A little preparation can go a long way toward keeping a young rider safe. Teaching warm-up pen etiquette early helps young riders stay safe, build confidence, and make the most of their horse show experience.
For an inexperienced rider, the warm-up pen can represent a place of anxiety and fear, which doesn’t set up anyone for a good day with their horse. Whether at a show or a playday, set up your rider for success with a little practice at home and watchful eyes at the event.
Practice With Other Riders
Kids won’t know what to expect unless they get a taste of it at home. We try to duplicate the show experience at home with a variety of riders in the arena, from walk-trot kids to more advanced horsemen, so it’s as close to a real event warm-up pen as possible. Then we work on things like passing, riding left shoulder to left shoulder when going in opposite directions, staying on the rail and riding into the corners, and approaching the center of the arena for a lineup.
This also lets us practice the two-horse rule: There should always be two horse-lengths between you and a horse in front of you, beside you, and/or behind you. Telling kids a distance in feet doesn’t always make sense to them. Explaining it this way is easier for them to understand.
Time Your Warm-Up
At shows, we do whatever it takes to have a very quiet warm-up, even if that means riding at the crack of dawn. We do all we can to avoid the warm-up pen during the most chaotic times. This sets the rider and the horse up for success, reduces the rider’s nerves, and keeps the horse quiet. Additionally, an early-morning warm-up can mean a slower pace to get ready to show, which is good for everyone involved.
Warm-Up Pen Etiquette
Inevitably, a young rider will cut off another horse—or that rider will perceive it as being cut off. Teach your rider to politely apologize and express that they’re new to this and still learning. Additionally, I make an effort to tell people when an inexperienced rider is in the pen so they can, at the very least, avoid them, but at the best, welcome and encourage them.
A New Kind of Beginner
We’ve had many riders join our sport focusing only on individual pattern classes—they’re not familiar with rail work. That presents a whole new learning curve for both a warm-up pen and showing in ranch rail, for example. Whether they’re children or adult amateur riders, we need to help them learn to be safe in the warm-up pen and on the rail when showing.
Jessica Bein, Scottsdale, Arizona, has been in the show horse industry her entire life. Now she runs Bein Performance Horses with her husband, David, where they focus on helping riders reach their riding dreams by introducing them to all aspects of horsemanship. Learn more at beinperformancehorses.com
—H&R—
