But some shows water and drag during a break??
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It really depends on the venue and the host, too. Except for the one incident, I have never seen anyone run into the arena between rides at a USDF/USEF competition.
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Regarding pooping while working, the horse that is: itās considered by many to be a good sign that your horse is working over their back.
Iāve been at places where you absolutely were asked to stop to let a horse poop, others donāt seem to care.
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Itās never happened to me, but I think we need to make Stop and Poop a scored movement. Not everyone has to do it, but anyone who does can choose where they want to perform it and will then get bonus points.
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I rode at a barn where the indoorās new footing required every rider to stop, drop, and roll over a pitchfork and bucket to pick it up. During lessons, the instructor would do it, but when hacking in a crowded arena, it sucked, especially if youāre riding a smart, poopy pony that realizes itās a great way to get out of work.
I rode outside whenever possible.
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People have taught their horses to pee on command (to forestall barn aisle peeing) - why not poop on command for those bonus points ??? 
The Burghley dressage commentary will be ā sparkling. Even more than their usual humor. 
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Yes, my current mare will not poop under saddle and the ends of longer rides are frustrating because sheās pissy because she has to poop and cant/wont/doesnāt. The only time she will is on long trail rides where I think she finally realizes she doesnāt have a choice.
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Green maresy had earned herself a 4 and āstood to poopā at multiple shows. She gets a bit of a nervous tummy. I get it - showing is hard. Always a 4, never more, never less.
Little maresy happily trots and poops at the same time. She is very talented.
The old campaigner unloads right after the bell rings - he knows the drill.
So farā¦the 5 year old hasnāt relieved himself in public. Heās shy. Hates even pooping in the aisle. How embarrassing.
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OK, Iāll bite. How does one teach a horse to pee on command?
At the race track we used to, when a horse urinated, start whistling a two tone whee-ooh-wee-ooh up and down notes until they finished, then praise them.
Was nice to have a trained horse when you had to go get a sample for testing and your horse obliged quickly.
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Two of my geldings taught themselves to poop when I went out to the paddock to bring them in for tacking up, and to urinate once tacked up, stopping outside the arena to take care of business.
Wish I could take credit for it, but I canāt. Really helps keep the arena clean ā I donāt have to pick up piles, or work around wet spots - and bodily elimination is not an issue when Iām riding.
One of these was the shy type - at an event, a show, a trail ride, etc., he would only āgoā in front of me, never a stranger. I knew the signs, would take him behind the trailer so that he had a bit of privacy, and turn my head away.
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Thatās exactly how I teach all my dogs to pee on command. Especially with females, it can make those cold winter night pee breaks go a lot faster.
My father had a diabetic Samoyed, and had to āstrip testā her urine every day.
I quickly taught her to respond to āPiss Pleaseā
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Today I got some definitive answers to the pooping question. Judges will drop the score for a horse that stops to poop. Someone told me they got a ā2ā for a movement when her horse stopped to poop. Not all judges will be that harsh, but it is considered a disobedience. However, if a horse stops for more than 20 seconds, it can be eliminated. (Judges do have some discretion there.)
I also asked a TD about cleaning poop. She said there was no rule about that, but the judge can decide to allow clean-up only during breaks. Itās up to the judge. However, in my opinon, at shows where warm-up before the test occurs inside the arena, I would not want someone running in waving a pitchfork during my warm-up. I can imagine a spooky horse would not like that and it could potentially be dangerous for the person on the ground.
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Recently got a 4 for that. Oh well.
It might be annoying to riders, but I have at least $30k invested in my footing (for one arena) and we darn well keep it clean. Itās easy to complain about rules like picking up poop but itās a huge investment and it needs to last and remain dust-free as long as possible. No one here complains because they appreciate the nice facilities.
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Always a good idea to ask!
Regarding the cleanup during a show, I had a friend whoās horse liked to stretch out and pee at the end of a test. Yeah, it was real fun riding after that pair!
I donāt know about āannoying to ridersā but I do think it would be helpful if our show standards matched real life insofar as the investment in good footing is now changing arena habits far and wide. Perhaps judges should not be deducting for the behavior. (Iām thinking flat classes at other types of shows as well).
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We donāt do shows at my farm, but I have been penalized for having horses stop at shows. I donāt kick on if I havenāt trained it at home. Whatever.
Honestly itās cheaper for me to lose a class than risk my footing! As we go up the levels we start insisting, but it isnāt that big of a deal until FEI. We encourage but donāt push. My boarders are wonderful about not riding over any poop. I totally get a show that would want pickup, I just canāt afford to replace the footing a minute faster than I have to.
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I saw a young rider on a fabulous horse start her extension across the diagonalā¦the horse stopped mid extension and poopedā¦then continued on. She won the class! LOL
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It was one movement; yuck yuck!
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