What is killing recognized dressage shows?

[fivestrideline]

Relevant to the tagging fiasco: this is why I quote rather than tag if possible. More of a trail (though we all know it can get messed up too).

Relevant to the warmup anxiety and speaking generally: a great way to confirm a preconceived idea that dressage competitors are all snobby mean girls is to show up at a rated competition completely blind and unprepared and without proper assistance. Add in a green horse (no matter how trained, competitive atmospheres require training too), and a self-admitted confusion over fees (and likely rules - those are clear as mud without someone to explain and check your work), and you’re basically asking for a bad time.

People at the rated show are going to assume you(general) know what you’re doing and are willfully breaking rules/getting in the way/not following procedure. Which it is impossible to avoid doing so without guidance or previous experience.

A schooling show is likely to be accommodating - if one is gracious and asks good questions ahead of time. Still, I really think you’d need a coach in this situation.

[netg]

The only horse who has crashed into us in a warmup is my mare’s full brother when she was playing emotional support sister to him

I always advise everyone to go in understanding that dressage riders are often introverts, very hard on themselves, battling anxiety, and who knows what else. Because of that, amateurs especially don’t look up as well as they should in warmups, and I probably have other riders cut across my line of travel without warning or noticing they are near another horse at least 20 times per show. I try to stay away from other riders, and they often follow me because their horses are happier near other horses, which also makes it worse!

Dressage riders also can frequently come across as short for the reasons above, if they see a safety concern and it’s something the unwritten behavior around shows says should not happen- such as people standing and chatting near a gate, and not moving when a horse approaches. Because of the hyperfocus and/or nerves riders feel, they’re often simply incapable of being social and kind to strangers, instead being brusque but hopefully not actively rude.
I highly recommend going to public clinics to meet other riders (and hopefully get a chance to learn more - I love to audit clinics!), because riders are more themselves there. Some will be snotty or rude because in any population that exists, but I’ve made good friends from meeting them at clinics, where I wouldn’t have at shows.

[Manni01]

Agree 100% but maybe a good show experienced friend who could point out what to do at what time would help as well!!

[K_VanOlst]

@Manni01

Actually I prefer to be ridiculous to being mean……. I wonder did it give you a kick to declare that you don’t think you want to meet her in person?? It had really nothing to do with the discussion……it was OT

Read for comprehension

Also, idk if you’ve ever been on a bulletin board before but things can and do go off topic, and since you’re not a mod, you don’t get to police everyone’s comments.

[Manni01]

Great reply . You are so right!!!

[CanteringCarrot]

@netg

The only horse who has crashed into us in a warmup is my mare’s full brother when she was playing emotional support sister to him

I always advise everyone to go in understanding that dressage riders are often introverts, very hard on themselves, battling anxiety, and who knows what else. Because of that, amateurs especially don’t look up as well as they should in warmups, and I probably have other riders cut across my line of travel without warning or noticing they are near another horse at least 20 times per show. I try to stay away from other riders, and they often follow me because their horses are happier near other horses, which also makes it worse!

Dressage riders also can frequently come across as short for the reasons above, if they see a safety concern and it’s something the unwritten behavior around shows says should not happen- such as people standing and chatting near a gate, and not moving when a horse approaches. Because of the hyperfocus and/or nerves riders feel, they’re often simply incapable of being social and kind to strangers, instead being brusque but hopefully not actively rude.
I highly recommend going to public clinics to meet other riders (and hopefully get a chance to learn more - I love to audit clinics!), because riders are more themselves there. Some will be snotty or rude because in any population that exists, but I’ve made good friends from meeting them at clinics, where I wouldn’t have at shows.

Great post!

[Manni01]

Sorry . I apologize!!!

[Rallycairn]

eta: I was replying specifically to eightpondfarm’s post #573 but the forum called that undefined when I pushed the post button, and just stuck my comments at the end.

@eightpondfarm I can feel how anxious you are just reading this post !

And especially since you haven’t got a coach willing to be a “show coach,” as you termed it, I’m guessing you may have done much of your attending and observing on your own too, without someone experienced with you to explain the ropes and such. It’s hard to feel prepared, much less confident and optimistic, when you are having to go it alone and figure things out yourself.

It all sounds intimidating to me! I’ve only done very, super, low low low eventing dressage and been to breed-specific dressage shows, but netg’s comment (as an example) that riders cut her off in w/u at least 20 times per show is very scary and concerning!

But as several have suggested - take a knowledgeable friend or get a show coach, make sure you learn the etiquette if you don’t know already, go to schooling shows first, etc. etc. to get you over the hump, like you said.

[anon55755751]

Also volunteering at rated shows is really valuable for learning the ropes and the flow!

[sparkygrace]

Do you have any friends who ride and show dressage? From your posts, I gather you have a good relationship with your trainer, but I don’t read anything about you knowing her other students. I may be wrong. I know your trainer is a distance from your farm.

You have received some good advice here. First, spectate at some schooling and approved shows with people with show experience. They can point out how the warm-up arena is set up, the rules for the warm-up, and possibly point out good or bad behaviors. Everything goes smoother if you know the rules.

Starting with schooling shows or practice shows is a great experience to work your way into the show world. Some places host a “ride-a-test” where you perform a test, get immediate feedback and advice from a judge, and then ride through the test again. It’s like a lesson and quite helpful.

I realize you don’t care about characterizing some riders as “mean girls,” but you will be welcomed and supported in the show world with a more positive, curious attitude. I’ve been showing for 40 years. I’ve seen it all, good and bad. I’ve found being supportive and friendly toward everyone, even those who don’t always behave well, has been rewarding. Being extra supportive toward “newbies” has helped them as well.

[sparkygrace]

Excellent advice.

[Mander]

@sparkygrace

I realize you don’t care about characterizing some riders as “mean girls,” but you will be welcomed and supported in the show world with a more positive, curious attitude. I’ve been showing for 40 years. I’ve seen it all, good and bad. I’ve found being supportive and friendly toward everyone, even those who don’t always behave well, has been rewarding.

Great advice in general (and had spared me a good bit of general barn drama as well)! There will always be people you dislike for whatever reason, but approaching such people with an expectation of being treated insert whatever reputation that person has seems to all but guarantee that it will be true.

[Heinz_57]

@paintedpennypony

What is the appeal of showing when it’s that prohibitively expensive?

For one thing, people want street cred. Because ‘my trainer and I think we’re doing it perfect/right’ doesn’t mean all that much, unless your trainer is someone with street cred. Whether that ‘cred’ is for personal accomplishment or bragging rights or to bolster your presence in the industry, it’s a (relatively) standardized metric for demonstrating proficiency. That ties into another reason - if you ever intend to sell a horse, it needs street cred too if you want to redeem the full value of the training.

To be clear, I’m not saying showing is required to be proficient. Just that it’s a common way to prove it.

[fordtraktor]

The warmup ring can be chaotic, especially for those of us who generally ride alone or with 1 other horse in the arena. My very good boy had a complete meltdown at Regionals over the warmup ring being way too full, even though they weren’t letting non-showing horses in. Four rings going with one show warmup area (two standard arenas side by side) was too much for him. I ended up asking the Steward if I could just go back in after my disastrous test and walk around the edge after my class so he could relax. I promised I wouldn’t go in the arenas, and I didn’t. It took him over an hour of walking to take a deep breath and walk normally.

We had been to several shows earlier in the year, but they were not as crowded. And of course at Regionals everyone is a bit more dialed in on their own ride and not as much the traffic.

Eightpondfarm’s concerns are very legitimate, IMO. Many horses that aren’t used to traffic can become upset in a busy warmup.

[lorilu]

@fordtraktor

Four rings going with one show warmup area (two standard arenas side by side)

That is really unusual for Regionals - one WU for 4 arenas??? Please tell your regional director about this. They are the ones who find and select the locations for Regionals.

[netg]

@paintedpennypony

What is the appeal of showing when it’s that prohibitively expensive?

So the verifiable quality is one thing, as mentioned. It’s someone who isn’t personally involved giving their opinion.
I showed a lot as a kid. Like averaged over 1 show per weekend (with double judged officially counting as 2 shows) every year showed a LOT. I got completely burned out with no desire to show for quite some time! Being on a team in college made it more fun, because of having people I was rooting for who were rooting for me. As an adult, I’ve chosen to make friends and try to cheer for everyone at shows. I absolutely have some people I don’t like, but they aren’t worth worrying about, except for the barn with dangerous horses from a different state - I seriously feared my mare and I were going to be severely harmed by an out of control stallion who was eliminated a few minutes later.
So what I do like - the camaraderie. When I placed third in my region, I got text messages and phone calls within minutes of scores going up from friends I met at shows who weren’t there, but were rooting for me from afar. I also absolutely love being at shows with my mare. I used to go away to horse camp for a week every summer, and hanging out with nothing to think about besides my horse and horses in general was my favorite thing. And horse shows make me feel that way again, because my mare is simply such a pleasure.
In the less touchy-feely aspect, I learn things about my training ans relationship with my horse at shows. How are we progressing, do we have holes to fix? Despite placing third at regionals, our rides there were revealing. By State 6 weeks later, we’d fixed those holes and deservedly scored higher despite having external challenges which affected us.

[fordtraktor]

It’s not exactly a secret location (Lamplight) and there are other warmups to ride in, but they are far from the main show ring area. It’s a great facility, I honestly don’t have any complaints about the venue and know my own horse needs more miles to be successful there.

This is a “me” problem, not a complaint about Regionals which are very well-run. Just busy! At least we can say that nothing is killing recognized dressage shows in Region 2! There were over 40 riders in my First Level AA championship class.

[Edre]

The amount of traffic that can get going in LL’s warmup is both impressive, and terrifying. Once upon a time I had an extremely traffic-sensitive horse (extreme anxiety when horses approached head on due to a prior incident that was no fault of his own) and that warmup was really tough for us. We figured it out eventually (and getting counter canter and changes helped because I felt we had more options to move around if caught in traffic) but still-not my happiest memories.

To the broader topic at hand though: I really can’t reiterate enough that the constant nickel and diming, the addition of what seems to be superfluous fees, the memberships for multiple things - they add up, fast, and the fees get higher every year. I understand that the costs of everything is going up! But shows (and organizations) need to be cognoscente of the fact that a dollar is dearer than ever with inflation and the cost of living, and you will hit a point where the disparity of the assigned value by riders doesn’t match the actual cost. A show can only afford so many people getting to that point before they no longer have enough entries to make the show feasible to host.
I would really like to see the AAs, especially at the lower levels, get some kind of a break because in most shows these are the riders that carry show attendance and profitability, but again, these are the riders least often recognized or valued - at least, this has been my experience.

[VodkaRedbullx2]

I find the mean girls come out at the fancier shows and where warm up is constricted to a dressage ring. Like tightening a girth when there’s no room to move out of the “warm up”

Less mean when warm up has plenty of space to sprawl.

Same goes for unloading and trailer parking. Never met a mean person with that until I went to a fancy show and they demanded I move immediately so they could roll their tack truck up their ramp.

Less fancy rated show - good luck or good job as you pass before entering.
Fancy venue: killer eyes and silence after you say good luck and they proceed to post on Facebook the next day about how they are learning to be nice.

So go to a lower tier more relaxed rated show and you will be fine.

[PonyApocalypse19]

LL is a very “active” place. The atmosphere is hot and a lot of horses can’t take it even during a regular show. I think it has it’s own unique challenges as a show facility and the way the warm ups are set up is one of them. Props to you for going and making the best of it!
As a note, there was a definite decrease in Region 2 entries for the championships this year compared to the last time they were held at Lamplight. It was around 200 - 300 less entries if I’m remembering correctly. I know some people went to Region 4 this year, but that amount isn’t anywhere near 200. So we are seeing a general downturn in show entries for the various reasons this thread pointed out.
On the warm up side, I do go to shows by myself with my mother in tow. We went to a new facility this year that we’ve never been to before. I am comfortable at my regular haunts for showing so going to someplace new and not knowing the layout and how things are run is unnerving to say the least. But everyone was super friendly and nice and helped us out above and beyond. I just had to ask for help. As for the warm up I find I have more issues with people who are oblivious to the others around them. And its not that they’re diva’s it just that they’re like deer in headlights and are stuck on 20m circles like a life preserver!