horse STILL goes daft in the indoor school - solutions?

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Ziggy_

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In August I moved to a yard with a big, beautiful indoor school, and was intending to use it lots over the winter. But the problem I've been having since then, is that my mare HATES being in there!!

She spooks at everything (not a spooky horse normally), and can freeze, rear and spin or shoot off sideways for no apparent reason. On a good day she'll keep her feet on the floor but will be ridiculously tense, ears up my nose and snorting constantly. Persuading her to work properly is totally out of the question.

So far I have tried....
- riding in company - she is less silly but still extremely tense and snorty. Have stuck to riding in company for a while now and isn't getting any better.
- groundwork, in hand work etc. (We aren't allowed to lunge indoors) This seemed to be working for a bit until she decided it was more fun to dance about like an idiot - she can behave, or not, depending on her mood.
- I've tried just walking her on a long rein doing easy circles, leg yielding, etc to persuade her to relax. When I bought her she had some ridden issues and I spent months in walk only with good results. Now, however, I think she's too fit for this and gets joggy and silly.
- I've also tried just getting on with it and riding her through it - I've spent 45 minutes straight in trot and/or canter doing endless circles, transitions, changes of rein, you name it. She behaves better in canter, will quite happily canter round all day but still no chance that she'll relax and work properly.
- Have attempted to stick to short, 'positive' schooling sessions ie riding for 10-15 mins until we get one of those relaxed snorty noises (you know the ones I mean) and then hopping straight off.
- have also jumped in there, which gave her something else to concentrate on and she behaved well albeit excitably!

She's been ridden absolutely fine in other indoor schools but I have found she can be a bit funny about being indoors (certain barns, stables, etc freak her out) sometimes.

Teeth, back, tack checked regularly and are fine. In all other respects she's great; she's not exactly an easy horse to handle or ride but mostly we get along well and have fun. She's fine in the outdoor school, but thats alternating between being flooded and frozen ATM. She has a varied work load and goes down the beach for a gallop at least once a week.

It seems like such a daft problem but I'm really running out of ideas now... this is about the third time I've posted on this subject over the last few months but the problem isn't going away. I think that at first it was a confidence issue but now I'm not sure whether she's just having me on. HELP!
 
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Is there any way you could let her loose in the school for a little while?

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Have tried this. Untacked and let her loose as I was putting jumps away one day. She spooked at something (nothing!) ran to the gate, and stayed there while she tried to figure out how to open it.
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If left alone she just stands at the gate, again trying to let herself out.
 
It's a difficult problem.
Have you tried feeding her in the school - so every night for her hard feed she has to walk into the school, first at the door, then further in, etc.
You could then try schooling in hand, with strategically placed treats/feeds for her to find.
Or turn her out in the school for longer - til she's had enough of hanging around at the gate, and starts to wander round a bit (maybe you'd be allowed to put hay/haylage down?).
Is it just your horse who reacts like this? If others do too, perhaps there's something you can't sense - a high pitched noise, or electrical currents, a smell?
Work wise - maybe try always finishing her in the school after a hack/gallop etc - so always ride her into the school to dismount, loosen girth, reward, etc. Gradually start to up the time spent in the school after the hack til she seems more relaxed.
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Just a thought and not that I have any experience of this but have you had eyes checked if you say she is a bit funny about being indoors in general, is it the moving dark to light etc? Maybe there are lots of shadows in the indoor? Sorry if way off the mark but another idea if nothing else works?
 
Just a thought but do you NEED to work in there? Or do you feel you should because its there? e.g. Can you hack out when the outdoor school is frozen/flooded? I know not ideal but just wondering if its worth the stress that its causing the both of you

Also thought really interesting point above from Warerlilly. My gelding has dodgy eyes and completely flips if you ride when the sun is low in the sky or coming through tree's as reflects weirdly on the surface of his eye but is fine in indoor schools
 
I'd have her checked for night blindness (congenital stationary myopathy). Is she Appaloosa cross at all, because they are predisposed to it? It's not a big deal ususally, it just means that she really can't see properly in some light conditions.
 
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I'd leave her there overnight. She might just stand at the gate at first - my horse does if people are there, but if you leave them alone they generally wander about. Stick a bit of hay in each corner.
 
This might sound weird but it worked for a friend's horse on previous yard.

She would lead her horse in to the school and then over trotting poles and in and out of the poles. She also put other obstacles in the school and lead her round those. In other words just tried to make the indoor fun! Sometimes, she would put classic FM on the radio, lead her into the school then let her loose while she went and sat in a corner reading. More often than not my friend's horse would come over and investigate what she was doing then she'd give her a treat and walk round school and horse followed her more often than not.

When horse behaved she made a fuss of her and if she spooked and ran off she just ignored her.

Wouldn't recommend above if your horse is likely to go galloping around and she always wore a hat and gloves.

Later realised that it was one particular corner in the school she didn't like although never established the reason.

After about two weeks of games she was better under saddle although never did grow to like the top right hand corner of school but she did learn to accept it
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