Round Pens

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jumpingforjoy

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Hello everyone, I'm studying a University course at Duchy college in Cornwall and for my industry and welfare module I have been asked to start a discussion/debate about a product used in the horse industry. My chosen product is round pens and I would like to know if anybody uses then and for what reasons. I am interested to know at what stage of training/working with your horses you would think of, or do use a round pen and what type of round pen you would favor. I am not here to judge anyone this is strictly a research project and I hope that you will give me any opinion you have on this subject be it good or bad. Thank you for taking your time to help me.
 
I have one. So far it has been used to corral the sheep, as a large mainly windproof outdoor stable for a box resting horse and is currently used for storing my trailers in. It may or may not be used when working towards breaking my youngster, will play it by ear and see if it comes in handy. As you may have guessed I did not have it built.
 
I have one! When I moved here there was not room to put in a school, so we put in a 15m Round Pen.

I have used it a LOT! For riding, (walk and trot mainly), for Join Up, as turnout for a Cushing's pony, or when the fields are frozen. One summer I set up a tiny Riding School and the beginners had lessons in it. At the moment we are doing lots of lunging and groundwork. I will be backing my Welshie in it next year. I also used it to train my old horse with TREC obstacles.

Yes, it's awkward to school in straight lines and I really would like a school - but just about everything else can be done in a Round Pen :)

Just for info - the surface is Woodchip from Ransfords, and we have post and railed the outside fence :)
 
I put one up a few years ago an it is used for everything! The farriers are particularly grateful as if it rains, they can work in the field shelter and ponies can be shedded off individually. Of course, it is used for lunging, long reining, desensitising, first backing. you name it. It is 60ft in diameter with a turning post in the centre. My fencing contractor rammed in 32 (?) posts bought cheap from my local timber yard (they were an odd length!) for £100 and I bought 12mm boards to join them all up. More information at http://www.morrichhighlandponies.co.uk/newprojects.htm, scroll down to the bottom of the page.
 
jumpingforjoy said:
Hello everyone, I'm studying a University course at Duchy college in Cornwall and for my industry and welfare module I have been asked to start a discussion/debate about a product used in the horse industry. My chosen product is round pens and I would like to know if anybody uses then and for what reasons. I am interested to know at what stage of training/working with your horses you would think of, or do use a round pen and what type of round pen you would favor. I am not here to judge anyone this is strictly a research project and I hope that you will give me any opinion you have on this subject be it good or bad. Thank you for taking your time to help me.
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I have one, its used for lunging, restricted grazing, caveletti jumping training.

Its made up of heras fencing.
At the moment its just grass surface
 
I've nearly always had access to one, but I've spent most of my time out of the UK and I think they are ore common in other places. I've used them at all stages of training. I like/prefer them to be at least 20m in diameter certainly not less than 15m.

Used them when:
- Breaking in youngsters
- To do Monty Roberts 'join-up'
- Lunging
- For checking soundness I find they are a good way to see how a horse moves on its own on a circle.
- Riding - schooling of the horse and at times as a place where I can safely work with out reins or stirrups on my own position.
- They also make good 'small turn out' areas for horses recovering from injury
 
I've completed your survey but from the wording I think you have a rather limited idea of their usefulness. I literally use them for everything, excluding any training (.e.g hacking out and long reining) that obviously needs more space. At the moment, it is outrun for a couple of weaned foals who will be put back in the field when they are 100% catchable, etc.
 
round pens are awesome, particularly helpful when training young horses and backing them. We started our pony in one and wished we had one at our yard now!
 
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