what about round pens??

[sparkle]

Hi.

I was just thinking the other day about TRYing to keep my mare in decent shape. She's not cart trained YET (hehe) and I just hate lunging, however free lunging I don't mind...

so...round pens...

I don't have the extra $$ to buy a "real" round pen (at the moment), so has anyone ever gotten creative and tried that temporary electric fencing for round pens? Not necessarily keeping the fence hot, just using the tape/wire/etc??

Also, what is the preferred/average round pen size? Is this geared specifically for your minis or is it a "multi use" size for full size horses, too??

What would you consider the minimun diameter for a round pen (for just minis)?

Just brainstorming and looking for suggestions. Thanks for the help!!

:

 

[Magic]

I don't know that tape/wire would work for a round pen. You don't want it "hot", and if you don't have it hot, they could just go right through it.

At our old place we built a round pen out of cattle panels and posts that we had laying around, and it made a great roundpen. The panels cost around $25 each, and we bent them slightly so we had an actual *round* pen. It was about forty feet in diameter, which was a great size for the minis, but a little too small for the big horses.

 

[RAPfrosty]

I agree that an electric fence, "hot" or not, is deffinalty not going to work as a round pen. You can always free lung in a pasture. You can use a small container or bottle filled with rocks or a lung whip to keep the horse moving and it's always nice to work on voice commands if your planning on driving her. Good luck

!

 

[Koko]

I haven't tested this, and it might be a bit expensive, but PETCO has those pet pen things, and I think if you latched them together they'd work fine for a round pen. (They sell the three foot ones, which would probably do.)

 

[Marty]

We built 60 foot round pen for the minis out of cattle panels. It was pretty good because I also had an obstacle course in there and a couple of jumps set up. I think horses going round and round and round and round and round and round and round like that is boring and stupid and I was getting tired of getting dizzy so this diversified round pen worked very well. I could easily direct them off the rail and over some jumps and into patterns, etc. and then back on the rail for more round and round and round and round and round. It also enabled me to work more than one horse at a time.

Try it. It's fun and makes them use more than their bodies.

Then due to construction, the round pen went from 60 foot to 30 and it was pretty useless as far as I was concerned. Just way too small and that equals dizzy quick. Now I don't have any :new_shocked: Bummer.

 

[Jill]

My round pen is made of oak boards on oak posts and it is 40' in diameter which has been perfect for me even with for a "large" B mini (my BTU son, Bacardi). To cut costs, you could probably make one with posts (oak or maybe even metal T posts) and cattle pannels. I used to lunge the minis (and my big horses) in a 50' round pen, but for the minis, I prefer the 40' one my husband made for me.

 

[BM Miniatures]

I have a Round pen made out of Electric tape.

Its the thick white one, and their are 2 strands. I free lunge my 16hh'ders and my mini stally in it without a problem. It works fabulously, Ill try get a pic tomorrow if the wind has stopped!!

I have a Round pen made out of Electric tape.

Its the thick white one, and their are 2 strands on the electric tape standards. I free lunge my 16hh'ders and my mini stally in it without a problem. It works fabulously, Ill try get a pic tomorrow if the wind has stopped!!