Passing close is one thing. HITTING people, even if only knees and stirrups is asking for injury. If this is acceptable to those in charge, find another barn.
I see nothing wrong with riding during a lesson in the same space if there is no where else available. But, if you aren’t in the lesson you aren’t jumping. And you ride to be where the person jumping is not. I always viewed riding during a lesson as nothing more than exercising my horse.
It sounds like this is not a good fit for you.
For the first part of your question - different barns have different preferences and ways of doing things that may take a while to get used to. As far as the person passing in between, that’s bad manners. But whoever is going faster passing to the inside doesn’t strike me as very odd. At my old barn, we all tried to go the same direction at one time, especially in the indoor. “Can we reverse the rail?” was usually followed by a sigh and some eye rolling, but doing it that way kept most collisions at bay. :lol:
Your 2nd question: Most barns that I’ve ever ridden at, boarders are allowed to hack in the ring while lessons are going on. They stay on the rail while someone else is jumping and stay out of the way in general. Also, sometimes there are MULTIPLE lessons going on - in which case we’d take turns jumping our courses, but if one lesson was a flat lesson and the other was jumping, you just figure ways to work around each other.
Most of it boils down to people needing to pay attention while they ride and communicate with each other. If there’s a jump on the quarter line and I need to work around someone, I’d just say something like “rail please” and they’d either move out of the way or halt so I can get between them and the quarter line. Same goes with if I’m in a lesson and people are flatting. If I’m trying to get to an angle line without making an inside turn or using the quarter line, a simple “rail please” would usually solve the problem. Of course, the person jumping is generally a more advanced rider, and should take into consideration any beginner riders in the ring.
I’ve generally found that the trainers involved can generally make or break the ring sharing experience. Communication is the absolute key.
I agree with the above poster that times have changed and most people work which means that lessons scheduled during prime riding times are going to have to share the arena with borders because no trainer can afford to lose the business of the working borders. The days of “my $80 lesson fee” entitles me to exclusive use of the ring from 5:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday night or from 10-11 on Saturday morning are long over because it means that 5 other borders will move their horses to a more accommodating barn.
As for standing still in the corner while people jump their courses, that’s also not going to work if you are consistently having lessons during prime riding time. No one wants to spend a 1/2 hour pressed into a corner.
Things that trainers can do to help
1-Try to avoid scheduling jump lessons at the busiest times of the day if at all possible. If all the borders ride from 5:30 to 7, try to schedule lessons around that if you can. If you must schedule lessons during the busiest times, try to stick to a predictable schedule so that borders can try to schedule around you if possible. If you can, avoid scheduling multiple back to back jumping lessons so that you make it impossible for borders to try to accommodate you. A posted schedule can help with this.
2-Try to set the jumps so that they are easy to ride around. If the ring is and most of the time, try to leave enough space at one end of the ring so that the non jumping riders can circle down there as needed.
3-Be very clear and loud about the course you want your lesson student to jump. Speak directly to the other people riding in the ring to give them a heads up. Be polite. Most will do their best to stay out of the way.
4-Teach your lesson students to be aware of where they’re going and to plan ahead. Prepare them such that seeing another rider in the way is no big deal and leads to a calm circle and calm approach to the next jump, not a panicked almost collision. Teach them to be polite ring sharers. Most riders will do their best to accommodate if they don’t feel like they’re being bullied out of using the ring.
5-Try to either break up the jumping parts of a lesson so that you’re not monopolizing the whole ring for a half hour straight or limit it as much as possible to a short period.
6-Get your lesson students out of the ring as quickly as possible once they have finished jumping if there’s space outside of the ring to hack/cool down. This eliminates one source of the overcrowding and creates more space for the borders who are riding to stay out of the way of the lesson student who is jumping at the moment.
I ride at a busy show barn and this is how we do it. During the post-4pm rush in winter, we might have 3 private lessons going on simultaneously with an additional handful of people hacking. I find that the controlled chaos of busy arena times is great practice for schooling and warmup arenas at shows. Once you figure out the rhythm of the arena at a particular barn, it becomes easier to navigate the traffic. Each place is a little different - figure out how each trainer warms their lessons up over fences, how the working students hack their horses, what’s the routine trainer A follows when putting a training ride on, etc and it’ll seem a little less frenzied.
Consider it excellent practice for some of the scary warmups you will encounter at shows! 
IME, which spans from the mid/late 90s to now, the sort of “chaos” you describe is far from uncommon, OP. Different barns may manage things differently; perhaps your previous barn was more lesson-centric and this one is more boarder-centric, for instance.
When you have a population of more experienced riders, it’s really not a big deal at all. When there is a range of experience levels, as it sounds like your situation is, it’s up to the more experienced riders–whether in a lesson or not, regardless of how “unfair” this might seem–to keep a weather eye out for the newbies. The recommendation of shouting out to individuals is a good one. If you don’t know a kid’s name, pony + color usually works, or a clothing descriptor usually works well (e.g., “heads up, bay pony!” or “jumping the line to your left, blue polo!”).
I’m willing to bet it’s just a bit of culture shock to you and will be old hat in no time. :yes:
I ride at a public facility with hundreds of horses, so sharing the rings with other trainers giving lessons and other boarders not in training is a usual occurance. It does get chaotic occiasionally, but even with that, I don’t know the last time that I have had anyonce pass me so close to have hit stirrups or knees. If that did happen, someone would have absolutely said something, or I would have said something if their trainer didn’t. It is definitely not acceptable, and if this continues to happen I would question the level of safety that they are instilling.
As far as the other boarders jumping during your lesson, that really is different everywhere, but I second, third or fourth that the flow and structure of a shared enviornment starts with the trainers. At my barn, typically the people jumping are the ones in the lesson. Occasionally a non training boarder will pop over some fences while a lesson is going on, but they are typically left with whatever fences the lessons aren’t using (and they will almost always ask first as they know that is curteous and helps everyone stay organized). If they are in the way of the lessons, the trainer will always make sure to say something as it is simply unsafe to have people going all over, not knowing the plan. Even having two different jumping lessons (two different trainers) going on can be done successfully, but it starts with sharing fences, and organizing the exercise accordingly.
I also am not OK with a bunch of critique going to those not lessoning. A quick note or two isn’t a big deal, but if it’s taking time away from your lesson, it should not be going on. If someone needs a bunch of critique while riding on their own, then perhaps they should not be allowed to do so.
Sharing is caring and that is totally normal, but I think your trainers need to step up the leadership on working together. If they can’t, then I would probably look for a different program.
[QUOTE=coloredhorse;8763348]
I’m willing to bet it’s just a bit of culture shock to you and will be old hat in no time. :yes:[/QUOTE]
Thank you 
[QUOTE=MtnDrmz;8763373]
I also am not OK with a bunch of critique going to those not lessoning. A quick note or two isn’t a big deal, but if it’s taking time away from your lesson, it should not be going on. If someone needs a bunch of critique while riding on their own, then perhaps they should not be allowed to do so.[/QUOTE]
Yes, this bothers me a lot as far as, I’ve paid for your attention for these 45 minutes.
I don’t think the trainer does it with any sort of ill will or that the girls are terrible and need so much help. I think it stems more from the culture of the stable, that they are all friends, etc and she can’t seem to help herself if she sees it, she comments on it.
It’s been very interesting reading everyone’s comments, thank you!
As far as finding another place to ride, I have/am considering it. However as with everyone there are a lot of factors that I don’t need to get into here that come into play.
Back in the day when I was riding all the time maybe it was just as crazy as I seem to think it is now and I was just used to it. But memory tells me people were more courteous and organized than this stable is showing itself to be and it may just not be the right culture at this particular barn for me.
Oh! And I saw a few comments about never hearing of a place that closed the arena to everyone else during lessons and I’ve actually been at two.
One was not a boarding facility though, you either rode her horses or brought yours and she had a teeny tiny arena.
The other was while I was in college. If there was a class going on in there you weren’t allowed in. No exceptions. But granted they had plenty of arena’s and outdoor space to ride
I always thought the faster horse had the inside track. I would be quite annoyed if I paid to board at a farm and couldn’t ride just because somebody was taking a lesson. For people that work jobs this would be quite a hardship. You should go have your horse in full training if you can’t share the ring at all I guess or keep horses at home.
[QUOTE=CelticAire;8763414]
Yes, this bothers me a lot as far as, I’ve paid for your attention for these 45 minutes.
I don’t think the trainer does it with any sort of ill will or that the girls are terrible and need so much help. I think it stems more from the culture of the stable, that they are all friends, etc and she can’t seem to help herself if she sees it, she comments on it.[/QUOTE]
That is how it works at our barn. Everyone is friendly and the trainers help you out in or out of a lesson. I figure for every comment the trainer has made to someone else during MY lesson, they’ve given me help during someone else’s. It all balances out.
[QUOTE=chicagojumper;8763281]
I ride at a busy show barn and this is how we do it. During the post-4pm rush in winter, we might have 3 private lessons going on simultaneously with an additional handful of people hacking. I find that the controlled chaos of busy arena times is great practice for schooling and warmup arenas at shows. Once you figure out the rhythm of the arena at a particular barn, it becomes easier to navigate the traffic. Each place is a little different - figure out how each trainer warms their lessons up over fences, how the working students hack their horses, what’s the routine trainer A follows when putting a training ride on, etc and it’ll seem a little less frenzied.[/QUOTE]
Probably because I’m from a busy Chicago area show barn, too. :winkgrin: Maybe we used to ride together!!! Hahahaa.
I was taught the faster gait has the outside track. The person trotting has the outside, the person walking has the inside. The one cantering has the outside, the trotter the inside.
The problem is the barn and trainer and not that arena etiquette has died.
This.
[QUOTE=peedin;8763539]
I was taught the faster gait has the outside track. The person trotting has the outside, the person walking has the inside. The one cantering has the outside, the trotter the inside.[/QUOTE]
I know this is a common way of thinking, but I’ve almost always found that the faster gait to the inside as the safer way to go.
[QUOTE=CelticAire;8762774]
There are two pieces to this:
Left to left when you are traveling in opposite directions at anything other than a walk. Jumping riders stay to the inside almost always. Faster to the inside when traveling in the same direction. Walkers always to the outside…if passing on the rail.
I would find it odd that others were jumping at the same time I was jumping in a lesson. However, I would never expect my barn mates to stop riding so I could jump. I just want them to be respectful of where I will be and making sure they are safely interacting with my path. While I subscribe to “lessons have the right of way,” I don’t think that absolves anyone but the very beginner of beginners from following the other arena rules. So, even if you’re in a lesson, you will do left to left, faster inside, etc. If you jump, you stay inside. I will listen to your course and I will make sure I’m not where you are going to be, when you are going to be there. If things happen to get a little off and I WILL be where you are, coming off a line into a turn or what have you, I will stop so you can get by and continue. I would NOT expect a lessoner to call the course as they are riding it. That’s very odd to me.
BUT, I will say that people that ride in conditions like you mentioned are probably a LOT more comfortable in a warm-up ring. You can tell who hasn’t had to navigate a busy arena at home…
And also, I think the distinction here for me is this is a LESSON that I’m paying money for. If it was just a bunch of us out riding around this one wouldn’t bother me at all. But I’m not getting the trainers full attention when she’s also critiquing the girls who aren’t taking a lesson and this irritates me.
You’re paying for your lesson, they are paying board that includes use of the ring. It would bother me if my trainer was giving feedback/coaching others during my private lesson, but that’s a different matter than arena etiquette.
I really don’t like the “Lesson riders don’t have to pay attention because everyone is supposed to get out of their way” idea. It creates problems, if you ask me. You should be able to focus on more than one thing if you are riding so it shouldn’t be too difficult to keep an eye on other riders and follow arena rules. If someone is doing serpentines or jumping or whatever, you stay out of their way as much as possible, but if they are coming down the rail right at you and they should go inside, they need to move to the inside and not just rely on everyone else getting out of their way because they are in a lesson. YMMV
I have occasionally jumped during a lesson but only a very out of the way jump…and my trainer trusts me. When it looks like I will be in the way, I stop. We have had a few people that decided to jump during lessons and weren’t so polite, but since my trainer owns all the jumps, the kabosh was put on that.
The only jumping barn I was at had a closed ring during lessons. You knew when coming in that Tues- Thurs from 4pm to 8pm the arena was off limits. During nice weather you could use the outdoor.
Each lesson had 6 to 8 riders. I wouldn’t want to try to learn to jump a course while dodging other riders. I can understand it if everybody was on their own, but during a lesson, no. This barn also did not allow jumping outside of your lesson. Lots of cavelletti or ground poles to use but nothing over 18". I loved that barn, it was run so safely with zero drama. The trainer was also the owner. No boarders-only though, you had to be in one of the training programs.
I wouldn’t enjoy being in a place such as you describe. The chaos alone would make me nuts.
I am turning 30 next month and was riding at a barn with all young/high school kids and one other adult ammy. I am now riding at a place where there are some younger kids but mostly adult ammy. My experiences at both barns (and also the one I rode during and right after college) is that YES arena etiquette exists! I can’t give my opinion on shows because I haven’t shown in a while.
I have not had issues with riders passing too close regardless of their age. Young, old, we don’t want to run into each other! Maybe that is just the barn you ride at and the younger riders haven’t been taught to respect others space? That is ridiculous and I would not be ok with it.
As for the critiquing… sometimes when the trainer owns the horse and someone is working with it, but not taking a lesson, they will give critiques. I’ve never felt disrespected because it is just a few notes and not taking 10-15 minutes to explain something. Most of those riders are accomplished. It is more like the lessoners are on walk break or doing warm up and the non lessoner is told “he looks really good” or “use more leg” or “do that transition again, that was sloppy”, but not like they are getting a lesson of their own.
I would look into other places to takes lessons based on this snapshot of what things are like at your barn. I would be very frustrated and annoyed in a situation where people didn’t respect each other while on horseback. Especially not when I’m paying to ride in a lesson.
I think a lot of what you describe is fairly common in busy show barns - with the exception of people actually HITTING others when they ride. Even bumping stirrups is a big fail in a supervised environment and if the trainer thinks that’s all good… it may just not be the right place for you.
That said, I ride in a relatively smallish barn but often share the ring with other lessons, including jumping lessons. We have a large covered ring and it is not at all unusual to have both trainers teaching plus other boarders riding at the same time. Everyone is courteous and generally stays out of the other riders’ way; most of us would never get to ride if we had to use the arena one at a time!
I do remember one fairly memorable lesson when I first arrived where I was riding my young green horse in a lesson with my trainer and the other trainer was trying out a new GP jumper prospect. He landed off a big oxer and the horse celebrated a bit on landing which got my greenie a bit fired up and hopping around a bit. It was exciting there for a minute!
Honestly in my opinion that is not a big deal; he will see other horses bombing around at horse shows and he needs to learn to stay focused on ME and not react to what is going on elsewhere in the ring. Now, I say that knowing the other horse was being ridden by a very competent professional who was not going to run into me or lose control of the horse - which is a different scenario than the experience the OP describes where people apparently can’t or won’t be bothered to steer. But I wouldn’t/don’t expect everyone else to tiptoe around my lessons - even on a youngster. (And likewise I expect others to deal if my horse has a baby moment here or there and reacts to something, as long as I maintain control and don’t put them in harm’s way.)
FWIW - my trainer will also occasionally say something to another client who is hacking while I am having my lesson. It doesn’t bother me a bit. She is a very focused person and my lessons are excellent and productive; it takes nothing away from me if she notices another client going by and says, “more leg,” or something like that. She will do the same for me when I am hacking as well. But we are all in full training programs and not paying by the lesson; in that sense “all rides are lessons” to some extent.
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