Educated Spectators Can Help Keep Riders Safe

Horses are not 'big dogs.' Dogs are predators. Horses are prey animals.

Given the choice of fight or flight, horses choose flight almost every time.

What we perceive as spookiness is actually the result of millions of years of evolutionary conditioning urging a horse to flee from danger. The horse who doesn't spook and run away is the one who gets eaten by the mountain lion.

It isn't possible to completely train this behavior out of a horse. Even the oldest, calmest, most bomb proof lesson pony is going to spook now and then.

In short, a horse can be thought of as a 1000 lb. deer.

With all this in mind, here are eight things you can do to be an educated spectator and help keep riders and horses safe:

1. Set up ringside tables and tents prior to the morning schooling so all horses have a chance to see them before the show starts. Stake your tents into the ground so they don't flip over if a big gust of wind comes along.

2. Secure all loose materials such as banners, tablecloths, paper plates, and plastic bags. Make sure nothing is flapping in the wind. Keep checking throughout the day to make sure everything stays put.

3. Avoid sudden movements ringside when a rider is on course or a flat class is in progress. Children running/playing right outside the ring or the opening of an umbrella can trigger a spook. Move slowly and quietly. If your show facility has metal bleachers, walk quietly or wait until the ring is vacant between classes to move to/from your seat.

4. Unless you are a coach, rider, or horse holder, stay out of the horse holding area. Large groups of people can make horses nervous, and if the area is too crowded a spooked horse can injure people standing nearby.

5. If the announcer asks the crowd to hold their applause for a certain horse, please comply. If the horse provider thinks the issue is important enough to notify the steward, who then notified the announcer, it is not a request to be taken lightly.

6. If a horse spooks and begins running away with a rider in the arena, please stay in your seat, stay quiet, and stay calm. Horses pick up on the energy of the crowd. The horse is already scared, and reactivity from the crowd can make it worse. The best way for you to help is to stay seated and allow the professionals to handle the situation.

7. As the end of the show approaches, avoid packing up your tent, tables, chairs, etc. while a class is in process. The classes at the end of the show tend to be lower level (novice and beginner) with less experienced riders that may not have the skills yet to handle a big spook. Also, these riders have been waiting around all day for their time to shine. Be respectful of all the hard work they've put into their preparation and give them the opportunity to do their best.

8. If you see something, say something. A child rolling down the grass hill next to the ring, a loose tablecloth next to the concession stand, or a sweet grandmother about to open her umbrella can all create a dangerous situation, but you as an educated spectator can play an important roll in keeping our kids and horses safe.

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, and the owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors, chair of the IEA's National Education Committee, and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

By being an educated spectator you can help keep riders safe

A Steward Goes Eventing: Day 1

Day 1 = Success!!

We started out with an early morning hack around the property. You see, Sam's pony side was in full force this morning as I led him from his night paddock to his stall for breakfast. He was being a 'spicy meatball' (Halliea's term) and he needed a nice long walk to blow off some steam and remind himself that he's half warmblood. Elizabeth Caffarelli (a.k.a Caff) one of Halliea's rock star young riders, offered to be our guide.

Caff and Conrad giving us the guided tour

What a beautiful facility! And those are some enormous fences!! My stomach was flip flopping just looking at some of those tables. Wow!

Caff pointed out that you could tell which level each obstacle was based on the color of the jump number on the side. I kept an eye out for the pale blue Tadpole and yellow Beginner Novice jumps Sam and I would be attempting in a couple hours. They were plenty big enough for me!

We finished our hack in time to join in on the end of a gymnastics lesson.

Yay bounce!

After a couple passes through the exercise Sam and I headed to the barn to untack and cool off for a couple hours before our scheduled cross country school. I had a chance to grab some screenshots off the videos Camryn Chapman took, which prompted the following text from me to Halliea:

Time for Cross Country!!

I zipped up my Kanteq eventing vest, mounted my hony, and headed out to the course.

We only jumped a few fences. Instead Halliea spent most of our time explaining the mechanics of the approach to each obstacle based on the terrain. She knows I'm an analytical learner and am most comfortable when I understand exactly how to do something before I attempt it, rather than just winging it as I go. (i.e. I LOVE counting strides).

We jumped two Tadpole barns and one very exciting Beginner Novice ditch to coop combination, schooled up and down a small bank, and played in the water. I really think Sam loved every minute of it. He was bold and brave and took good care of his mama. I had a blast! Wanna see some pics? I hope so because here ya go:

Then it was back to camp for lunch and an equine body work demonstration by certified Equine Body Worker Kathryn Scheiss.

You can find out more about Kathryn's work on her website: www.tprbodywork.com

After the demo it was time for a shower and a nap before our evening dressage lesson. Oh, and we almost died as a huge storm blew through. My trailer was a-rockin' lol

Once the clouds parted we tacked up for our first venture into the dressage arena. Halliea's assistant Beth Clymer was very patient with me as she explained how dressage letters are arranged (omg ?!?!?), proper saluting technique, and how to fit a canter circle into that little square arena.

Three phases in one day. Whew! I'm exhausted! Bed time for me and the Sammy pony.

Success!!

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, head coach of the University of North Georgia IHSA Equestrian Team, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."

A Steward Goes Eventing: Arrival Day

I'm excited to announce that I'm off to eventing camp! Four days of dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping at Full Gallop Farm in Aiken, South Carolina followed by a schooling event at Poplar Place Farm in Hamilton, GA, all under the expert tutelage of Halliea Milner of Go With It Farm, Milton, Ga. I hope you'll follow along as I blog about my little venture into equestrian's dark side.

First, a bit about myself. I'm best known as an IEA steward and IHSA coach, which basically means I spend a whole lot of time standing on the ground telling people to ride confidently forward to their fences, and markedly less time actually riding confidently forward to the fences myself.

Me in my natural habitat

And a bit about my mount, Sam. A Dartmoor/Holsteiner cross, Sam combines a snotty little know-it-all pony attitude with the lazy slow fatness of a warmblood, all wrapped up in 15 hands of sass. I would argue that his most endearing quality is that he's cute when he's angry. I'm sure he would disagree.

My gallant steed

In all seriousness though, remember that 'confidently forward' stuff I mentioned earlier? Well, Sam's got that part covered. He's one of the favorite draws in our IHSA region, always carrying his rider safely around the course, with angry pony faces included at no extra charge. If this little hony could talk, he'd say he could do his job much easier if his rider would just shut up and hold on, which is exactly what I plan on doing this week.

And finally a bit about my accommodations: my three horse living quarters trailer that has never been lived in in the six years I've owned it. I plugged it in earlier this week and was ecstatic to hear the AC fire right up (did I mention its 95+ degrees in Aiken this week?). So I've got AC plus a super comfy air mattress, a mini fridge, and my lap top. A palace fit for a queen? Maybe not, but suitable for this hunter princess? I think so. 

My accommodations, actually really cool!

Well, enough for now. Time for some Fourth of July fireworks. Stay tuned, cross country schooling tomorrow morning!

Amanda Garner is an Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Georgia Hunter Jumper Association (GHJA) steward, schooling show judge, IHSA coach at University of North Georgia, and owner of Epiphany Farm, LLC in Dahlonega, Georgia. She is also a member of the IEA Board of Directors and the author of "A Parent's Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association."