Round Pens: A way forward in training?

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Eleanor765

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I am interested in whether you would choose to use a round pen and if so what for?
If not why not? Do you believe they have a positive effect on your horse? Have you found any negative effects of their use?
 
I have one (on loan with a friend for now, will be for sale in the spring because I don't take in remedial horses any more). It was very very useful for introducing new horses or ponies, for working on those hard to catch, and for riding anything likely to have no brakes and need settling. Also starting to lunge - I have done join up a couple of times but TBH I am not comfortable sending horses away once I have spent time getting them happy around people.
 
Thank you for your reply, in regards to your comment would you say it is the limited amount of space which makes a round pen more effective in comparison to using an arena? Also with your comment on join up would you say the method is detrimental to gaining a horses trust without it being exposed to its fight or flight instincts? This being within a confined space such as a round pen.
 
Very useful for anyone working with or backing young horses. But other than that not much use on a day to day basis other than a restricted turnout area post box rest perhaps.

I don't really like them for lunging as I prefer to be able to move the horse about a bit more.
 
Our old pony is a beast to lunge in an open arena. He knows what to do, he just doesn't really fancy it so you have to work pretty hard (will stop and turn in if given any possible hint that he can). However, in a round pen with no lunge line attached, he's easy peasy.

Nothing to do with his training or a bad experience with pressure on the lunge line. He was fine to lunge in big arena until moving to current yard, which happens to have a round pen, and has now decided that's what he prefers - opinionated old sod :)
 
Thankyou for both your input :) other than backing, lunging and limited turnout are there other reasons people use round pens? Do people find a horse responds better in an enclosed space?
 
They were all the rage here (NZ) a few years ago, but unless you are regularly starting young horses or working with troubled horses a lot, they seem to be of limited use. It's not like you can do a lot of ridden work in them.

I know a few round yards that have become expensive paddock ornaments, and are used as someone said above, for limited turn out and just as a "yard".
 
We have a 22m diameter round pen with waxed surface and built it so everyone only lunges or loose schools in this and not our outdoor or indoor arenas, as lunging in these can ruin the surface. Everyone actually much prefers the round pen anyway as they're in a contained space and the horses don't try and pull away. It's also great when teaching a youngster to lunge and it's large enough to loose jump in too.
 
We have been using a small-ish indoor school (20 x 35/40) for loose schooling during rehab. Although you (the person) have to work harder than in a round pen, it does mean that the horse can do straight lines which is useful. I would rather a rectangle than a round pen to be honest.
 
I built a 60ft round pen with gates so I can shed a pony off into a 30ft x 12ft field shelter. It is used a LOT. Probably the most useful thing I have constructed here. The farriers love coming here because we put the mob (about 12 Highland ponies of various ages) in the round pen and can shed them off individually to be trimmed under cover in the field shelter, then turned out the far gate. The ponies walk into the field shelter naturally so there is minimal handling. With the trailer backed up to the other gate, I can train ponies to load or just leave them in the pen to discover the trailer at their own pace. I use the pen regularly to sort ponies using a lunge whip and the gate. Of course, it is used for training as it also has a turning post in the centre. Probably a lot more I could say that I've have forgotten. I'm 75 and not that fit but I can use it to single out any pony I want regardless of the level of handling it has received. The last candidate was a large but rather hand shy weaned foal. I just shedded him off and he is now in the field shelter for some individual handling. You will find several videos containing sequences of the pen in use if you search for Morrich Highland Ponies on YouTube. Also at http://www.morrichhighlandponies.co.uk/newprojects.htm (scroll down to the bottom of the page). I am thinking of building a smaller one along side as I think that could be useful and will be incorporating an adjacent jumping ally next to the pen this summer! Will that do? :)
 
I built a very simple round pen for my 11.2 pony (grass surface, simple low mesh walls with white tape) He gets lunged in there but more often loose schooled, sometimes with trotting poles

His education has come on leaps and bounds since we started using it, before he was very one sided, now he is so much better, more supple, concentrating better, better transitions

Its big enough for me to walk in a circle when lunging as opposed to staying stationary so he gets worked on a large circle and as he is very small the pen is plenty big enough
 
Eleanor765 said:
I am interested in whether you would choose to use a round pen and if so what for?
If not why not? Do you believe they have a positive effect on your horse? Have you found any negative effects of their use?
Click to expand...
I have one made out of heras fencing. It is used for jumping a grid - join up.
 
We have one: I came from the UK so hadn't met one before: here in Oz everyone seems to have one.
They are immensely useful for: 1. Loose lunging (I don't do conventional lunging any more as loose lunging seems to work much better for me). 2. Work with running reins (I do a fair bit with off the track Standardbreds and they benefit a lot from running reins). 3. Remouthing the Standies/mouthing new babies. 4. Long line work when first starting. 5. First rides on a new horse. 6. First lessons off the lead for the kids. 7. Limited turn out. 8. Somewhere to put newbies when they first come home so they can meet the mob.
The lack of corners really helps a lot with the uncertain horses/those with sticky feet. I also do a version of join up (known as "I like you bum but it's your face I want" which is a massive help in getting respect with the new horses and setting them up for work from day one. Both my kids do ground work in the round pen with their ponies which really helps them with getting respect as well.
 
I'd just like to add that horses seem to think in straight lines and when they get into a round pen they naturally go round and round expecting to find a gate or end to the fence. So lunging is a lot easier than lunging on a line.
 
I have a round pen and simply see it as just a place to work - often with young horses doing a bit of groundwork or desensitisation, early long reining, short reining, backing and early ridden work. I also use it as a place to introduce students to loose horses when they have perhaps never had much to do with horses before. All very low key, slow, non-adrenalin work. The round pen panels themselves are also useful (used in a square or rectangle) when I am working with semi-feral ponies, for 'box' rest, somewhere to pen a horse when I'm working with another one, extra bit of fencing when I need to fence something off or away from the horses. It's a safe place and ought to feel that way for the horse.
 
We've got an indoor school that is 25x25m and it is used a lot for lunging and loose schooling - not really big enough to ride in on a regular basis, but perfect for the backing and retaining work the YO does.
My horse was trained using a round pen so he finds it quite comforting, and it's big enough for him to have a whizz and a play if we can't turn out - it's been a godsend this winter as you can turn small groups out in it if they are fairly civilised.
Being a bit bigger it also means I can really move him around on the lunge so we're not working on tight circles - the only downside is that if I'm loose schooling with raised poles I have to run a bit more otherwise he will dodge round them!
If you are building one, indoor or outdoor, I recommend making it about 20x20m to make it as versatile as possible.
 
The only thing i have at my yard is a round pen. When i was riding it meant i could use it for 20mins and my horses all ended up really good at circles and very bendy. Without a place to ride in straight lines though my riding greatly suffered. I was able to walk and trot but thats about it. I use it all the time for my little ones though and they are grand lol
 
Every place I kept my horses at in the US had them and they're really great for starting young horses, working with rehabs, or working at liberty. Given a choice I'd rather lunge at liberty than on a line so I like having a round pen. I only occasionally ride in them though.
 
This is a round pen that my instructor used when I was little, mainly for canter lessons IIRC: we usually did our first cantering on the longe, and then later we sometimes went in the round pen. This let us concentrate on our position; at least I think that was the idea. I think I was 10, so my recollection may be faulty!

domino_canter.jpg
 
NZJenny said:
They were all the rage here (NZ) a few years ago, but unless you are regularly starting young horses or working with troubled horses a lot, they seem to be of limited use. It's not like you can do a lot of ridden work in them.

I know a few round yards that have become expensive paddock ornaments, and are used as someone said above, for limited turn out and just as a "yard".
Click to expand...


We have one at our yard that gets used mostly for the fat ponies. They have their uses in early days, but we got on just as well before every place had a round pen and an arena.

I personally don't like them as it encourages the horse to bend the wrong way, and if lunging tends to prevent them taking the line out, so there ends up with no contact. I've taught a few beginners in ours but it's worrying that they are so close to the fence when they choose to fall off.
 
As a total tangent, I clicked on Dry Rot's link and watched videos of the three year olds he has for sale. So cute! The big filly, who he says is oversize for the breed, looks lovely. (and no.... definitely cannot afford another, but some day... I may come knocking).
 
Caol Ila said:
As a total tangent, I clicked on Dry Rot's link and watched videos of the three year olds he has for sale. So cute! The big filly, who he says is oversize for the breed, looks lovely. (and no.... definitely cannot afford another, but some day... I may come knocking).
Click to expand...

We can do never-never, also quantity discounts…. :)
 
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