what would you do

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CAZ123

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Went to my 2nd Affilated Dressage today and was not impressed, was the 1st to go went down the center line horse was going really nice thought to myself this is going to be a good test if she keeps this up, when the steward/owner not more than say 2-3 meters from me decides to drag a gate shut as i track right, right in the corner the Arena had like a kind of hedge around it but was very open and the corner of the school was allready dark and scarey enough so we did in a non horsey saying a double flip backwards, than i carried on came roud to the same corner again when a women appears from the bushes and sits down to watch the test no more than 2ft away from me.so you can guess what happened than. My mum could here the girls that were stewarding also giggling to. and the owner never said sorry the reply was prehaps i should have waited to shut the gate, i feel that my journey was complety wasted, i feel i should make a complaint surely the arena should be set up before someone starts their test, and what was that women doing sitting in the arena i thought there was a distance that the public had to remain. what would you all do i didnt even wait for my score sheet.
 
To be honest it is very poor, totally unhelpful and very badly run but there is little can do about it. I don't think I would complain now as you won't gain anything from it. I probably would have had a word at the time if I could have trusted myself to keep my temper
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I know i was so angry i thought best not to. all the time and effort i put in just to have it taken away in sec's. I wont be going there again.
 
That is bad form. I wouldnt make an official complaint, but Id have made the organiser aware of the problem, at the end of the day they're there to make a living & would probably appreciate having such a problem highlighted!

This is why we all develop favourtie venues I suppose!
 
The same happened to me at a very nice venue in Pershore a few weeks ago. Arena all nice and quiet, horse worked in well. Had started test when 3 people decided to come in and sit in the corner and watch. They then got up and went partway thru test, then organiser came in and so on and so on.

I could have cheerfully run them all over, aaargh!!
 
Whilst I do empathise with you, I cannot help but think that dressage is about the horse being with its rider and not listening/being affected by outside goings on? I know that that sounds heartless, I do not mean it to, awareness of the arena SHOULD be conducted
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I feel for you ,all that hard work and it goes out the window.My young horse wouldn't bat an eyelid but my coloured would have been away down the other end .It happened to me at a petplan final once and the arena was next to the office and canteen, waste of time me going because we could only use 3/4 of the arena.At Solihull if anyone goes in the judges box when doing my test or about to go in ,I might as well leave the arena.
I would say go somewhere else but there may not be many centres near you. I wish I had the answer, did you only do one test? My horse has never grown out of it but some days I love him.lol
 
Yes just the one test as they had only one Prelim running, not quite ready for Novice yet, What gets me is the owners wife was after me and everything was dead quiet, and arent there rules to stop people from just coming into the arena when test are in place.? i just had a look at my rule book and it says that there should be at 10 meters between the public and the arena, what horse would be well behaved if someone jumped out of a bush she was only feet away from me.
 
TBH outside disturbances seem worse if the venue is very quiet, everything is 'amplified' so to speak.

Willow isn't that spooky at some much busier places but I just think people wandering in and out partway thru your test is rude!
 
Unfortunately these things happen and it's just sods law. A few months ago I was competing and it was outside pouring with rain, windy and cold and the judge was late. Louis was on his toes but holding it together and doing a lovely test, just as I came across the diagnol in a lovely medium trot towards the judge Louis leaped halfway across the arena and had a real paddy... I was completely baffled as to what had happened as he's not a spooky horse...then I saw something move out the corner of my eye and realised the judge had a dog sitting under her table and ithad popped out just as we rode past...I was majorly peed off
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Made a complaint but it came to nothing! Sometime u just have to grin and bare it unfortunately!
 
I had that happen once at a big (well important for me at the time) horse trial thing. The photographer set up right by my dressage arena. My horse was a very laid back type but took real exception to this photographer. He spooked and shot off the entire way through the test. The photographer could clearly he was the problem but he didnt even think to move......

You could have complained but you didn't so why not email the organiser and state that you were upset by the whole affair so hopefully they'll know for next time.
 
Horses are blooming quirky things tho', he did one of his best tests when the judge had left her rear window down and car was full of bin bags for some reason.

I was just coming down the centre line and could hear loads of rustling from inside the car and out popped the stable cat. Having had a good rumage inside the car he went underneath for a mooch, popping out at intervals to liven the proceedings up, Willsy was a complete star but it caused loads of other people trouble. Good job I like cats!
 
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