who can ride a horse in the warm-up at a show?

[half seat]

I did check the rules, but I'm clearly not searching for the correct words. (Sorry!) Is anyone other than the competitor (such as a trainer) allowed to ride a horse in the warm-up at a dressage show?

Can someone point me to the correct rule?

Thanks. :)

[Peggy]

DR 127.6 Says you can't at a championship:

6. At no time during a USEF/USDF Championship competition may any horse entered in that Championship competition be ridden by anyone other than the rider entered in the Championship competition on that horse (Exception: grooms riding on loose rein). Further, any horse entered in a Championship competition, even if entered at two levels, must be ridden by the same rider throughout the competition.
(from page 35 of this - http://www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2009/08-DR.pdf)

IIRC it is not allowed at FEI competitions.

Otherwise, I believe there are no restrictions.

[elio]

DR 127.6 Says you can't at a championship:

6. At no time during a USEF/USDF Championship competition may any horse entered in that Championship competition be ridden by anyone other than the rider entered in the Championship competition on that horse (Exception: grooms riding on loose rein). Further, any horse entered in a Championship competition, even if entered at two levels, must be ridden by the same rider throughout the competition.
(from page 35 of this - http://www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2009/08-DR.pdf)

IIRC it is not allowed at FEI competitions.

Otherwise, I believe there are no restrictions.

While this is true if you are at a Championship, it is not true if you are at a different venue. And yes, (Otherwise, I believe there are no restrictions) would be correct.

[SillyHorse]

The simple answer is: unless it's a USEF/USDF Championship show, anyone may ride any horse during the warm-up.

[CDNJumperGirl]

Or at FEI levels, nobody else can get on the horse (with the exception of the groom on a long rein, i believe) during the CDI

[mjhco]

At CDI's there are restrictions.

Local shows may have their own restrictions.

[mandalea]

Here in Aus, the only other person to ride the horse is a groom. Doesn't say when they can and cant, just they have to have a helmet, and walk on a loose rein. I groomed at an ODE saturday and sunday, and the rider would warm the horse up, ready to go in, and I would walk it around whilst she was getting changed, and walk it around after SJ and XC, whilst she was eating (Type 1 diabetic). Never got looked at weird or anything.

Our rules:

EFA 2.2
- Competing riders must wear headgear applicable to their level of competition. Grooms, when mounted on a horse, must wear an approved safety helmet with the retaining harness secured and fastened.


EFA 8.3
-a groom mounted in the saddle may walk the horse on a long rein only

-lungeing or work in-hand by someone other than the nominated rider is permitted

[JackSprats Mom]

Hmm I was under the impression that only those people competing the horse could ride the horse..maybe thats just at AHA shows?

[Dressage Art]

If it's not championships - anybody can warm up your horse... just like seen at the local warm up arenas: trainer fine tunes the GP schoolmaster and rider jumps on him minutes before riding her 3rd level test. Bonus: rider is still impeccably clean!

[mjhco]

Hmm I was under the impression that only those people competing the horse could ride the horse..maybe thats just at AHA shows?

AHA has no such rules. Nor does the USEF/Arabian Divisions rules.

[SillyHorse]

...and rider jumps on him minutes before riding her 3rd level test. Bonus: rider is still impeccably clean!
Exactly! :lol:

[crthunder]

I was going to offer to walk a friend's horse around while she gets ready/stays clean (the horse needs a long walk warm-up) at the Adult Championships. If my reins aren't long (the horse can be spooky) will I just have to hand-walk?

:)
Becky

[Sonesta]

I was going to offer to walk a friend's horse around while she gets ready/stays clean (the horse needs a long walk warm-up) at the Adult Championships. If my reins aren't long (the horse can be spooky) will I just have to hand-walk?

:)
Becky

Yes, you would have to hand walk if you cannot walk the horse on a loose rein.

[JackSprats Mom]

Darn so all this time I could have had my trainer make my horse wonderful and just jump on for the 5 min test...BAH!

(JK- actually I see no point as to why folks do this to be honest as it doesn't show the riders true skill in any way, just the trainers)

[Ange]

JackSprat,
I don't have a problem with someone warming a horse up for someone else, but I see the show not as a test of the rider's skills (that would be equitation), but of the training of the horse. If the horse is so trained he can hold a pro's warm up with a less skilled rider aboard, what a good horse!
Ange

[Dressage Art]

You may be surprised what some people are willing to do to chaise that blue ribbon! As long as they are with in the rules, it's OK with me.

I look at the shows as a test of both: its 50% rider + 50% horse = final score of the test. Horses who can pack their riders indeed got a very good training and that trainer should be very, very proud and satisfied how well she/he trained that horse.

[mjhco]

Darn so all this time I could have had my trainer make my horse wonderful and just jump on for the 5 min test...BAH!

(JK- actually I see no point as to why folks do this to be honest as it doesn't show the riders true skill in any way, just the trainers)

Even if the trainer warms up the horse the rider STILL has to ride this creature with a mind of its own -- keeping the connection, keeping the throughness, etc throughout the test.

[Foxtrot's]

Ah, but when a trainer rider gets on a horse, that horse sure goes better - for the next little while.

[JackSprats Mom]

If the horse is so trained he can hold a pro's warm up with a less skilled rider aboard, what a good horse!
Ange

Yes but inevitably its the rider that then brags about it with no recognition that it was the trainers work.

Honestly part of that was tongue in cheek and part of it is that I feel the person training the horse should be its regular rider...personally I see no point in getting on a horse that has been ridden 5 days a week by a trainer and then I show it...what does it really show? Certainly it shows no reflection of my riding or training skills (with some exceptions).

Thats JMHO

[Dressage Art]

Ah, but when a trainer rider gets on a horse, that horse sure goes better - for the next little while.there always will be some uneven field in the dressage classes. I showed last weekend and the class was so small that AAs were paired up with pros for the same class. I had to show in the same class with a GP pro trainer with a horse that is advertised for sale for $95K :shock:

[SillyHorse]

This discussion about whether trainers SHOULD warm up a horse has run its course here many times. There will always be those who think it's terribly wrong, unfair, etc., those who think it's perfectly fine, and those who don't worry about what other people are doing in the warm-up ring.

However you feel about it though, it's legal at shows other than championships.

[lorilu]

But DA, the question is: Did YOUR score improve? Did you meet YOUR goals?

This is what I like about dressage. We ride against ourselves and our previous score, not against the others in the ring. We learn our successes and failures via the returned test sheet, and assess OUR success, based on our goals for the day.

the ribbons, IMO, are just a nice bonus. And no, I don't take them. (but I will take a prize if i win it)

L

[mjhco]

Yes but inevitably its the rider that then brags about it with no recognition that it was the trainers work.

Honestly part of that was tongue in cheek and part of it is that I feel the person training the horse should be its regular rider...personally I see no point in getting on a horse that has been ridden 5 days a week by a trainer and then I show it...what does it really show? Certainly it shows no reflection of my riding or training skills (with some exceptions).

Thats JMHO

I really don't care if someone shows a horse that someone else has been riding. It shows they paid a trainer to ride their horse then they rode it in the show.

That fact does not effect what I do with my horse in any way, shape, or form. I still need to concentrate on riding my horse to the best of my ability and to his benefit. What other people do should not/does not change that.

Ok, if they get a better score I just congratulate them and go back to trying to improve.

[mandalea]

Can I add, the person warming up the horse, if its not the actual rider, isn't supposed to be working the horse it to make it better. They're only walking it on a loose rein so it doesn't go cold or cramp up.

So, if a trainer is playing groom, then they're only walking it to warm it up, not working it like they are going to ride the test.

At least they shouldn't be. And if they are, then THAT is wrong.

[CDNJumperGirl]

Can I add, the person warming up the horse, if its not the actual rider, isn't supposed to be working the horse it to make it better. They're only walking it on a loose rein so it doesn't go cold or cramp up.

So, if a trainer is playing groom, then they're only walking it to warm it up, not working it like they are going to ride the test.

At least they shouldn't be. And if they are, then THAT is wrong.

Maybe where you live- but on the mainland with the exception of Championships and CDIs the trainer, or some other rider, can ride the horse in the warm up.

Like it or not...

[Dressage Art]

But DA, the question is: Did YOUR score improve? Did you meet YOUR goals?
Yes, I've met my goal to get my two scores of 60%+ on 4th level towards my USDF Silver Medal. My next goal is to ride a higher level test and that is coming in July. I just need my 1/2 canter pirouettes and my tempi changes every 4th stride for that.

However, it was quite intimidating to show in the same class, do same warm up with such a fancy, fancy, expensive horse. I was reading the sale add: "wow! Look, $95K horse!... Shoot, he is in my class!" We ended up with 4 point difference in our scores. By the end of the day, I thought that I was able to show in the same class with much less $ on my home bred TB/WB mix, even she doesn't have fancy gaits.

[Ambrey]

When I discussed embarking on a show plan with my trainer, I asked what the most low-key, low-competition shows are around, because I didn't want my poor chunky monkey to stick out like a sore thumb.

He said, after chuckling and telling me that there was really no hope that he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, that I needed to ride against myself, ride for the scores, and not worry about who else was riding.

I plan to try to do that. I'll let everyone know if I succeed.

[Dressage Art]

The higher up the levels you go, the fancier those horses get. Those fancy movers have so much go and natural cat-like suppleness. They are just amazing animals to watch!

Well, dressage is not a team sport, but it's not a solitary sport either. So we do get affected by riders around us. I'm not going to lie... I am jealous to watch fancy horses go and it still does make me feel inadequate in some warm up arenas - the difference between my TB/WB mix is so striking... but I can't afford a fancy movers anyway and I love my chestnut girly girl, so that helps.

I think it depends on my mood when it affects me or when I can brush it off and concentrate only on myself.

[Ibex]

I think it's *allowed* in Canada, but the competitors/trainers who do it tend to get the hairy eyeball unless there's an issue that the trainer needs to step in and take care of to keep everyone safe i.e. the was a Jr at a show last summer whose horse pitched a fit and started to rear; trainer got on and worked him through it.

[honeylips]

there always will be some uneven field in the dressage classes. I showed last weekend and the class was so small that AAs were paired up with pros for the same class. I had to show in the same class with a GP pro trainer with a horse that is advertised for sale for $95K :shock:



FYI - That particular horse is on the market for less than half that now - and is not a fancy warmblood per se- but a nicely trained Irish Sport Horse.

[Ambrey]

Well, dressage is not a team sport, but it's not a solitary sport either. So we do get affected by riders around us. I'm not going to lie... I am jealous to watch fancy horses go and it still does make me feel inadequate in some warm up arenas - the difference between my TB/WB mix is so striking... but I can't afford a fancy movers anyway and I love my chestnut girly girl, so that helps.


Well, most everyone I ride with on a daily basis has a horse worth more than all 3 of our cars combined, so the reality is in my face daily. I don't feel jealous, though. They are for the most part really nice people, and I get very excited when they succeed. For example, at a recent show several people I know got scores toward their medal goals... that just thrills me to no end!

So I just get my competitive thrills vicariously through them :)

[FancyFree]

I've only shown to First level, so maybe that's the reason I never noticed other competitors. I'd be completely focused on keeping my horse together. Especially in the warm-up ring. I was only concerned that a mass of horse, coming our way, might crash into us. Whether it was a WB, a Draft, or a donkey, I wouldn't be able to tell you! That's how nervous the warm-up would make me. Honestly, I think the warm-up rings that I've been in have been far more stressful than the actual test itself. :lol:

[TouchstoneAcres]

I have horses that could use a recognized show experience and I would have a trainer ride the warmup and class first. The next step in the progression would be trainer warm up and amateur ride. Then all amateur. That warmup is part of a dressage horse's training--to go well in company in a highly charged atmosphere, with less opportunity to do wrong. You just can't replicate it at home or in small schooling shows. Exposing the horse to it is valuable training.

[HappyHoppingHaffy]

It can be a little frustrating to compete against those can afford the big training bills and the big bucks horses. And, I have to say I'm a little envious! I like riding and developing my young horse, but I have to say it would *probably* be pretty cool to have a horse that cost as much as my condo! :)
BUT, that's why I try to keep it in perspective. I try to be very Zen about it. As others have said you ride against yourself and nobody else. Showing is just icing on the cake. If I get a .99 cent ribbon, well that's just gravy. But, what showing is really about for me is showing off my and my horse's hard work. It's a time to get polished up and look our best! Like a fancy night out on the town. I want to do well, but for me that means improving our scores and getting (hopefully) helpful and constructive feedback from the judge.
So, long story long, I don't let it get me down when a horse is schooled in warm up by a better rider than the one who is showing the horse. If a cheapo ribbon means that much to them, well so be it.
I just feel very blessed and grateful to be able to have my horse, take lessons and show. :)