Terrible behaviour at local show jumping.

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Ilovefoals

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I went to a venue near me last night to watch the adult BS(JA) and it reminded me why I haven't been for so long!

The behaviour from these so called adults was disgusting!!!

One woman was holding her horse back at every fence so it had to catleap over most. So she stopped halfway round and beat 7 shades out of it then carried on riding exactly the same way! She totally blamed the animal when it was her riding that caused the problem. The judges said nothing!

There was another rider, (in her 30's I might add), who's mother was shouting at her from the side during each of her rounds. "HOLD IT, PUSH IT, WHIP IT, FOR GODS SAKE, I CAN'T WATCH THIS RUBBISH etc etc".

Are these people not embarassed?! They are meant to be horse loving people. They are meant to be adults. I was tempted to say something as the judges didn't but I had a feeling I might have gotten my face punched in!

I will certainly not be going back again!:mad:
 
I went to a show recently and watched a little showjumping round with maybe 17 or 18 yr old competitors. I am not very good at jumping and have absolutely no experience of doing it competitively but I was shocked at some of the riding. One boy was hurtling his horse around the course, spurred legs flailing about, strong bit which seemed totally unnecessary for that horse. They knocked several down as he clearly hadn't done any schooling or preparation work, he just wanted to chuck his poor horse around the course and then be annoyed when he didn't win.
 
I kept thinking, do these people not do any schooling???? It was all about speed and strong bits.

There were a few well schooled horses and good riders but the idiots far out numbered!

The good riders with the well educated horses all did well. The others didn't. You'd think they'd notice this fact and do something about it!

Or is that just me?!
 
I have noticed the general standards are lower since the BS introduced smaller classes. People are joining just so they can say their horse is "affiliated" despite the fact they can only just navigate it around an 80cm track.

There have always been numpty riders in BS but the decent riders used to outnumber them... now I'm not so sure.

Bring back the days when Newcomers was the smallest class, we might actually see people learning to ride before attempting to compete!
 
I've been to a few competitions where the riders have actually been asked to leave because of the way they were treating the horse. One girl she was probably about 18 whipped her horse 5 times because it spooked at a fence... She was immediatley asked to leave the arena and the showground over the megaphone and told to have some lessons :eek: The abuse she came back with just showed what kind of person she was
 
I have noticed this sort of thing at Junior BS but never have I at senior! I have been to one show where 3 people were kicked off the showground/ dissqualified for over use of the whip. I don't weather its becaused we are in a different area but our shows are very well regulated and any behaviour like this is picked up and the person is punished.
 
Munchkin said:
I have noticed the general standards are lower since the BS introduced smaller classes. People are joining just so they can say their horse is "affiliated" despite the fact they can only just navigate it around an 80cm track.

There have always been numpty riders in BS but the decent riders used to outnumber them... now I'm not so sure.

Bring back the days when Newcomers was the smallest class, we might actually see people learning to ride before attempting to compete!
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Mmmm I don't neccarsarily (sp) agree with that because it's penolising(sp sorry i really cant spell today lol) those who are not ready to do Newcomers or have a horse that's unable to compete at that height due to maybe age/old injuries/lack of experience etc but are better than unaffiliated.

You always get some that ruin it for others :(
 
Totally agree -I was at a show last week and the standard of riding was AWFUL. I dont particularly jump - but to go 100mph around a course with the horse jumping flat and then the strongest bits available doesn't seem like what they should be aiming for..

What bugged me the most was the warm up inbetween. At this particular show everyone had pretty much entered every class. They'd wait to put their numbers up and then go into the warm up regardless of everyone else and canter in a straight line from the gate to the jump?!?!

Grr... rant over.
 
Munchkin said:
I have noticed the general standards are lower since the BS introduced smaller classes. People are joining just so they can say their horse is "affiliated" despite the fact they can only just navigate it around an 80cm track.

There have always been numpty riders in BS but the decent riders used to outnumber them... now I'm not so sure.

Bring back the days when Newcomers was the smallest class, we might actually see people learning to ride before attempting to compete!
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sorry you are porbably right in most cases but i know how to ride and my horse has competed novice british eventing but i prefer to do corses between 60 and 80 cm so we get a nice unstressful and confidence giving clear round so i like the higher level small corses
 
Fleabite said:
Totally agree -I was at a show last week and the standard of riding was AWFUL. I dont particularly jump - but to go 100mph around a course with the horse jumping flat and then the strongest bits available doesn't seem like what they should be aiming for..

What bugged me the most was the warm up inbetween. At this particular show everyone had pretty much entered every class. They'd wait to put their numbers up and then go into the warm up regardless of everyone else and canter in a straight line from the gate to the jump?!?!

Grr... rant over.
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OMG one of my pet hates :mad: when then are just oblivious of everyone else around them and the "left to left" rule just seems to go over there heads... lets just ride straight up your horses bum or ride straight for you. If you can't minouver your way around a warm up ring how on earth do you plan on doing it around and over jumps? lol
 
Caz89 said:
Mmmm I don't neccarsarily (sp) agree with that because it's penolising(sp sorry i really cant spell today lol) those who are not ready to do Newcomers or have a horse that's unable to compete at that height due to maybe age/old injuries/lack of experience etc but are better than unaffiliated.

You always get some that ruin it for others :(
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I agree as well, perhaps some of us want to jump round smaller but well built courses rather than some higgeldy piggeldy affair. Doesn't mean we can't ride, but perhaps like me they have a youngster, she's 14.2 & doing seniors so these shows are great for gaining experience with distances etc before we move up. I get sick to death of people moaning about how in the olden days you started at Newcomers, if you want to jump Newcomers then do so, I can't see how people paying to join & compete at Intro shows is affecting you at all, it is after all bringing money in to BS. I watched some NC at Hickstead, some of the riding was awful, some was very good. No doubt all of the top professionals moaning on here are all jumping at least 1.30m perfectly every time .... Oh, & I am trained by a pro who has no problem with Intro level at all, in fact sees it as a useful stepping stone, interesting that ...
 
But everyone 'thinks' they can ride, don't they? They wouldn't be doing BS if they didn't.

The BSJA used to be for horses/riders with either talent or potential. The only reason it's now open to everyone is to bump up revenue.

If people want to jump a 60cm course, they could go to a local show or do the Trailblazers series which are a great idea IMO. Nobody is "penalised" - they're just not ready. You don't have to go to affiliated shows to jump.

The fact remains that if you open shows to people jumping 60cm you're bound to have a lower standard than if they were open only to people jumping in excess of 1m.

Next we'll be having lead rein BD walk/trot tests...
 
Ditto Amymay - write, call, anything, but if you say nothing, then nothing will improve.

Years ago I went to a big PC show, a rider was eliminated and came out of the ring and proceeded to walk round the collecting ring even though she had jumped, and every few strides she either jabbed the horse in the mouth, or kicked it in the ribs. Then she rode out of the ring still doing it, and I worried she was going to belt the poor horse in the lorry. The stewards were talking by the entrance, so I walked over and interrupted them to say what I had seen. I expected them to tell me to mind my own business, but they moved like grease lightening - one ran to catch the rider up (they were elderly!) and point out that sort of behaviour was unacceptable.

Stick your neck out sometimes - better to do something than nothing. Think of the horse in these situations - he can't do anything, you can.

Find your inner Anna Sewell (Black Beauty author) :)
 
what annoys me is pushy mums! I have been going to some local shows recently as I am a nervous neddie at shows.... a few people round my place really do take the p*** I went to do a 60cm class and this girl turned up and won..... then went to come 2nd in the 1-1.05m class... if you can jump that why go and jump a little class... there were some good little jockeys there and they didn't have a chance..... then to rub salt in the wounds... the next round up another girl who may I add is very spoiled, and her parents are VERY rich.... turned up to beat everyone in the 80cm and only last week she was in your horse of similar winning a national 1.05 champs ON THE SAME PONY!!! I am not competative.... but sometimes you see these people and your heart sinks :(
 
I compete at BS shows regularly and if i've seen overuse of the whip the judge has 99% of the time called the rider in for a telling off and by overuse i mean more than 3 whacks. I think some venues are much worse than others and i've never quite worked out why but even so they cannot compare to the hideous riding to be seen at pretty much all unaffiliated shows. BS don't run 60cm classes and to be fair i've seen very few 70cms and the amateur classes are helping to pay for the "talented" and "potential" horses and riders. If you want to start at newcomers then go ahead but i personally would rather my 4 year olds first course was an inviting and well built course at 80 or 90cm than going straight in at 1.10m or trying to negotiate a poorly built unaffiliated track generally built for ponies to go round at 100mph
 
The problem is I always just assume if someone rides/competes it means they love horses and thus adore them and think the world of them... blah, blah, blah!

Unfortunately this is not the case and the poor horses gets blamed for everything - I always see ungrateful people dragging and overusing their aids all the time, smacking the horse if it dares to move a muscle and sitting on them all day in hot weather at shows etc.

It's a culture thing to i think, i.e everyone owes them something!
 
Okay guys, I have sent a PM to the shows organiser on FB to make them aware of my concerns. TBH, the folk involved are pretty scary people and that's why I never said anything last night.

I'm not having a go AT ALL at people who are inexperienced or bringing out youngsters to jump smaller but well built tracks. But I am having a go at the behaviour displayed by some and those who take out their frustrations on their poor horses.

There were folk jumping last night who made mistakes, but realised it was their fault and patted and encouraged their horses. But sawing your horses head off with a gag and booting it for cat leaping before belting 7 shades out of it is disgusting. I feel really bad for not complaining there and then but hopefully now I have, something will be done.
 
Galisgirl10 said:
I compete at BS shows regularly and if i've seen overuse of the whip the judge has 99% of the time called the rider in for a telling off and by overuse i mean more than 3 whacks. I think some venues are much worse than others and i've never quite worked out why but even so they cannot compare to the hideous riding to be seen at pretty much all unaffiliated shows. BS don't run 60cm classes and to be fair i've seen very few 70cms and the amateur classes are helping to pay for the "talented" and "potential" horses and riders. If you want to start at newcomers then go ahead but i personally would rather my 4 year olds first course was an inviting and well built course at 80 or 90cm than going straight in at 1.10m or trying to negotiate a poorly built unaffiliated track generally built for ponies to go round at 100mph
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^^ What she said. After all BS is a business & therefore has to bring in revenue, there is clearly a market for the shows. I can't do Trailblazers as I have pony, seniors cannot do TB jumping on ponies, local shows are often badly built & badly run, so why would I want to take my lovely 5 year old there? To those who think that they are so superior to everyone else because they are jumping 1.10, get over yourselves, show jumping is a sport for everyone, & the pros regard 1.10 as a small class!!
 
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