SJ warm-up - do you ever alert others when you are about to jump?

little_flea

little_flea

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 September 2007
Messages
3,339
Location
London (but Swedish)
Visit site
I have often wondered about this - when I learnt to show jump (as if...) and were competing in Sweden, it was customary to call out when you were about to jump something ("Jumping oxer/upright/crosspoles") so that others in the warm up knew and could stay out of the way as to avoid clashes and frustration. As far as I know, it still is, and I think it is in the competition rules as well.

I have noticed that hardly anyone does this where I compete now in the UK. Why is this?

Do you do it? I still do it but people look at me like I am a moron so I'm a bit embarrased. I guess i just go for the "When in Rome..." approach and stop doing it but it just seems like a helpful thing to do?

What do you think - good or bad thing to do? Is this a cultural difference?
 
I only say anything if someone on foot walks in front of the fence, or looks like they are about to change it.

Swedish collecting rings must be very noisy!
 
Depends how crowded the warm up is and what I read off other peoples body language. If it all looks clear then I stay quiet but if I'm turning into the jump and someone looks like they might circle across me or someone on the ground looks like they're about to alter the jump then I'll shout "oxer/upright please" and then if person on ground is about to adjust will also call "thank you" as I land.
 
I do what MB does - if someone is about to go in front of me/alter the jump then I yelp! When non-horsey friends come and do my jumps, I have to keep an eye out as if someone called "oxer" they would be baffled, so I have to call their name if someone wants them to move!
 
When I was training for my BHS exams my instructor used to make us do this to make sure we didn't forget to do it in the exams. Since then I do something similar to what others have said - have a good look around whilst I'm cantering around and only call out which fence if it looks like someone else is considering turning to it aswell/ is about to get in front of it/hasn't seen me etc. I tend to find if it's in a small warmup (eg indoor arena) I need to do it more often than in a big warm up eg a field.

It would definitely save a few confrontations if more people did it, although there are a few people who don't even look around let alone shout so maybe looking would be a good start!
 
if someone is in my way i will shout oxer / upright as i'm coming to it so encourage them to move pretty sharpish!
 
I always do, mostly because when I was younger there could be 5 or 6 of us in the arena all doing different jumps, so it helped to know where everyone was going! I've done the last couple of yard jumping nights, and it really annoys me that most of the kids don't bother to shout, they just assume you'll see them and move :mad:
 
i don't do it everytime i jump. But i will shout ''oxer'' or ''verticle'' if someone moves infront of the jump/moves behind it or looks as if they are about to change it.
although, saying that, when warmups get ridiculously busy i do tend to shout more, but only really because it occurs more often that someone will move in the way! :) lol x
 
It's also standard in North American warm ups to "call your jumps". I don't find it particularly noisy and at least it means if someone DOES get in the way, they had fair warning. ;)
 
It was standard in Italian ODEs warmup rings to shout "upright" or "spread". There weren't half as many problems...

When I was doing my stages we were taught to shout "jumping", and it would have been a fail in the warm up for show jumping part of the stage III if you hadn't shouted it. Not sure if thats the case now? It would be much better if they still had this rule really...
 
I do as the majority above. Have alook around and if I think someone is going to get in the way I will call out.

Annoyed me at BCA over the weekend as even calling out I got cut up, so circled and as I represented someone else pulled in front of me! furious I got v.stroppy.
 
In France you sometimes get
oxer, or, vertical,shouted
but never the please bit!!
Sometimes there are only 10 horses allowed in the warm up and you wait to be told you can go in there.
 
As others have said only shout if somebody looks as if they are about to change the fence or they are standing infront/behind the fence. Something along the lines of "oxer please" gives them a fair warning that if they don't get out of my way I may have to squish them good and proper ;)
 
i'd shout upright/jumping upright or whatever i was about to jump if someone was in the way, but not if it was clear
 
I scream my head off - JUMPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!! The amount of time I've just about to come into a fence and some idiot just flies in and starts fiddling with it. How about LOOK before you change things, fools!

So short story, yes I always shout! (I have also been known to remind people of etiquette in the warm up too!).
 
Thing is, if you call then you also stop people turning circles at the other end of the school as they are aware that someone is about to jump - Saf (pretty sure it was Saf, if not it was S_J)has an awesome video of someone crossing the landing side of her fence as she jumps, it is a miracle no one was hurt!
 
MegaBeast said:
Depends how crowded the warm up is and what I read off other peoples body language. If it all looks clear then I stay quiet but if I'm turning into the jump and someone looks like they might circle across me or someone on the ground looks like they're about to alter the jump then I'll shout "oxer/upright please" and then if person on ground is about to adjust will also call "thank you" as I land.
Click to expand...

I do exactly that.
 
Only ever had to do it at Arena Uk when one of the bsja mums walked into the middle of the oxer - and they ignored me!

However, I got a bit annoyed on friday - took the Babyhoss to his first ever SJ, and the warm up was tiny, I was cantering on the right rein and a girl was cantering on the left at the top end of the arena. She had been doing this for a bit, wasn't looking for the jump and so I went to pass left to left but she turned in to jump. Managed to avoid an accident (Babyhoss has a very good handbrake thankfully!) and apologised profusely as I knew it was my bad for turning across - yet she still proceeded to glare at me :rolleyes: I know I was in the wrong, but I definately looked to check if she was jumping, she never called and wasn't looking at the jump! I've always said 'it's okay' if someone apologises if they've cut me up, thought most people would too?
 
Weezy - that is exactly the reason I do it too, and I have to admit that I have nearly been in the way for someone else jumping after a fence; sometime you just don't know and there isn't a lot of space in some warm ups, all it takes to be in the way is being on the inside track. I'd rather know when people are jumping so I can avoid being in the way rather than having to haul my horse to an unpleasant halt...

Thanks for your replies, I think I shall continue to stick out like a sore thumb by being the shouty foreign person on the way-too-large grumpy mare.
 
Pretty much the same as others, I shout 'oxer'/'xpole' if there is anyone lurking/about to put jump up, and if they are directly in the way i will bellow 'excuse meeeee' ;) and then thank people for waiting.

A bit off topic but my pet hate is people whacking up warm up jumps to a good foot higher than the class (we're talking unaff SJ here btw not BE or BSJA :o ), then leaving them high. Grr
 
Whacking up practise jumps isnt really allowed here in France, as the practise ring Stewards have very sharp eyes, and there are bits of tape wound round the wing at the height allowed for the class.Sometimes they have an electronic scoreboard type of display, showing the horse number that is in the ring at the time, very helpful. I suppose I am trying to say, the practise ring is as well policed as is the jumping ring.
JC
 
I only shout if it look liek a person on foot is about t change the fence or someone is walking a circle infront of it or like some people decide to stand in front of the fence talking to trainer/parents!!
 
only if I think someone is going to change/walk across right in front of me when I'm a very close, I'll shout watch out but in a polite way, for their own safety, not the sort that gobs off miles away from the jump to clear everyone away, you do get that type!
 
I always shout, people are such morons. someone crossed into my landing once and her horse jinked and she flew off and her daughter had the audacity to say it was my fault. My horses are v tense in the collecting ring so I have to try to babysit them until I get to jump!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top