OTTB and indoor arena issues

Question
I bought an OTTB 6 yr gelding and have been working with him for 4 months now. I purchased him from a trainer that bought him off the track and worked with him on W/T basics for about 5 months before that.  When working with him in the outdoor arena, he is quiet, listens well, is getting rounder and softer in the poll, and is a pretty quick learner.  However now that winter has come, we have to work in the indoor arena.  I feel like I have a different horse in the indoor!  He only gives me about half his attention and feels hollow and dead to my aids.  Trying to canter him in the indoor arena is quite frustrating for both of us. Any tips for helping my normally "good boy" get comfortable in the indoor setting would be most appreciated.

Answer
Hello Val,
I think if you have a good thing going in your outdoor arena it shouldn't take long for you to  get it going in the indoor. In the winter our horses don't usually get turned out as much so I would make sure you are lounging him and that he will easily go from the walk to trot to canter and back down the gaits both direction. When he can do this comfortably and balanced while being lounged then you have a great foundation to getting him with you when you are riding. If when you get on he is a "different" horse then get a friend to help you out by lounging him while you ride so you can be a passenger and remind him you are not asking for anything that different from what he has practiced and is now good at doing.
Let me know how it goes for you two
Caitlin Day Huntress