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Horse riding arena etiquette

outer perimeter of the arena to faster riders. Those who are riding in the higher gaits (cantering or loping) will need the additional space.

CUING YOUR HORSE:

If you signal your horse vocally (including clucks, kisses, or whistles), do so quietly, so you do not cue others as well.

Avoid loud whip-cracks, which may startle other horses.

KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL:

All riders must make every effort to keep their horses under control, regardless of their gait. Of course, a horse that is bucking, rearing, or breaking free automatically assumes right-of-way. If a rider is unseated, all other horses must be stopped until his horse is retrieved and managed.

STALLIONS:

Exercise extra caution, if you bring a stallion into the arena with other horses. Make his presence known, and allow additional space between him and other horses. Do not crowd any mares, in particular.

JUMPERS:

Never jump alone. If you plan to jump, you must have a spotter on the ground or, at least, on another horse.

Ask permission of other riders before setting your jumps. Announce your intentions for each jump as you approach it. Call out to other riders before you fly through the course.

Be sure to remove all standards, cups, flowerboxes, poles, and other jumping equipment from the arena when you are finished.

STOPPING:

Never stop on the outer track. Look behind you before stopping, to avoid a collision.

ADJUSTMENTS:

Riders who stop to adjust stirrups, fix clothing or tack, or make other changes, must move to the center of the area (out of traffic) before doing so.

DISMOUNTING:

Riders must move to the center of the arena before stopping and dismounting. After doing so, they must wait for a safe opportunity to lead horses to the arena door and exit quickly.

LUNGING:

If you lunge your horse while others are mounted, you must do so at one end of the arena. Keep your horse under control, and allow enough room outside your lunge circle for others to pass. Generally, an arena will not accommodate more than one lunged horse at a time, if riders are present.

HAND-WALKING:

Occasiona lly, horses must be walked in-hand, such as during recovery from an injury or sports medicine treatments. Many stables offer indoor or outdoor locations for doing this. However, if you must hand-walk a horse in the arena, apply a chain through his halter for extra control. Stay to the inside of the track and away from other horses. (Some stables do not allow hand-walking in the riding arena, but only in barn aisles or outdoors.)

LESSONS:

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Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Horse riding arena etiquette

  • 1 of 8

    by Lois Libel

    Though it is always the case that a rider should not ride alone, sharing an arena can be a somewhat-complicate d task. To

    read more

  • 2 of 8

    by Rebecca K.

    Having good arena etiquette is not just polite, it is also mainly for safety. With a ring packed full of sometimes 20

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  • 3 of 8

    by Tracie Anne

    It is important when riding in an arena to be considerate to other riders, some may think it strange to have 'arena etiquette'

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  • 4 of 8

    by Sarah J Palmer

    The first rule of horse riding arena etiquette is check the bookings diary to see if anybody has already booked the arena.

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  • 5 of 8

    by K Bert

    Riding arena "etiquette" sounds like a fancy word which actually can be also explained as riding arena rules. Most public

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Horse riding arena etiquette

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