Eventing Etiquette For XC Schooling

[Lori_T]

I had put this on the back burner of my brain but was writing a new blog today and it made its way to the front and after some consideration, I thought I would share my recent experience here.
Last week, we went schooling at the Florida Horse Park.
I have not been xc schooling in a group in a few years, instead concentrating on private lessons, but for once, all the stars and planets seem to be lining up and we are entered in a show this weekend, so after a long, hot summer of no xc, I figured it would be a good tune up.
However, I do have lots of experience in xc groups with my daughters from when they were younger, and never have I witnessed what I saw last week.
We were a group of 9. There were lots of groups out that day, some bigger than ours. We were pretty courteous to other groups and if one area was busy, we by passed them and came to the next group of fences to work on.
Well there were several groups behind us, who instead of going around us, just cut in line and would jump the line that our group was working on. Sometimes there were several that went right after the other, at which point we would have to then wait for our group to be able to finish. I finally had enough when we were clearly schooling in the section of sunken roads, and as I was coming through and up, heading for a fence, a man on his horse had parked himself right in my line and I had to holler for him to move out of the way.

Please tell me that this rudeness is not common and was an isolated incident! Are there more and more coming over from hunter land who don’t understand that we as eventers are civilized and courteous to one another when we are schooling?

[Pennywell_Bay]

[QUOTE=Lori T;8863161]
I had put this on the back burner of my brain but was writing a new blog today and it made its way to the front and after some consideration, I thought I would share my recent experience here.
Last week, we went schooling at the Florida Horse Park.
I have not been xc schooling in a group in a few years, instead concentrating on private lessons, but for once, all the stars and planets seem to be lining up and we are entered in a show this weekend, so after a long, hot summer of no xc, I figured it would be a good tune up.
However, I do have lots of experience in xc groups with my daughters from when they were younger, and never have I witnessed what I saw last week.
We were a group of 9. There were lots of groups out that day, some bigger than ours. We were pretty courteous to other groups and if one area was busy, we by passed them and came to the next group of fences to work on.
Well there were several groups behind us, who instead of going around us, just cut in line and would jump the line that our group was working on. Sometimes there were several that went right after the other, at which point we would have to then wait for our group to be able to finish. I finally had enough when we were clearly schooling in the section of sunken roads, and as I was coming through and up, heading for a fence, a man on his horse had parked himself right in my line and I had to holler for him to move out of the way.

Please tell me that this rudeness is not common and was an isolated incident! Are there more and more coming over from hunter land who don’t understand that we as eventers are civilized and courteous to one another when we are schooling?[/QUOTE]

Perhaps if they were from hunterland, it was a one-off. And your post is, most thankfully, not what I have experienced coming from hunterland into the world of eventing. I can think of 1 faux pas I made and quite graciously explained to. Most are certainly briefed on eventing and xc schooling etiquette prior to going and I seriously doubt a big crew of hunters showed up just to school cross country- gasp- it could have been one of “your own” (since you like to make the distinction).

A shout out to the Midwest Eventers for being so kind and gracious to those of us who just don’t understand how civilized and courteous you are to one another and welcome us anyway. Nothing but class from the MW eventers.

[Lori_T]

[QUOTE=Pennywell Bay;8863201]
Perhaps if they were from hunterland, it was a one-off. And your post is, most thankfully, not what I have experienced coming from hunterland into the world of eventing. I can think of 1 faux pas I made and quite graciously explained to. Most are certainly briefed on eventing and xc schooling etiquette prior to going and I seriously doubt a big crew of hunters showed up just to school cross country- gasp- it could have been one of “your own” (since you like to make the distinction).

A shout out to the Midwest Eventers for being so kind and gracious to those of us who just don’t understand how civilized and courteous you are to one another and welcome us anyway. Nothing but class from the MW eventers.[/QUOTE]

For what it is worth, I come from hunter land.

[yellowbritches]

Pretty much the norm, as I have seen, at big xc schooling days at popular venues. I had a couple of riders cut right through the middle of our small group once while we were working through some ditch issues with a small kid and a pony. Our group was CLEARLY at the ditch (several horses and riders standing near offering encouragement or giving a lead, two people on the ground coaching or leading the pony, pony having typical pony moments directly in front of the ditch). A couple of riders, part of a big group, cantered square through the middle of us and over the ditch, right next to the our kid and pony, not even calling it. Not even a “hey. We see you guys are working here, but we’re on a time crunch. Mind if we come through and school this really quick?”

That’s definitely the worst example I’ve ever encountered, but your experience, and just the general chaos that is schooling days is why I tended to avoid them at all costs.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Fairly normal at big schoolings. And generally reflective on either the coach or if the person is just a yahoo. To a certain extent, I go to them expecting a certain amount of chaos.

But I don’t always have people cutting in line. Most are fairly aware. Every now and again you will get some doing something rude…and I often find it to be the same offenders. Luckily the horse world is small…and most people are pretty polite.

Common sense sometimes seems to fly out the window.

[CindyCRNA]

I think there is a difference between cutting in (which is rude) or tagging in at the end of a group. Sneaking in behind the last of your group to get the jump in before the first of your group hits it again doesn’t bother me. Most of us all semi-know each other at these schooling’s so seeing so and so’s big gray taking the jump at the end doesn’t ruffle my feathers as we all play well together. Sometimes on busy schooling days, you won’t get it done quietly waiting. But there is usually some convo between groups. But we rarely have groups bigger than 6. Most trainers here take their groups out in flights according to level so not big flocks of people.

[kcmel]

Yeah, I think a group of 9 is really big, and I wouldn’t find that to be a productive schooling. I can understand how people would be annoyed waiting for such a large group to clear a high-demand complex like water, ditches, or sunken road. But of course the person(s) who barged into your group should have asked.

My trainer always takes out multiple groups. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a group larger than 4.

[Manahmanah]

Large groups also tend to do a lot of standing around socializing. Keep in mind courtesy goes both ways - if you are standing around and talking about a jump or listening to an instructor, move off to the side where others can use the obstacle.

I have not encountered anyone blatantly curing the line but I will jump obstacles that others are just standing around and looking at.

[rosegold]

[QUOTE=kcmel;8863426]
Yeah, I think a group of 9 is really big, and I wouldn’t find that to be a productive schooling. I can understand how people would be annoyed waiting for such a large group to clear a high-demand complex like water, ditches, or sunken road. But of course the person(s) who barged into your group should have asked.

My trainer always takes out multiple groups. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a group larger than 4.[/QUOTE]

This.

I’ve never been in a group larger than about 5, but I’ve “ridden through” some larger groups. I was always taught to ask permission if waiting for the group to finish isn’t an option, or that it’s generally okay to go ahead and take your jump only if there’s a fair pause in the group’s schooling. I’ve never seen anyone just crash through with no warning like that, but I guess I’ve been lucky.

I love FHP. Sorry you had that experience.

[Equisis]

Open schooling days are tough. It sounds like the man who got in your way at the sunken road was oblivious to the fact that he was in the way- still dangerous, yes, but it can be hard to keep track of where everyone is going at a busy schooling, especially for green riders.

I agree with the others that 9 is quite a large group for schooling, and to expect that other people may need to school the obstacle while your group is using it. Of course those people should be courteous and not do it in a manner that interferes with your schooling, but courtesy goes both ways, and a group of 9 can monopolize an obstacle for quite a bit of time. If someone is crunched for time, or on a young/electric horse whose quarter might be running out, I can understand wanting to jump through once or twice and move on. That said, they should be courteous, clearly call out what they are doing, and not interfere with someone who is actively jumping.

[RPM]

Time was, when hunterland was actually a land occupied by people and horses who actually hunted, and therefore were used to being on outside (cross country) courses and dealing with challenging fences.

I don’t know when it changed, sometime after I left the hunt seat world (never hunted, but many of the people who showed in hunter shows actually hunted), but it did a great disservice to hunterland and its denizens.

Cantering a horse around a ring jumping rails has nothing to do with historic hunterland and really should be called something else.

I don’t know if the rude people OP had to deal with were from present-day hunterland or were just rude eventers, but if they’re gonna ride outside the ring, over serious fences, they need to learn safety as well as manners.

[Winding_Down]

[QUOTE=Equisis;8863970]
Open schooling days are tough. It sounds like the man who got in your way at the sunken road was oblivious to the fact that he was in the way- still dangerous, yes, but it can be hard to keep track of where everyone is going at a busy schooling, especially for green riders. …

I agree with the others that 9 is quite a large group for schooling, and to expect that other people may need to school the obstacle while your group is using it…[/QUOTE]

Yep.

I have been schooling with another person before and been greatly inconvenienced by large groups that monopolize a a complex of jumps for 10-15 minutes. And a group of 9 may take over a complex longer than I may be schooling the entire course.

My solution to this is to either (1) school the rest of the course and then come back, or (2) politely ask if it is okay if the two of us can go through the complex, taking turns with the large group. The latter is awkward. Way too many times, I’ve passed by a complex with a group and then come back only to find another group in possession of the complex.

As for the fella standing in the way, well, that happens, and heck, that fella could’ve been me. :eek: With all the busyness of xc schooling, it is easy to forget to watch every which way, and especially so for less experienced riders.

[FitToBeTied]

I guess I am a yahoo because I think it is rude for a group to dominate a jump or a complex when XC schooling. Usually these groups are dominating those jumps that people really need to work on (e.g. water, banks and ditches). So if you are with a big group I think you should expect and allow others to work in with you.

If your group thinks they need to have control over jumps then I suggest that they arrange with the facility for a private xc schooling time.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=FitToBeTied;8864097]
I guess I am a yahoo because I think it is rude for a group to dominate a jump or a complex when XC schooling. Usually these groups are dominating those jumps that people really need to work on (e.g. water, banks and ditches). So if you are with a big group I think you should expect and allow others to work in with you.

If your group thinks they need to have control over jumps then I suggest that they arrange with the facility for a private xc schooling time.[/QUOTE]

no. Yahoos are the couple of scary people blasting about jumping things clearly beyond their skill level and blasting up on people. Seem to see one or two every open schooling.

Around here, large groups are fairly common at schoolings. I have definitely jumped through a complex through them but it is always with asking or clearly when there is a lull of their riders. Most around here school handfuls of jumps together. So you always have to keep a look out for green riders and let people know where you are going. That’s not rude. But if you cut someone off on purpose, that’s rude. I think it’s a bit about perception. The horse world is small. And at least around here, most people know each other and are happy to share jumps.

[Lori_T]

It is sad to see that this seems to be common place anymore.
Yes, I thought 9 was a bit large, but our instructor was one of those and of the remaining 8, there were 2 different levels of riders, and at no time did I feel we were monopolizing the jumps. Those who were not jumping at the time were off to the side, so it was usually just 4 or 5 going at a time. And the ones cutting in line were from a much larger group. There were lots of open options for these people to go around us and jump something else, which was what irritated me…it would be one thing if we were clearly taking a long time and holding things up, but we weren’t. It has been several years since going out in a group and I was not prepared for this kind of behavior.

[Lori_T]

[.

As for the fella standing in the way, well, that happens, and heck, that fella could’ve been me. :eek: With all the busyness of xc schooling, it is easy to forget to watch every which way, and especially so for less experienced riders.[/QUOTE]

Thing was, he and another rider showed up right after us and they just stood there watching us from one side. Then all of a sudden, even though he has just watched several of us go down and up to the jump, he decides to park his horse right in the pathway. This was at a quiet end of the park, there wasn’t much going on over there for him to be distracted. Not sure what his reason was, but it was pretty rude.

[JP60]

I think the moral of the story is…There are rude people in the world. We just need to learn how to deal with them in a way that does not ruin a day.

Not a big fan of this distinction between Hunters vs Eventers. End of the day, we are all equestrians and how we behave reflects not on a specific style of riding, but on us all.

I know that when we school FENCE, while all fences are open, the water complex has set times for use and a group is required to sign up for a time, be there, and not over extend. I remember a couple of times individuals coming up and asking if they can do a specific thing with the water and my trainer just took that moment to better instruct her students. Once, using the less then optimum ride being shown by the pass through rider. Perhaps more venues need to start such a policy for it does tend to move people/groups along.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=Lori T;8863161]
Are there more and more coming over from hunter land who don’t understand that we as eventers are civilized and courteous to one another when we are schooling?[/QUOTE]
Posts like this make me chuckle at the thought that eventers like to post how inviting and nice and non-judgemental they are.

Your post could have been made with out bashing any other riding discipline.

My experience schooling at hunter shows is the vast majority of people in the ring are polite and try to not cause a problem. There is occasionally a few people here and there that are either clueless or just plain rude.

My experience schooling cross country is the vast majority of people out there are polite and try to not cause a problem. There is occasionally a few people here and there that are either clueless or just plain rude.

[Jersey_Fresh]

[QUOTE=Lori T;8863161]
I had put this on the back burner of my brain but was writing a new blog today and it made its way to the front and after some consideration, I thought I would share my recent experience here.
Last week, we went schooling at the Florida Horse Park.
I have not been xc schooling in a group in a few years, instead concentrating on private lessons, but for once, all the stars and planets seem to be lining up and we are entered in a show this weekend, so after a long, hot summer of no xc, I figured it would be a good tune up.
However, I do have lots of experience in xc groups with my daughters from when they were younger, and never have I witnessed what I saw last week.
We were a group of 9. There were lots of groups out that day, some bigger than ours. We were pretty courteous to other groups and if one area was busy, we by passed them and came to the next group of fences to work on.
Well there were several groups behind us, who instead of going around us, just cut in line and would jump the line that our group was working on. Sometimes there were several that went right after the other, at which point we would have to then wait for our group to be able to finish. I finally had enough when we were clearly schooling in the section of sunken roads, and as I was coming through and up, heading for a fence, a man on his horse had parked himself right in my line and I had to holler for him to move out of the way.

Please tell me that this rudeness is not common and was an isolated incident! Are there more and more coming over from hunter land who don’t understand that we as eventers are civilized and courteous to one another when we are schooling?[/QUOTE]

I think its a mixed bag. Just like in non-riding situations, not everyone has common sense and not everyone is courteous.

One of my teammates got dumped at the last schooling at the KHP because she was jumping a jump that was about 3 strides out from the water. Someone came galloping into the water from the other side, not paying attention and they almost collided. My friends horse jumped the jump and slammed on the brakes at the water, dumping her. The other rider didn’t even apologize.

Ive also had someone walk in front of an XC jump and stand there talking to the jump judge as I galloped down yelling “Heads up!!”. The JJ never told her friend to move and the person didn’t move until i was probably 4 strides away from the jump.

People don’t always think. And that is especially dangerous on when schooling XC with green horses and green riders.

[Lori_T]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;8864204]
Posts like this make me chuckle at the thought that eventers like to post how inviting and nice and non-judgemental they are.

Your post could have been made with out bashing any other riding discipline.

My experience schooling at hunter shows is the vast majority of people in the ring are polite and try to not cause a problem. There is occasionally a few people here and there that are either clueless or just plain rude.

My experience schooling cross country is the vast majority of people out there are polite and try to not cause a problem. There is occasionally a few people here and there that are either clueless or just plain rude.[/QUOTE]

I apologize for anyone taking offense to my hunter comment…it was more tonque in cheek, since I come from the hunters and from my experience, hunters tend to be a bit different when it comes to schooling. That was one of the attractions I had to eventing, in that everyone was so nice and helpful.