summer, she even got the father on the phone to write down the advertisement as she dictated it much to the horror of the child. When the child went in for her round the mum then reeled off a list of reasons why the child wasn't going to 'make it in showjumping' to anyone within hearing distance, it was utterly horrible to witness and not the first time I've seen something similar
 
I hate people who ride right up behind you in the warm up even though your horse has a massive red ribbon in it, Said horse then jumps when they go past as you knew he would (why the ribbon is there) and they then have the cheek to get angry with you as you scared their horse - happens time and time again at a place local to me and I've had parents call me over to "discuss" my dangerous horse. He is only a spooky jumpy thoroughbred but it drives me mad!
 
I know some of these have already been said but I'll second them

People clogging up access points. If you are just sitting on your horse then don't do it either in the warm up area or the entrance to the warm up area or the main route to the ring.

People who do some sort of 'chase me charlie' at the practice fences often whacking the jumps up to over a metre when the class is only a 70cm.

People using their horse as a grandstand between each class.

General etiquette in the warm up area leaves a lot to be desired. Why do people decide to tighten their girths right in the firing line of the practice jumps?

People who put their number down for a class and then aren't there when it's their go but when they do deign to arrive at the ring expect to be allowed in ahead of people who've been waiting there on time. IMHO if you aren't there or sent a message to the ring steward if you are having a problem then you should go to the end of the list. This often happens at shows where there a hundreds of competitors and it if they aren't there then the next person should be allowed to go in. These people are usually the ones who've made the biggest fuss about where they want their number put on the board.

Brats who jump their ponies over and over the practice jumps until the poor little blighter has had enough and then bawl when the pony stops in the ring.

When you've Painstakingly worked out which classes you can do without disappearing up your own backside trying to be in the right place at the right time and not have to rush too much between classes and the organisers decide to change which rings some of the classes are taking place in so you end up missing classes which you pre-paid to enter.

There's a venue I go to regularly where the parking on hard standing is quite tight. People insist on parking at the side of the main access way to the main parking area which is fine if they have a traditional rear unload lorry, BUT, they tie their horses up and glower each time they have to move them when another horse carrying vehicle is trying the access the main parking area.

I don't mind taking someone along to shows with me in my lorry BUT it does annoy me when they hog the tack area so I can't get my horse and myself ready until they've finished faffing about.

On the whole though, I love going to shows and I often go alone and have always found perfect strangers to be very nice and friendly. In fact, the last stressage comp I went to I had a major senior moment and forgot my saddle. The organisers were wonderful and sorted me out a saddle, stirrups, girth and saddle pad I could use and let the judge know for me that I'd be out of order, the other competitors were very generous in letting me go after them instead of before so I had a little more warm up time.
 
I hate all the time spent preparing loading getting there then all the time waiting to go in the ring for me to spend 2 minutes dicking it all up and most likely missing a jump to top it off with just for good measure.
 
BleakMidWinter556 said:
Well where else can they tie the horse to tack up/ groom etc? It isn't always an option leaving the horse locked up in lorry between classes, is it?
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When you have a lorry you can tack up your horse on the lorry. This is how it should be done. As for "It isn't always an option leaving a horse locked up on a lorry in between classes:, well why not? This is done regularly at BS Shows. Pros do it all the time & others do it also. If you wish you can feed a hay net. I don't see a problem.

Another issue is when there is either a spineless steward or no steward in the collecting ring & jumps are put up to ridiculous heights when everyone knows the jumps cannot be any higher than the class that is currently being jumped. The ring steward should enforCe this & many do not. :(
 
People who park so close to your lorry they've not left plenty of room for tying up, washing off, etc. Fair enough if its a little, busy car park but when there's an entire empty field, why the need to park on top of one another?

Separating car parking from lorry parking. How are you supposed to cope when you, half your stuff and your horse are on one side of the show ground and the other half of the stuff and your helper are on the opposite side?

I'm not just being awkward, these actually do bug me! Along with horses tied on really long ropes they can get their legs over, horses tied up unattended, and endurance only - ropey marking.
 
TelH said:
M+M judges who can't identify the native breeds.

People who turn up for a M+M class with a black jacket/white jodhpurs/Dutch gag/plaited pony combination and then call the judge every name under the sun for not placing them.
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^ This .. plus

Judges who don't take time to explain to the back row why they weren't placed higher, whatever the reason. A half-hearted nod from 20 feet away will never help people improve or have something to aim for.

Riders cutting up, overtaking or running up the backside of the horse / pony in front in the go around.

Mothers / producers / helpers who throw tantrums ringside if child isn't placed.
 
Rlister89 said:
I hate people who ride right up behind you in the warm up even though your horse has a massive red ribbon in it, Said horse then jumps when they go past as you knew he would (why the ribbon is there) and they then have the cheek to get angry with you as you scared their horse - happens time and time again at a place local to me and I've had parents call me over to "discuss" my dangerous horse. He is only a spooky jumpy thoroughbred but it drives me mad!
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^^^ This. I am very conscious I have a big sharp mare who if she feels threatened behind will react. I therefore put a lot of training and boundaries into her but to be ultra safe I red ribbon her. She's black so it stands out a mile, I try to ride at all times with consideration to others. Yet at a recent dressage comp a seasoned competitor (riding club committee type) saw fit to canter a circle right up my mare's backend in a large spacious arena where I was quietly minding my own business in walk off the track as per rules. My mare squealed in surprise and ninja kicked out, thankfully missing the horse as I swiftly kicked her forward and growled at her. I did get an apology as woman realised what a numpty she had been but it could have been nasty.

Interestingly this comp (dressage) was full of posher adult riders who really should and did know warmup etiquette but chose to ignore it. Previous week I'd been to a different club event and was warming up with novice type juniors on ponies who without exception rode with their heads and manners!
 
I wasnt aware that people look so negatively on tying up outside the lorry/trailer, i always do this, with a haynet, but will be reluctant to do so now as i will worry i'm upsetting other competitors. I have a trailer, and I cant tack up etc inside so have to do everything outside. I also dont like leaving my gelding stood on the trailer at all if i can help it. What are we supposed to do instead?
 
I am with the "horse off the lorry" brigade to tack up. It is considerably easier. My personal bug bear is people who let their dogs run loose around the lorries. Stick it on a lead or don't bring it. When I bring any of mine, they know they stay on the lorry unless called off and with a lead attached. I do not need the aggro of fending loose dogs off mine. With you guys on the people who use the collecting ring for a chat...I do ask those riders to leave though. It's crowded enough..oh and the person who keeps cutting in when you are committed to a fence...will only do it once!
 
Paint Myrrh Proud said:
I wasnt aware that people look so negatively on tying up outside the lorry/trailer, i always do this, with a haynet, but will be reluctant to do so now as i will worry i'm upsetting other competitors. I have a trailer, and I cant tack up etc inside so have to do everything outside. I also dont like leaving my gelding stood on the trailer at all if i can help it. What are we supposed to do instead?
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Most people don't care. Keep doing it!
 
Jump positioned with messy fore/backgrounds - routes planned that don't take the horse anywhere you want it to for a clear shot - people that blink/hide their head/look the wrong way when jumping. Oh and black and white horses and whoever it is who decided that overhead lights should only be 40watts; that's fine when there is sunlight streaming through the overhead windows, but its a nightmare in winter once the light goes or its a really heavy cloudy day.

And the worst - shows that don't seem to ever stop for lunch!
 
Lame horses, riders who leave the ring declaring (loudly) how the horse behaved like a **** in order to excuse their own performance, parents who are actually addressing the bystanders when appearing to talk to their child, judges who mistake a Comtois for a fat Haflinger and so on, riders who don't cool down their horses, riders who deliberately fizz up their horses to make them appear difficult, riders who bellow at their horses for daring to look right when being led...

I could go on :)
 
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TelH said:
M+M judges who can't identify the native breeds.
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^^^ This.
The amount of Registered M+M classes I've been in where the 'show pony' types, all plaited etc, win/make the line up, when all the true to type natives don't place at all is frustrating,.
 
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