​Why Is It Important To Ride Your Gaited Horse In The Arena

By Gaye Derusso
 
Many people who buy gaited horses are trail riders. Some have ridden in the arena before, but many have not. I want to explain the importance of arena riding with the gaited horse. 
 
So many gaited horses are green broke. They do not have much education and therefore many of the things we ask them to do they do not understand. Why is this? Because so many gaited horses are calm that the sellers can get by just throwing a saddle on them and putting on a couple of rides to double their money. This would not be possible with many other breeds as the horses would not tolerate it. Think of an Arab with a couple rides on it, going down the trail with a beginner. It probably would not end well. 
 
But so many beginners or people getting back into horses do not understand how much training a horse needs to become a good trail horse and therefore they have no idea why the horse is having issues. 
 
This is why in different situations the horses act up, have melt downs or go into bucking fits. They are saying they don't understand what they are supposed to do, or they are uncomfortable with the situation.
 
Most non gaited horses have years of arena work and experience before they are taken on the trail. They have been taught all the basics that they need to build on and those basics will help the rider control and communicate with the horse. But without those years of basic training, it is very difficult for the horse to do the right thing, as they do not know what the right thing is. So, they just react instead of thinking.
 
Without practice in the arena the horse might not learn the proper training but also the rider will not have the proper training. The arena is the place to learn how to use your hands, seat, and legs.  Learn to ride without stirrups to get better balance. Learn to steer, how to stop well and yes learn how to counter act a spook, buck, bolt, or rear. By practicing what to do, you will have a better chance of doing the right thing if it ever happens.  
 
Arenas were made so riders have a safe place to practice with their horse. By having an enclosed area even if the horse gets upset it can't run too far. By having gates, you can close on the arena, if you fall or get in trouble someone will find you easier than trying to find you on the trail. That’s also why it’s important to always close the gates when in the arena.  
 
By having footing that is consistent, it softens the fall if you do fall, but it also gives the horse the opportunity to practice its gaits or movements without being concerned with different terrain to get over. 
 
With every new sale or training horse that comes in, the arena or round pen is the first place I ride them. This is for safety in case I have issues but also, I have the horse in a controlled environment where I will be more successful in keeping the horse’s attention and therefore make it easier for him to focus and learn. On the trail there are so many distractions, that if you are trying to teach your horse it is more difficult for them. 
 
Think of it like a classroom, there’s a teacher, people in chairs and everyone is focused on the teacher because there is nothing else to look at, except for the occasional glance out the window, but if that happens the teacher usually catches you and brings your focus back. But if you put the same situation outside by the road and playground you would get very distracted and not be able to focus as well and therefore not learn as quickly.
 
Many of you are trying to teach your horses as your riding with your friends down the trail, but when issues come up you cannot stay and spend an hour teaching your horse as most friends would not wait for you. You cannot control what’s out on the trail and therefore it is not as safe. Also, there are so many distractions and stimulus out there it makes it very hard for the horse to focus if it doesn't have the basics down.
 
Now you may say my horse hates the arena. That's because no one probably rode him in one. But the only way to fix this is to work on it. Prepare the horse for work, run it, round pen it or lunge it in the arena and get some of the extra energy out. Make sure to change directions every couple of circles and the turns will help to tire them out faster. Just 5 - 10 minutes can make a huge difference. 
 
If your horse is afraid of the action going on in the arena, then in the beginning you just prepare them and go in and stand there with you on the ground, walk around, and feed them some treats. Repeat each day until your horse calmly will go and stand and walk in the arena. Then repeat under saddle, prepare the horse well then just get on walk around some and do lots of standing, so they understand it’s not such a bad place to be. Who doesn't want to stand around and eat food?
 
Once they can do this then you can start the work but if you try and work while they are anxious it will be a lot more difficult, so take time and just get them use to the arena first. If they are bad try to turn them out in the arena daily and let them explore, if nervous put another horse in there to show them how. It can take weeks to months but definitely worth the effort. 
 
Once under saddle, immediately start the arena routine at a walk with lots of small circles and patterns, this will focus them and keep them slower. If they just keep taking off, then just start with your one rein stops and repeat over and over until they stop as soon as you reach for the rein, and they stand still on a loose rein. It usually takes just a couple days for them to learn this if you are consistent. Then you can go back to 2 reins and start the routine now that you have some speed control.  
 
Once they can walk calmly and do patterns for 10- 20 minutes, then you can start adding more of the routine and start your flat walk. Do it at least 5 or more minutes each way, then rest. If they are pacey or trotty do not add any more speed stay at this gait until you are sure, it is smooth, a clear 4 beat footfall and the horse can hold that gait without trotting or pacing. This can take weeks or months depending how often you ride. The more you ride, like 5 days a week in the arena the quicker you will get there.
 
Once they hold the flat walk well then you can start adding just a little more speed to get your intermediate gait. If you add too much speed you might go right past it, so stay on the slower side and get your horse comfortable, smooth, 4 beat and staying the same speed. Then as time goes by, they will understand what you want. They will get stronger and then you can add more speed.  But rush the process and you will take forever to get the gait. 
 
The arena is to help you get their gait. You can use poles if your horse is pacey or stay in the deeper footing. If trotty do not use poles and stay where the footing is not as deep. Every time the horse does something well stop and tell them and give them a good rest and a nice scratch and they will try even harder for you. If you don't rest in the beginning, they won't try as hard. It’s like you working without getting a paycheck. So, make sure they get a good rest and scratch or a treat.
 
If you can gait well in the arena, it is not hard to then gait on the trail as your horse is condition and understands the cues. But if you only gait on trail, many of those horses will not gait well in the arena because they are not use to it and the rider has to help them more to stay in gait in the arena. On the trail the terrain helps the horse stay in gait and uphills help collect the horse. In the arena it’s just you and them and you need to help them stay in gait.
 
If you put the time in to work in the arena, by the time you then go on trail, you will feel more confident, have a better idea how to control your horse if issues come up and have a better idea of what to do to keep them in gait. 
 
The arena is a practice place, but if you never practice how do you expect you and your horse to get better? Even 2-3 days a week in an arena can make a huge difference.
 
I always start the horses in the arena then when they are good, I do all the work on the trail. But every week I try to ride 1-2 times in the arena, so they don't forget or if I need to teach them something new, it’s the best place to practice. You can do gates, water obstacles, teach them to pay attention to their feet by making pole patterns or obstacles. By teaching them turn on forehand and haunches you will have better control of their shoulders and hindquarters. By teaching them a good whoa and backup you will have better control if your horse tries to get fast. It also gets them use to riding by other horses and other horses going fast by them while they are asked to stay in a walk. But just like everything a horse learns, it needs time to practice and to get use to the situation. By rushing the process and skipping the arena, it will only lead to more confusion for you and your horse.
 
So, if having issues with your horse's behavior or gait on the trail, take a step back and go practice in the arena. If you don't have one try to trailer to one or make your own by putting up portable fences or make a round pen. It does not have to be big; you just need a safe place to be and a semi flat area that you can practice in. 
 
You can either make excuses why it won't work, or you can find a way to make it work. Successful people always find a way.