Unless you follow the steward or Covid enforcer around all day you really have no idea how well people are complying, or how they are being treated.
I can’t even imagine having that job right now.
I work in healthcare. It is a public mandate where I live that everyone has to wear a mask if they are inside a public building. Our clinic policy has required patients to wear masks since we reopened in May. I perform echocardiograms which require the patient and I to be less than an arms length away from each other for 20-40 minutes. Do you have any idea how many times per day I have to tell people to put their mask on? That it needs to cover their mouth AND their nose? How many times per day people feel the need to whine about it to me?
If people can’t wear a mask properly at a medical appointment why on earth would anyone think that every.single.person. at a horseshow would comply 100%?
I agree that kindness should be the first line of defense. But man oh man, people are exhausting.
I said no one was ever purposefully flouting the rules. I don’t think you have shown this summer for you to post something like this. Masks slip down (correct the offender kindly), masks are allowed to be off when mounted (so in the .5 seconds it takes to put them back on once you have dismounted, don’t scream at the rider), and most importantly and strangely, masks are allowed off when one is eating or drinking. In the case of the “grandma” above, she was drinking coffee. Steward didn’t notice and repeatedly scolded her like a child until the trainer standing nearby helpfully pointed out the coffee cup on the ledge below her. Look, nobody is perfect … masks forgotten often by children (which is probably one reason that pony finals had to be shut down) and folks may sometimes need a reminder or even a refresher on what the rules are as they changed midway through summer (at first it was masks only when not possible to social distance, then it changed last week of July to masks at all times unless mounted or eating/drinking). We are all human. We deserve reminders with kindness and grace, not scolding or screaming so find it interesting that was possible at nine of the ten shows and put the blame squarely on the steward who was officiating the rough show. Since I posted this, I actually heard he/she has decided to step down from stewarding u til the pandemic is over as it is an emotional hot button for him/her for whatever reasons, so there you go.
Interesting that this was your experience with that COVID steward. She yelled at me while I was in a stall alone with no one around and literally had my breakfast bagel in my mouth….
Maybe I was the 10th person she saw without a mask as was mentioned above :lol:
I’m at a horse show in Ft Worth right now as a vendor. The door people who are trying to remind everyone that masks are required inside (and there are designated entry and exit doors) are getting so much attitude and grief from exhibitors. They told me that horse people are the worst about masks and the rudest about it.
And no - they aren’t being angry or emotional or rude to the exhibitors. They are just trying to do their job. We as horse people can - and should - do better.
It’s like being mad the librarian shooshed you. Just don’t give the librarian any reason to have shoosh you and you won’t have to worry about the manner in which you get shooshed.
Maybe you haven’t seen people giving the covid enforcers grief but it doesn’t mean they’re not getting it. Competitors are there FOR FUN. People working the show are at THEIR JOB (many of them because they can’t afford not to work). When competitors out for a fun day at the horse show somehow manage to “forget” and let their mask slip, those put the health of the workers at risk. They are not there for fun. You are. Show them some respect. Follow the rules. Period. Don’t make them tell you.
If you can remember to put in a helmet before you mount you can remember to put your mask on when you dismount. This whole “oh it was just for a second, or it just slipped, or I was in between sips of coffee” business is BS (if the coffee is sitting on the rail, grandma is not actively sipping it and can put her mask up) and it shows exactly why the covid enforcers are so frustrated. A rule is a rule. If you’re mounted you have to wear a helmet. There’s no “grace period” because you just got on and no one would think of giving a steward that line of BS. Yet for some reason, with masks, when it’s not your own health you’re jeopardizing but someone else’s, you’re supposed to get some leeway.
How entitled is that?
“Oh officer, yes I was speeding but I was about to slow down. Don’t I get a grace period of 5 miles?”
“Oh yes, I know you can’t pee in the restaurant. I was just dribbling a little bit on my way out of the toilet, don’t I get 3 dribbles as a grace period?”
“Oh yes, I know you have to be this tall to ride the ride but I’m only a couple inches shorter, don’t I get a couple inches grace period?”
No one has to let you enjoy your fun hobby. It’s a private club/event. Follow the rules or leave. Don’t bitch when you’re given a warning instead of a removal for not following the rules. And don’t kill the messenger. If you want horse shows to be able to continue, follow the rules to a T and don’t make a covid enforcer have to enforce anything.
I feel for the people working at a show now. They have to have their health put at risk AND babysit a bunch of grown adults who should know better.
Remember, Stewards did not get their cards to endorse a medical opinion of a private club. Most get their cards because they are concerned for the safety of the horses and riders. Yes a few love to wander about, Rulebook clutched closely and berate people but the great majority only care about the safety of the grounds and the people. They are not there to enforce Safe Sport either according to the USEF.
Happy showing and drink plenty of fluids in this heat— both you and your horse!
If Grandma wasn’t able to explain to the steward on her own that she wasn’t currently wearing her mask because she was drinking her coffee than maybe Grandma shouldn’t be supervising…
Reading between the lines tells me that Grandma wasn’t actually drinking her coffee, as you say it was sitting on a ledge, which means Grandma can either pick up her coffee and drink it, or put her mask on.
Maybe the steward was genuinely upset to see an older person - one of the very people we are trying to protect by all wearing masks and following all these social distancing and limited people on grounds rules - not protecting herself? I’d rather see sweet granny in tears at a horse show than in an induced coma on a ventilator. Sorry that granny was offended, but the rules are clear. Heck, I was at a show and had JUST dismounted - as in foot JUST touched the ground, and I got called out on not having my mask on. The woman was militant about it, but I responded by THANKING her and I could tell by her eyes that she was relieved that I responded nicely. They are just trying to keep people like me, you, granny and granddaughter safe. Nobody, and I mean, nobody wants to be the mask/social distancing/COVID-19 police! But clearly someone has to do it - otherwise, granny would never have been corrected…
Bigger question is: why did 10 stewards at 10 shows need to remind people of the rules? That in itself is indicative of a bigger issue.
I have to say i have also been to a few shows this summer and if I were caught without my mask, I would absolutely promptly apologize and be quite embarrassed. Hanging out chit chatting while drinking a coffee over the course of 30 minutes is not really an excuse. I am quite sure it’s a thankless job and I have seen too many people who seem to think that just because they are with their barn friends, they do not need to wear one.
I’ve been to a handful of shows. What I noticed was when the steward was in view, most folks put their masks on. When the steward was not in view, most folks removed their masks.
The EMT didn’t even bother to have a mask hanging off his chin, much less anywhere in sight.
The overriding sense I felt was, “We’re horse people. The rules don’t apply to us.”
That said, there were a handful of people who consistently wore masks, so it wasn’t 100% non-compliance.
Pony Finals was not “shut down” because masks and social distancing were “forgotten by children”. Many people, the USHJA, and the Pony Finals committee, urged that the competition be postponed due to the pandemic. USEF went ahead and invited it’s membership to the show, exhibiting a horrible lack of judgement and leadership.
The Pony Finals, along with most of other big Kentucky hunter shows, were cancelled because of the incidence and spread of COVID cases on the show grounds two days before Pony Finals was scheduled to begin.
I have no sympathy for adults who seem to be incapable and/or unwilling to take basic precautions to prevent the spread of a virus that is killing people. I don’t care if they “forget” to follow the rules.
If a person is so self centered, forgetful, or clueless that they cannot comprehend and abide by the basic, simple, rules that are required to mitigate the chance of endangering the lives of others, they are truly a danger to public safety and should stay home.
Who are all these adults that cannot seem to function without a nanny or a steward to remind them to follow the rules?
Who are these people that are whining about their nanny/steward’s tone of voice when they are reminded that it is unacceptable to endanger the lives of others and that they must follow the rules?
The entire issue, the lack of compliance at horse shows is an extraordinary and horrific view into the psyche of some members of the equestrian community .
The fact that anyone has to be reminded to consider the lives of others because they are not abiding by the rules and then complains that they don’t care for the tone of the reminder, is beyond the pale.
I think it can be really hard to judge situations like this without knowing the context of the situation. Perhaps the steward had asked grandma three times to follow the policy and it was not done or perhaps grandma is super sensitive and no matter how it was said she would have been in tears. I feel the best thing to do in situations in like this is give both parties the benefit of the doubt .
I will also add this. As someone who has enforced safety policies with the public as part of her job some people just don’t listen till you get assertive. I will never forget working an elk jam in Yellowstone and had a man walked right by me and get with in 6 feet of one of our female elk. I asked him to move back nicely three times and he looked at me and just kept taking pictures. It wasn’t till I got nasty did he do what I say. While I agree that people enforcing the rules should always try to be and stay polite sometimes keeping people safe trumps polite.
Did you actually read my posts? These were my observations of how the officials acted toward others. Kind, effective, calm at 9 of 10 shows. Also did anyone read my post where I found out the steward in question has decided to sit out the rest of the season? Clearly not cut out for the extra layer of stress in these uncertain times. Which was basically my point all along.
I was the “mask meanie” at a show last month and the majority of the people were ok with a friendly reminder. I did have one group of teenagers who I spoke with a couple of times and the steward also spoke with a couple of times. I finally hit the end of my rope after catching them for the (probably) 10th time in the grandstands not wearing their masks and sitting right next to each other. I asked the steward to accompany me while I lit into them with my 27 years of teaching voice. I also took their trainer’s name and banished them from the grounds unless they were showing. I didn’t like to get mean, but they were completely blowing us off and putting the show in jeopardy. I also had one parent who was a pain and it took show management intervention to help with that one. The kids were great - they almost always had their masks on and in place - rarely did I have to give them any reminders. I actually thanked a bunch of them for being such great representative of how to keep everyone safe and told their trainers how happy I was to have them being models for everyone else.
So now… one’s coffee cup sitting on a railing = drinking their coffee?
Does it really need to be explained that while you are not actually in the process of drinking (like when your cup is resting on a railing not even touching you) you should be wearing your mask?
One thing I noticed that would have helped immensely in following protocol was if the shows had actually been closed to spectators. Saw several from the general population who either didn’t know the rules or didn’t think they were important enough to be followed. Never once saw the spectator rule being enforced.
Thank you for doing the mask meanie duty! It is a very important job these days, and I’m sure it is absolutely no fun the vast majority of the time. But if we want to keep having horse shows, the masks are important. Whether or not you believe the masks actually make a difference, they are a requirement. No masks equals no shows.
I saw a picture on Facebook from the weekend with a group of five or six people sitting at a horse show right next to each other without masks as they watched the ring. And it was an indoor ring. No masks, no separation, none of that. And they were not kids. They looked like they all could have been grandmothers.
.