Round Pen Ideas

In addition to standard riding rings, many stables and horse-training facilities will have a round pen for their equestrians to use. Round pens are effective tools for breaking young horses to saddle, as well as for training and exercising older equines. The pens, which are typically 60 feet in diameter, are large enough to allow a horse to move freely, but small enough that he can't evade the person trying to train him.

  1. Breaking a Horse to Saddle

    • A round pen is an excellent place to get an unbroken horse used to the feel of a saddle on its back. If your horse should suddenly spook or object to the feel of the saddle, it will only have the small confines of the round pen in which to run if it were to break loose from you. If you try to introduce the horse to the saddle in a larger arena or out in the open and it were to break free, it will be harder to catch or it could endanger itself and others by running out into traffic. On the other hand, introducing a horse to a saddle in the small space of a stall could be dangerous to the trainer, since there are few ways to escape in case the animal were suddenly to spook.

    Teaching a Horse Vocal Commands

    • Before a rider ever gets on a horse's back, a trainer can teach a horse a few vocal commands, such as clucking to move forward and "Whoa" to stop in a round pen. In the beginning, train an unbroken horse with a lounge line and a halter in the round pen. Cluck or give the word you want for the horse to move forward and encourage it to do so by stepping toward it and urging it forward with either body language or the aid of a lounging whip. Praise the horse when it listens. Tug lightly on the lounge line and step slightly toward the front of the horse in a motion that shows it you want it to slow down or stop, while giving it the command to stop. With consistent work, your horse will soon understand these cues.

    Teaching a Horse to Yield to a Bit

    • Horses who fight the bit and throw their head up or press against the bit instead of yielding are difficult to ride. To teach a horse to yield, attach side reins to a horse's bit and then attach them to a surcingle or to the stirrups of the saddle. You do not want the reins too tight, but tight enough so that the horse will have some pressure on its mouth. Ask the horse to move forward. At first, it may resist when feeling the pressure on its mouth, but with consistent training, it will eventually learn to give to the reins by bending its neck while moving forward. With this method, a horse does not feel as if it is fighting a rider while learning to yield.

    Exercising Without a Rider

    • At times, a horse may be feeling extremely frisky and may be too challenging to ride. On those occasions, lounging or letting the horse run free in a round pen can help it blow off some excess steam while keeping it relatively confined. Round pens are also a useful place to exercise a horse when a rider is injured and cannot get in the saddle or if the horse has a sore back that prevents it from carrying a rider.