What NOT to forget when competing...

BeingKate

BeingKate

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I was just chatting to someone I worked for a while back, we were re-counting the time he drove all the way from Northampton to the top of Lancashire before realising he'd forgotten his horse! We'd been trying to call him the moment we got on the yard and found her still tied up on the yard in her travel boots (she'd only been there a few mins don't worry!) looking confused... said man is a top international rider by the way.

What have you forgotten when you've gone competing?
 
Lol, I guess you just get so caught up in everything !

I think the worst I've forgotten was a bit. And I was doing cross country. Ended up having to borrow an eggbutt snaffle as that was all that was on offer. Didn't go to plan I have to say given my choice was a Dutch gag - My boy sets against eggbutts!
 
The worst thing I've forgotten is to breathe... but thankfully getting better at that these days :D

As a teen I also managed to jump a course with my reins crossed...thankfully my horse at the time knew his job and jumped the lot, but I did feel silly when I realised.
 
BeingKate said:
I was just chatting to someone I worked for a while back, we were re-counting the time he drove all the way from Northampton to the top of Lancashire before realising he'd forgotten his horse! We'd been trying to call him the moment we got on the yard and found her still tied up on the yard in her travel boots (she'd only been there a few mins don't worry!) looking confused... said man is a top international rider by the way.

What have you forgotten when you've gone competing?
Click to expand...

That's gotta be hard to beat, lol ;)
 
I forgot my bridle :"]

I was very lucky that another very kind competitor in a later class lent me one (that fitted!) - we literally swapped as I came out of the ring and she went into warm up! What a star.
 
I forgot my stirrups once. The show was 45 miles away so I was just going to go home, until my mum went to ask a random lady if I could borrow hers!

She said yes and I was forever grateful - I bought her a burger and a coffee to say thanks :)
 
The milk for the tea. Drastic.

Yes I have done forgetting the bridle in the past but managed to cobble something together out of spares in the lorry and a quick trip to the tack stall. Fortunately it was show jumping and horse was quite easy so not too much of a problem.

Have taken entirely the wrong tack to a county show for showing - entirely the wrong bits for the horse but fortunately not to far from home so someone from yard came out with our tack though I did the initial warming up in the wrong tack. Horse went on to win so didn't do any lasting damage.
 
Forgot my hat once!! Made my long suffering OH unhitch the trailer and drive back to the yard to get it lol. He is a diamond bless him, luckily it was only a local show.
 
I managed to forget where Hickstead is for PC team SJ, mixed up A24 and A23; after long loop round we were about 5 miles away when I said to daughter, "you did put your hat in didn't you?"...
 
Forgot the girth once! (Never leave them attached to the saddle). Luckily a friend from the yard was parked next to us and had finished competing so I borrowed theirs.

I know someone who managed to leave a tack trolley (laden with various items) at a show once. Not sure if they ever got it back.
 
Took a mismatched pair of boots to a show once. They were both black and long but enough of different shapes to feel profoundly awkward. I consoled myself that they could only see one side at a time.
 
I never forget when I was little I went to a show which my older sister was competing at, it was quite a way (2 hour round trip I think)...anuhow quite a big affair and we arrived minus a saddle. Dad unhitched turned around and went and got the saddle returning in tim for my sister to quickly hop on and go in to do her show before they closed the class....to top it off they won qualifying for HOYS, but unfortunately it was in 2001 so couldn't go especially as we run a dairy farm.

approx 6 months later she left it resting against the wheel of the trailer after a lesson and forgot about it...Mum drove over it (with trailer and pony)...it survived and we still use it today
 
Was at a comp and it was raining so threw a LW rainsheet on the horse. The sun later broke out and we put it on the grass in front of the car to dry. And drove over it when we were leaving... Rang the organisers and luckily they saved it for us so we sheepishly picked it up a few days later!

eta oh and once we drove off when the trailer ramp was down. I thought my mum had done it and she thought I'd done it. Massive oops! Luckily it was in a field so it didn't get damaged/ scratched.
 
My daughter :(

Yes, am stupid! Had mad 3 days away at NPS champs, home v late & daughter had PC event on the Friday.
Loaded pony & drove off to pick up 2 others about 10/12 miles away and when arrived, was asked where daughter was - I panicked!! :eek3:
Luckily another parent went to yard & collected her for me - she had popped off for a wee & I hadn't realised & thought she was in the living :(

Not bad, leaving a 7yr old on their own in the early hours! This was before mobiles were really in use, tho I had the housebrick, there is no phone at yard.

Am bad parent
 
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A friend of mine didn't forget as such, but when competing at wembley he took a pair of long boots with him - only problem was it was the left boot from one pair and another left boot from another pair - nothing he could do but ride in two left footed boots! lol
 
As a 11 or 12 year old a friend and I were going to an RC show jumping comp with my dad, about half way there a thought occurred to me "Daddy did you put your tack in?" The air turned blue and my dad unhitched the trailer in a lay by, leaving my friend and me with his horse while he raced back to the yard for his tack! This was in the 70's, parents probably wouldn't do that now.

Son has managed to forget a girth, his boots and various other important pieces of equipment over the years but fortunately has been able to borrow from kind people each time. His best was when we drove from central Scotland to Lancaster for a few days training. He went to get changed and OH and I suddenly heard "s**t, s**t, s**t!". He hadn't packed a single pair of breeches for the 3 days of training - fortunately he was lent a pair and the next day we found our way to Robinsons.
 
Forgot my bridle another one of our team forgot his jacket and another forgot his jodhpurs luckily a trainer lived close so urgent phone call and she arrived just in time, only had chance for one warm up jump.
 
First competition in 20 years and I forgot my breeches, shirt, stock and jacket! They were in a suit carrier in my car.... Fortunately there box owner had spares she let me use!! No spare shirt though but it was chucking it down and I kept my coat on the whole time - lucky!!
 
I forgot my bridle once, not that long ago, so I should know better by now. I was very, very lucky that I parked next to someone I knew, as the showground was packed and there was very little space. I have a 16 hh riding horse/hunter and she has Welsh Cobs, but she lent me a bridle and I managed to make it fit - he hasn't got a huge head. I was a bit worried about the bit, but I found that he went just as well in her bit as his usual one. I was so grateful. I was by myself so couldn't despatch anyone to go back and get mine.
 
Not exactly horsy but we forgot the tent poles for a tent. It seemed the entire 400 people on site were laughing at us, then a friend offered to pop home and get a spare tent provided we disposed of it afterwards. It turned up and was the size of a small marquee. Donated it to the local scouts but getting it home on two motorbikes was fun.
 
When I was about 6 we were driving to the livery yard, about 3 mins before we arrived I said to my Father "Papa, where is my riding hat?", we'd forgotten it, and there were no other children or adults that would let me borrow theirs, I had to walk about on my pony in a woolly hat! I'd NEVER do that now, thank goodness the little pony is such an angel, and I didn't fall off.

Also, when I was about 11, I had forgotten to put my jacket in the lorry for a meet as we were in a hurry, a bit humiliating going up the the master's lorry and asking her if I was allowed to wear my brown bourar, thank goodness she said yes!

Oh and earlier this year at a show my classes clashed, I ended up going from the SJ ring into the hunting pony championship, wearing tendon & fetlock boots, my BP still on, my colourful saddle cloth with my mare's name on it & an ear bonnet! Didn't place, but not surprising. We (my mare & I) were meant to change into our hunting gear! :P
 
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I have forgotten my riding boots.. My angel of a Mother went back and got them for me! :-)

My friend forgot her girth and it was a little show held on school fields and no ones girth fit her horse.. she was on a 4 yo newly backed mare bareback. :D

My teacher forgot her bit (somehow) and was two hours away.. she was luckily allowed to borrow off a tack stall as they sold second hand items in their shop!
 
Forgot chalk for my cob with lots of white, cue stable stains, baby wipes wouldn't touch, got marked down because of it, also had to stop mid class at a local show and remove leg bandages as they weren't allowed in that class, oh the embarrassment, so glad I wasn't riding
 
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