Exactly. They all knew better.
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Exactlyā¦ and also, whatās the harm in reminding people to wait or hold applause or reaction til the horse has exited the arena or is walking out of the ring? Again, they arenāt robots and this isnāt the freaking Kentucky Derby. Itās absolutely ridiculous to disagree with something that could cause harm to human and animal.
Furthermore, we literally just saw a re-ride and winning class from a young rider at Pony Finals that was a result of crowd disruption, so itās really not that far-fetched. If weāre doing it for grown men in pants with golf clubs, we can do it for equestrians. No one needs to be shouting during a round that costs thousands of dollars and lots of time qualifying to be in that spaceā¦ and thereās plenty of time between end of round and score to show your approval or satisfaction.
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Are we now riding unpredictable animals on a tennis court? Also, they require silence too. While on courseā¦ a loud surge of noise shouldnāt be the fault of the animal. They are fight or flight creatures. Also, arena/stadium noise echos. Itās considerably different than just a sideline whoop.
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Okay but, for the most part, this is already A Thing. Most of us are exceedingly careful about being a distraction, itās basic Horse Show Etiquette 101. Are you wanting some sort of rule? How exactly do you enforce that, especially if general public is in attendance? Is the remedy re-rides for everyone?
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As I stated in my commentā¦ why not announce it like they do at multiple different sporting events where silence is requested for focus? If youāre not familiar with it, watch the US Open in a few weeks or attend in person. They request it multiple times during the matches and if thereās a buzz or disruptions, they give some stern warnings. Thereās no harm in reminding the crowd to please wait for scoring or for horse to complete round to exhibit reactions.
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I mean, sure? Make an announcement. Set cones 3 strides out from the last fence as the ācheerā zone and no judging anything that goes on in it. Scores typically donāt come in until next horse is on course; itās a bit anticlimactic, and disruptive for the next horse.
We had one horse with a seriously ill-timed spook from exuberance that was likely led by someone on itās own team. But the reason for that exuberance? The sheer thrill of watching a stunning hunter jump an incredible round of fences? I want more of that. More crowds that canāt help but exclaim because they get the beauty of what just happened. The horses can handle it, as theyāve demonstrated countless times, and the sport desperately needs (IMO) more fun and less SHHHHHH.
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Orā¦Hereās a crazy thoughtā¦People could breed for good minds and train their horses to be prepared for the horse show environment.
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Ay yi yi, getting a horse with the talent and scope is hard enough.
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Disagree. I think the silence for golf and tennis is stupid too, though.
The derbies were supposed to bring LIFE back into the hunters, and Iād hate to see us go the way of dressage and have silence enforced by sniper.
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Yesā scope, talent and brains is the trifecta. Itās supposed to be hard to get all 3 in one animal, and why the one that has all 3 costs a gazillion dollars. And while you can only enhance scope & talent so much, you can do a lot to build a better brain. So when that gorgeous animal, that jumps incredible precisely because heās a touch sensitive, blows a gasket on course, Mr. Plain But Consistent gets a chance to step up and snatch a ribbon that might normally be beyond his talent.
As I stated in the re-ride thread: The inherent unpredictability of the horse is perhaps the greatest equalizer in this sport.
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Ok, then I think it should be perfectly fine for spectators to create a ruckus when the horse they need to beat is on course.
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And if your horse is sane and properly prepared, this wonāt cause an issue.
Have you ever been to a working western (reining, cutting, cow horse) event of any kind? Horses can be bred and trained to perform in much more lively environments than a hunter show. And some of those bloodlines, contrary to what you might think, are known to be extremely sensitive (they call it āfeelyā).
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In a small, close-knit, co-dependent community, this would be a great way to become persona non grata right quick.
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You are funny! I wonder if youāve been to any of those events. The atmosphere and crowd noise is quite different.
Oh ok, I bow out, you win. 
Having just returned form āone of those eventsā this past weekendā¦Yeah. Iām pretty familiar.
Iām also familiar with hunter shows, dressage shows, and breed (Arabian) shows. I show Arabian horses in (ranch horse) working western divisions now, but used to show an Arabian in the hunters and dressage.
Horses can be BOTH athletic and good-minded. They can be BOTH athletic and well-trained. They can be ALL THREE at the same time.
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Thereās also a huge difference between deliberate disruption and cheering after a great round IMO.
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I sort of wonder if the unusual circumstances of the day had anything to do with Lafitteās reaction to the crowd noise at the end of his round. He has certainly won a lot in his career, so he is no stranger to some whooping and hollering after the last jump.
But the fact that they had already been up to the ring to get ready, got sent back to the barn for three hours, had the huge storm system come through, and then went back to the ring and got ready again under different weather conditions and lighting so much later in the day might have just been a lot for him. Plus when all is said and doneā¦ heās still a horse.
Regardless, it was a shame, since he went so beautifully both days, and would have been a very deserving winner.
Huge props to his rider for the Facebook post she made the next day on the subject, which showed both great horsemanship and great sportsmanship.
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Ever watched a class where Jack Towell was ringside cheering on Liza? Iāve seen horses worry about the big screen projectors above the ring. Large cameras on tri-pod stands, particularly when they are wearing "raincoastsā. People holding umbrellas. A plastic bag blowing by. Some are not too keen on seeing harness horses or ponies warm up in a holding area. Even dressage horses who decide a ringside flower arrangement is scary. Itās not unusual for music to be playing, or announcements to be made or golly, how about dealing with the Azerbaijan āLand of Fireā colorful musical acrobatics or the Musical Drive of the Kinās Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Royal Windsor? The unexpected can and will happen, and we just need to take things in stride.
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In the century plus that weāve been doing this sport, deliberate disruption to thwart the competition has, AFAIK, not been an issue. To suggest that the only possible alternative to mandated silence is foul play is pretty ludicrous.
That said, when I responded I was not aware I was playing some sort of game that I was out to āwinā.
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