Warm Up Arena's

[Joyous70]

I took my girl to her second ever show jumping competition yesterday. The warm up arena was an eye opener to say the least Is it normal practice to fence part of the actual jumping arena to make a very small we are talking 20 x 40 warm up? I struggled massively with this yesterday, people were standing around two strides away from the fence and after having one younger competitor gallop past my girls bottom leaving cm's to spare for the third time, i actually gave up trying to warm up and just walked around until it was our turn to jump. As this is all quite new to her, she was wired to say the least, would i be better off in future putting a red ribbon in her tail to warn others to keep away? I know the only way to get her used to this is to keep going out and about, but seriously if my hair wasn't grey before it certainly is now.

 

[SpringArising]

I wouldn't say it's abnormal. What shocks me is the amount of people who don't know the left to left rule. I had to come to a screeching halt last weekend as some idiot man on a huge WB was completely oblivious to the fact he wasn't the only one trying to warm up.

Keep doing it and she'll get used to it. If she's green you can put a green one in her tail. Red is for buckers and kickers - so you might get more space

 

[Joyous70]

I wouldn't say it's abnormal. What shocks me is the amount of people who don't know the left to left rule. I had to come to a screeching halt last weekend as some idiot man on a huge WB was completely oblivious to the fact he wasn't the only one trying to warm up.

Keep doing it and she'll get used to it. If she's green you can put a green one in her tail. Red is for buckers and kickers - so you might get more space

I soon gave up with the left to left rule, after about 1 minute!!! I thought red because she may kick out if she gets worried, i was shocked at how rude and inconsiderate people actually are. I spent most of my time trying to keep a lid on her with all that was going on, and as jumping is her most favourite thing, i could really have done with more than three strides before having to turn, if we had jumped a warm up i think i may have killed several competitors including myself

 

[Mule]

I hate sj warm up arenas.

 

[sportsmansB]

I hate hate hate warm up arenas
I am crap with left and right but I make sure before I go in that I am sure which is which
And them am completely baffled by people coming straight at me and assume I must have got it wrong
I haven't- they just come straight at me!
If a show venue is near home and has a notoriously tiny or crazy warm up area, I've been known to 'warm up' at home, load up and then just trot about the car park until its time to go in!

 

[dixie]

Yes, I've seen it before and its not fun.

 

[Joyous70]

I hate hate hate warm up arenas
I am crap with left and right but I make sure before I go in that I am sure which is which
And them am completely baffled by people coming straight at me and assume I must have got it wrong
I haven't- they just come straight at me!
If a show venue is near home and has a notoriously tiny or crazy warm up area, I've been known to 'warm up' at home, load up and then just trot about the car park until its time to go in!

Sadly this venue was around 35 minutes drive away, is it wrong that i jumped the first class, which was appalling no control of my mare whatsoever, and then for the 2nd class literally just walked around and she went and produced a beautiful clear round, albeit a little fast and furious for my liking, but practice practice practice and bigger brave pants

At one point there was a young girl cantering circles in front of both the warm up fences, and competitors the other side just having a chin wag

 

[Joyous70]

Yes, I've seen it before and its not fun.

Most definitely not fun at all, to top it off there were hoardes of ponies behind the solid fence she couldnt see, but could here them, that really freaked her out as well

 

[TheMule]

If you can go first in the class or last it's usually quieter to warm up- my preference is to go first and warm up whilst everyone else walks the course, much easier with an inexperienced horse

 

[Joyous70]

If you can go first in the class or last it's usually quieter to warm up- my preference is to go first and warm up whilst everyone else walks the course, much easier with an inexperienced horse

Now that is a really good idea, thank you, i didn't walk the course yesterday, bad i know, but maybe i would have been better off warming up then, although that said everyone was stood around holding other peoples ponies at this point, maybe its just something i need to get used to.

 

[scats]

Oh how I don’t miss SJ warm up arenas!

 

[Ambers Echo]

Hate them. I took Amber to Weston Lawns - never, ever, EVER again. Many horses were very badly mannered: napping, rearing, going over backwards, spinning. There were no ring stewards and it was carnage. In 1 morning there were 2 broken arms and a broken leg among people on the ground. Completely ridiculous. I warmed up in the lorry park, jumped a coupld of round then went home a day early and abandoned BS for BE!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Ah but we are in the day and age of - my horse is the best, I have paid to be here so I will do as I please and everyone else can work around me!

It isn't just a show jumping thing. It happens in showing too and notoriously up here with a certain bunch of people who think it is well within their right to ride their stallions at full pelt trot right behind tiny tots on lead rein ponies or to cut in front of people with less than a cm of space so you have to break your ponies jaw and jam on! They do that in the ring too just before you get in front of the judge so it looks like your pony is misbehaving or not going forwards...

 

[Meredith]

I hate warm up too as I am old and nervous.
I hate those who canter from any direction so close you can almost brush knees saying Sorry as your horse leaps out of the way. It is as if Sorry means they can do what they like as they have already apologised.
I hate those that cut in to jump off half a stride just as you turn for your approach.
I hate...etc

 

[Leandy]

This is exactly why I dislike showjumping. Just a complete free for all with no order whatsoever, and no common sense from many other competitors as noted above, both those actually warming up and those who insist on standing around in the way, not putting up fences they have knocked down, or else having a helper monopolise the fence and putting it up and down to please themselves. Grrrr. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are venues which won't allow riding outside the warm up arena and also restrict the number in it to 6 at any one time - which gives you about 10 minutes to warm up......

 

[criso]

Most of the shows I go to which are very small have 20 x 40 warm up and sometimes people take some sort of unspoken joint decision to work on the same rein which works OK as long as your horse is OK with horse jumping alongside or overtaking fast and close. Works until someone decides they are going to be the only one in a group of 10 going against the tide.

 

[oldie48]

A lot of dressage warm up areas are no better. I also hate them, they are generally not stewarded, too small and potentially dangerous. A couple of years ago I went to a Regional, someone came off in the warm up and was lying on the floor and the other competitors just rode round her. I couldn't believe my eyes! the warm up area at Hartpury for the Festival is ridiculously small, with lots of people crowded round watching, for people on young or nervous horses it must be a complete nightmare.

 

[Abi90]

Oh god. I’m taking my mare to her first ever proper showjumping at a proper grown up venue next week, I was a bit worried anyway now I’m scared! 😂

 

[Goldenstar]

Oh god. I’m taking my mare to her first ever proper showjumping at a proper grown up venue next week, I was a bit worried anyway now I’m scared! 😂

Where about ?

 

[Joyous70]

Hate them. I took Amber to Weston Lawns - never, ever, EVER again. Many horses were very badly mannered: napping, rearing, going over backwards, spinning. There were no ring stewards and it was carnage. In 1 morning there were 2 broken arms and a broken leg among people on the ground. Completely ridiculous. I warmed up in the lorry park, jumped a coupld of round then went home a day early and abandoned BS for BE!

Weston lawns arena was considerably bigger than the one I was (trying to) warm up in yesterday but that does sound absolutely dreadful

 

[Joyous70]

Most of the shows I go to which are very small have 20 x 40 warm up and sometimes people take some sort of unspoken joint decision to work on the same rein which works OK as long as your horse is OK with horse jumping alongside or overtaking fast and close. Works until someone decides they are going to be the only one in a group of 10 going against the tide.

I noticed this also yesterday after walking and trying to trot around I was about to change rein and realised everyone else was travelling in one direction

 

[Joyous70]

A lot of dressage warm up areas are no better. I also hate them, they are generally not stewarded, too small and potentially dangerous. A couple of years ago I went to a Regional, someone came off in the warm up and was lying on the floor and the other competitors just rode round her. I couldn't believe my eyes! the warm up area at Hartpury for the Festival is ridiculously small, with lots of people crowded round watching, for people on young or nervous horses it must be a complete nightmare.

I have noticed dressage warm ups can be just as bad 1st time out with my girl as a 4 year old and I was first one to go into an intro so there was me and 2 others which I thought great at least I have some space until the delightful person who could see I was struggling to keep my girl calm kicked her horse into canter coming straight at me

 

[Joyous70]

Ah but we are in the day and age of - my horse is the best, I have paid to be here so I will do as I please and everyone else can work around me!

It isn't just a show jumping thing. It happens in showing too and notoriously up here with a certain bunch of people who think it is well within their right to ride their stallions at full pelt trot right behind tiny tots on lead rein ponies or to cut in front of people with less than a cm of space so you have to break your ponies jaw and jam on! They do that in the ring too just before you get in front of the judge so it looks like your pony is misbehaving or not going forwards...

It sounds as though I'm goi g to have to grow a very large pair and just get on with it

 

[Joyous70]

I hate warm up too as I am old and nervous.
I hate those who canter from any direction so close you can almost brush knees saying Sorry as your horse leaps out of the way. It is as if Sorry means they can do what they like as they have already apologised.
I hate those that cut in to jump off half a stride just as you turn for your approach.
I hate...etc

I was glared at as a competitor blasted past for the 3rd time almost brushing my girls bottom and I muttered maybe a little too loud FFS whilst my girl was bouncing sideways

 

[Joyous70]

This is exactly why I dislike showjumping. Just a complete free for all with no order whatsoever, and no common sense from many other competitors as noted above, both those actually warming up and those who insist on standing around in the way, not putting up fences they have knocked down, or else having a helper monopolise the fence and putting it up and down to please themselves. Grrrr. At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are venues which won't allow riding outside the warm up arena and also restrict the number in it to 6 at any one time - which gives you about 10 minutes to warm up......

Lots of people who were hogging fences yesterday and whacking them up considerably higher than the 60 or 70cm that was in the main ring I always thought that was against the rules??

 

[criso]

Lots of people who were hogging fences yesterday and whacking them up considerably higher than the 60 or 70cm that was in the main ring I always thought that was against the rules??

Often there is no one in there supervising. If I see somebody about to put a fence up before I've had a chance to jump, I'll always ask if I can pop over a couple of times before they put it up. I do jump straightaway then so they only have to wait a couple of minutes.

 

[Mule]

Lots of people who were hogging fences yesterday and whacking them up considerably higher than the 60 or 70cm that was in the main ring I always thought that was against the rules??

Another one is when they lower the back bar of an oxer in the warm-up. I saw this recently when someone was going in to do 90cm. I don't know why anyone into showjumping would bother with a horse that won't pick up it's legs over 90cm but then, I'm no expert 🤷

 

[windand rain]

we had two serious incedents with our working hunter pony at county shows, on both occasions she was injured enough to be out of work for months both could have been avoided if a ring steward had been in place to keep the waiting ponies out of the collecting ring. Surely it is not unreasonable to expect all but the next three/ four to jump to be kept out of the collecting ring. On two seperate occasions she was sat on her bum by ponies cutting across the front of the warm up jump as she took off basically she could go no where but either over them or sit down before hitting them incedently being M&M workers the culprits were adults, probably producers. Have stopped doing them for now because of it which is a shame as the ponies are talented jumpers.

 

[Abi90]

Where about ?

Alnwick Ford and only in the 60 and 70 although it looks like there’s never that many in those classes so hopefully not too busy

 

[Goldenstar]

You will be fine there it’s always been lovely and quiet when I have gone there .