So I finally have an indoor arena...

[Arrow]

and I don't know what to do with it. I intend to remain a trail rider almost exclusively, but Arrow needs work on yielding to the bit, cantering more slowly, being better behaved. Also--with all the rain around here, we're heading into that time of the year that I might want to ride in the arena a couple of times a week.

So I know absolutely nothing. Should I limit arena work to 15 minutes at first until he gets used to it? What's the very first thing you'd do with a horse in an arena if you've never used one before (and never used one before with any horse you ever owned)? Circling? Figure eights? Ride the rail and work on transitions?

I mean you've got an impatient, 11 year-old gelding who obeys most of the time but is excitable and doesn't always listen...so what would you do the first and second week just to get the ball rolling?

[luv2show]

Tanner had never been in an indoor arena when I first bought him. I brought him in it the first day he was there and just walked him around. He only spooked at the dressage letters bahaha.

Thats awesome on getting an indoor - you will LOVE it. :D I would just walk Arrow around in it, and then let him lose so he can wander off / roll / just do what he wants, on his own. I don't think it'll take him very long to adjust. :) Also after he's comfortable in it, start lunging him, or free lunging him in it. I think the 15 mins. you came up with is a good starting time to work him in it. I think you could walk him around in it as much as you wanted to though.


Congrats! Let us know how he likes it!

[Gypsy Rose]

Ugh! I'm no help! It's been many, many years since I've introduced a horse to an arena, lol! I think the biggest thing is to make sure he checks the whole thing out- can't let him jump at the boogeyman in the corner, lol!

You also probably wouldn't want to do the same thing for very long. Try to keep the work interesting- do sme rail work, figure 8's etc. Unless of course, he gets testy at being asked to do so many things at once- then I guess I'd just work on the rail for a while with frequent changes of direstion.

[Arrow]

Thanks, luvs2--but what did you do first under saddle? What's the very first thing to do, and what are some good exercises to accomplish it? I've never had an arena available in my life, and I don't know where to start.

[vicklynn]

What size is it? Im sooooooooooooooooo jealous. I would so love to have a covered arena.
Depending on size, well Id deff do rail work, figure 8s, roll backs,ect, but if ya had a big enough arena, Id put some barrels in it, for fun, maybe a cow pully across it. Did I say I was jealous?

[Arrow]

The arena is 70 x 220. I like it--it's sandy, but not too deep. I did let him run around in it yesterday, but all he wanted to do was go make new friends. It was his first day at the new place.

Gypsy--your advice sounds perfect for the first day or two, thanks!

[Arrow]

I think the first thing I'll do is get a snaffle, and use that in the arena, and continue to use his Myler curb out on the trails. That way, I can work with contact in the ring. I've got an English bridle with English reins--that won't be a problem.

[luv2show]

Thanks, luvs2--but what did you do first under saddle? What's the very first thing to do, and what are some good exercises to accomplish it? I've never had an arena available in my life, and I don't know where to start.

No problem :) (I just saw your post on my profile and I'll reply to that in a sec:D)

It was different for me because Tanner would just buck at a walk so my main focus was staying on! LOL.

But I would do what you said, lots of circles. Make sure he gives to the bit, lots of flexing on the ground and undersaddle will help you a ton with that. Make sure he knows his leg cues and get him use to your seat cues as well as bit cues.

Transtions are a good thing to work on. Lots of walk, whoa then back up. Make sure he knows whoa means whoa when you're in there. Once you've got that down (maybe you already do:D) you can move on to a trot... trot, whoa, back. You can do circles, figure eights, you can be on the rail, whatever, when doing this.

I would teach him how to walk on the rail too. Tanner hated doing that, the walls were going to come out and fall on him! :rolleyes: Despook him on the ground and undersaddle - get him use to the noises of the arena.

Oh and the first time I would ride is when there isn't rain, snow, a lot of wind, etc. That can be scary! Hearing the rain hitting the arena also took him a lot of time to adjust too. But we could ride through a storm now! LOL;)

Hope that helped a bit, it was kind of a crappy reply! :doh:

[Arrow]

Never thought of weather on the roof and walls--good point!

I think the whoa thing is a good idea at a walk, he's always taking extra steps...And he's awful about backing up. So maybe the first couple days, just walk around, circles, rail...work on backing on the ground first...then backing under saddle as part of the routine.

He's actually very responsive to aids, super responsive to my seat...the problem is me being lazy and not doing the right thing all the time and letting him get away with those extra steps. I think this arena will be good for both of us.

Great advice, luv2--thanks!

We're coming to the time of the year when you can mostly only walk out in the mud and the cold on the trails, and he anticipates racking and cantering so badly--just a lift of the reins and he's off with waiting to hear which--this arena should really help me get him calmed down and focused, and we can walk and not get into any trouble on the trails...

[menagerie]

:eek: OMG! I'm so green with envy! lol I would love to have an indoor arena, how awesome for you! I can't give you any helpful hints but congrats on the arena!

[WashingtonBay]

Sheesh.... Arrow's in an arena.... next you'll be posting about the intricacies of better lunging :rolleyes::D

[Arrow]

N.E.V.E.R.

He's still on daily turnout, thank goodness, but he'll be stalled at night year-round instead of winter only. We'll see how he takes to it...

[WashingtonBay]

We'll see :D

[Arrow]

Indeed we will, who knows...lol!

[GrungeEquestrian]

When I got Trouble she hadn't EVER been in an indoor arena. I first walked her around leading her and let her check everything out. Then we just walked around and did a bit of trotting and figure eights. She has no problem being in the indoor and sometimes she actually prefers it. I think it depends on each horse. I would start by leading him around and see how he reacts to the whole thing and go from there.

[Arrow]

Thanks--I'm not so much worried about him spooking as wondering how to go about doing training in there, the steps, in what order, etc.

[GrungeEquestrian]

Hmm...well lately because of the Illinois weather I have been using the indoor. After I warm up Trouble with all the gaits, backing up, etc I usually go about doing circles, figure eights, half eights, and I sometimes set up poles for her to trot over. Since arena work can be boring for both of us I usually try to mix it up all the time and not spend too much time on the rail. Trouble loves transitions so we do a lot of canter/trot transitions on the figure eights. I usually have her canter the diagonals and trot the curves. I also love zig zags...I'll try to put my paint skills to the test and put up some fun patterns.

[doc_western]

i love indoors, lol. i have acess to a huge one where dante is boarded.....as far as getting him used to it, im not sure. :huh: if i were you, id take luv2 and grunge's advice. ;)

[Remali]

I found that doing figure eights and serpentines really kept my horse focused and didn't give him/her time to think about doing anything else but listening for my next cue. I liked to warm up in the indoor arena.....do some circles at the trot, after walking for a while to warm up. Then we'd circle a little, a few times around, do some figure eights at the walk and trot. Also some nice long low walks on a loose rein, if possible. And then we took off for a trail ride! I'd maybe work them in the indoor arena about 20 minutes or half hour.

[sugarsgirl]

I would just walk Arrow around in it, and then let him lose so he can wander off / roll / just do what he wants, on his own. I don't think it'll take him very long to adjust. :) Also after he's comfortable in it, start lunging him, or free lunging him in it. I think the 15 mins. you came up with is a good starting time to work him in it. I think you could walk him around in it as much as you wanted to though.




Yep, I agree, just let him loose, let him get used to it and then work slowly with him until hes fully used to being ridden in it.
Congrats on getting one, you're gonna like it a lot.

[Miracle Whip]

Take riding lessons for starters. Dressage. Transitions. half halts. full halts. seat cues, etc.

[medicine hat]

we get stuck indoors this time of year too~ I do love having the arena, even though we love being outdoors so much more!
lets see~to mix things up~
we ride bareback
I let the reins loose & try to steer with my legs
we used jump standards & a rope to make a pretend "gate" to practice riding through (me opening & closing it without getting off)
I was amazed how putting 1 pole (we have pvc pipe) on the ground at X made doing figure 8's more interesting.
cones are great for leg yielding inbetween & bending around~then try it without using reins!!
transitions
free lunging~my horse stays in a perfect 20 meter circle around me, I was shocked!
do you have friends to ride with? that is the best cure for an otherwise boring indoor ride! two heads can come up with some interesting games! plus my horse & I just like to sit & watch sometimes.
my horse had never been in an indoor either, he was fine with it but it did take awhile for him to get used to the footing.
lessons are a good idea if you have the $, and if you have show quality training stuff in mind~I like to read Sally Swift & apply her lessons at my own speed~
you could always google arena excersizes if you have something specific you are working towards too.

[Arrow]

Thanks, everyone great advice--and medicine hat, I'm going to try some of that, great ideas!

[JackieB]

Sweeet! I'm so jealous. I would definitely ride more in the winter if we had an indoor arena. You've got enough suggestions here to last for years. If it was me, I'd start with what luv2show suggested in her second post with flexing and everything.

You can work on these exercises a little at a time without either you or Arrow getting bored. At 11, he should be able to stay focused for at least 15 minutes at a time I would think. And avoid thinking that once you get something down, like backing up, that you've mastered that task. This is when the refining comes in. Work to get a more energetic back up with less of a cue from you. Same with flexing, circles around your leg, figure eights, everything. Softer, softer, softer. You can literally work on this stuff for the rest of Arrow's life, in short sessions, and still make incremental gains.

For fun in the meantime, I'd do stuff like medicine hat said. Like pick a spot at the other end of the arena and see if you can get there with leg cues only. Work on sidepassing. Standing in one spot for 10 minutes, whoa on voice only without touching the reins. It's fun to just make stuff up on the spot.

Keep us posted. I was just out in the spitting rain and snow to worm Buster and clean his hooves tonight. Mud is over the top of the hooves now. Lovely. I'm really envious of you and Arrow!

[valleyrider]

Just found this post Arrow,, and it seems as if you already got some great advice. I agree with what everyone said.. But I have one more thing to add..... I wish I had an indoor arena, I would sure ride more in the winter months. I am jealous too!

[Ryderd65]

If I missed an earlier photo thread, please ignore this, but

:worthless:

[Arrow]

Ha ha--I'll try to get some pics today!

[Annasmom]

He only spooked at the dressage letters bahaha

Sorry that is hillarious :)


I'd say your plan is good. Anna had never been in one before either until we got to my current barn and at first she would go really fast and I don't think she liked it. She still likes the outdoor better , but give it some time :)