Horse having trouble walking into the arena - schooling shows

[Mila.B]

Hello! I have a 6 year old OTTB gelding, owned him since February. My goal is to show hunters with him - low stakes schooling shows and a couple local rated shows. I would call him green-ish when it comes to showing. He did dressage with his previous owner and was trailered around to different dressage shows, but no jumping. Thanks to his extensive field trips, he’s very good in new places and does not get too stressed out by new situations.

We’ve done a few schooling shows together so far and he’s been great except for one problem. He is very resistant to walking into the arena for our classes. The schooling shows’ “in gates” are just a sectioned-off end of the arena where everyone mills around until it’s their turn. He’s very chill hanging out there and he’s very chill in the arena, but he refuses to move forward from the in gate into the arena. He doesn’t do anything dangerous, but he’ll pin his ears and side step or back. My trainer has been pulling him in by his martingale, which works but isn’t my ideal solution. Once he’s in the arena, he easily re-focuses and goes right to work. I won’t say he enjoys himself because he clearly would rather hang out, but he doesn’t show any reluctance to go around the course.

He doesn’t have this issue in any other situation - not during lessons, not walking off from the mounting block, not waiting our turn to course during lessons. I’m 99% sure that he acts like this because he doesn’t want to leave his pals behind and I think he’ll get better with more practice. My trainer and I have been trying to recreate that in gate situation during lessons and with other people at the barn, but I don’t think we’re doing it accurately enough because he has no problem in those practice scenarios. I’m okay working on this problem during more schooling shows, but would rather not have to do it at the expensive rated shows we’re going to later this summer.

I’d be grateful if anyone has any thoughts, advice, or tips!

Edit:

Hi all! apologies for not reply to everyone’s comments individually. You all have been SO helpful, thank you thank you! After reading everyone’s input, I’m certain that my own anxiety is affecting his behavior. Kind of obvious, now that I’m thinking about it. As commenters pointed out, he’s a younger horse that is still getting used to our partnership so I’m really going to focus on taking a breath for both of our sakes.

My trainer is actually taking him to an off-site schooling show this weekend while I’m out of town, so I’m excited for him to get more experience with a pro! And if we aren’t ready for rated shows later this summer, then we aren’t ready yet. No need to rush, lots of years ahead.

Also I’m so relieved to hear that it isn’t the end of the world if we need my trainer to help lead us in. I was worried about looking bad haha

Again, thanks so much for the ideas, suggestions, and reassurances!

[fivestrideline]

Have you had trainer on board to see if he does it with them? How hard is he working at these shows vs at home? I will say that for a lot of horses, show weekend at the schooling shows is HARD work. Harder than a weeklong rated show. And they know the difference vs home and are tired, so you see behaviors there that you don’t see elsewhere.

Edited: you may not immediately think the shows are more work, but the trailer ride + warmup(s) + 2 divisions (common) + hacks + standing around being held or sat on = a very long day for both horse and rider.

[hoopoe]

I would go right to rider tension.

been there done that

you may think you are soft and relaxed but most likely are transmitting tension thought your seat.

[Rel6]

My old trainer had a horse who was donated over this (but much worse - would shoot backwards and threaten to rear). What really broke him of the habit was taking him to a low-key schooling show that let her just send him into the ring again and again. Not to jump, but she would just have the student walk in, trot around a minute, and walk out. Let a few trips go, and then repeat. Basically just kept doing that until horse realized he wouldn’t get away with not going in, and it was more work to argue about it.

It worked incredibly well for that, but you need to have a pretty easy going venue that will accommodate something like that.

[Scribbler]

@Rel6

My old trainer had a horse who was donated over this (but much worse - would shoot backwards and threaten to rear). What really broke him of the habit was taking him to a low-key schooling show that let her just send him into the ring again and again. Not to jump, but she would just have the student walk in, trot around a minute, and walk out. Let a few trips go, and then repeat. Basically just kept doing that until horse realized he wouldn’t get away with not going in, and it was more work to argue about it.

It worked incredibly well for that, but you need to have a pretty easy going venue that will accommodate something like that.

That would be an excellent solution if you can have the space to do it. Otherwise have the trainer ride him in for a few times.

And honestly if you are allowed to have the trainer lead him in, do that. Don’t give him a chance to start resisting. Just plan that trainer will handwalk him in with no fuss first. You need to get past the pattern of fussing at the gate which can become an ingrained response. First we warm up, then we fuss, then we jump.

You can also try different schooling shows at different venues.

And yes, horse is responding to your emotional tension and nerves. Some horse rider pairs make this anticipation into a positive thing and horse really tries in the competition. Other pairs, it goes sideways and you feed off each other in a downward spiral.

I agree that you do not want to take him to expensive rated shows until all quirks are fixed at the schooling shows. It’s fine to not go to rated shows this summer. It will take as long as it takes, he’s still young.

[ATXmom]

Our young horse has only been to a few shows (weeklongs) so far but has also shown resistance to going into the show ring, especially after hanging around by the in-gate with his new “friends”. He’s done this both with the trainer and with my daughter. He’ll go into the ring but will frequently plant his feet and refuse to go forward.

Anyway, we’ve tried a few things but what seems to be working is having him enter the ring and start trotting (in the opposite direction) as the previous horse is leaving. He doesn’t realize he’s alone until well away from the gate but by then, we’ve been able to re-focus him on the job at hand.

[Pokerface]

My own horse did this for a year or so, and my trainer would just lead him in. Once his front feet were in the ring, he was generally fine. He eventually got over it, but occasionally he second guesses it. He sometimes would sulk at home, not wanting to go back out and get to work if he had been sitting in the middle. I used that as an opportunity to remind him that, while he is allowed an opinion about leaving his friends, he still needs to actually do it.

Your horse is pretty new to you, I think he will get over it with time.

[widge]

My trainer always hand leads her clients to the gate, regardless of how broke the horse is. It’s just a little service she provides, allows her to whisper one last thing in your ear (usually “go have fun”) and see you off for your round. I think it’s lovely! If your horse needs it, that’s fine! She can whisper something to him, too.

[Night_Flight]

It’s also not that unusual that you can’t recreate the situation at home, whatever the root cause might be.

My old mare had a bit of an in-gate issue because she would try to pick up the canter (for the jumper ring) as she was passing through the gate. Most of the time, we were able to work with the in-gate person to clear the area for safety, and I did my best to keep her contained until she was fully through the gate. We tried to recreate the scenario schooling off-property and at clinics, but she would never do it then.

We even had one show where the steward gave me permission to arrange with the in-gate to clear the area with the condition that we had to return at the end of the day to school my horse through the in-gate. Well, we were there waiting when the day finished, and as soon as the other horses, spectators and the in-gate person walked away, it was just us and the steward left. We did the nicest, most relaxed walk into the ring, again and again. My mare knew that she wasn’t going in to do a jump-off if no one else was around, so she didn’t anticipate (and rider tension was not an issue - I was very used to her shenanigans at that point and would just relax through it to avoid further explosions).

Sometimes the only way to school something is in the show environment. I agree with the others who have suggested continuing to have him led through the gate until it becomes a non-issue. Sometimes you can eventually wean them off of it by having the person walk forward with the horse without actually holding onto anything, and gradually reduce the steps.

[Peggy]

As someone else suggested, enter the ring before the previous horse leaves. This is fairly common at rated shows, especially jumpers (pre-loading). Maybe ask permission first and possibly arrange with a barn mate to be the person in the order ahead of you if the show doesn’t want to spring this on someone.

[skydy]

OP said she wants this horse to do the hunters. I don’t think pre-loading happens in hunter classes.

[dags]

One we had that did this just couldn’t stand and wait at the ring. If you wanted to watch some rounds you did that early. Then back to the schooling ring or wherever you could keep him walking and thinking (ie, not just a loose rein saunter) and then you just kind of kept doing that right up to and into the ring. Definitely takes communication with a good ground person that can get you to the gate right on time.

Before we figured that out there was a lot of gate-clearing (rear & spin) and I led him in. And then everything was 100% fine

[Paint_Party]

OP’s layout of the show arena and the in-gate area is similar to most AQHA and APHA shows. There’s a separate warm-up ring, but then everyone congregates in the marked off end of the show arena waiting their turn. A
lot of young horses would rather hang out with their pals than leave and go work.

It took my horse a few shows to get over it. For him, the key was limiting the amount of time standing in that group. Keeping him moving, even if just walking, helped him see that back gate holding area as just an extension of the show arena. It lost its allure rather quickly.

[ATXmom]

We did it for baby green’s and low adult hunters at an A show without any issues

[skydy]

Interesting. I’d have thought you’d get dinged for that.

[ATXmom]

Maybe because it was unrated divisions? He may have gotten dinged but the rounds weren’t perfect, so we didn’t know?

[skydy]

I haven’t been going to hunter shows for a long time, but there are people here who will know.

[Peggy]

@skydy

OP said she wants this horse to do the hunters. I don’t think pre-loading happens in hunter classes.

Definitely happens. Sometimes the show encourages it. But even if they don’t ask it’s pretty easy to slip in as the previous person is pulling up after the last fence. Did it with one horse in the hunters at small to large USEF shows

[Tha_Ridge]

Why would you get dinged for that?

The only scenario in which I’ve ever seen a starter care is if it’s a classic round and they want to wait for the judge to release the open numerical score before the next rider goes in.

[skydy]

Since I haven’t been attending in person, that may be where I got the impression that the previous score was announced before the next rider entered.

If the OP has to have their horse led in, how far into the ring are they allowed to lead it?
I would think they might get dinged on the “manners” issue, or does the judging not start when the horse enters the ring?