How to Build a Round Wooden Pen

A round wooden pen provides a useful training aid for both horse and rider. It can give the horse a feeling of security, and it provides a ready escape for the rider, if necessary, by rolling through the 2-foot gap beneath the boards. It also keeps the horse from escaping in the event of an emergency, and its solid construction eliminates visual distractions that might spook the horse or keep it from focusing on the training at hand. If you build a round wooden pen like this with quality materials, you can expect it to last for years.

Things You'll Need

  • Soil tamper
  • Sand
  • Fine rubber particles
  • Post-hole digger
  • 39 10-foot by 4-inch by 4-inch pressure-treated posts
  • 150 3/4-inch by 6-inch by 16-foot pressure-treated boards
  • Portable power screwdriver
  • 2-inch or longer wood screws
  • 8-foot wide metal gate
  • Heavy-duty hinges
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Use the tamper to compact the soil around a 51-foot-wide circle. Add a mix of sand and fine rubber particles for your ground material. Compact, soak and compact this until it reaches the desired consistency.

    • 2

      Select where you'd like your entrance to be; dig a 3-foot-deep hole for each entry post, spaced 8 feet apart.

    • 3

      Continue around the edge of the area for your circle pen, digging a 3-foot hole every 4 feet.

    • 4

      Sink the pressure-treated posts into each hole you dug, then backfill the holes and tamp the dirt down. If the soil is especially unstable, add concrete as you backfill, then let the concrete set before continuing.

    • 5

      Soak the pressure-treated boards until they're pliable, then create a solid wall by nailing them on the insides of the posts, starting 2 feet off the ground. Stagger the endpoints of the boards to distribute pressure among the posts. Leave the 8-foot gap between the entry posts open.

    • 6

      Prop the metal door in place on cinder blocks or with boards. Have a friend help you hold it in place while you install the heavy-duty hinges between it and one entry post. You can also use the mounting hardware that may have come with the gate.