By Olivia Rigney
I recently took on a new role at the horse show, working the in-gate. My job was to manage the Hunter 3 Outreach Arena over a weekend at Brave Horse Equestrian Center in Johnstown, Ohio.
After years of showing, I thought the task of running an in-gate was something I would pretty much know how to do; tell the judge who is entering the ring and announce back numbers. However, I quickly learned this position requires much more. It’s an essential part of keeping the show running smoothly.
Communication Makes the Class Go Round
At the in-gate, you hold a lot of information, from ring schedules to class counts. This information will be communicated directly to the assigned judge for your ring. It is your responsibility to keep the judge informed and updated throughout the day. The judge needs to know what cards to keep open, what trip each horse is on, and other clarifying information.
Start with the class name, followed by what trip and the rider’s back number. Being clear and consistent with your communication helps keep everything moving. I found it helpful to double-check with the trainer or rider at the gate before calling the trip. Confusing a warm-up trip for a judged round could cause bigger issues if not caught and communicated early.
Own Your Mistakes
You will make mistakes. Whether it’s talking on the wrong radio channel or telling the judge the wrong trip information, it is bound to happen. The important thing is not to get flustered, fix it, and learn from it.
Luckily, most mistakes can be easily corrected. Every slip-up is a chance to improve. It only took me calling trips into the group in-gate radio twice before I started keeping my judge radio stationary in my hand.
Another improvement opportunity came after a couple of moments of confusion wondering if this was the horse’s second or third time in the ring, which led me to develop a better method for marking off horses’ rounds to move through the schedule. These early mistakes showed me what worked and what didn’t, so I could keep moving forward.
Be Confident in Your Decisions
There will be times when several people are looking to you with questions.Even if it’s your first day on the job, you still need to have an answer for them. There will also be times when multiple trainers are at the ring eagerly waiting to get their trips in, asking for the order of go. While the people-pleaser in me wants to default to, “whatever works best for you,” it is important to be stern and straightforward with their instruction.
Sometimes these decisions aren’t fair to everyone. You might hear the jumper ring call that they need the same trainer who’s coaching a pony at your ring in 10 trips. o the other ponies waiting to finish their rotation are going to have to patiently wait, to not disrupt the flow of multiple rings. These quick calls can come with a lot of pressure, but trust yourself and get it done.
Keep Calm and Keep the Gate Moving
I thought years of experience working in the customer service industry would prepare me for dealing with difficult people.I know when someone is upset and expressing their concerns, if you smile, nod, and let them know they are heard, they will most likely calm down and move on. However, horse shows come with a unique type of stress for trainers, riders, and parents.
While their emotions might run high, you need to stay calm to ensure things stay moving. Accept that there might be moments when you have 10 horses at the gate because every trainer wants to send their kid–or five kids–in the ring at once. Learning to take a deep breath, smile, and think on-the-fly how to keep things moving is part of the job. You can’t please everyone, but you can take a breath and do your best.
This experience gave me a new perspective on the intricate role of working the in-gate. The next time I’m showing, I want to do whatever I can to make the in-gate person’s job easier, whether that means clearly stating what round I’m on each time I enter the ring or simply being more understanding when schedules don’t go as planned.
Working the in-gate taught me more than I ever expected. Not just about horse shows, but about responsibility, communication, and the value of staying calm under pressure.
Olivia Rigney is a journalism student and summer intern at The Plaid Horse. She competes on the Ohio University IHSA team, where she serves as hunt seat president, and also shows her own thoroughbred hunter, Wrenegade.
