The round pen is by far one of the most useful pieces of horse equipment you can ever have, and many horses simply cannot be trained without one! Especially my hard-headed mare, who had to be run until she was lathered before she would admit that I’m in charge.
Most round pens are about a 60-foot diameter, and have a gate which opens so you can enter with your horse and close it. Then it becomes a circular, enclosed area that is rather small for you to train and work your horse. The benefits are many:
1. It’s small enough so that you can reach your horse from any position while standing in the middle, particularly with a whip. This keeps the horse from being able to get away from you and thereby being disobedient.
2. It’s round, so the horse can run around the inside perimeter for as long as you need to keep her running, whether for exercise or training or whatever. There’s no stopping and having to turn around and go back. The horse has no need to stop until you say so.
3. Because it’s round, your horse is forced to work at a slightly bent conformation, which is very good for her muscles. Trail horses in particular tend to only ever work in straight lines, so working in circles becomes very difficult. Their muscles become stiffer and less supple without circular work, which leads to joint injuries and even lameness. Always include circular work in your horse’s exercise regime!
4. The round pen is typically not used for anything but work, so when you step in the round pen with your horse, she knows class is in session. With a goal of getting done and getting out of there, my horse does her work much better in the round pen than in the arena!
With all of these benefits a round pen becomes a priceless training facility for your horse. If you don’t have one now, invest in one and soon you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it!
