Warm Up next to Arena - normal?

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Flicker

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Just a quick question really. I'm competing in some dressage at the weekend - two long arena tests. The arena at the venue is laid out with the standard dressage markers down one side of a very big outdoor school. The other half used to be padlocked and a small sand school used as a warm-up.
However, in recent months, this has not been happening and people have been warming up on the other side of the big school, immediately adjacent to the 'proper' arena where people have been doing their tests.
I have often witnessed kids on ponies cantering wildly down the length of the school, right next to the markers, while people have been doing tests, and also someone got bucked off one day and their horse went galloping off across the school (fortunately nobody trying to do their test at the time!).
Is this usual for competition venues, and is it safe?
I don't know whether it is worth asking the question as to why the spare half of the school has been opened up for warming-up (I'm guessing because the small school gets very busy), and whether this should be locked again. But obviously, if this is perfectly normal, I don't want to come across as a whinger!!
What's the general consensus??
 
It's not that unusual at some venues with a big outdoor arena. Just needs careful stewarding, and probably only OK for dressage rather than SJ.

At The College EC they often do this - have seen it a the BSPA champ show. In fact, having three arenas side by side can be just as dodgy - vividly remember a few years back my friend's naughty but very wonderful side saddle horse rearing with her after spooking at the photographer, eventually getting her off (she's got some good glue!) and then careering through the other two arenas during the championship tests!
 
at a show that i went to they have a huge arena and they split off about 3/4 for the jumping ring and then 1/4 for the warm up
 
I have seen it at several non affilliated shows. As we are only BSJA I can't say if BD have a rule about this - but probably not. I seem to recall reading something in one of the horsey mags along the same lines and the dressage judge response was that it was important for competitors to be able to keep focus no matter what went on outside the arena.
 
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