Horses turned out in ring?

[Bogie]

I am lucky enough to live in a town that has a public ring. While it isn’t posted that you cannot turn horses out in the ring (that will change, but the horse owner was new to the town and didn’t know), it’s never been an issue until this past weekend.

I rode out on Saturday morning past the ring and all was quiet. On the way home, there were two horses turned out and neither was wearing halters, although the owner was there.

My mare was pretty amped up – I hadn’t ridden her much because of the heat last week and it was very windy that day. She saw those two horses and went on high alert, growing about two hands in the process.

I called out and asked if they could contain their horses as I feared that if they ran over toward us, the last thing you’d see was me hitting the ground and the sparks flying from my mare’s hooves.

In fact, the horses were pretty quiet and my mare calmed down but I was still annoyed to find the horses loose because it could have caused a real problem. The owner of the two horses wasn’t concerned about them, but I felt the situation was unsafe. I was not as welcoming to her as I would normally have been to a new horse owner in town and am now feeling guilty about being PO’d.

I would have felt better if the horses were wearing halters because if they had gotten excited, they would have been easier to catch. In addition, the back gate to the ring was not secured, so they could have gotten loose.

Was I right to be upset? Or was I too concerned with protecting my own behind because my mare was being naughty that day? Is it common for people to turn out their horses in rings? It’s always been a rule in the places where I’ve lived and boarded that rings were not for turnout, especially during the day when they would be used.

[Snowflake]

In most professional barn settings I’ve been in, rings aren’t for turnout. One trainer told me that she wants the horses to be in the mindset that going in the ring means work and not playtime.

Some smaller setups have the ring and turnout being one in the same due to space restrictions. Maybe the newbie was from one of those barns and didn’t know any different.

[Highflyer]

I have certainly seen it done at places with limited turnout or with horses who can’t have grass, etc. I’ve also see people do it if they wanted to acclimate a spooky young horse. It’s not something I would generally do because horses rolling/ pawing/ being silly can be hard on the footing, and I wouldn’t do it in a public ring like that because it would be inconvenient for other people-- but it’s not really her fault your horse was being silly (and might very well have been silly if the horses were being held or ridden.)

So the rules should be clarified and posted, to prevent it happening again, but for the sake of peace it wouldn’t hurt for you to say something like, “Sorry I was short with you, but I was worried because the gate was unsecured and my mare was already being a bit naughty.” if the opportunity arose.

[BEARCAT]

You can’t control your environment.
I would not have a problem with the above described situation as owner was there and keeping an eye on the horses.
As a matter of fact, it is a common occurrence at our public fairgrounds if no one else is using the arena. Of course if you see a trailer pull up or someone ride up, you ask if they need the ring.
What if he had been lunging instead - but his horse was super excited and kicking and bucking and hollering? How would your mare have reacted?

Again, us riders cannot control the environment. We can control our horses and where we chose to ride, or when it is best to dismount.

[SAcres]

Eh. Honestly I think it’s on you, not on her. Yes, she shouldn’t have had two horses out in the ring if it was against the rules…but the rules weren’t posted and she was new to town.

It’s on you to not ride your horse out if you feel unsafe riding her through certain situations. If she’s being spooky or hot, make the decision to keep you and her safe and not ride her out. There are a thousand unsafe situations from loose dogs to cars backfiring, even a loose horse, that could cause your horse to take off.

[Sansena]

I always feel it’s presumptuous to use a riding arena for turn out unless all parties present agree, or you have express permission from the owner.

Since you came upon them after they had already turned out, I’d say you don’t have much right to be miffed. However, I certainly would have reacted the same way you had. I worry about them jumping the fence, I worry about my horse flipping out, I worry about everything. But that’s my problem in this situation of a public arena… public meaning anybody can access it in the way they see fit, unless rules prohibiting that behaviour was already posted.

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;7655472]

So the rules should be clarified and posted, to prevent it happening again, but for the sake of peace it wouldn’t hurt for you to say something like, “Sorry I was short with you, but I was worried because the gate was unsecured and my mare was already being a bit naughty.” if the opportunity arose.[/QUOTE]

I did already, just wanted to know if other people would have been miffed, or if it was just me on a bad day.

[red_mares]

I think many potential problems stay just that POTENTIAL, not actual, problems.

If it wasn’t posted, there’s no reason to be miffed at someone for turning their horses out. As for jumping the fence, how high was it? I’ve seen some show rings with a low fence, but many more with 4’+ high. I honestly wouldn’t worry about them jumping that fence any more than I them jumping out of a field.

If your mare was up because she hadn’t been ridden last week - I don’t know how you can expect another boarder to accommodate that.

[SnicklefritzG]

I think you have to expect the unexpected when you venture off your own property or where you board.

I can see both sides of the issue here. I can understand that you would be frustrated at encountering what you don’t feel is normal (horses turned out in a riding arena). However, if there are no rules against it, I think you have to suck it up.

[Bogie]

@red mares;7655526

As for jumping the fence, how high was it? I’ve seen some show rings with a low fence, but many more with 4’+ high. I honestly wouldn’t worry about them jumping that fence any more than I them jumping out of a field.

I didn’t think they would jump the fence. The back gate was not secured; they could have gotten out that way.

But you are right, most potential problems stay potential.

And that’s actually what I said after I calmed down.

[quietann]

How is this different than riding your horse past pastures or paddocks that have horses in them? Do you go find the owners and ask them to bring their horses in so they won’t spook the horse you’re riding?

Yes, the horse owner was breaking the rules (which, as you noted, s/he probably didn’t know), and that’s annoying, but I at least would not have reacted as you did… Yes, I have a mare who can get amped up by stuff, I know how that is for the rider (eep!) but I have to have some expectation that we’ll run into spooky stuff if I take her out, and be as prepared as I can to deal with it.

[Beverley]

Under the circumstances, I would not have been upset, given the owner was present and not knowingly breaking the rules. For me, not really different than riding past a field full of horses (or llamas, which actually has higher entertainment value).

Where I board there are two arenas, turnout is okay provided owners remain present and remove horses immediately if someone is about to ride. The rules also say you can’t turn out in one arena if anyone is riding in either- a safety factor, in case there are beginner riders or green horses in the occupied arena. However, sometimes folks do ask those riding if they are okay w/ turnout in the adjacent arena, I always say it’s okay, for me it’s an opportunity to verify my horse’s focus on me in a relatively controlled environment.

[Bogie]

@quietann;7655695

How is this different than riding your horse past pastures or paddocks that have horses in them? Do you go find the owners and ask them to bring their horses in so they won’t spook the horse you’re riding?

Nope, wouldn’t have expected owners to bring in their horses and wouldn’t have chosen that route to ride on that day. Same with Llamas or Alpacas. I know where they live and on a windy day with an amped up horse would have gone somewhere else.

There was no other way home for us to go or I would have taken an alternate route. I’d already ridden past the ring on my hack and there wasn’t another way back.

Last year I was out riding and someone was flying their model airplane in the same area. I chose to take a different ride that day because I didn’t think my horse could deal with it.

And yes, I expect that the pastures/paddocks would be secure; not with an open gate.

[The_Crone_of_Cottonmouth_Count]

A tangent, but I’m curious as to why anyone would go to a public arena only to turn their horses out.

[starrunner]

I have turned horses out in every boarding barn I’ve been at in both outdoor and indoor rings.

But it snows here.

A lot.

So sometimes it’s the only place you can turn them out when they just waddle out in the ice/muck.

But I’ve never turned a horse out at a show in a ring. I have turned a horse out/free lunged a horse briefly at show grounds in designated bull pen type arenas.

[Highflyer]

FWIW, the naughtier/ greener/ more explosive the horse you’re riding is, the more likely it seems to be that something like this will happen. When I was starting my current horse, it seemed like I would no sooner get on him than someone would show up to work on the phone line or deliver feed or bicycle up to ask for directions or come to combine some corn or something. So I’ve definitely been a bit short with complete strangers who were mostly only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

[Appsolute]

I encounter this a few times a week - Our boarding barn has a big arena that borders the road.

If no one else is using the arena - people will turn their horses out in it to play, as its bigger then our “turn outs” and the footing is better. They can play and get their gallops and bucks out with less worry of injury.

To get to our trails, you have to leave the property and ride along the public road - so, I get sandwiched between moving cars and playing horses.

I don’t get upset at the owners that turned out. It is up to ME to CONTROL my horse.

Personally, I don’t avoid situations like this - I use them for experience. I think back to a day when the wind was HOLLOWING, and my three year old had only a few rides under her belt. I thought to myself “if I want a horse I can ride in the wind, I have to ride in the wind”. And now I have a horse I can ride on a windy day, or past galloping horses, goats, alpacas or any sort of critter.

[GraceLikeRain]

Unless I was planning on riding in the ring and it was unavailable because of the horses turned out, I wouldn’t be remotely upset. If I hacked out specifically to use the ring then I would ask if we could work something out. I don’t like horses hauling around in a wet ring ripping up the base but it doesn’t bother me if they are quietly stretching their legs.

[toady123]

I agree with the general sentiment - she didn’t know better and it wasn’t against any posted ‘rules’, so no entitlement to be ticked off. It’s not her fault your mare was ‘up’ that day.

Our barn does use the indoor arena for turnout occasionally - we live in a snow belt and there are times the horses simply can’t go out and it provides an alternative. BO works around people when they are riding (not huge lesson program so it makes it easier).

With that said, occupying a public off-site ring with two loose horses makes it unusable to anyone else, so I do think it makes sense not to not allow it in this instance.

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=quietann;7655695]
How is this different than riding your horse past pastures or paddocks that have horses in them? Do you go find the owners and ask them to bring their horses in so they won’t spook the horse you’re riding?

Yes, the horse owner was breaking the rules (which, as you noted, s/he probably didn’t know), and that’s annoying, but I at least would not have reacted as you did… Yes, I have a mare who can get amped up by stuff, I know how that is for the rider (eep!) but I have to have some expectation that we’ll run into spooky stuff if I take her out, and be as prepared as I can to deal with it.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. How is two horses loose in a ring any different than horses loose in a field?

Sure, the rule breaking is annoying. But in this case, harmless. If your horse can’t handle riding by loose horses, that’s your deal.

I used to board at a place where a guy would turn his horse loose in an arena full of RIDERS. That was always interesting… (Didn’t happen too many times before the BO set him straight.)