Protocol for opposing traffic in arena?

[Peggy]

I was taught that two horses traveling in opposite directions pass with left sides together. Is this the same in western and/or AQHA land?

Today I was riding in a ring with a combo of HJ and AQHA riders (riding English, but I still think this forum might be the most suitable place for this question). I was cantering to the left. AQHA kid was cantering to the right. Both of us were on the rail. I stayed on the rail until I realized she wasn’t giving it up and since my horse is not a suitable mount for a round of “chicken” I veered inside when I realized she wasn’t. When it happened a second time I asked her trainer if the rule is different and she said that the faster horse (or horse doing the faster gait?) gets the rail. When asked what happens if both horses are at the same gait, she said that the older, more experienced rider is expected to yield to the inside. Is this the norm in AQHA/breed/western? Does it matter that this trainer is not from the US of A?

Aside from the likely chaos this brings to the table if you have a group of riders following different rules, there are also a number of practical issues, such as: What do you do when you don’t know the age of the other rider? If your horse walks faster than the other horse jogs or lopes, who is doing the “faster” gait?

[Plumcreek]

Not many AQHA trainers take the time to teach their students the safety protocol thing. In my experience, the faster horses go to the inside, as the western or HUS rail horses are slowest and stay on the rail. It is generally a free for all, and people will canter right between two walking horses 3’ apart, both ways, as well as screech their cantering horse to a stop right in front of you and haul them backwards as punishment for coming un-collected. Not for the faint of heart, horse or rider. Only apparent rule is BNTs get right of way. …(Oh, and in my experience it is also OK to toss a Hot Wheels tricycle to the ground for a small boy to ride back to the barn from the ingate area - right behind your green horse.)

[potteryshop]

It is not only the trainers’ students who don’t follow logical right of way. Many established trainers think it is their right to stay on the rail, schooling, at either direction. The “screeching halt and back-up” is also common as is the “stop on the rail and talk to buddy for 15 minutes.” I know, I know, I should be able to think ahead and maneuver in spenty of time, but come on, keep moving.

I just try to stay about a third of the way in off the rail and keep out of everyone’s way for my own peace of mind.

[wonderhorseguy]

Simple answer is there is no established protocol.

[Plumcreek]

Adding that only a few AQHA trainers know there IS a safety protocol thing.

[Peggy]

Okey dokey. Guess I’ll just to my best to stay the heck out of their way. My horse has an unfortunate habit of spinning and occasionally firing out when horses cone at him and he feels cornered so I was hoping that there was a protocol to help me avoid such encounters.

I suppose that circling and doing the random stop and jerk routine in front of the fence I’m trying to jump is part of this package? This happens even when I call heads up on the jump.

[Tee]

I don’t know about the protocol - usually doesn’t come in our small barn. But if we do have multiple riders I will call where I am passing. If I am on the rail and someone coming towards me is as well, I’ll cut across and do a small circle to come in behind them. Or just spend my time doing non-rail work. I don’t get enough of that anyway.

[Pocket_Pony]

Geez, Peggy, that sounds horrible! I must say most of the time I spent sharing the arena with people everyone figured out how to work around each other - but, granted, this was mostly a h/j and dressage barn with just a few western folks in the mix.

[Go_Fish]

[QUOTE=Plumcreek;7138267]
Not many AQHA trainers take the time to teach their students the safety protocol thing. [/QUOTE]

This is not exclusive to AQHA shows. Ever schooled in the warm up pen at a H/J show lately? I don’t think the H/J trainers teach their students, either. Having 3 or 4 pony jocks in the warm up pen at the same time, or a couple of clueless AAs is down right dangerous.

I think the issue at AQHA shows is that several different disciplines may be schooling in the ring at the same time. General consensus is that the reiners are riders to avoid in the middle of the arena. That leaves the rail for everyone else. Horses at AQHA shows are also better broke and the chaos generally doesn’t affect them as much. And, if you’re tailgating, expect to be backed into. That just goes with the territory.

[Plumcreek]

[QUOTE=Peggy;7138566]
Okey dokey. Guess I’ll just to my best to stay the heck out of their way. My horse has an unfortunate habit of spinning and occasionally firing out when horses cone at him and he feels cornered so I was hoping that there was a protocol to help me avoid such encounters.
QUOTE]…There is a protocol for this. Announce to the offenders that your horse is only vaguely broke and may kick at anything coming close by. Worked for me…The bright side to all this is if your horse gets so that he can survive a QH warm up pen, you can go anywhere. This is called getting “trafficked”.

[ToTheNines]

Specific to breed shows. No protocol that I could ever discern. Not to mention the riders whose horses take up at least two widths with their sideways cantering.

[Bluey]

The way I have heard it, left to left applies in some circumstances, faster has the rail, slower the inside and this comes first.

If you are walking, you are inside, if trotting, not quite to the rail if someone is cantering, that are on the rail.

Now, since warming up every horse does other than just ride along, everyone has to watch for others, not because you want to be polite to each other, but so you don’t get run over.

Some competitors are mean and use the warm up area to try to intimidate others so they can’t warm up properly.:eek:
If they are caught at it, they are warned, but it is a free for all in there anyway.

[Peggy]

[QUOTE=Plumcreek;7138723]

[QUOTE=Peggy;7138566]Okey dokey. Guess I’ll just to my best to stay the heck out of their way. My horse has an unfortunate habit of spinning and occasionally firing out when horses cone at him and he feels cornered so I was hoping that there was a protocol to help me avoid such encounters.
QUOTE]…There is a protocol for this. Announce to the offenders that your horse is only vaguely broke and may kick at anything coming close by. Worked for me…The bright side to all this is if your horse gets so that he can survive a QH warm up pen, you can go anywhere. This is called getting “trafficked”.[/QUOTE]The horse in question is 14 and not likely to be going to a show in the near future, if ever again. The tendency was there from the beginning of his under saddle career and exacerbated by a rider on a Friesian who tended to mow people down and a horse that backed up to him at a show and double barreled him outside the ring. So no amount of training is going to change the essential character of this horse. Perhaps it will be useful for the young horse who doesn’t seem to care about traffic.

The AQHA trainer has seen the firing out. I’ll just try to work around them and off the rail. I generally avoid the ring at the times when three trainers are in there but I had no voice yesterday if I wanted to ride.

Today I avoided the issue entirely by going down to the smaller ring but I don’t like to ride all the time in the smaller area as the horse is happier with wider turns. Plus it seems like backing down which i dont want to do. But it was peaceful and probably made other people happy. Besides there was a loose horse in the upper ring with various body parts tied together. Yes, on the rail.

</vent>

[mvp]

[QUOTE=Plumcreek;7138267]
It is generally a free for all, and people will canter right between two walking horses 3’ apart, both ways, as well as screech their cantering horse to a stop right in front of you and haul them backwards as punishment for coming un-collected. [/QUOTE]

The warm-up ring at Congress was like nothing else I have ever seen at any horse show. Think Lower Manhattan sidewalk at rush hour. The horses were well-behaved and manueverable.

It seems you are expected to ride where you want, keep your eyes peeled and control your horse enough that you can move him out of harm’s way.

I know folks like rules, but I like this way of doing things.

[Plumcreek]

Peggy, my best ever horse, a race bred, 16-3 high energy sort, at 3 years, was in an AQHA pen almost-wreck involving a halter horse standing on the rail waiting to lunge, a lunging horse, and an amateur reiner who thought he needed a blow-out run around the arena before showing in the adjacent pen. He blew by the standing halter horse, who kicked at him, making him swerve into the lunging horse, who swerved toward my horse, with lunge line coming at me fast. I spun him and buried my dinky spurs into his sides, jumping him forward to avoid the lunge line, but getting him side-swiped by the reiner. No one got hurt. However, this got me seriously bucked off in a USEF arena 6 years later, when an out of control ammy came streaking off the diagonal line, up behind my horse, who lost his composure and launched me to where my feet were up above the saddle. They never forget, and I can relate.

[Willesdon]

Given how litigious everyone is, shouldn’t the show set out rules for the warm up arena to prevent a pile up, or some poor soul coming off a spooked horse, and then the show having its socks sued off for breach of health and safety, lack of due care etc etc?

Or members of the AQHA have a campaign to get some rules established?

[katarine]

[QUOTE=Willesdon;7141281]
Given how litigious everyone is, shouldn’t the show set out rules for the warm up arena to prevent a pile up, or some poor soul coming off a spooked horse, and then the show having its socks sued off for breach of health and safety, lack of due care etc etc?

Or members of the AQHA have a campaign to get some rules established?[/QUOTE]

Nah, that’s part of the fun. I like a crowded warm up like that, it’s an event all by itself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwLJeZ40YRo&noredirect=1

[Plumcreek]

The larger shows do separate the reiners to their own separate warm up, and do not allow lunging in the show arena during open riding times. The national indoor shows also have arenas open all night, so 3 am is pretty safe.

[VaqueroToro]

The podunk little local show I volunteer with do 10 - 15 minute warm ups between the showmanship/pleasure/equitation classes – half the time is spent with everyone going clockwise, then a call for reverse over the PA, then the rest of the time spent clockwise. W/T gets to go first (which is everybody), then the true W/T riders leave the ring once W/T/C is announced for another 10 minutes. Keeps things mostly sane without folks needing to know how to pass other than if you’re moving faster, pass on the inside and leave the rail to the slow pokes. Warm-ups prior to the show even beginning are usually handled by consensus of the riders – we usually call out their requests for reverse on the PA a couple of times before the show begins.

Pleasure shows are generally less near-disaster than the warm-ups for the game shows…

[Peggy]

The ring referred to in my OP is at my home barn, not a show, but it has been interesting to read the replies. Besides show protocol, or lack thereof, likely carries over to home. But you’ve all given me another reason I never want to show breed. Not you personally, but your reports if what happens at shows.