Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: The Best Arena For Restarting Your Thoroughbred
“Let’s start with the fact that if you have an arena of any shape or size, you’re already winning.”
Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on the best arenas for restarting off-track Thoroughbreds.
When I began restarting Thoroughbreds as part of my business, I honestly didn’t think too much about the arena. It was just there, so I made use of it. Pretty simple. But with various moves over the last year, I have had a chance to ride and restart in a very wide range of rings. Turns out, each comes with its benefits and detractions, and unsurprisingly, I have learned a lot and have gained some additional opinions. Perhaps the most important and obvious finding is that the arena shapes your ride and your training. And sometimes you just have to get creative to get them forward (or steering, or settled, or focused…)
No arena in this weather? Better bundle up and prepare to hack out in the wind. Your horses will be better, tougher citizens for it. Photo by author.
Let’s start with the fact that if you have an arena of any shape or size, you’re already winning. Thoroughbreds can be restarted in a paddock or a front lawn, and can still come along just as well as those whose first post-track rides happen in perfectly groomed indoors. That said, a first ride in some form of visually or physically demarcated space isn’t a bad thing. Though, as soon as I know I have brakes and a relatively sane ride under me, I get them out in open spaces to create a more balanced, stable version of forward.
Coragescontender got his first ride in the wood board paddock of my new location at the former Finale Farm in Lansing, NY. Photo by Sarah Hepler.
My arena in Georgia was pretty ideal in many ways. The sand footing was stable and never got too deep. The three-foot-six-inch to four-foot rail created a clear distinction that staying inside the space was in fact a good idea. No one in the time I was there tried to jump out (though Rhodie, aka Western Ridge, did try to climb out at one point… eek). The arena was large enough to establish a good canter down the long side and bring it back before the turn, but never so large that a gallop turned really dicey. Largely, I spent very little time thinking about the arena when I was there — other than trying to keep the footing dry and even.
I did think a lot about the turnout paddocks next to the ring though — the ones where the geldings would gallop down the hill while you rode, testing even the most seasoned of horses under you. I liked the smaller levels of chaos that those paddocks would bring; they created quality distraction and “noise” around the ride that allowed my horses to transition well into competition environments and busy barns. Too quiet for these guys seems to make them jumpy.
A younger Needles Highway schooling back at the original farm in McDonough, GA. Photo by the Kivu Team.
When I moved north to New York, the first barn I found myself inhabiting part of a barrel racing set up, and suddenly I had opinions about arenas. Their indoor was stunning — huge and easy to access, though the footing was set for more western disciplines, so I had to watch the depth. There were banners for the horses to get used to and the occasional movement in and out, but really, I found the arena a bit too still and quiet. Outside, we had a sizable but uneven outdoor that was a walk down the hill from the barn. The views were epic, and without an arena rail it appeared that you could just keep galloping down the long side and off and down the mountain.
Wolf (Louisiana Moon) hacking in the outdoor in Bath, NY. Photo by Sarah Hepler.
Oddly, putting first and initial rides on young Thoroughbreds in that environment never caused any issues. They never left the arena or went at high speed screaming back to the barn or down the mountain. But when I would have people come try horses and swing a leg over, they definitely noticed that there was no rail or demarcation to the arena, and they would ride like it — tight, handsy, aiming for slow not forward. Trial rides quickly got shuffled to the indoor. That said, though, I came to like my unrailed outdoor, where Littles the dog would hunt frogs and small fish in the creek-swamp next to it and keep my horses and me on our respective toes.
Littles the arena water mascot. Photo by author.
When I moved to my current (and hopefully very longterm) home farm, one of the things it does not have is an outdoor. What does it have instead? A great compact indoor with surprisingly good footing after all these years and a lovely rolling front lawn that acts as a heck of a jump field. The plan will be to put in an outdoor sometime this year once the winter packs up and goes the hell away. That said, these two new riding spaces have a lot to offer that I hadn’t thought about before.
Mojito Margarita hacking around during her first ride at the new Kivu location. Photo by Lily Drew.
On the upside, in the indoor, my young horses learn to steer better and quickly have to figure out how to get their hind end under them for turns. There aren’t a lot of options, you are pretty much always turning or about to turn. There’s also a lot for them to look at — the tractors at one end, their barn mates through the aisle, and the never ending flow of people and things: the farrier truck, the hay delivery, the barn help moving shavings, etc., etc., etc. The arena is utilitarian — function over form. But it gets the job done, and hell, I can be in there riding around just fine when it’s 12 degrees and blowing like mad outside… kind of like right now. I’ll take it.
On the less ideal sides, you’re always turning so it can be a little more effort to get the horses out in front of your leg and really going forward. Gathering the canter into a rhythm is a little tougher just due to the size. So, on days that aren’t frozen, out we go to use the land. The jump field provides terrain changes that help teach a half halt, and the hay field trail provides a long trot or gallop area to fix any stuck behind the leg issues.
Bowing Snowman struggled a bit with all the turning required in the indoor during his first post track ride, so as soon as it was nice, he got a lovely canter in the hayfield and found his forward. Photo by Lily Drew.
Between the two spaces, I’m really pretty set. But because I grew up riding outside in all weather and because I’m always happier outside, I’ll start squirreling away to put in an outdoor. And not just any outdoor, but hopefully one that is pretty ideal for working with and restarting Thoroughbreds — so an arena that encourages them to stay in front of the leg, turn, and to have options for the types of geometry we get to make. And if they need more time to get up and going, or get on a hill, or get out of the rains, sleet and snow, I’ll be super grateful for the other options this property provides.
So to sum up at this point, if I were to create an ideal arena for restarting Thoroughbreds, it would draw from the last decade of riding and training and would likely have some of these specs (and I’m sure a ton of others):
- Outside (except in winter up here… I have never been so grateful to have an indoor).
- Big enough to canter at least/around 15 strides on the long side and eight on the short, but not so big that they f0rget that they’re in a ring
- Have soft, even, not-too-deep and not slippery footing
- Have a clear rail that is high enough and doesn’t look like a jump
- Be located in a spot with enough going on to make it slightly chaotic, but not so hectic you feel like you might die
- Be located close enough to the barn that there isn’t an obvious desire for them to run back to their friends
- Have enough space around jumps and obstacles to ride well even when the chips are down and steering is out the window.
And if this isn’t all possible right away and I spend next year training in a field and not an arena, that’s fine too — at least I can guarantee my young horses will all come with a pretty damn good half halt, steering and traction control.
Fig (Ekati’s Verve) looking into the barn from turnout in the indoor arena (I’m grateful for that on days like this too). Photo by author.
Go ride, folks, and enjoy the arena or “arena” you might have. Today, I’ll go be very, very grateful for an indoor and less grateful for the sub-zero windchill.
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