What angers you when observing horse/riders at competitions?

[peaceandquiet1]

People who use their horses as armchairs.

People parking too close so I can't safely unload.

Too low flash nosebands.

 

[walkers_dream]

ive only done one inhand show, thank god i dont do ridden shows! sounds like a right confuffle!


I am planning more with my sec c colt as he has the most elegant, flashy trot ive seen! Just need to get him trotting up ion the right place not 2 miles ahead and not 2 miles behind haha

 

[Cottontail]

Adults expecting kids together out of their way, when as an adult, with, presumably, far more experience they should be able to avoid kids? I see a lot of negative comments on here about kids, come on we were all kids once. I vividly remember being run over by the likes of Harvey Smith (inadvertantly shows age) in the collecting ring when I was about 11 or 12, not a nice experience for the kids and puts them off competing. How about a little mutual respect

 

[Littlelegs]

Well said cotton tail. Whilst kids were lining up for lr equitation I once witnessed some fool trying to barge through with a stallion (despite the stallion class not even being at that side of the showground) shouting 'out of the way I have a STALLION! MOVE!' luckily just as I was about to tell the owner to move herself the organisers told her too. We do some lovely child friendly local ones but I've met more rude adults than kids at them.

 

[Sophstar]

The last little local show i took my veteran pony out to for a day out with a friend and her 2 children under the age of 5, we parked up next to the most spoilt brat of a child and their overly competitive parents. Whilst we casually got ready and threw our little jockey on, the girl was having a tantrum because they had forgotten her whip and the parents were screaming because she had a tiny dot of mud on her jodphurs. All the expensive show gear, most expensive tack, show clothes, brand new trailer and my pony beat the 'show' pony in 2 classes. My pony and the kids actually enjoyed the day with our laid back approach whilst the people next door were overly stressed!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

People who force their horses to do something you can tell isnt in their nature. Example, was at a local sj comp watching the other day and there was this horse that was not a natural jumper and realy couldnt do it but they put her in 3 classes and because she had a kind nature she tried her hardest but i felt so sorry for her......all of mine love what we ask them to do we dont ask them to do anything that they hate or dont have the ability for and that is one of my pet hates.

Rant over

X

 

[Shantara]

People who whisper about Ned, thinking I can't hear them. They're lucky I'm such a wimp, or I would have floored them.

As other people have mentioned - pushy parents! I once saw a woman yelling from the side lines and when the pony refused for the third time, she stormed into the ring and beat the pony over the jump :O :O

 

[JFTDWS]

Well said cotton tail. Whilst kids were lining up for lr equitation I once witnessed some fool trying to barge through with a stallion (despite the stallion class not even being at that side of the showground) shouting 'out of the way I have a STALLION! MOVE!' luckily just as I was about to tell the owner to move herself the organisers told her too. We do some lovely child friendly local ones but I've met more rude adults than kids at them.

I'm not the most child friendly person in the world, but in the warm up of a very late running local show at the weekend, some kids were amusing themselves charging up the slope and popping over the wh practice jump (which was tiny). The number of adults complaining and moaning about them was unreal. It was a huuuuge warm up field - either take your precious beast out of the way, or man up and stop being pathetic, it's a show, you expect kids in the warm up

I may have been egging them on

 

[Freddie19]

spurs on people who cannot keep their legs still, jab, jab, jab, dressage tests at novice level and below should not allow spurs.
spurs on horses and ponies combined with the strongest bit available, so you get kick, jab, kick, jab along with pull its back teeth out, hurt its mouth. I could weep.

 

[JFTDWS]

People who force their horses to do something you can tell isnt in their nature.

I do wonder though - I mean, can you really judge that something isn't in a horse's nature at one show?

My lad goes very backward at shows because he's not confident like he is at home. At home he takes me into jumps happily, out competing, until recently he backed off and crawled over them. Now he does somewhere in between. My cob has spent years charging round sj courses, loving it, but occasionally he would have a day where I have to push him round because he just wasn't up for it. Normally I'd call it day after one or two classes, in this mood (as he sometimes was more up for it in the second class) but again to say it wasn't in his nature to sj would be absurd and if we never tried again we'd definitely never get anywhere

 

[Littlelegs]

Jftd-lol. Makes me laugh when people take very low level local stuff as seriously as hoys.
However I've lost all faith in you for egging the kids on, why on earth didn't you join them? There's always one pony that refuses, which is your cue to kindly offer a lead!

 

[JFTDWS]

they had no need of a lead, besides the jump was so small fergs would probably have tripped over it and knocked it down anyway I may have sneaked along side for a quick charge up the slope with them though

"what me, racing these children? no never, I was just working on the pony's extended canter for the ring! I didn't even see them here, honest..."

 

[Luci07]

Not a lot and I don't choose to get involved unless said horse is really in trouble. However, my major and massive bug bear.... is the dreadful cows who sit at the ringside, pulling ALL the riders to bits. And of course, in THEIR day, pre novice fences were just SOOOO much bigger and of course they did SOOO well.

Which is why they are sitting on their large fat behinds, criticising someone who is having a go.. I will normally chirp up and can honestly say I don't agree about fence sizes (having evented a while ago and now going back to it) and will say something if it is a friend riding! but seriously.. they are like the old woman watching the gullotine victims being executued. Get a life!

and how about FAVOURITES at a show... the huge grin o nsomeones face for a good round and thanking their horse..the fellow competitor tipping off another one about how the course is riding (normally complete strangers).. Charlie Coffee at BE events in the South!

 

[Littlelegs]

Who cares if they actually need a lead, just a valid excuse. Like the idea of practising extended canter tho. I use the excuse i'm accompanying daughter, despite it not being necessary.

 

[Firewell]

To be honest at a show I'm usually too busy concentrating on myself and my horse to care what others are up too. However even though i'm nervous I do try and smile at people and I like it when people are friendly at shows. It should be a supportive environment, not one where people bitch at each other. If someone is being irresponsible, a danger to others, or nasty to their horse it's up the organisers to remove them.

 

[x-di-x]

I agree with the above posts but instead of repeating again thought i;d give a few scenarios of what's happened to me at shows.....

When I was doing my local coloured showing classes, (just for fun) I never wore spurs (i'm not confident with them and feel i'll do more damage than good wearing them) and didn't ride in a proper double bridle (again didn't feel experienced enough) so rode in a Rugby Pelham /double reins. it was a good combination for both me and the horse but people just wouldn't leave alone, standing at the side passing comments (that I could here) So imagine my pleasure when I ended up reserve Champ - stick it where the sun don't shine.

Also remember going sj'ing with said coloured (who was a very heavy weight cob with full feathers) unaff. got laughed at in the warm up ring. went in clear round thru to jump off, again clear round and got sixth. at which point I burst into tears. cue the rather rude people laughing ans saying thinbgs like what'd she expect stupid girl - not realising I was crying tears of Happyness, I was estatic about coming 6th.

Getting called a spoilt brat and various other names as I came out of the ring, as I jumped off said horse and threw my reins at my oh and ran off - i was going for a pee I was desperate and couldn;t hold on any longer Just goes to show things aren;t always what they seem.

Took my son and his (very) elderly pony to a few shows, she was old and looked it but still full of life - getting all the comments about being a pushy parent, well I must have been taking him to leadrein classes with such as scabby pony (at least that was some of the comments they were saying) nope we were just having fun never pushed son into anything, he wanted to so we thought what the hell lets just do it. didn;t always get a rosette and didn;t care - that pony owed us nowt (but we did beat the local top show pony )

But what really pee's me off as a competator is really bad/corrupt judging. Now I only ever have showed for fun, I never take myself seriously, and always feel I have had a good class (even if not placed) if I have done me and horse justice I don't give a diddly squat about rosettes or placings, HOWEVER, I really get p'd off when the judge refuses to place you because your Horse is BROWN AND WHITE AND SHE DOESN'T LIKE BROWN AND WHITE HORSES she said it sooooo loudly the whole class heard. and bless there heart - the people that were placed higher, put in an official complaint. the girl who was placed first offered me her rosette as she felt I had done a better job than her. I was flattered but declined then encountering the same judge a few years later at a different show and getting the same said again !!!

 

[ebonyallen]

People who canter fast past you because they are late for the class, and the horse beaters.

 

[Littlelegs]

For biased judges, one local show to me was moved to a local yard & most judges ended up replaced by random liveries. After two years the entries got so low it doesn't run anymore, it became a joke. Adults taking the same horse in youngstock & veteran, a hw hunter in the small natives class & a older teen in first ridden. So many people boycotted it that it ended up with only those on the yard attending.

 

[xxMozlarxx]

I'm usually far too nervous and stressed to even notice who's there.

 

[noodle_]

In the small amount of shows we have been too (jumping and dressage)

Jumping;

one child in particular (regular) bombs round while her instructor and dad whack the fence up higher an higher - shes about 6 and has no concept that there are other people who warm up too.... - pony gets gobbed and generally cannot breathe once finished.

Using my 5 year old as a brake...........that really pisses me off.

Dressage;

Again horses ass as a brake...not impressed.

Being carved up

Lessons in the warm up arena (and taking over the whole thing)



dressage; we went to an affiliated show (and did unaff) MUCH better.... when i next compete i refuse to do unnaffiliated anymore - too many idiots....

 

[xxMozlarxx]

In the small amount of shows we have been too (jumping and dressage)

Jumping;

one child in particular (regular) bombs round while her instructor and dad whack the fence up higher an higher - shes about 6 and has no concept that there are other people who warm up too.... - pony gets gobbed and generally cannot breathe once finished.

Using my 5 year old as a brake...........that really pisses me off.

Dressage;

Again horses ass as a brake...not impressed.

Being carved up

Lessons in the warm up arena (and taking over the whole thing)
dressage; we went to an affiliated show (and did unaff) MUCH better.... when i next compete i refuse to do unnaffiliated anymore - too many idiots....

Thanks!!

 

[Doncella]

I don't need to go to competitions, I have to share the yard and arena with a whole hoard of spoiled little princesses aged between 7 and 17 all going through the motions every evening and weekend.
If I hear one certain precious darling all of 14 shout "Half halt" at anyone I will take the words and choke her with them!
Thank God none of them have transport so they can't inflict the rest of the world with their hideousness.
I do have transport so I can escape to competitions where it's not so bad.

 

[soulfull]

Those who look down their snotty noses at others, who while don't have a very posh horse, obviously love it too bits

 

[hannah12345]

People who shout and beat there horses for no reason , i have been at a show were a young rider got eliminated from show jumping for refusals, they got of they pony started to shout at it and when out of the ring they threw the reins at the parents and stormed of.

 

[thatsmygirl]

I don't go to shows because I have no transport but I'm shocked at the amount off " horse beating" that's being brought up! Is it really that bad? Why would you do it at all but in public! Madness.

Iv watched a few local shows and in one I was watching the kids showjumping and honestly iv never seen kids go so fast, just as I said to my boyfriend " one off those ponies are gona fall over in a bit" a pony did on the corner just for the kid to grab the reins and yank it in the mouth. I was shocked but on a happier note one very small child fell off when her pony stopped so she jumped in free style only to get up, turn away and rub the ponies face and check him over before getting back on. Will always remember that.

 

[Goldenstar]

I don't do angry really saddened yes but the one thing guaranteed to make me angry FAT SHOW HORSES winning prizes.

 

[hannah12345]

Spoilt princess who think it is ok to smack and shout at there horses/ponies if they dont get first place or even eliminated. I've seen it happen at a show were a young girl got eliminated she just started to shout at the pony then threw the reins at the parents and said i wont a new pony.

 

[Mithras]

Very specific - last weekend, in a tiny warm up arena at a BS show, passed a very large lady on a very large horse left shoulder to left shoulder as is correct, which meant she had to slightly alter her trajectory. And she tutted and gave me an absolutely filthy look. Obviously she was so important, every other competitor was meant to avoid her and mentally read her thoughts so she could have uninterupted access to all areas of the warm up arena! She was so rude!

 

[Mithras]

Oh, another one. I have a very large horse and am quite petite, and I am sick of the sexist comments (because a small man wouldn't get them) about how small I look on my horse. Do I go around commenting on how big other people look on their horses? No.

And those mother and daughter teams, and it is always the non-riding mother, who loves to comment "your horse is very big for you. Don't you think he would go better without whip and spurs". Yes, dear, but I have a good seat, and I only use my spurs when absolutely necessary (for instance when jumping a damned big track out of a corner) and my whip is a back up for emergency use only. And while your horse may be very well behaved in the collecting ring, it nearly always get eliminated for two stops...

 

[x-di-x]

OMG I'm glad someone knows the left shoulder to left shoulder thing. I was beginning to think I'd been imagining being taught that. People bombing about warmup arena, refusing to do this reall annoys me.

I remember many many years ago a local county show, a girl battering her horse in the ring, at the end of the class, she went to the lorry park and was caught battering the horse inbetween the lorries.

she was caught by some rather old farmers who were so appalled at her actions in the ring, had decided to follow her and speak with her parents about the right way to treat a horse etc. well it turned out the parents were just as bad as they were also beating the horse (it didn't get placed which was the reason for the beating).

The elderly farmers, had also alerted the police, show sec, and officials, so they all seen this in full flow. One of the farmers was soooooo angry he grabbed said horse and dragged it away, whilst several more took said whips and started hitting the girl and her parents to see how they liked it (infront of the police) Said horse was taken to No1. farmers lorry, the horse had been beaten soo badly that it was cut and bleeding quite a bit, the vet gave the horse a check over, some treatment then helped farmer No1 load horse into lorry. The owners were told they could get it back when hell had frozen over. A press photographer had gotten piccies of the cuts and the horse being beaten.

At this point the father of said girl turned and lunged at farmer so police arrested him for assualt. - charges were dropped upon agreement of the family signing horse (thankfully they only had one) over to farmer there and then, leaving the show ground and never ever coming back. (which he agreed to).

This was early/mid eighties but beating like this still goes on. and perhaps my Great Uncle was one of those farmers and my Grandad was standing offering assistance

Whilst I don't condone violence.......................