Horses that don't like jumping indoors?!?!?!?!?

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AutumnRose

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I'm just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences with horses not being keen on jumping indoors???

B has been BSJA 3 times so far this winter with varying success!!! Even on the day he jumped 3 fab rounds with just one pole down out of all three he didn't feel quite the same as outdoors.

With the exception of a few weeks in August when he was on propell plus after a virus, went loopy and it was impossible to get him to walk across a lorry park let alone near a show jump due to monsters......he has been consistently jumping clear rounds and having the odd pole down outdoors since April this year. He's had the odd baby, very genuine look at a particularly scary filler but that's it. I was even enjoying my show jumping (crazy i know
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But since going indoors he's just not into it, feels like he's always thinking a bit backwards rather than taking me to fences like he does outdoors. He was also significantly worse in an arena which is particularly narrow and dingy and did his best rounds in the most open school.

After long discussions with trainer we think maybe he feels very restricted. It feels very similar to how he rides under floodlights when i ride him after work.....really holding back and not taking me forwards.

So has anyone else had a horse who felt the same??? Or am i imagining it?!?!?!? He's only been in about 3 indoors i think, of course in an ideal world i'd do lots of clinics etc indoors to get him used to them but time would be a fab thing to have more of!!!! At this rate my plan of jumping 1.05m's before MArch so PN looks small is really not going to pan out.............
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I've been thinking about this as my mare went reasonably well in the SJ phase the whole eventing season and unaff outdoor SJ too; this winter we did 3 indoor classes and 3 eliminations just silly stops like clear until the last fence and 3 stops for no apparent reason!

I was getting so miserable and demoralised as it started at home a bit too, but not as bad, so we've given her 10 weeks (19 days to go
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) off from jumping and just concentrated on the flatwork to wait and see as she had her first full season ever this year (she is 11 just had a lot of time off through injury) so I wonder if I've overdone it in general, as she seemed to cope so well.

But that said I do keep coming back to the idea that she doesn't like jumping indoors as we had a couple of eliminations last year too and turned a few fillers in to firewood in 85 classes but then she popped round a 1m 15 + course at PC camp fine on grass!
 
My mare actually jumps better when its indoors and dark and dingy - this is because it actually steadies her up and makes her think about what she is doing rather than just seeing the fence and going for it!!

So i guess similar problem (backing off from fences) - only it works to my advantage with my TB beast ;-) as she is so forward thinking naturally.

More practise indoors you....more practising outdoors (with control) for me!!
 
Nope dont think your imagining it :P
My little one doesn't like jumping indoors, he's not keen as it is on jumping on a surface, yet put him on grass and he pops them easy. Not sure wherether its because its very closed in and he feels he can't open up enough? maybe the same with yours?
 
Has he only ever SJed indoors at the same place? Only with Z I rode into an arena where he was totally in awe of the place (indoors) but everywhere else, he is fine (and has never EVER been like that normally, nothing phases him as soon as you're on him)

So maybe it could be that one place (if it's one place?)
 
B had 2 months off jumping after the season so i hope he's not bored of it......

We've only got a 20x40 at home but its got no fence and we regularly jump 1.10 at home. He's still fine at home, going fab in fact. He generally warms up fine indoors but is definitely les forward going if it's a busy warm up. Just feeld like a different horse to outdoors
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IF only they could talk eh?!?!
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some horses do prefer to jump outdoors! a bit more space. proper light etc! however it is now winter so you either have to go school indoors and compete indoors!(or hibernate!!) and really move him forwards (are you more cautious indoors?) work on getting him off the leg and using the corners to create space! just drop him down a class and really move him on til happy and confident! take his front boots off (or use tendon boots) to encourage him to be careful! a couple of indoor grid work clinics might help too! you will be fine by spring!! and ready for PN. chose your venues well for surface and lighting!
 
jules- he's jumped indoors at 3 places. Once a lot, did his first baby clear rounds there etc and goes ok-ish there but not same as outdoors. Other places we've only been once each. Once place is a nice inviting a big arena where he jumped fab. Other is a notoriously spooky and dingy place where he just wasn't playing the game.

He has jumped out doors fine on a surface but does like to jump in a big, bouncy forwards canter which i just dont seem to be able to create indoors
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i had 1 who never liked jumping indoors - grey in my siggy. she used to get claustrophobic i think, she'd try to veer away from the walls a bit, and go stuffy to her fences (very unlike her) and get very hyper. outdoors she'd happily jump Advanced BE, Foxhunter sort of heights and she had tons of scope, so it wasn't from any lack of talent... just 1 of her quirks.
 
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some horses do prefer to jump outdoors! a bit more space. proper light etc! however it is now winter so you either have to go school indoors and compete indoors!(or hibernate!!) and really move him forwards (are you more cautious indoors?) work on getting him off the leg and using the corners to create space! just drop him down a class and really move him on til happy and confident! take his front boots off (or use tendon boots) to encourage him to be careful! a couple of indoor grid work clinics might help too! you will be fine by spring!! and ready for PN. chose your venues well for surface and lighting!

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I know! I Was maybe hoping i could just ignore show jumping until March but then i wouldnt be very well prepared for PN would i?!?!?!?! I have an outing planned for 2nd of Jan at the place he jumped really well, and i'm going to go back down to BN. Will try and think about nothing but going forwards. Maybe i am a bit more cautious indoors, its not conscious but doesnt mean i'm not doing it!!!!! He jumps in tendon boots but is pretty careful anyway, will only have to odd pole.

Frustrating as at the end of season i felt ready to go up to PN and he was flying round courses. Now i feel like we're going backwards
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i have the oppostie problem, my horse worries a lot about slipping etc. so jumps much better indoors.. lots of practice helps.. and i also stud up well.. i would get him doing lots of indoors over the winter so he gets used to it etc.. but its tricky to change how they go if they are nervous etc.
 
work on the big bouncy forward canter under lights!! bigger the better! take horse hunting (makes them bold and forward, and keep going indoors (smaller classes ) til he is bouncing along and over!! it will happen but may take a little time.
 
thanks kerilli, sounds similar to B (not in talent department, don't think you'll ever see him jump an advanced track in any arena!!!) but he just doesnt feel like him indoors. He gets very jumpy and tense in warm up too which is unlike him, but i guess suggests he isnt happy.
 
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work on the big bouncy forward canter under lights!! bigger the better! take horse hunting (makes them bold and forward, and keep going indoors (smaller classes ) til he is bouncing along and over!! it will happen but may take a little time.

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thanks i will try and persevere. i had hunting planned for last weekend but stupid snow put pay to that. Will definitely get him out though. Might head up to Tweseldown for some early xc in Jan and intersperse that with sj to get him forwards.

Perhaps i'll just have to be picky and jump bigger classes in the arena he likes and smaller elsewhere!!!
 
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AR, if you want to keep going indoors for the practice, i think i'd just stick to slightly smaller courses i guess, in the hopes that he'll chill out.
mine never did but then she was a VERY quirky girl!

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He's pretty chilled about most things in life so i'm hoping this is a baby/teenage thing he'll grow out of.

I really do dislike show jumping though, that probably doesnt help.......
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Some horses are "indoor" jumpers and others are "outside" jumpers. 3 examples for you:
My black beast happily jumps Intermediate tracks outside, but won't leave the floor if its over 1m at 2 local indoor schools around here but will jump 1.10m at the biggest/lightest arena.
An old instructor told me when I had a very big baby to only take him to 2 indoor arenas near us as she said we would cause more damage than good.
A friend has 3 jumping horses, one is grade A (proper grade A jumping big stuff) but it won't jump inside!

So in conclusion; some horses are just more of a pain than others
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Thanks friendly_horses that is good to hear!!!! There is hope for him yet then!!

Horses are a pain in general i think
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.....luckily for B he has a lot of good points so he can stay for the time being!!!
 
whatever you do, don't panic, some of these responses you're putting yourself down. Don't. you guys are FAB and it's just one of those glitches!

Sorry haven't read enough properly, are we being super sensitive? I hate jumping indoors and close horses up, maybe your horse is doing the same? I'm not sure but K has thrown up some good points
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My little pony Millie hates jumping indoors. She's so little, that even when she's happily jump 1m05 outdoors, 1m10 at a push, she won't jump any bigger than 95cms indoors, and even that's a struggle. Personally, I think it's because she's so small that she has to get up a bit of speed to make it over a big spread, and in smaller indoor arenas, I can't open her up enough. Only place she's managed to jump like her usual self when outdoors, but indoors, is at WWEC, and that's because it's way bigger than any other local places.

Whereas Andy is a total contrast. He feels a lot more secure indoors, and a bit wobbly outdoors. Not sure as to why, he just jumps much better on a surface, really. He gets less nervous when he is enclosed by a good solid fence.
 
Thanks Jules - thats really kind of you. You aren't being sensitive, it does just feel like he's closing up you're spot on there. I do automatically assume it's just 'cos i'm rubbish when things go wrong!!!

GM - thats interesting because he does like to jump out of a big, bold forwards canter. Perhaps we just cant create that indoors yet. He is struggling to make the distances indoors too and they come easily outdoors which is a big clue he's not going forwards enough i guess.
 
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I Was maybe hoping i could just ignore show jumping until March but then i wouldnt be very well prepared for PN would i?!?!?!?! I have an outing planned for 2nd of Jan at the place he jumped really well, and i'm going to go back down to BN.

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Could you possibly replace your SJ outings with group clinics indoors as you'll be more likely to have less jumps and more room in the arena and also if you come away and one things not gone quite right something will have so you can take that away with it whereas at a show it often seems to have all gone wrong.

Then you could start SJ outdoors March time or hire a field to jump a course late Feb.
 
Any horse won't feel brilliant jumping in a dingy, narrow school. Maybe she's just taking a while to get used to being indoors. I think the rider can influence it, I personally prefer jumping indoors (dont know why) and therefore generally my horses go better in.
 
The thing I find with the indoor jumping season is not the arena inside but the warm up.
Usually too many people squashed in to a 20x40, it makes me tense up having to have eyes in the back of my head, having people cut me up ect.. it must be unnerving for the horse as well.
Maybe hes getting unsettled in the warm up before he goes in to the ring? Maybe hes picking up on your doubts about inside?

I normally try and pick a time about 3/4 of the way through the class before my class to warm up. Theres usually less people in the warm up then as most in that class have jumped and those im my class seem to jump on after the course walk. I then just walk around untill my go and if its a while, pop one X pole before I go in just to wake up the horse.

You also probably need to ride more forward. The horse will back itself off the walls so you need to compensate for that. I actually enjoy jumping indoors for that very reason, I use the walls to help my turns.

Another idea is maybe to go somewhere like Merrist Wood where the arena is huge and airy. I love jumping in there, such a lovely surface as well.

Luckily every horse ive had has been fine jumping indoors. Perhaps thats because I like it?!
 
I'm sure me not liking it has a fair amount to do with it.

I've been looking at videos of us jumping at the last few events ourdoors, compared to indoors and i have a totally different canter indoors. Definitely not helping!!!!

I want to do JAS at Merrist Wood in Feb so glad to hear its light and airy. Its a bit far for just going jumping though.

You are right about warm ups, you just dont get the same space. Most places around here dont even have 20x40 warm up spaces...outdoors i always open him up a bit before i start jumping which gets him thinking forwards. Cant do that indoors.
 
Yes I would def push it on a bit more indoors then to counteract him backing off. My old trainer used to say ride as if its a jump off (obviously without the tight turns lol!) but that would get me in a more forward frame of mind.

Merrist wood is lovely, I very much doubt you will have problems in that arena, its huge!

Maybe hire an indoor out and go and have some lessons? With less jumps and time to play you can have a good old canter around and it may really help both of your confidence indoors.

Also think about the positives! Its just you and your horse with no distraction, the ground is usually tons better than outside, theres no wind, rain, hilly bits, nasty dips or ultra long spaces for your horse to get all long and strung out. its luuuurvely
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What is he like to do dressage in an indoor arena? Might be worth thinking about to get him out and a bit more used to being in a confined space, obviously jumping is different but it may help.
Also instead of feeling like you have wasted comp. fees book into some indoor clinics so you can jump as much as you like, I know they are not the easiest to find in this area but there will be more around as of Jan. as everyone starts preparing for the new season!!
And if all else fails just remember what a star he is outdoors and at the end of the day he is an eventer really!!!
 
Henry hates jumping indoors, I made the mistake of taking him in his first ever class over 90cm indoors, he came out with 16 faults and jumped awfully! My OH videoed the round and you can hear the lady in front of him saying how terrible it is
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He hates being indoors full stop really, he won't go forwards at all, gets all tense and stupid
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