Just curious, has anyone been given a DR card for being an ass in warmup? I got bucked off in SJ warmup this weekend when I got squeezed into the rail by a horse coming head on passing left to left. I mean, I had nowhere to go except up which is exactly what happened when my boy lost his shit. Just before that another rider was walking directly across the approach lanes right in front of the fences talking to someone across the arena, oblivious until I yelled “cross rail” and she stopped. I don’t now how dangerous riding is defined, but a lot of what I see happens in too small, too crowded warmup rings.
I wish they would. Unfortunately, it would require yet another (paid, licensed) official just to babysit jump warmup…possibly 2 officials if xc and sj are running concurrently. But yes, many times warm up is a scary place to be, at least at the lower levels, with inexperienced, nervous riders making poor spacial decisions lacking courtesy. I try to be in warmup area as briefly as possible- 15 minutes to trot, canter, jump 5 fences and go in.
I was t-boned many years ago as a kid in sj warm up, a rider cantered right into me as I was trotting on the rail. Her horse fell down, mine was fine. But it’s very upsetting! There should be consequences for dangerous riding in warm up, because other horses’ and riders’ safety is at stake.
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Did a BNT have her leg broken when another horse kicked her in warm up ?
I'm so sorry that happened to you!! Warmups can be a scary place, for sure. I think that there sometimes isn't enough supervision in the warmup areas, and it makes for a hectic and sometimes dangerous hot mess.
In my area there are a few professionals who I think assume the warmup is only for them :winkgrin:. They have no problem staying the course and forcing other riders out of their way. When this is combined with some let's say nervous adult ammies who are hyper focused, things get a little scary. I've seen some riders play bumper ponies, and it's sooooooo avoidable if people would just pay more attention. Luckily around here some of the places really try to limit how many riders are in the jumping warmups at any given time. It seems to help limit the madness.
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Holy smokes, glad you’re ok! Warmup areas are indisputably the most frightening part of the weekend.
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Yes, Sara Murphy was kicked in the leg by another horse in warm up and had to cut her overseas trip short.
The training warm up this weekend at Stable View was a disaster. People got up there way too early and made it too crowded. And didn’t listen when others were calling out their direction.
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When I did the Training 3 Day last year, I loved not having to do a XC warmup!
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It doesn’t require a paid official. It requires good setup and a GOOD volunteer backed up by organizers. Mr. Asterix has been doing it at Waredaca for years. We have limited space and he has a system of only allowing 5 or 6 active jumping horses in warmup at a time. Once riders get to know it, and understand that they will have the time and space to warm up properly, they love it too.
i can’t tell you how many horse trials I’ve been at where SJ warmup is chaos, and riders (often BNTs, before you paint them all with the same brush) ask him to step in and get it under control. Obviously he doesn’t as it’s not his gig, but…
This year at Rolex Ryan Wood stopped his course walk to come over and ask if he’d do the Plantation CIC…he did, and he had such a good time that he is now contemplating becoming at FEI steward, at the suggestion of the actual FEI steward he worked with.
I have never understood why events don’t focus on getting this area under control. Not every volunteer would want to do this - it does mean sticking to your guns and really being organized, but it isn’t rocket science.
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Welcome to every single BN and N warm up I’ve been in at the KHP in the last 3 years. I think almost every time I’ve been at an event one of my phases had a collision-including dressage (WTF?) At TC last year I had someone walk right in front of me while I was approaching a jump, another person almost hit me head on (and sandwich another horse one the rail that resulted in teh rider gettng kicked) and I had to yell at two kids repeatedly for walking side by side on the rail.
They really need to watch it more carefully but I don’t know how to you address it other than limit the number of people in the W/U at once like they do at May Daze. I don’t undersand why someone who is last in the order of go needs to be in the ring 20 minutes before the start of the division but that’s just me. I don’t think I am going to learn anything new nor teach my horse something new in the warm up. SB, KC and TC are the worst because there are no ride times and those tend to lead to the most dangerous warm ups I’ve been in.
Left to left doesn’t seem to be a thing in the eventing world (at least the lower levels) nor does keeping your eyes up and calling where you are going/respecting where people call.
I sincerely hope you didn’t get hurt and I think there are many many of us who share your same sentiment.
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It’s all dangerous in warm up. It would be nice if there were at least one empowered volunteer with hutzpah to mind the chaos.one of my pet peeves is riders chatting along the rail making the area even smaller.
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I found out that left shoulder to left shoulder doesn’t exist lol. I had someone circling that was coming right at me and looked miffed when I just stopped. Didn’t know where you were going… I hate the warmups. My horse gets so worked up because of all the hubbub. We almost got ran over by another circler too who was focusing too much on the instructor and not where she was going. Sorry guys, the warmup is not a place to give a lesson, IMO. At least the jumping warmup was not as awful as the dressage warmup. I’m not saying I’m perfect either, but seriously, the chaos is just horrifying.
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hope you and handsome red are ok riderboy, sorry to hear that…
left to left works fine in theory until there’s 15 riders in the warm-up - then it is relatively impossible to maintain without interfering with someone else’s trajectory. i try riding left to left in most warm ups but for some, like GMHA’s dustbowl, i don’t even try – i just stick to the rail as best i can unless i’m about to jump. what complicates things is the people throwing in irregular circles, crazy drunken 16 loop serpentines right in front of the line of the jump, and the most unpredictable figure eights ever… keep warm up simple and the crashes are less likely to happen.
as a ring steward watching lots of chatoic warm-ups, i think the best thing you can do is keep your eyes up and ride smart and ride PREDICTABLE - and ride with the flow, not against it - if 90% of the ring is going to the left, you go to the left too. re: predictable: best thing i’ve been able to do as a rider is pick an area and stay in that area unless jumping… and if possible, try warming up outside of the ring… i’ve been known to warm up by the trailers if it is safe and allowable - keeps my horses calm and keeps me from stressing.
i have not seen or heard of anyone getting a DR in warm-up, but i have a few times have had to ask someone (usually a pro of all things!!) to get out of the jump lanes so other people can jump… i’ve totally seen ring stewards admonish some reckless stuff, but not write them up.
Warm-up is the worst! I think it’s difficult to arbitrate, though, because unlike a regular DR where it is just 1 pair and the course, there are usually multiple riders involved in warm-up catastrophe, and hard to distribute fault. (Is it the fault of the rider who yelled vertical then proceeded as though the impeded waters would part, or the distracted rider who was slow getting out of the way, etc. etc. . . )
I love the Waredaca system. Though, stupid horse stuff can happen anywhere. I was there a couple years ago when a junior on a pony ran right up the rear of my 5 yo, my horse severely lost it, took minutes to even get him out of that little area to let others warm up. I’m not sure who the TD would have carded–she “started” the incident, but my horse posed greater danger to other riders.
It’s less clear cut than the person bombing around xc like a maniac.
I have seen stewards attempt to restore order when people were way out of line (blocking jumps, jumping the wrong direction, etc.)
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I just assume that left to left isn’t a thing in the eventing world. But what is even more dangerous and frustrating is calling where you are going (ie, “VERTICAL” or “outside”!) doesn’t seem to work either because it falls on deaf ears…
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She commented that she got too close to that other horse.
Warm up rings are a gong show. People getting on their horses way too early and causing crowding is the biggest issue I see.
I have been in some slightly chaotic warmups, but nothing like some of the stories here. The stories here remind me of my days in H/J land and trying to school early in the morning.
I think the biggest issue is people being in warmup way too early. This is maybe where I’ve been able to avoid a lot of chaos, because I basically insist on barely warming up my horse for SJ and XC… thankfully I’m in Area 2 where everything is run in one day and we go straight to XC from SJ. My standard warmup is: once around the arena in both directions trot and canter, doing some slight lengthening and collecting within the gaits while going around. Then jump x at trot, jump x at canter, come around to vertical off both leads, then oxer off both leads. If he’s good I leave it at that. If there is too much traffic I may leave out an extra hop over the vertical or oxer (assuming my horse feels fine with that).
XC warmup is basically a forward canter once around (usually not enough space to gallop) then pop over 1-3 fences, depending on what they have set up. Then go! There is almost no one in XC warmup at most venues because of the way its run from SJ.
I agree warm ups are terrifying! I am taking my mare to her first full 3 day (we did a small1 day last month) next weekend. It is a pretty big international event and I just KNOW warm up is going to be, for lack of a better word, a bitch. I told my trainer that I was most concerned about warm up. She laughed joked that warm up is always terrifying and she wants to wear a helmet when coaching warm up rides. Well, I wasn’t kidding. I’m legitimately concerned about it. I wish there were consequences for dangerous riding in warm-up. Passing left shoulder to left shoulder, calling out jumps … these practices should be standard. Not running into other horses, looking where you are going…also should be standard practices.
Also, and I hope nobody jumps down my throat for saying this, but there is definitely a difference between warm up rings for beginner novice versus the warm up ring for preliminary.
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I don’t know why anyone will jump on you about that. I think it is pretty hard to dispute that BN is WAY crazier than Prelim. At prelim most riders know what they need to do and do it. At BN you have people who show up 40 minutes before, people with large entourages (I don’t mean working students, I mean boyfriends and aunts and dogs and…), people who need lots of coaching, and people who are less experienced overall at showing. Our whole crew knows that the day that starts with prelim and ends in BN will be an exercise in increasing chaos.
I have not been in a Mr. Asterix warmup yet but looking forward to it. I love organized warmups. I have learned if I keep my chin up and keep looking around almost every danger can be avoided…
I think I’m a bit fortunate that things aren’t more chaotic where I’ve been so far.
When I’ve been a warm-up steward, the main thing I’ve had to correct is people parked in the main track having a conversation. Often chatting with people on foot outside the warm-up area. Casual. Unhurried. Not about horses. Or the course. Or anything to do with the horse trials currently in progress…
Really ??? Here ??? Now ???
I have a minimum of proud-ness that I have regulated my language and behavior while moving these people anywhere else. And sometimes pointing out to them that they are about to be run down by a pro on a large WB who doesn’t care. Heh.
I think there does need to be a (preferably large) area for flat-only warm-up. A field or unused ring. If someone feels they need 45 minutes of trot circles and shoulder-in’s, let them have at it there. I have such areas work well at venues that have the space for it.
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