The shop mechanic and a new apprentice were steam cleaning machinery.
They took a little break, then were going to start again and the mechanic asked the helper to go to the other shop bay with a bucket and ask them to fill it with some steam, they were getting low.
The apprentice came back worried and with an empty bucket and the message from the others that sorry, they too were out of steam. 
Every horse I work with learns to get used to things being put on from the front except for bridles. My old mare will drop her nose right into a halter held in front of her, and same with a blanket. I don’t even bother to undo the front, just hold it up and she’ll duck her head through the hole, my new guy is almost as good. Most of our racehorses had the program figured out with me too, when I was handling them regularly.
My pet peeve or daily dumb is similar to the bridle thing.
Watching people loading horses onto a trailer and when the horse pauses, the handler turns around and faces the horse. And then tries to pull the horse onto the trailer.
Nope. No horse in the history of ever has loaded that way.
Sometimes I’ll turn to start the tug-tug-tugging that annoys them to take another step forward. shrug
Last night. Three people in the arena. Myself and another riding, the third working on showmanship stuff.
The other girl riding had so little spacial awareness that I had to terminate my ride early. It’s like she didn’t know how to leave the rail for any reason.
I’m doing a 15m circle at one of the ends. Here she comes, right through my circle, when she could have turned and avoided me entirely. I had to abruptly adjust my circle from 15m to an odd oblong shape to avoid her. I was annoyed.
then, THREE separate times, she was trotting/loping and I was walking on the rail. She used the ass of MY horse to stop hers. She was less than a horse length away from me before she tried to adjust her horse’s speed.
After the third time, I whoaed and got off. I’m sure she heard me say “that’s it, I can’t take this anymore, an entire arena and you’re running me over, I’m done.”
Same person has run over a mounting block because she won’t.look.up. or get off the rail.
argh it’s going to be a long winter
I do this. I know it does not work, but I still do it every freaking time. I want to see why we stopped and then asking again just happens.
Then I realize how stupid I am and turn back around … but darn it. I still do it, every freaking time.
The scariest part about this is this same person has a driver’s license. Christ on a cracker.
@Trubandloki and @endlessclimb,
You’re not dumb if you turn around and look and pull release on the lead rope. That’s a totally natural response to the horse pausing. If you realize your body language is blocking the horse within a short period of time and face forward or reapproach the trailer, you are not a candidate for the daily dumb.
You are dumb if 10 minutes later you’re still facing the horse braced on the lead rope and not going anywhere.
Another one - I stepped in to help friends load a green horse on a step up trailer. Horse is sweet and sensible, just doesn’t know much. Walked right up to the edge of the trailer and stopped, shins touching the trailer. Clearly didn’t understand a step up trailer. Someone was going to go get a chain shank, another a whip, another a broom.
I asked if I could help, backed him up a step so he could actually lift a foreleg and he walked right on.
I am so glad I intervened before the chain shank, whip and broom arrived. 
Without you SPEAKING UP to this person, EVERYTIME, things will not improve. Muttering to yourself, stomping out of the arena, obviously has not changed anything. She is oblivious to the situation. Using your horse as a stop means you need to get protective or let him turn into a kicker when horses approach from behind. Do you WANT that to happen, letting her wreck your horse’s training? Break into her attention, talk to the BO about problems!
If you do not act in these instances, then you should shoulder the blame for things staying the same. Like with a pushy horse, GET HER ATTENTION, then state the problems she is creating. Otherwise it has you coming off as passive/agressive, crabby attitude, while she remains clueless that SHE is causing trouble.
Her horse is evidently trained to go where aimed, regardless of things in the way, no sense of self-preservation. So do not expect him to try avoiding you. Without changes, she probably will end up riding into you, maybe knocking you over!! Seen that happen. Won’t be “her fault”, you should have got out of the way!!
Send her to my barn. We got one big boy who is pretty dominant, knows how big he is, and will double barrel the crap out of any horse stupid enough to get up his hind end. (That said he’s an absolute dumpling on the trail, keeps his cool even with other horses spooking left and right). People get one friendly warning then if they don’t listen…well, hey. They were warned, consequences on them.
You must not have been following what kind of barn this is.
The BO absolutely will not ever get involved. I’ve spoken up before, and what ends up happening is people get their knickers in a twist. I’m already known as a … “not friendly” person because I don’t tolerate stupidity well. Problem is, this barn is so chock full of it, that it’s unavoidable.
Perhaps I’ll just tell her that my mare will kick if she gets too close, and then use that as an excuse to holler at her when she’s careening up my ass.
I think this is a fair thing to do.
In an arena it is the responsibility for the experienced rider to stay away from the beginners. You should be looking up and able to observe what she is doing and no matter what you are doing you can do a 10 meter circle or whatever you need to stay away from the other riders at a srltrides notice. The beginner does not have the ability to do this.
From what Ring Etiquette I was taught you were wrong here.
Not saying she was right.
But the rail belongs to those at any gait above walk.
I.E.:
If you are walking on the rail, you get off the rail for anyone at a faster gait.
Yes, she was wrong for bumping into you. She should have called “Rail” alerting you, so you could have time to move off the rail.
But, if you heard her approaching, you should have left the rail to give it to the horse traveling faster than walk.
The same here. If you are in walk you should not be on the outside track.
That is not how I was taught, at least not for non-crowded areas. If she had the ability to do a “half arena” she should have taken that track. If there’s a billion horses around, that’s different.
She’s walk/trot/cantering. She’s not a rank beginner.
I did some googling, and I found instructions on arena etiquette indicating both ways - both slow on the inside and slow on the outside. So, I guess I’m not sure.
Regardless, I’m going to have to be more vocal about arena sharing else this winter will be an ultra long one.
Ring etiquette is whatever the rules are for THAT specific ring.
Who gets the rail is very discipline and area specific.
Ring etiquette always includes that it is rude to run into the back of another horse, no matter who has the right of way, running into another horse is just wrong.
Seeing as she bumped into you, leaving the rail seems like the safer approach for you.
Unless she suddenly decides to cut around/past you. But considering the “bump”, that is unlikely.
Maybe ask her preference (Kill with Kindness) & act accordingly.
At least that way she, as a Problem, will be solved 
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