Round Pen Conditioning

[cretahillsgal]

I tried to do a search for this information since I know it has been discussed before, but no luck...

So I want to know what you do to help condition your horses. Do you just work them at a trot? Lope? Something else?

I have two yearlings and one 2 yr old mare that I want to condition for shows that start in April. How soon before the show should I start (they are not fat just need to build muscle tone) and how long do you work them every day?

I just thought of another question... How do you guys feed BOSS to your show horses? I found it bagged, but it is the whole seed and shell. Is it safe to feed the seed with the shells to the horses? And how much do they get?

If you can't tell this upcoming spring is going to be my first show season and I am starting to panick already on doing right by my horses. I don't want to cheat them with my ignorance.

 

[Riverdance]

I trot them only, 1x a day for 10 minutes to begin with. 5 minutes each way. I do this every other day for a week or so and add time to their workout till they are going 20 to 30 minutes. Trotting only. I alternate 50% one way and 50% the other way. I work them 5 to 6 x a week.

But I also do other things, not just the round pen which I find boring. I have a small gator (like a golf cart) I will take them out for up to 30 minutes of just trotting, or I also have a treadmill. I will work them going uphill for up to 20 minutes. All exercises are mixed. Plus they get turnout time every day.

 

[Tenltraining]

I always teach mine to lounge first in the round pen, teaching them to whoa and stop facing you but not walking up to you. They they will learn to stand and face you waiting for your command on which direction you want them to go. Once they have learned to lounge for a few days, we begin working them in the round pen. You should start them out at only 10 minutes a day for the first week. Then start raising their time up a minute a day if you are working them consistently until you reach 20 to 25 minutes. Keep them going at a good strong trot when trotting. If they are barely going around and slow you will not be working them well to build up muscle. We canter ours half the time, trot them half the time at a strong trot, making sure you do this both ways of the round pen equally. The trot and the canter can muscle up a horse differently.

If you need to tuck a horses underline up more, cantering them a little more, will help. (when you see a thoroughbred that is in training, they gallop a lot and always are super tucked up).If your round pen is on a slight slope, you can help to build up a horses rear with the work up the slope. Be careful though of working them if it is too muddy out as they can slip and fall.

We have a round pen that has several tons of limestone as a base in it. That is settled well and packed. On top of the round pen we use a lot of mulch that is nice and springy and also it drains off really well so that we can work them right after a rain. The horses move well in the mulch too, we just love it. With the limestone layer on the bottom, several inches deep, and packed well, it creates a barrier between your mulch and the soil, therefore it doesnt rot nearly as fast. Our last mulch huge truck load lasted three years. I am getting some more before this training season begins, so its a good buy.

We have boards up next to the round pen gates at the bottom that help to keep the mulch in. Its the best Ive ever used with roundpenning in all these years. Its great footing for lining driving horses as well and is easy on the handler as well.

Do not work them on just straight limestone in a round pen as it will wear their hooves especially while on the turns, will take down the outside. Its great as a base though with something over it!

Good luck with your horses!

 

[Alex]

Here is what I do:

I round pen horses 2 at a tikme as I think It gives them company and they play and buck a little. Just more fun for them and its a time saver for me.

I work them in like a 50' round pen 4 days a week at a strong working trot and canter mix. I think the canter really gets them working hard and really help burn fat and strengthen muscles.

The other 2 days I will drive them for a good hour, or jump them, or lunge them on a line, run around a fild with them etc. I just try to mix it up a bit for them. I also will put small jumps for horses above 3 in the roundpen. Cavelettis too.

With yearlings your really cant lunge them that of then as their joints are developing.

You also need a really good feeding program, thats going to factor in a lot too. Beet pulp is great to fill in toplines and bellies.

I tried BOSS for a season and didnt notice a difference. Plus they are pricey and you con go run out and get Super 14(love it) and itll last you longer.

When I fed it I fed 1/4 cup 2x a day.

 

[Leeana]

I really do not do anything fancy inside the roundpen, but it works. I just roundpen them at a slow trot and a fast trot and a canter...some only get 5-10 minutes and some get more, normally i work mine 5x a week and i have a few that are on a muscle suppliment that i just started using this past fall and that plus the roundpen works wonders on the tone and smoothing them out. So far my yearlings have seemed to mature faster and have been fine to roundpen, my roundpen is a bit larger though as well.

I normally just do one horse at a time in the roundpen as i think with two going at the same time, its more of a game to them and less paying attention to what we are doing, more playing catch me if you can. I love my roundpen.

 

[Jill]

For yearlings, I would work up to 15 minutes (split equally in each direction) every other day.

For 2yo+, 20 minutes every other day.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I always teach mine to lounge first in the round pen, teaching them to whoa and stop facing you but not walking up to you. They they will learn to stand and face you waiting for your command on which direction you want them to go. Once they have learned to lounge for a few days, we begin working them in the round pen. You should start them out at only 10 minutes a day for the first week. Then start raising their time up a minute a day if you are working them consistently until you reach 20 to 25 minutes. Keep them going at a good strong trot when trotting. If they are barely going around and slow you will not be working them well to build up muscle. We canter ours half the time, trot them half the time at a strong trot, making sure you do this both ways of the round pen equally. The trot and the canter can muscle up a horse differently.If you need to tuck a horses underline up more, cantering them a little more, will help. (when you see a thoroughbred that is in training, they gallop a lot and always are super tucked up).If your round pen is on a slight slope, you can help to build up a horses rear with the work up the slope. Be careful though of working them if it is too muddy out as they can slip and fall.

We have a round pen that has several tons of limestone as a base in it. That is settled well and packed. On top of the round pen we use a lot of mulch that is nice and springy and also it drains off really well so that we can work them right after a rain. The horses move well in the mulch too, we just love it. With the limestone layer on the bottom, several inches deep, and packed well, it creates a barrier between your mulch and the soil, therefore it doesnt rot nearly as fast. Our last mulch huge truck load lasted three years. I am getting some more before this training season begins, so its a good buy.

We have boards up next to the round pen gates at the bottom that help to keep the mulch in. Its the best Ive ever used with roundpenning in all these years. Its great footing for lining driving horses as well and is easy on the handler as well.

Do not work them on just straight limestone in a round pen as it will wear their hooves especially while on the turns, will take down the outside. Its great as a base though with something over it!

Good luck with your horses!

Thanks Laura (or was it Joe?) for the post. I know I really appreciate when a successful trainer is willing to come on the board and answer questions. Obviously what you do works so it's nice to get that type of feedback/informaiton.

Thanks again!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Interesting thread. On the question about BOSS, yes you feed them whole. I have fed my horses BOSS for many years. Both minis and saddle horses, however, BOSS is a FAT source and most minis need to be fed it with great care since they really don't benefit from too much added fat in the diet. I didn't see a great change in colour when I stopped feeding it to my minis, more so the flax changed their coat colours, to the point that one 9 year old mare went fron sorrel to liver in a season and her original owner/breeder didn't recognize her.

 

[pinck43]

Great post. Always like to get info from various people. How many months before showing do you start to condition? I am in the midwest and don't have an indoor arena. Roads are usually icey, so can't so walks. thanks,dionne

 

[Tenltraining]

Parmela, youre very welcome. Another thing for people to think about is the amount of time you are working your horse to keep his muscles maintained and the amount of time you are working your horse to increase muscle tone. I like to see a show horse conditioned so well that you can see the muscle even when the horse is just being led so to speak. A show horse should be fit and there are different workouts that can help horses in particular areas that need it. No horse is perfect but you can certainly help a horse in different ways. As mentioned prior by others a good feeding program is a must. Inspect your horses weight by feeling through the hair this time of year. Always clip your horse about a month or so before show season so that you can see their body weight too and where you need to work a little harder with your horse. Then when you clip again it will be easier and your clip job will be better too. Check your horses crest by feeling through the fur too, too much heavy deposits of fat take a lot of time to trim down. I like a horse to come out clean through the neck and shoulder. Also a good topline is a must. You can make a difference on the topline also by adding or subtracting weight, but you must work hard to get the total horse front to back in shape and just work harder on problems areas. So in conditioning, if you want to add more muscle, try to go over the 20 minute time frame, once your horse is in shape, youve started at a lower number of minutes and worked up to 20 or more. In my opinion 20 minutes a day will keep your horse in a good condition and maintain muscle, but if he is needing more muscle and tone, go up a few, maybe 24 to 26 minutes. You should see a difference in the gain of muscle tone over the 20 minute mark. Five days a week should be enough to keep your horse looking good. As I stated earlier, I always train every horse to lounge first, to get him accustomed to the round pen, the whoa, and manners. By asking the horse to face you and stop back by the rail, you are being in command of him, he is showing respect and a willingness to wait for you next command. This will also come in to your halter training believe it or not. By staying back and waiting, facing you when asked to stop, will help when showing at halter too, and you are back off the horse a bit of distance while showing in halter. Your horse will already be somewhat accustomed to facing you and knowing he is to stand back out of your space. I never put two in together at first when training them. But after they know what they are doing, I sometimes work two together as long as they get along well together. Horses can kick each other and possibly hurt each other, so know your horses. But if you have a couple that get along well and work well together I have no problem with that. In some cases, if you have a horse that tends to be a little lazy or does not put forth his full effort in his workouts, try them with another horse and sometimes you will see them competing in their workout, having fun and working harder. So at times it is actually better for them, just use good judgement. Also when putting two together in the roundpen try to take in account their size and stride also, so they are more closely matched there too. Many of our horses do both halter and driving, so we will alternate some of the workouts for those horses too. I dont like to see a horse get bored with working the same way all the time. We use a ten speed hotwalker that goes at a pretty good speed of the trot and they have about five inches of sand too under them. By having some extra footing, either sand, or mulch, etc. you are helping the horse to develop in the shoulder and the gaskins, hip area. This can also help a horse that is too narrow in the hip and chest. We also use a golf cart, the horses are carefully trained to this and are always at the side of the cart, in sight at all times. I am lucky enough to have some nice level ground as well as a long climbing slope that I canter them up and they really love it, have fun, and work very hard. This gets the horses endurance and stamina up while really working on the rear to gain muscle and strength. I ALWAYS slow down when going downhill when using a vehicle to train them with. Keep horses in your view when working them at all times for safety.

We also have a treadmill, but I only use it lightly, some horses are not on it at all. I prefer the more natural workouts where they can get up more speed and the gait of the horse is kept more natural. If a treadmill is overused the horses will begin to walk stiffer and a bit wider in the rear, more of an artificial gait. All show horses do get some light turnout during show season and this keeps them bright and happy but still keeping plenty of energy for their classes and workouts. If they are out too much during show season you can actually have a horse that is less energetic and duller on the lead for halter or driving training, less ears, getting sunburned, etc. So there is a fine line there and using your good judgement on that as well.

IN the winter time, we turn them out a lot during the day and just let them be horses, but watch their feed and weight still, and have their necks wrapped when in the stalls at night. Always take wraps off when turning them out for free time. You can have a good jump on the show season though by wrapping their necks when in the stalls and not letting them get too overweight. I hope there are a few good ideas for some of you out there here, thanks, Laura

 

[Leeana]

I'm hoping to eventually install a underwater pool for my horses and eventually do an every other day thing..one day in roundpen, next in pool. We have a polebarn that is just empty right now that within the next two or three years, i would like to pool an horse accessible pool in, nothing big...just enough to really work the horses and get a workout.

 

[Tenltraining]

Dionne,

As to your question about how long it takes to get a horse in condition prior to showing them depends a lot on the condition they are in when they come in for training. Some are easier than others, but a good average time prior to the first show for halter horses is 10 to 12 weeks. A lot can be done in that time on most of them that are in good shape and not too cresty and in good weight. If a horse is really overweight or too immature it can take a bit longer. Keep in mind your young yearlings will take growth spurts and will need more grain when growing if they look immature. They may level out some later in the summer and you may be able to adjust their grain down at that time, be consistent on checking body weight on them constantly as we have to alter grain portions through during the summer according to heat, training, and growth of that particular horse. A good rule to follow is that if your horse needs more weight on top of the body add more grain and perhaps an additive for muscling up, such as body builder or beet pulp. When using one of these products, keep an eye out on their neck, as some additives or supplements can go to the crest area and the area where the neck joins the body in the upper shoulder area. Some horses stay trim in the crest on them but each is different. You want to give them enough hay or hay cubes to be healthy but not overfeed the hay and cause a bad underline.

We do give a bit more hay in the winter time of course as it helps to keep them warm during digestion but when we are about 8 to 10 weeks prior to the first show we are cutting them back on hay from what they get in their winter ration when its colder.

A driving horse can take longer if it is a green horse you are just beginning to train. Some days you may have rainouts or too bad a surface to work on. Just be as consistent as you can be and it will pay off for you and your horse! Laura

 

[Judi Renchen]

When using one of these products, keep an eye out on their neck, as some additives or supplements can go to the crest area and the area where the neck joins the body in the upper shoulder area. Some horses stay trim in the crest on them but each is different.

Laura would you elaborate on this a little more or start another topic on the crest. This was my biggest obstacle with my yearling this past show season. I would think I had a handle on it, then all of the sudden I didn't. I would really really appreciate more insight to this area especially.

Your posts are always so informative and I don't feel you are talking to hear yourself talk like other trainers I've met. You really seem to care and know what the horse needs. I also feel your post are more to help us versus make more clients for yourself. Thanks for the great information.

Sorry meant to say "so-called trainers".

 

[Tenltraining]

Hi Judy,

Yes, I would be glad to help you on your question regarding problems with the crest on your horse. I was hoping I would be giving some advice that may help someone out there and so many people are really wanting to learn more. Sometimes even if they just remember one or two tips it will help them or their horses out in some way.

First of all, some horses naturally have great necks, that come out clean and beautifully and it would be great if we never had to use a neck sweat at all. I think some of it is genetic, as you see some bloodlines that are stronger in the finer necks that come out really clean, up out of the chest pretty, with a hooky neck and clean through the throatlatch and shoulder area. I think we are all trying to breed for this as much as we can for halter and driving horses especially, as it just makes a prettier picture! I think when a judge stands back and is evaluating a lineup of show horses, a clean fine hooky neck and good topline are two of the things they are looking for along with good balance of the entire horses conformation.

But I think for most of the horses, they tend to naturally get some crest on them especially stallions. Mares and fillies can really crest up too. So to start, evaluate your feeding program. I feel the horse over the top of the back, down to the ribs, over the flank area and over the croup. Also check for fatty deposits over the shoulder area. IN the winter time like this, you have to kind of just try to tell what your horses fat layer is over his body. You want them to be smooth but shouldnt feel a lot of fat deposits. Some horses will carry perfect weight other than that the neck area tends to get heavier too, I have had some in my barn like that in training. Sometimes just reducing their feed by as little as 10% to 15% you will see a difference, it can be that simple on some horses. We personally like to feed a pellet feed here, in my opinion the crests seem to be smaller, just from experience. Some additives or suppliments can make a horse crest up more too, too much beet pulp can fill out a body well but can also go to the crest and shoulder area making it look unclean.If youre feeding a pretty good amount of beet pulp and your horse is cresty try cutting down or omitting it and see if there is a difference. If you cut down on your grain or other products that you think may be blowing his neck up, check every week or so. You will know when its getting better as the first sign of a crest reducing will be that it will be softer when taking your hand and squeezing the crest lightly. This is the fatty deposits breaking up! Some of the body builders and weight gain powders will do a great job on the bodies but watch the necks too, some will not be affected by it and others will. If so cut down on the amount of that product or omit it. We stay away from corn oil or other products high in corn as well. They will bulk a horse up too much in that area as well. On the other hand, a horse that is too lean can benefit from more fat and corn oil though, or the muscle products and beet pulp are very useful for them and they work well on horses needing to gain weight.

So they are good products when needed. If a horse is too cresty though they wont be needing them as it will add to the problem. You can also try your horse on some Quiessence, a magnesium water soluable pellet. Just a small amount fed once daily can help you to reduce your horses crest or soften it up and break the fat down. It is safe for your show horses and not a drug, a more natural way to give them something to help their necks. It will take three to six weeks to see good results so be patient. You may want to start them on it soon to be getting a jump start on the your horses crestiness.

Also if your show horse has been out on a fair amount of grass this can easily go to the crest as well. Our show horses are turned out of course but on very light grass, or dry lot, that way they still enjoy themselves but cant gorge on grass. (This does not mean weanlings at the side of their dams) During show season it will help to keep your horse off grass, just dry lot, etc. It will most likely take a combination of watching your horses fat intake plus sweating your horses neck to aid him in looking his best for the show ring.

You can really help your horses crest, if needed to look their best by using neck sweats. We have found the most effective ones are the ones with the long roll of flannel and the neoprene that your wrap. You must be consistent using these to be effective.

You will need a throatlatch, which is a narrower sweat that will go on first at the uppermost part of the horses neck, behind the ears. Put it on firmly but not so tight as to choke your horse! You should be able to put a couple fingers between it and the horse. Then put on the longer rolled sweat, which if you roll backwards first, then unroll it onto your horses neck makes it much easier. You will want to hold this firmly while putting it on to make the pressure even while wrapping. This will be put on snugly right behind your throat sweat. You can use a combination of a three inch sweat for the throat and a six inch wrap sweat for the smaller horses or shorter necked ones and for longer necked or taller horses go with the four inch throat swat and an 8 inch wrap sweat. You want to cover as much of the neck as you can, so that is how we decide on the widths of these sweats. Some horses are very good at rubbing the sweats off so you may need to remove the feed bucket or whatever he is rubbing on. You will need to take them off for a bit to let the horse air out and the sweats to dry out too before putting them back on. Wash them every so often too to reduce the chance of irritation. IMportant though!!!! Always, Always take all sweats off when turning out your horse for free time. There is a chance they could get caught on something and get hurt!

If you want to go a step further, and we do on our horses in training, when weather is a bit warmer and training begins, purchase some neck and shoulder sweats, or neck, shoulder and body sweats made of neoprene. They come in differnet sizes and try to get the best fit for your horse. If the sweats are too big, you will have some gaps where air can get in and they wont be as effective. When preparing to work your horse, take your regular stall sweats off and straighten them out so they can be airing out and drying. Put the neoprene neck and shoulder sweat on snugly. They normally have a surcingle on them as well, this is to insure the neck sweat stays down on the shoulder area well and does not ride up or bend up leaving gaps. If the horse is super cresty, I will use another sweat on top of that one. Go ahead and work your horse for your 20 to 25 minutes with the sweats on and then leave the sweats on another 25 to 30 minutes in the stall. Take them off and sponge the horses neck off to remove the excess sweat with water. Be sure to get behind the shoulder area where the surcingle was and inside the elbow area. Let your horse dry completely, and cool out a bit. Then put your regular stall sweats back on them again. If this is done consistently, it can really help your horses look their best for the show ring!

It takes a lot of work and dedication, but can really help your horse look his best! Laura Tennill

 

[Keri]

I like to add trot poles at different heights for about 10 minutes and then drop the trot poles. Have them lunge, but they are still picking up their feet as they go. I also do leg weights (small bands with sand in them) to vary the work out. You can't do a whole lot of this with your young ones, but it works great for the older guys. I work mine 15-20 minutes at a trot.

One thing I wanted to add. Tenltraining said that they have the horses turn at face you at a whoa. I just make mine whoa where they are standing/facing, then walk in front of them and ask them to turn and go the other way. I use to train them to face me, but I noticed when I started to ground drive, they would get confused and want to face me when I would ask them to whoa. So I would have to turn them around, tell them whoa, untangle lines and re-start. I quit doing that to prevent problems later on in ground driving. This is just something I noticed when training them young to what they associate later on in other training.

 

[maestoso]

We have a 60 foot round pen, and I round pen all the mares and gelding together. Usually 4 or 5 at a time. Doing them together has it's advantages and disadvantages. It is much easier to keep them going, and many times they like to race each other, so I don't do much. You do get the occasional butt head horse who wants to change directions and it throws your flow off, but the time saving benefit is great and they have company. The get lounged about 3-4 times a week in the flat round pen, and 1-2 times a week in a large paddock that has a big hill, for a total of 4-5 times a week of work for 20-30 minutes each time depending on how hard they are working. If they are having a lazy day they have to go longer, if they are racing around like crazies they dont go quite as long. If they need it they will get worked in a neoprene sweat a couple times a week. I give them trotting breaks but I want them working hard for most of the work out. Some horses only need to get worked 3-4 times a week.

My yearling colt got lounged alone. He's too studdy for the mares obviously and drove the gelding nuts. He got lounged for 15-20 minutes 5-6 times a week. He's a little nutty so he needed the constant energy release.

Like everything else, every horse is different, and needs different things to be looking their best.

 

[maplegum]

When you lunge more than one horse at a time, do you 'free lunge' them? I can imagine it would be very hard to lunge numerous horses on lunge ropes at once!

 

[Tenltraining]

If you have more than one horse in the round pen, yes you free lounge them with no line. Keep your body in line with their hindquarters and the whip just behind that and they should work together going around at a good pace together. Laura

 

[Judi Renchen]

Hi Judy,
So they are good products when needed. If a horse is too cresty though they wont be needing them as it will add to the problem. You can also try your horse on some Quiessence, a magnesium water soluable pellet. Just a small amount fed once daily can help you to reduce your horses crest or soften it up and break the fat down. It is safe for your show horses and not a drug, a more natural way to give them something to help their necks. It will take three to six weeks to see good results so be patient. You may want to start them on it soon to be getting a jump start on the your horses crestiness.

I've used Quiessence but didn't see and improvement, now I use Remission and like it better. So I"m pretty good there.

You can really help your horses crest, if needed to look their best by using neck sweats. We have found the most effective ones are the ones with the long roll of flannel and the neoprene that your wrap. You must be consistent using these to be effective.

I have this type as well so I'm good there.

You will need a throatlatch, which is a narrower sweat that will go on first at the uppermost part of the horses neck, behind the ears. Put it on firmly but not so tight as to choke your horse! You should be able to put a couple fingers between it and the horse. Then put on the longer rolled sweat, which if you roll backwards first, then unroll it onto your horses neck makes it much easier. You will want to hold this firmly while putting it on to make the pressure even while wrapping. This will be put on snugly right behind your throat sweat. You can use a combination of a three inch sweat for the throat and a six inch wrap sweat for the smaller horses or shorter necked ones and for longer necked or taller horses go with the four inch throat swat and an 8 inch wrap sweat. You want to cover as much of the neck as you can, so that is how we decide on the widths of these sweats. Some horses are very good at rubbing the sweats off so you may need to remove the feed bucket or whatever he is rubbing on. You will need to take them off for a bit to let the horse air out and the sweats to dry out too before putting them back on. Wash them every so often too to reduce the chance of irritation. IMportant though!!!! Always, Always take all sweats off when turning out your horse for free time. There is a chance they could get caught on something and get hurt!

During the winter do you shave their necks while they wear their sweats or just leave them natural

If you want to go a step further, and we do on our horses in training, when weather is a bit warmer and training begins, purchase some neck and shoulder sweats, or neck, shoulder and body sweats made of neoprene. They come in differnet sizes and try to get the best fit for your horse. If the sweats are too big, you will have some gaps where air can get in and they wont be as effective. When preparing to work your horse, take your regular stall sweats off and straighten them out so they can be airing out and drying. Put the neoprene neck and shoulder sweat on snugly. They normally have a surcingle on them as well, this is to insure the neck sweat stays down on the shoulder area well and does not ride up or bend up leaving gaps. If the horse is super cresty, I will use another sweat on top of that one. Go ahead and work your horse for your 20 to 25 minutes with the sweats on and then leave the sweats on another 25 to 30 minutes in the stall. Take them off and sponge the horses neck off to remove the excess sweat with water.

During the winter how do you, or do you dry them when doing this,

Be sure to get behind the shoulder area where the surcingle was and inside the elbow area. Let your horse dry completely, and cool out a bit. Then put your regular stall sweats back on them again. If this is done consistently, it can really help your horses look their best for the show ring!

It takes a lot of work and dedication, but can really help your horse look his best! Laura Tennill

Great information and greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. See you at the shows this year.

 

[Riverdance]

Thank you TenLtrainig for all of your informative information.

So very few trainers will share and when one does, how wonderful!!