Why are other rider's on the ring side so bitchy

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Gucci_b

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Why are other rider's so Bitchy !!!! while watching the other day a group of girls were horrified that the other rider's in the ring was going to fast, wishing that the pole would fall, the horse was to fat to jump to skinny to do any good blar blar blar and just slating other riders who was on their tail (doing better than them) it really was putting me off and i wasn't the one jumping....
 
Horrible isn't it!!

I sometimes wonder if it's the same in all walks of life. Shame, as I think encouragement rather than discouragement means an awful lot more, and says more about you as a person.
 
i know its not nice. when i was doing the jump off on my old pony for my RC teammy mum who was watching in the stands overheard another RC area member saying "shes going fast, she's beating your time, hope she falls off" not nice.
 
I have to say, i have once said that the horse was too fat it wont fit through the skinny
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but usually that is my own horse lol

But it can be very bitchy - I found most shocking are the comments on other peoples riding - its one thing to comment on the horse but to tear apart someone else's riding
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In my experience it is the same. I own Weimaraners, one of which is a Long haired, I showed her and my boyfriend over heard a stupid man saying ' what is that mongral doing in there?'

Sour grapes perhaps?

Why can all communities not come together and celebrate each others success, goodness knows the gun dog brigade and the horse owner come under enough misunderstanding
 
This is the one thing that puts me off entering competitions/ shows locally....

If anything, the horse community should be supporting each other but this rarely seems to be the case. Sad, but...
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It's a peculiarly British thing I think - when I was in the US it was all low level stuff and in the Midwest, but people were much more supportive and much friendlier.

On the other hand, I defy anyone who goes to shows to say they have *never* commented on someone's turnout/riding/horse in a negative way...glass houses and all that....
 
I hate it too. There is a place that used to be local to us where all you would hear was bitching and I would not have competed there. On the other hand our RC is very encouraging and we have met some lovely people at RC events and other events. My OH did his first ODE today at a PC run event and he had nothing but encouragement. I overheard some lovely comments about them and did not overhear any bitching whatsoever. So its not all bad!!!!
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I must admit I'm bit of a ring side bitch!!

Today for example, i've been to a show to watch my dad compete SJing, it was unaffil at a ag show, the standard was pretty low. I try to keep it quite but I do judge people and maybe comment to my mum if:

a) they look really scruffy and haven't made an effort
b) ride like crap and then whip/kick/shout at the horse for their mistakes
c) are far too heavy for their horse

I think about 75% of people fell into one of these catagories where I was today - why don't people up their game???!!!
 
That is fair enough, but perhaps these people do not realise, and it should be the judge to say exactly where they went wrong, to me this is the problem. They will say everything is in the eye of the beholder, but, if it is a standard then there are many criterior to match within that threshold.
 
I'm with Starbucks. I'm also v. competitive, so I have willed people to drop poles, but not out loud, and if they don't I don't mind. It's just a very competitive spirit!
 
Earplugs are great!!!
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Or learn to live in blissful ignorance just like me...

Unfortunately, anything competitive will be bitchy... I worked at a company where two other girls were plotting against me to make me look bad in front of the boss. Those two girls were girls that I trained up!!! Stupid...
 
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I'm with Starbucks. I'm also v. competitive, so I have willed people to drop poles, but not out loud, and if they don't I don't mind. It's just a very competitive spirit!

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you the person I met at a competition last weekend who played music out loud on their mobile phone, encouraged their toddler to run up and down the viewing gallery and clicking horses on from the side when you felt they weren't moving forwards enough?
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Hi friends,

Maybe the competitive spirit brings out the worst in human nature, whereas the community spirit brings out the best?

(Ie: how many would bitch about their friends?)

I remember an occasion when a somewhat aggressive large lady, well into dressage (sorted our RC dressage times, called for anyone who needed it (albeit crucially losing place on sheet on reliable, regular basis, which got a bit tricky at Team things) .....
anyhow, occasion in question, she was riding Novice RC, my mate + me watching all, cos we were just doing Prelim. This lady chose to do sitting trot, short-striding Welsh cob, and everything was going up + down - boobs + belly were united, in dramatic fashion.

My mate turned to me + whispered 'bloody hell, she shouldn't do sitting trot'

I'm still laughing now, decade+ later - not at the lady, but at my friend's humour. And i'm for the community spirit thing!

Probably get shot down in flames here, but own experience is that RCs are most bitchy ('familiarity breeds contempt', as my Nan used to say), followed by BD, followed by BSJA, with BE being best of all for lack of bitchiness, and great helpfulness to total strangers.

And hi, Gucci_B, just wondered how the bitchy girls did? Were they actually riding? Ignore them, just ride! (The not-very-nice RC dressage lady won the class, probably long-forgotten) (While my mate and i still enjoy our laughs). Don't take anything to heart, BS x
 
I'm a bit of a ringside commentator. I would never will anyone to drop a pole, but you'll hear me say:

'left behind!'

'leg on!'

'get in...'

'NICE!'

'Give him his head'

'Good wee jockey!"

"Stead-eeeee!"

Of course I would never have the guts to compete myself. But then again I watch SJ and steeplechasing and find myself 'jumping' in the armchair. Horse sport is very exciting, it is hard not to get involved.
 
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It's a peculiarly British thing I think - when I was in the US it was all low level stuff and in the Midwest, but people were much more supportive and much friendlier.


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That's true, but it becomes disconcerting when you feel you can never get an honest opinion out of someone because it's always positive or sugar-coated.
 
And of course the ringside critics are themselves so perfect...

Constructive criticism is one thing but the bitchiness which goes on is quite another.
 
Very true spooky pony!

I have never really understood the 'only the perfect should have an opinion/comment on things which are less than perfect' attitude some horse riders seem to display. For me, one of the key ways of identifying what is right is also being able to identify what is wrong/bad about someone's riding - otherwise how can you possibly tell who is giving you good advice/emulate those who ride well?

And if I comment on the ringside to someone else, it's not to 'be bitchy' it is because I am continually forming opinons about what is right and what is wrong. If you are going to put yourself up for comparison against others, which is after all what competing is, then you have to accept that not everyone will think favourably about how you ride/what you are doing. If you are secure in what you are doing and know your training is working well to iron out your faults, then you should be aware of those faults, and if someone else picks up on them and you happen to hear them, then you should be able to think 'yep, spot on, working hard to get rid of that!'.

If you can't then either you aren't training in the right way/with the right people, or you aren't quite ready mentally to be competing.
 
It is very hard sometimes to watch some people in the ring and not comment!!

I don't say nasty things when the combination is obviously novicey - but provided they don't do anything out of order!! I admit to probably hitting my horse/pony sometimes unnecessarily when I was younger but when I see it now I just cringe. People who belt their horses at the fences, drop the reins, flap reins and legs at the horse in the last few strides and then are surprised when the horse stops! They then hit it, which is the bit that annoys me
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This is not confined to any specific standard or level though. I watched some people yesterday in the grade C qualifier for HOYs at Bramham (1.30?) and some of the riding was terrible
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Good grief - I have stood ringside when my friends are competing,and willed their opposition to knock something or to have a run out etc.

Jeepers its not like Im wishing them dead or anything!! Its a competition.....who can say they have never willed the opposition rubgy team to miss a conversion or a goaly to miss so their team wins. It is the fun of the game!!

I will comment on people but I would only say things I would say to their face if they asked, ie "get off his mouth" or "jesus that was too fast"...its not bitching, its CC.

Im also aware people do this to me too,if anything it encourages me to raise my game a little and better myself, which is onlya good thing.

In the same breath though,I can pick a competitor with a horse I like and will them on through a course and smile and cheer when they do well - so its swings and roundabouts.
 
I was at Somerford today and overhead a gaggle of women ringside commenting on a class and one of them said, "well, she's got such a funny body shape that her jackets never fit", about a producer showing in the ring. It made me snigger actually. At them, not with them, I hasten to add. Some people just can't help but pass comment on everything and anyone.
 
I do comment about turnout as I think people should make the effort to be dressed correctly or at least be smart and tidy when competing.
I would only comment on peoples riding if they are being abusive towards their horse.
 
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I must admit I'm bit of a ring side bitch!!

Today for example, i've been to a show to watch my dad compete SJing, it was unaffil at a ag show, the standard was pretty low. I try to keep it quite but I do judge people and maybe comment to my mum if:

a) they look really scruffy and haven't made an effort
b) ride like crap and then whip/kick/shout at the horse for their mistakes
c) are far too heavy for their horse

I think about 75% of people fell into one of these catagories where I was today - why don't people up their game???!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree completely, but when I was jumping at bramham on thurs, it was clear it was not a pretty round (understatment
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) but there was some seriously nasty comments... I cannot help but think, come and have a f*cking go yourself, if its so easy why arent you and your perfect horse doing it?
 
Agree Absolutely_Fabulous & others
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And to novice riders a bitchy remark would put you off going into the ring alltogether. and the remarks folk say when an old lorry turns into the lorry park... well thats another post....
 
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