[Red roan rider1]

I was at a AQHA show the other day as a spectator. I was also helping a gal from our barn get ready for her classes. This was a small to mid sized fair show. There was the usual variety of competetors. Those people on dead broke bomb proof seasoned show horses wearing the latest and greatest show clothing and tack. Then there were the people on younger horses that were not quite finished, but still looked the part. And then there were the Yahoos... you know the ones. People who just look totally out of place. There was one lady in particular who was riding an older horse (16 I was told) She went into the Amateur pleasure class in a snaffle bit and using two hands on the reins. The horse was lapping everyone and had his head in the rafters. The gal had no idea about ring ettiquite (sp) and I'm sure she messed up a few other peoples rides. The horse looked like she just pulled it out of a pasture somewhere and forgot to even groom it.
So this got me thinking........Why did this lady show there? Not that she didnt have the right to be there....BUT would it be fun to be there if you didnt have a horse that could compete at that level and you didnt even know the rules of the class you were riding in? It is so expensive to show at breed shows, why go if you have no hopes of being competetive in the classes? If you dont know the class rules? If your horse is NOT trained in pleasure and you ride in the Amateur pleasure class? I just dont get it.

[paintlver]

Well firstly she should have never been able to enter the ring with a snaffle on a aged horse. The show committee should have a ring steward who checks tack before people enter..Also if I was the judge I would have pulled her into the middle immediately if I felt she was disrupting the class. Her riding sounds almost dangerous.

[paintlver]

Anyone can enter a horse into a show but that doesn't mean they have the right to disrupt others rides. I think a judge is well within their rights to call them to the center and have them stand while the other well behaved horses work the ring...Maybe that will make her think twice next time..

[County]

The horse was just pulled out of the pasture. So what I've earned many AQHA points and won NCHA money with horses just puled out of the pasture its where ours live. This may be a shock to some but anyone can show in the AQHA thats a member up to other peoples standards or not.

[Sandra-A1]

Instead of discouraging these people why not introduce yourself, welcome them and strike up a conversation? While your making new friends and finding out about them and their horse/s you can also slowly start to educate them!
Sorry folks, I feel we "horse people" need to stick together and we need as many other people interested in being active horse owners as possible....especially when you think about all the problems facing the horse owner today...and we will be facing tomorrow!

I think being more tolerant and understanding of these "yahoos" is the way to go. I have been in the show ring with these types, and while they might have interfered with my ride on occasion, they have never cost me a placing. In fact, a couple of times, I felt that they improved my placing because they provided me with the chance to show the Judge just how calm and cooperative my horse really was.
The Judge will remove a horse and rider that is a danger to the rest of the exhibitors in a class. While you might have found them distracting it is the Judge's point of view that has the actual power in these situations.
I was taught that if your showing in a "pleasure" class your horse is supposed to be a calm accepting/tolerant mount anyway. So unless a horse actually knocks my mount down I am still going to keep showing my horse and take advantage of the so-called bad situation if at all possible.

So, come on everybody...let's at least try to be more tolerant and understanding. Not only accept these horses and riders but welcome them.
Just because they are an Adult does not mean that they are not newbies to the show world...as well as horses.
Try to make friends with them and become their mentor whenever possible.
We already have horses in common...and obviously they are at the show because they want to show their horse...so that is another thing they have in common with us...that is a as good a starting point for a new friendship as any.

[ldovepaints]

Originally Posted by Sandra-A1

Instead of discouraging these people why not introduce yourself, welcome them and strike up a conversation? While your making new friends and finding out about them and their horse/s you can also slowly start to educate them!

Ditto Sandra!
Up until 2 years ago I have never shown a horse in breeding class (just rodeos in my past), so when I decided to show my new APHA colt, I went to 2 breeding class shows before I enrolled him to see how it was done and do some homework and maybe make a few connections with those that have been doing this for a while.
Now, I know that people are busy, nervous and distracted, but I made every attempt to respectfully make connections with those that I understood knew how that type of class worked and time after time I got the cold shoulder.
I finally decided to "just do it" and went to my first showing with my colt, he placed first in all 3 classes (halter, longe, and color). Suddenly these ppls started talking to me.
Needless to say I had a choice at the time to treat them the way they treated me or to be the nice one and engage them the way I hoped they would have. Now, I have made many of them my very good friends, and we make a point to introduce ourselves to newbies in the show ring and talk to people that are new and want to learn.

[Red roan rider1]

Good point. Yes, we should encourage people to go show. Yes, everyone has a right to be there and show their horse anywhere and any way they want. My thoughts were more on not understanding HER viewpoint for being there.
I am a VERY competetive person by nature. I just dont understand it when people come to show and are not at least somewhat prepared. For instance.....I am a pleasure person. I think reining is very cool...I would love to try it sometime. But I would NEVER go to a big reining show right off the bat and try to show my little pleasure horse at reining. He does not have the proper shoes on, I have NO idea about the patterns or rules and my horse would not be able to do the manuvers required of that class. So I would be throwing my money away in trying to compete there. Now, if I made up my mind to show at reining here is what I would do. I would read up on the rules, I would talk to reining people about what is required. I would go watch some shows. I would train my horse. I would put forth the effort it would take to "know" the discipline I was going to show.
Okay...so back to the lady at the show. Im just not sure what she was doing. Maybe she was just out there to have fun. But would THAT really be much fun at all? I know she is not a newby. I have seen her around before and I'm pretty sure she knows the calabur of competition showing at AQHA shows.

[County]

Everyones idea of fun is differant, as is everyones idea of throwing their money away.

[Asfaloth]

Maybe she was planted by someone else to distract you.. In which case it worked.

The first time I showed my horse was at the county fair. I was a yahoo....

I spent all summer working with my horse teaching him the obstacles for the trail class. I had not friends in the horse world to help me so I did it on my own. I was maybe about 15. I had never shown a horse I got my horse when I was 13. Needless to say I had no clue

We did not own a trailer. So the morning of the show I cleaned up my horse polished his hooves in the driveway and proceeded to ride him tot he fair. It was about an 8 mile ride.

I was fortunate to come across a lady I kinda knew who let me tie him up at her trailer with her mare. But I was a nervous wreck and so I spent the next couple of hours trotting and cantering my horse up and down to the ring and back many times.

I had no idea how shows were run or how to know if or when to expect my class to begin so I plagued the ring steward,the judge and the people in the entries booth every 15 minutes until they must have wanted to kill me.

Finally it was my class... then it was my turn.

Whiskey refused to sidepass, he refused the back through in general we were totally off course and must have looked ridiculous. Bout you know not one person laughed at me or made a rude comment that I heard. No doubt they must have had a few unkind thoughts but they must have seen how nervous I was and how I was making my horse nervous.

We didn't pin of course. We were actually excused from the ring. Me being too inexperienced to even be upset by this.

The lady with the trailer finished her class and offered me a ride back as far ahsw her place in the trailer. It would cut my ride down to two miles.

I had never loaded my horse. Had no idea if eh would load. Neither did she. But she loaded her mare and then we decided to try loading Whiskey. As soon as I showed him the door he jumped in. I was so proud of my horse. He could load better than any show horse.

When we got to the ladies farm he unloaded himself just as nicely.

You know it was along day. I looked the utter fool in the show ring. But looking back it is a memory I cherish to this day. I'm glad I did it.

Now I am a professional trainer. I have a box full of ribbons. But that one show will stand out for me as one of the best. Because I went and did something new with my horse. And in spite of myself I had a great time.

Only wish my parents had showed up to watch.

The years following I stuck to entering the art show and flower show... I actually placed and won in those.

[Lindsayanne]

Entry fees from yahoos pay the show's bills just as well as the favorites.

To me, a big part of breed shows is/should be education. Educating spectators about yours horses and educating participates about what it takes to win in your breed. As a host of a bred show, I encourage that type of rider to come, are they gonna win? no. Might even get disqualified- but if they form connections in the breed, and SEE what wins they're a lot likely to comeback more prepared- and a lot more likely to represent our breed a noch better next time they are at a non-breed show.