Round Pen for Horses

[BeezFun]

My question begins with what is the purpose of this 80 foot, as you call it, "Round Pen"?
If it is really to be used as a "training ring" for horses where you plan to do ground training on a lounge line, free lounge training without a line, and saddle training for leads, turns, backing, cut backs, etc, you may find it to be too big.
If you are working with untrained young horses you will find that a ring beyond 50' in diameter, particularly for the ground training parts gives them control over you instead of you over them. Not a good way to start a horse because it is much harder to untrain bad habits to retrain good ones than it is to start out correctly at first.

We have a 40' round pen she uses for developing control with a lunge line. But we have a new young horse that has been quite a handful and it's helped being able to run him in a larger circle that's easier on the legs. It's also a way to give our older horse some exercise without having to ride her. I'm not the horse person, so I don't claim to understand the details. But I know all the neighbors are already over using it, so it must be useful for something.

If you are thinking about training you might want to consider killing the grass, at least around the circle next to the insides of the gates and trying to level it by filling any holes, etc. Sprained ankles and pulled tendons on a horse from stepping in a hole at a trot or canter can lay them up for some time.

I've spread wood chips around the outside, they're free and it's easy footing for the horses. We lock them in the round pen for a few hours and they eat the grass down to nothing. She's got an area where there's no grass to teach tricks, otherwise it's hard to keep their head out of the grass.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. i've never had to 'kill grass' in a round pen.. the horses do that for themselves!

 

[pacerron]

yep.. i've never had to 'kill grass' in a round pen.. the horses do that for themselves!

Soundguy
He further explained his set up above. The round 80 foot pen is primarily for for the horses to run around on their own.
He has another 40' ring that is used for actual training by his wife which gives her control with a 20 foot line or buggy whip.
The 40 foot circle is probably more level and may be the one he has the wood chips in since none show in the pictures of his 80' pen. As long as the chips aren't slippery she's good to go.

 

[Soundguy]

again.. in any round, training or exercise or holding or oblong pen.. I've yet to ever have to 'kill' grass.

animal predation and traffic takes care of it.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

again.. in any round, training or exercise or holding or oblong pen.. I've yet to ever have to 'kill' grass.

animal predation and traffic takes care of it.

Heck my "temporary" pasture grass is a consistent 3/16th's of an inch tall. except for the stuff they won't eat, and their routine trail routes (where there is NOTHING).

I can't imagine anything growing in the round pen (someday when I have one).

David

 

[pacerron]

Heck my "temporary" pasture grass is a consistent 3/16th's of an inch tall. except for the stuff they won't eat, and their routine trail routes (where there is NOTHING).

I can't imagine anything growing in the round pen (someday when I have one).

David

David
Your pasture is too small for your number of horses if the grass is only 3/16th's tall. Do they look skinny? Is there any sign of a fat crease down the middle of their backs?
The stuff they won't eat is probably where they poop but if they get too hungry they will eat that too or break your fence and find more to eat elsewhere.
Look at Beez post #17 pictures in this thread.
What is that green stuff inside his 80' pen/ring?
It's a lot higher than 3/16th's.

 

[raptor749]

Have seen clamps 2 pieces with hole in the middle for cariage head and wing nuts , 1 set at top and 1 set at bottom , worked rather well . Think it was on 6' x 10' dog panels..

 

[BeezFun]

Have seen clamps 2 pieces with hole in the middle for cariage head and wing nuts , 1 set at top and 1 set at bottom , worked rather well . Think it was on 6' x 10' dog panels..

Yes, that's where I got these clamps, they're made for dog kennels. They're a little unusual being for 1-5/8" diameter pipe, most are for 1-3/8".

 

[MossflowerWoods]

David
Your pasture is too small for your number of horses if the grass is only 3/16th's tall. Do they look skinny? Is there any sign of a fat crease down the middle of their backs?
The stuff they won't eat is probably where they poop but if they get too hungry they will eat that too or break your fence and find more to eat elsewhere.
Look at Beez post #17 pictures in this thread.
What is that green stuff inside his 80' pen/ring?
It's a lot higher than 3/16th's.

Ron,

They get 3 guarts of Purina Challenge each, and as much as a half bale of hay daily. PLUS they eat the grass daily. It is longer than 3/16th's, but not much. It is like a green carpet. They are NOT easy keepers. Harley is FAT, Lolly is less so, but they are both greedyguts...

I will be enlargening the temporary pasture by moving the electric fence out in a couple spots and giving them more grazing area. I am also going to build a night pasture w/ run-in shed and a second pasture soon...

I'm taking good care of my horses sir. Honest. :thumbsup:

David

 

[pacerron]

Ron,

They get 3 guarts of Purina Challenge each, and as much as a half bale of hay daily. PLUS they eat the grass daily. It is longer than 3/16th's, but not much. It is like a green carpet. They are NOT easy keepers. Harley is FAT, Lolly is less so, but they are both greedyguts...

I will be enlargening the temporary pasture by moving the electric fence out in a couple spots and giving them more grazing area. I am also going to build a night pasture w/ run-in shed and a second pasture soon...

I'm taking good care of my horses sir. Honest. :thumbsup:

David

David,
I know you take good care of your horses:thumbsup:
As I recall, they were rescue horses and you and/or your wife worked in that venue for awhile.
I just had to mouth off:laughing: when you called dirt painted green a pasture.
And when you dreamed of a bare dirt riding ring up here in the north kept that way by just horse activity. If it were, you'd be riding in a poop pen rather than a training ring.
You, Beez, and all northerners know our environment for controlling grass and weeds is much different than Florida.
The last time I was down there, mid 70's, they hadn't even discovered grass yet

 

[Soundguy]

David
Your pasture is too small for your number of horses if the grass is only 3/16th's tall. Do they look skinny? Is there any sign of a fat crease down the middle of their backs?
The stuff they won't eat is probably where they poop but if they get too hungry they will eat that too or break your fence and find more to eat elsewhere.
Look at Beez post #17 pictures in this thread.
What is that green stuff inside his 80' pen/ring?
It's a lot higher than 3/16th's.

why do you assume his animals are starving because his grass is low.? that's a horrible way to go thru life assuming the worst about other peoples situations. nosie neighbors like that are the worst. I have a couple 30+ yr old horses that my neighbors called animal control on my 3 months in a row claiming they were starving. and had no food or water.

barn has 1000# of bagged feed in it in clean dry rodent / bug free storage.. pasture has baled hay in it.. grass is very low due to no rain, and 100g water trough is freely accessable. horses are thin as they are VERY OLD. if the people would worry what's on their side of the fence more than whats on my side.. this would not be an issue.

low grass is common in an area not getting enough rain. as long as he has feed and fodder and roughage out fo r the horses.. they can live on sand pastures.




soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

in florida.. grass control is just setting around and watching it die because we went 6m with no rain. this week is an exception.. but to little too late....

 

[pacerron]

why do you assume his animals are starving because his grass is low.? that's a horrible way to go thru life assuming the worst about other peoples situations. nosie neighbors like that are the worst. I have a couple 30+ yr old horses that my neighbors called animal control on my 3 months in a row claiming they were starving. and had no food or water.

barn has 1000# of bagged feed in it in clean dry rodent / bug free storage.. pasture has baled hay in it.. grass is very low due to no rain, and 100g water trough is freely accessable. horses are thin as they are VERY OLD. if the people would worry what's on their side of the fence more than whats on my side.. this would not be an issue.

low grass is common in an area not getting enough rain. as long as he has feed and fodder and roughage out fo r the horses.. they can live on sand pastures.




soundguy

Why don't you read complete posts, and replys, before picking phrases out of context, to make up your own rebuttals?
I know you are trying to be helpful, but are you?
I have no more time for you.
Ron

 

[Soundguy]

Why don't you read complete posts, and replys, before picking phrases out of context, to make up your own rebuttals?
I know you are trying to be helpful, but are you?
I have no more time for you.
Ron

i read your entire post before making thast reply.

I then read your later reply.

makes no sense to me why you would ask if his horses are starving in one post, then comment that you know they are fine in another.

that seems quite odd to me.

I'f my posts bother you. please.. PLEASE put me on your ignore list so you won't see them. that may solve 2 issues in 1.

I don't know if your first post was meant to be a joke or not.. but joking about starving animals is no joke. mere mention of that sort of thing gets process rolling that can become a BEAR for the person on the recieving end. As I said. i went thru MONTHS of false animal cruelty complaints. the control office will let the complaint go in anon. and then they have to open a case, and send out an investigator.. that investigator comes out by themselves first and takes pictures, then comes back and has to schedule a meeting with you on property and inspect your animals. To blazes if you have a job or find it inconvienient to answer boges fraudulent charges.. but if you don't show.. they just take your animals. Ok.. so you show up.. they look them over, tell you everything is fine. Fine? if it was fine why am I here.. whay are you here? " well we have to investigae every complaint"... so.. I asked them.. if someone calls in every day on me you have to come out every day? " yes'

what a crock! waste of taxpayer resources.. etc. this happened on and off for 3 months. got to the point where the animal control investgator and myself traded cel numbers and when complaint would com ein, they'd call me. i got lucky and a few times the animals would come up to the fence and the investigator could clear the case on initial visit. many times i had to iss work ($$ ) and be there for them to drive out.. see healthy ancient animals, and leave... all because somebody made comments about hungry animals.

so yeah.. I'm quite sensitive when someone makes comments about the welfare of an animal before they have any proof there is an actual problem. which, in that first post.. sure seemed, to me, to be the case.

soundguy

 

[BeezFun]

I have no more time for you.
Ron

Can I also be on the list of people you have no time for?

 

[Soundguy]

i'll save you a seat

 

[MistyBlue]

Wow, I like the clamps! Did they make a big difference in the leaning of the panels? I see you clamped tops, did you clamp near the bottoms too?

As I said, my round pen is 100'. I do have some lean...not a huge amount but definitely noticeable.

Here's mine when it was first finished and the first load of sand dumped. You can see part of the lining up to keep the footing in:

Here's part of it after spreading drainage rock around it:

We had to do a lot of clearing and destumping and then the area was *low* and wet. So one end of the round pen area is about 10' higher than ground level, LOL! It was supposed to have been a 100x200 ring but the amount of work and material went WAY over budget. :ashamed:

I'm going to check out those clamps.

 

[BeezFun]

Wow, I like the clamps! Did they make a big difference in the leaning of the panels? I see you clamped tops, did you clamp near the bottoms too?

As I said, my round pen is 100'. I do have some lean...not a huge amount but definitely noticeable.

Yes we had a problem with ours leaning, in fact I had sections fall over when I tried to assemble it alone. The chains didn't keep sections really tight so they would flop back and forth, weren't very stable and made a lot of noise when a horse or human bumped them. Also the chains don't allow a way to support a changing elevation of each section- they're designed to squeeze the sections together at the same height. I put clamps top and bottom, and used a level on each section as I bolted it on. Note if you buy the clamps where I did you have to buy carriage bolts separate, they don't come with. I see you have pins, might make it a little harder to use clamps because the frames can't get close enough. I think you could offset each section slightly, one section bumped in slightly, the next one bumped out.

 

[mudassar1]

I agree
Honestly I would never use t posts for a round pen panels either. I have never had a round pen, I have worked my horses on a lunge or we have a small field. It is really bigger than ideal but I have learned to use what I have.

 

[Welderbryan]

great job!