Looking for suggestions for jumping exercises for an arena that is 50 x 90. It’s a covered arena with lights and the only option I have with all the snow we get. I don’t need to jump anything big and can trot fences, but I don’t want to be artificially shortening my horse’s stride or otherwise screwing things up by having to turn too quickly, etc. just wondered if anyone out there had been really creative with such a small arena size. It might be best to stick to ground pole exercises.
A few things that you could do with poles on the ground or small jumps.
- Canter bounce poles set either on the long side or diagonal. Set them at about 10. Granted with only 90 ft you could only do so much, so the diagonal would work better, better yet do both diagonals set so you can go either way.
- A few small jumps or poles scattered a little haphazardly, that you could just pick up randomly, getting creative with your courses.
Circle of death, with poles or small jumps or a combination.
Pole gymnastics on a circle - bounce poles, one-strides, etc. Raised poles or small jumps for some of them.
Figure 8 over a jump at X - you can ride either two circles, or from the corners across the diagonal to approach the jump on an angle.
Place 2 or more poles offset from each other and then leg yield over them so you are going centre to centre.
Pinwheels (aka Four Leaf Clovers). Two vertical jumps crossed in the center… you can jump it in a pinwheel shape and each side is like a skinny or jump over the cross in the middle. You can practice all sorts of roll backs and turns in a small space. You might be able to set up a line on the outside as well and then you can practice jumping at an angle from one of the outside jumps over the crossed jumps. You could also do the clover with 4 separate jumps with the inside standards all touching, but just one jump under the other, fine to keep them low and trot jumps, is an added challenge. One of my favorite exercises we did this year.
It seems quite small to practice jumping without the possibility of going much straight and out.
Circles of death and the like are nice exercices when you can escape the repetition of turning between each try.
It’s also exercices that are quite hard on tendons and joints. Not something you practice often or for a long sessions.
What about playing with your strides with ground poles/cavalettis?
On one side or on each of the long sides set up a 57’ line of two cavalettis. Start with 4 strides for each, then play with 5s. You could aim for 3s, but I would be carefull if jumps were on both sides. You don’t just want this exercice to be spinning around at full speed.
The place I board has a small arena too. I like this “Y” setup- https://www.google.com/amp/s/horseandriderbooks.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/snowed-in-heres-a-free-jump-course-design-for-small-indoor-spaces/amp/
My ring is about that size. One thing that works pretty well that also allows you to not have to move them around is to do 2 fences on each quarter line (ish). Basically make a smaller rectangle than the arena. Leave yourself enough space between the standard and the rail to go around them on a circle and if you do 4 fences, you can mix and match to either do individual jumps or little courses.
You need to give yourself enough room to come around the short side and take off, and land and go around the short side. You can either have them slanted so you use the diagonal line, or straight/parallel to the edge of the ring.
I find sometimes landing and turning to be harder.
Once I was very proud of myself because I had 5 fences in the ring and left myself enough space for driving the pony.
I would stick mostly to ground pole exercises. Or possibly trot, small jump, halt type exercises down the center or across the diagonal. That is a pretty narrow ring, but…you could also try creating a mini course of small skinny jumps, with some jumps set right on the rail and ends, and maybe something on the diagonal? It would work on precision. Creating a skinny jump without standards (such as stacked bales) may also be a fun winter skill to practice in a small space.
Look on Pinterest! I know, sounds crazy, but I’ve found some good ones on there and every time I see a diagram of an exercise that looks interesting , I save it. Just search “Small Riding Arena Exercises”. 
Thanks for your ideas! The problem with the circle of death, pinwheels, cloverleafs, etc. is that the biggest circle (especially going over the center of a pole) I can do is literally about 40 ft. I think some small fences on the diagonal or the long side would work, or on the short side (without it being a circle). I’ve found that even the circle of death with ground poles at the canter is really tight and I end up just doing an oval with two of them. I feel lucky to have a place to ride at all over the winter, but don’t know why anyone chose a riding arena of these dimensions to begin with??
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