# Arena Etiquette



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I have to admit that after many many years of riding alone my arena etiquette is a little shaky, or my memory in some cases a little shot...so here is what I think I remember and know, maybe someone can put me right.

Always call the door on entry, if it's a indoor, so you don't scare a horse already in the arena.

General rule is you pass left hand to left hand

Be aware of what other riders are doing and try and stay out of their way.

If a rider falls off, everyone should halt, if there is an injury you dismount and, depending on severity either leave the arena or all congregate at the far end.

If you are working on the rail, by calling "rail" you can override the left to left etiquette.

If you are going to lunge your horse, check if it is OK with the riders in there, and do NOT hog the middle of the arena. 


OK, put me right and add more....


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Good thread idea!

I am always amazed at my barn how often people forget the "left shoulder to left shoulder" rule.

I would also add calling "inside" if you're coming up the inside track to pass someone off the rail when both traveling in the same direction. I think this is different from what you wrote about calling "rail"- but that's one I'm not familiar with, so maybe this is actually a different way of saying the same thing?


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

Rules of thumb at my barn's arena include:

Try to pass left shoulder to left shoulder
Call "inside" or "outside" when you're passing unexpectedly
Give the right of way to horses at faster gaits
Be conscious of your space and where everyone else is
If a rider falls off we halt our horses
If a horse gets loose, we halt and dismount
Lunging is fine (our arena is big enough to continue on the rail while someone lunges)
If you take out equipment, put it away when you're done
If you use a mounting block, use it in a spot that's out of the way of the main track (preferably up against our viewing area)
Lessons are often happening, but everyone has equal rights to arena space, so share nicely
If you see a rock, get rid of it


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

here's one I'm not sure of (I hardly EVER ride in arenas) . . .

should everyone try to go the same direction? if there are a lot of horses.

and, if they are mostly going the same direction, and say you want to just walk or trot slowly, but others are cantering, does the slow horse stay on the inside circle, or the outside circle?


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Oh important shouldn't need to be said but "PICK YOUR POOP"


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Great thread Slower moving horses (walking) should move off the rail so they don't interfere with faster moving horses working on the rail.
Don't ride side by side on the rail at a walk visiting (very annoying) move away from the rail to visit.
Don't come from a canter to a stop suddenly on the rail when others are behind you.
Look over your shoulder before you suddenly decide to cut to the center of the arena so you do not cut off another rider.


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

If you ride hunter/jumpers, call your direction and which jump you are heading for. Also make sure nobody is coming from the opposite direction before beginning your approach.


If a rider's horse is being a PIA, stop and wait for the rider to get the horse under control.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Left to left
Circles to the inside.
Pass on the inside and call.
Laterals on the rail get precedence
Never walk on the rail.
Fast horses on outside.
Call your jumps.
Lunging is arena is big enough and OK with riders. Lunge horse takes inside track.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

what does "laterals on the rail" mean?


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

Might be my own personal etiquette, but just being aware of the personal space between horses. I hate it when people pass me stirrup-to-stirrup, or when I'm standing they come stand too close to me, oblivious to their horse trying to sniff mine. My horse is meant to be focusing on her job, not trying to be defensive when people are constantly too close. Even if a horse is "used to it" I still think it is the courteous thing to do.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

tinyliny said:


> what does "laterals on the rail" mean?


If someone is working on their traveres or half steps or things like that. Things that you need the rail as a teaching tool, but also can't just move out of someones way without ruining the moment.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_All rode the same direction for safety reasons..._
When a change of direction was wanted someone called for it...then a little while later if needed called for a change again.

_We also were very aware of riding abilities of the other riders. _
We rode to keep the beginners safest as they were less experienced and needed more space and time to do something. 
Being a paying boarder they had the same rights as anyone else to use the arena.

_Lessons had precedence over free-riding. _
We asked if we could ride since very beginners do not need any distractions...courtesy.
You rode the same direction that the lesson was going, not against them.
If they were jumping you stayed clear of them.
They also though would call a line of fences so you knew where they were headed.
If there was a lesson going, you did _not_ jump your horse without permission from the instructor.

_Lunging in the aena..
_If you're going to lunge in the arena, better make sure any horse in there is not going to freak if you snap that whip popper...
If you're going to lunge you better be able to hang on and control your horse if "stupid and crazy" takes over.

We always mounted and dismounted in the ring,_ not on the rail_, but someplace away from the gate/door opening area.

_General rules in our barn and I think most is..._
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off
If you moved it, put it back.
If you have a gripe talk to the barn manager or owner..._that went for all issues!_

We had a very large arena but it could get "busy" on a winter day and everyone had to cooperate... or leave.
If you were going to sit astride and talk...do it outside where acoustics did not carry your conversation to others ears. 
Take your horses for a slow ride around the groomed outdoor arena when chatting...they relax and you not get run over by others impatient to ride faster.
:runninghorse2:....


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I ride in warmups at shows, where rules can be more \lax', and thus I don't know of anyone announcing as to when they enter that arena, although it would be nice if no one suddenly enters on foot, through a side door, LOL!
Never pass a horse , on the rial, between that rial and the horse-that is a big, big, thing, esp when riding in a class!
Far as lunging, at any show, early in the morning, you are going to have horses being lunged in the middle of that arena, but they MUST be under control. You then have to decide if your horse is broke enough to warm up on the the rail
People can work their horses in the middle in any direction, but direction change on the rial are called, with the expectation of everyone riding on the rail, go in that same direction
Try warming up a pleasure horse, the same time reiners are warming up!
While individual barns can have some pretty strict rules, don't expect them at open arenas, or in warm ups at show venues.
Better have control of your horse, whether riding or lunging !


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## StephaniHren (Jan 7, 2016)

tinyliny said:


> should everyone try to go the same direction? if there are a lot of horses.
> 
> and, if they are mostly going the same direction, and say you want to just walk or trot slowly, but others are cantering, does the slow horse stay on the inside circle, or the outside circle?


Good added questions!

There's no rule about all of us going in the same direction at my barn (we kind of treat it like a warm up ring in that everyone that's in the arena should either be capable enough to avoid collisions or under supervision by an instructor), but I'll often turn around if I find that most people are going the other direction just to make it easier on myself. We kind of naturally end up going the same way.

Typically the outside track is for faster gaits and the inside is for walking/jogging, but we tend to play that rule fast and loose because a lot of us work off of the rail (circles, serpentines, figure 8's, laterals, etc.). There's a lot of "inside" "outside" calls where I ride.

For the most part, we all do our best to live by the ultimate rule of common sense.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

I am not sure I can picture passing "inside shoulder to inside shoulder". I am lucky to be able to use our arena alone most of the time, no more than one other rider sometimes, so I don't really know any of this. I would have defaulted to driving cars, where the slow lane is the outside (rail) and you pass on the inside. Not sure how to pass head on.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

@Whinnie the custom when meeting head on is passing left to left, unless one of the other situations mentioned comes in.


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

To se the car anology, at least in the United States, if two cars pass each other going the opposite directions, they pass left side to left side. It's the same rule in riding in a crowded arena. 


I was also taught that when entering an arena, to yield to the traffic coming both just directions and make sure you don't cut a horse and rider off.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

Thanks, I didn't know the terminology. I thought "passing" was only when you were going the same direction so I was thinking that coming toward each other was called something else.

Now, passing on the left sounds a little dangerous if the faster horses are on the outside (rail) and you are going even faster to pass, meaning into the slow lane of the inside?


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

If you are passing a horse and rider going the same direction, your horse's right shoulder will pass the other one's left shoulder.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Golden Horse said:


> Oh important shouldn't need to be said but "PICK YOUR POOP"


This is so funny - my first day at the barn Fabs is at now, Fabs pooped everywhere [as is his habit: so much poop, so little time] in the arena and I was like "oh, where do you guys keep the manure forks so I can pick this up?"

And everybody [all middle-aged women who've boarded there for years - I'm the youngest by at least 15 years] was like "haha look at this sweet young newb, we don't pick poop out of the arena here!"

It was embarrassing, and also freeing [because of how much Fabio poops], at the same time! haha 
I guess they don't care so much because the arena is dirt and it's raked daily so the poop quickly "disappears."


:shock:

Gives new meaning to "don't fall off"! :lol:


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

"Gives new meaning to "don't fall off"! :lol: 


Thanks for the laugh! That really made me crack up.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Usually the arena manners are great at our barrel races and other various show warm up pens around here. 

We keep slower horses on the outside. So those of us walking in a group and talking or cooling out are on the rail.

Horses trotting or loping are closer to the inside. 

Call "inside" or "outside" when passing someone closely.

If doing small circles, rollbacks, spins, anything besides going forward at that gait - Try to stay in a far end corner, or in the very middle, where you can be easily passed and avoided.

Everyone should go the same direction, but if you insist on going the opposite way, it is left shoulder to left shoulder and you should be on the inside. 

Call reverse when you want to switch direction, but be sure we have been going the other way for a significant amount of time (i.e. no one calling reverse every few seconds)


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

SorrelHorse, this makes more sense to me than having faster horses on the outside (rail). It would seem to me that passing a fast horse going same direction (having to go even faster to pass) by going into the inside or "slow" lane would potentially cause problems.

Yes, I get the left to left shoulder when riding opposite directions.

Obviously I need to take my equine driver's test again. Thank goodness for me and others I don't ride in a congested arena.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

Wallaby said:


> This is so funny - my first day at the barn Fabs is at now, Fabs pooped everywhere [as is his habit: so much poop, so little time] in the arena and I was like "oh, where do you guys keep the manure forks so I can pick this up?"
> 
> And everybody [all middle-aged women who've boarded there for years - I'm the youngest by at least 15 years] was like "haha look at this sweet young newb, we don't pick poop out of the arena here!"
> 
> ...


I wouldn't mind horse manure. But every time I ride, I have to pick up as many as 22 piles of dog poop (BO dogs) if I don't want either myself or my instructor to step in it. The arena is not large, probably only 3 horses at a time could work comfortably with any speed there. I have tried to pick up the goat and alpaca poop but it slips through the fork.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Whinnie said:


> I wouldn't mind horse manure. But every time I ride, I have to pick up as many as 22 piles of dog poop (BO dogs) if I don't want either myself or my instructor to step in it. The arena is not large, probably only 3 horses at a time could work comfortably with any speed there. I have tried to pick up the goat and alpaca poop but it slips through the fork.


_That is beyond gross....
I can tolerate most animal poop, not dog...not on me or my shoes!!

With that much poop around I would probably be looking for another barn that had higher standards of cleanliness.
What you see...what don't you see in the care your animal receives. :x
:runninghorse2:....
jmo..
_


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Whinnie said:


> SorrelHorse, this makes more sense to me than having faster horses on the outside (rail). It would seem to me that passing a fast horse going same direction (having to go even faster to pass) by going into the inside or "slow" lane would potentially cause problems. QUOTE]
> 
> 
> I agree and it's what I was taught 40 years ago with hunters. I will continue to teach it in my lesson plan as its _safer_, especially riding with a bunch that never learned manners in the first place. I want my people safely out of the way especially with people galloping around and then switching directions at random!
> ...


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

Almost 5 decades ago at a hunter/jumper lesson barn, I was taught to look for an opening and then cut across the arena if the horses in front were going slower than I wanted.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

horselovinguy said:


> _That is beyond gross...._
> _I can tolerate most animal poop, not dog...not on me or my shoes!!_
> 
> _With that much poop around I would probably be looking for another barn that had higher standards of cleanliness._
> ...


Sadly, even when the BM tells me he has picked up the arena I can still find about 6 to 8 more piles. He doesn't turn the lights on to look and only gets the obviously high piled ones. 

We have only 7 boarders and only 3 of us ride. The barn is not oriented to boarder comfort. It may take me a few months, but I am actively looking. This is by far not the only problem I have had, but that is another story.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I think our barn has pretty much the same rules as others, and I honestly don't think I could board somewhere where others didn't follow these rules.

-Pick up your horses poop
-Pass left to left
-Faster horses have the right of way, so if you're walking and another is cantering then you need to move off the rail to give space
-If you're jumping, call your jump
-If you set up a course, take it down and move it out of the arena 
-If you need to lunge, ask first, our outdoor isn't huge and thankfully we don't have many boarders, but as an unspoken rule the horse lunging goes to one and and rider to the other - our indoor is huge so ridden horses still have tons of space on the rail
-if a rider falls, halt your horse
-if rider is injured or horse is loose, get off your horse 
-call the gait before you walk in
-mounting block needs to be out of the way, so off the rail


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

For me, when I say the faster horse gets the rail, I more so mean that of you notice someone else is cantering, you should take the inside track and work there. Not coming off the rain to let then pass then going back. If a horse is coming up from behind and need to pass that's when they call inside and pass on the inside track. Walking horses are never on the rail for anything.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

No shouting (I try to remember that one when falling off)

Also, I would add my personal observation: try not to make audible smacks with your crop close to other horses, if it can be helped. Some horses get unsettled with the sound and you've got yourself a situation.

And keep your vocal cues to a minimum and make them quietly if there are other horses around, some will take direction from any Tom, **** and Harry.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

You do not pass a horse riding on the rail, going between that horse and the rail.
You always pass on the inside.That is standard in any rail class, and should also be observed in general


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I don't know. To me a slower horse on the outside is a lot more out of the way than a slower horse on the inside. A faster horse is harder to handle (Though not hard if they're broke) and if they are jammed on the rail and something goes wrong, they have nowhere to go. Sure you have more space, but if you end up with a bucker, a runaway, or having to stop suddenly you're basically stuck between the rail and slow walking horses to the inside - If the slower horses are on the outside, you have the whole rest of the arena to work with.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Whinnie said:


> Sadly, even when the BM tells me he has picked up the arena I can still find about 6 to 8 more piles. He doesn't turn the lights on to look and only gets the obviously high piled ones.
> 
> We have only 7 boarders and only 3 of us ride. The barn is not oriented to boarder comfort. It may take me a few months, but I am actively looking. This is by far not the only problem I have had, but that is another story.


The stable I just left had never added a top coat in any of their arenas or round pens for 15 years, leaving them hard as a rock or 6 inches deep in mud when it rained. One year, they decided to empty the manure wagon into the indoor arena twice a day and spread it around. At that point, the boarders were so angry that they no longer bothered to pick up the horse poop in there. 
I just had to tell my student to make sure that if they fell, keep your mouth closed!:x


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

I seemingly always take the faster track on the inside, my horse covers so much ground, especially when she's cantering. 

To me, I'll be responsible for moving around the people in front of me. And while I'll make sure I don't cut people off, I'm not going to be trying to look out for the horses behind mine and what they're doing when they come up on me (unless they're running up my butt). It's too hard to "drive" when you're always looking behind you. They should be responsible for maneuvering around me if they need to.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

Chasin Ponies said:


> The stable I just left had never added a top coat in any of their arenas or round pens for 15 years, leaving them hard as a rock or 6 inches deep in mud when it rained. One year, they decided to empty the manure wagon into the indoor arena twice a day and spread it around. At that point, the boarders were so angry that they no longer bothered to pick up the horse poop in there.
> I just had to tell my student to make sure that if they fell, keep your mouth closed!:x


Wha...what? Say again? Manure?!
Am I missing something?
So you were expected to ride on manure?


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