# Homemade Roundpens, has anyone made one?



## lupinfarm

I wanted to buy a metal round pen but that's too spendy right now, and I saw someone made a pen out of gates the other day for a miniature horse. I was wondering if anyone has ever made a round pen out of gates! ... I have a massive 16ft (very heavy duty) metal gate, and I could pick up more for pretty cheap. I really need a round pen, and I was wondering if any of you guys had made one this way. I suppose you could strap them to posts and raise them off the ground on those deck blocks you can buy.

Cause I mean really... all the hobby style metal round pens you can buy are gates with feet and pin locks on the ends. I could use pipe in the holes at the bottom of the gates as feet. Whatcha think?


If you have a round pen made out of gates, please post photos! I've been trying to find pics and I can't at all!


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## mully

I have made a large pen out of gates and see no reason that you could not make a round pen out of gates. A friend has a wooden round pen that is just posts and 1x6 like a fence ...he just put in the round. Go for it !!


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## Farmer Kitty

mully said:
			
		

> I have made a large pen out of gates and see no reason that you could not make a round pen out of gates. A friend has a wooden round pen that is just posts and 1x6 like a fence ...he just put in the round. Go for it !!


I've seen several of the wooden ones around here.


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## lupinfarm

We are still considering making a wooden one, they're very popular because they're much cheaper to build than it is to buy the metal ones (the cheapest I have seen is $2000, whereas you can build a wooden one with 3 rails for about $500). I'm really torn between building one and using gates (the cattle panels or fence panels you can buy really are just the same things used in a round pen, but they're very expensive) because building a wooden one is much cheaper, really, but it also means I have to auger, buy gravel, and/or cement, lots of work...


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## 2468herdsrgr8

Interesting post..
.if anyone has a photo  of a "gate" round pen that would be great to see....were thinking of making a round pen with wood poles  and plastic horse  fence ...only problem is alot of work to build it...when theres more important things to build ....like a pig house...and you cannot move it around or add to it...

....I wonder does anyone know what is the best size for working a horse in a round pen would be??


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## lupinfarm

2468herdsrgr8 said:
			
		

> Interesting post..
> .if anyone has a photo  of a "gate" round pen that would be great to see....were thinking of making a round pen with wood poles  and plastic horse  fence ...only problem is alot of work to build it...when theres more important things to build ....like a pig house...and you cannot move it around or add to it...
> 
> ....I wonder does anyone know what is the best size for working a horse in a round pen would be??


Mostly it's preference, most riding facilities use a 60 foot round pen, but there are people who have 200 ft round pens and such. We do not have a lot of land, so 50 ft is what we will be building.

It looks like we will be building a 50 ft wood round pen because we have wood poles already.


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## nightshade

our neighbor is building one over the summer out of railroad ties for the posts and oak 1x6x what ever the length needs to be. Sounds like it is gonna be really hard core if you ask me but I could post some pics of it when he gets it done if you like. He rides bulls as a hobby and I don't half wonder if that is more its purpose then for breaking horses.


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## lupinfarm

nightshade said:
			
		

> our neighbor is building one over the summer out of railroad ties for the posts and oak 1x6x what ever the length needs to be. Sounds like it is gonna be really hard core if you ask me but I could post some pics of it when he gets it done if you like. He rides bulls as a hobby and I don't half wonder if that is more its purpose then for breaking horses.


I wouldn't use railroad ties, they are treated with creosote and are very dangerous to animals ...I hope he knows that! My dad is a train buff, and I had originally wanted to use railroad ties but he through an actual fit lol.


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## nightshade

thats what I thought when he said it but I didn't say anything I didn't want to come off as rude. Maybe I will just do a "by the way do you think that going to be safe for them?" Kinda deal when I see him this weekend.  I really don't want to piss him off though seeing how the guys who delivered our house trailer just ripped out half his fence on Monday and he didn't pitch a  fit about it.


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## Countrymom

lupinfarm said:
			
		

> nightshade said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> our neighbor is building one over the summer out of railroad ties for the posts and oak 1x6x what ever the length needs to be. Sounds like it is gonna be really hard core if you ask me but I could post some pics of it when he gets it done if you like. He rides bulls as a hobby and I don't half wonder if that is more its purpose then for breaking horses.
> 
> 
> 
> I wouldn't use railroad ties, they are treated with creosote and are very dangerous to animals ...I hope he knows that! My dad is a train buff, and I had originally wanted to use railroad ties but he through an actual fit lol.
Click to expand...

Well then they won't eat the wood!  Seriously.  I have seen many round pens that were chewed to death.  Usually by the horse left in there for just a few minutes alone while the person about to work has to get equipment or something.  I have several RR ties for fencing around the place and NEVER had a problem with any of our animals.  Just when they are fresh they get all over you if you climb on them.  

1X6 can be weak. I would suggest 2X6.  

FYI...to get creosote off animal and human use WD40.  Had a filly step into a bucket after taking off the lid and then proceeded to dump it.  Somehow she got into the tool shop - through the latched door and all.  What a mess!  Leave it to me to have the weird stuff happen.


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## 2468herdsrgr8

Yes creosote has been banded here ....for the animals sake and the enviroment......we live in swamp land.....


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## appytaz

I have a pen that is made with cattle panels and tpost. It works great. I use it mainly for a few hours on the weekends to let the horse graze the rich grass we have in the front yard. The thing I really like is that it is easy and inexpensive to add on to. I don't see why you couldn't use it for a round pen also.


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## 2468herdsrgr8

Could you post a photo?


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## Chickerdoodle13

We went out and bought one of the tractor supply round pens for about $1700. It was definitely expensive, but its some of the best money we've spent in a long time! I've fallen in love with round pen exercises! We don't even use the arena any more. We do all our riding and stuff in the round pen. Sometimes its a little tight when you are doing faster gaits, but for walking, jogging, and slow cantering its perfectly fine.

BTW, ours is 60 foot and I don't think I would go too much smaller. 50 is probably fine. Any smaller and its just tough on the horse's body, especially if you will be riding them!


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## 2468herdsrgr8

Thanks so much for the info


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## lupinfarm

2468herdsrgr8 said:
			
		

> Thanks so much for the info


2468, those roundpens are much more expensive here... the 50' at bridlepathtack near me is the cheapest i've found at $1800


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## Chickerdoodle13

We looked for a long time for a used one, but they are definitely a wanted commodity! Not many people who have them are willing to give them up, and those who want to sell them do so for more or about the same as a new!

I like the look of the wooden ones though. The only downside is that you can't move them. However, I'm not sure we'd be moving ours around much anyways. The other nice thing about the portable ones is that you can use the panels for temporary paddock space when you aren't using the round pen. However, the wooden ones definitely look nicer and you don't have to worry about them rusting!


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## lupinfarm

the one i found that was cheap was $1800 new from a tack shop near me, 50ft "hobby style" metal round pen. it was basically like panels of the regular farm gate style (round tubular, not too high quality) ...at TSC they were much more than that, and its hard to find them elsewhere. greenhawk near us has one and i think they're hand done by the owner ...60ft for 2500


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## appytaz

Here is a picture of our pen with the cattle panels.


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## Bronco Hollow

We used ranch panels.  We put a 50' in with the spare panels we had.  The price of the panels varies to weight - but you can find them starting new at around $50 for a panel.  50 foot works good for us, we're not riding in the pen, only using it to lunge the colt a couple of go rounds after he is saddled to get any freshness out of him


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## 2468herdsrgr8

appytaz said:
			
		

> I have a pen that is made with cattle panels and tpost. It works great. I use it mainly for a few hours on the weekends to let the horse graze the rich grass we have in the front yard. The thing I really like is that it is easy and inexpensive to add on to. I don't see why you couldn't use it for a round pen also.


Thanks for the photo's ..now i can see what you mean...is it easy to move?....Beautiful horse by the way


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## appytaz

Thanks - he "usually" is a good boy.

As for moving it - We bought the extra long tpost and I think they would be a bear to move!! The smaller ones are not too bad. I bought 1/2 of it from someone that used it for camping and then added on the extra panels and post to extend the size. I think I would go with the shorter post for Taz - he is not a fence pusher and we are always around when we turn him out in it.


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## 2468herdsrgr8

Great thanks for the information


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