Does anyone round pen their horse?

[Chickerdoodle13]

Just curious to see if anyone else uses this training technique. We bought a round pen and have been watching videos/talking to trainers about using a round pen for training. We've even started riding in the round pen and have seen such a difference over the arena. I think the horses feel like they have more of a purpose in a round pen over the big open arena.

Anyways, we acquired a mare about a week ago and she was trained how to round pen before we got her. I've been working with her, mostly to train myself! She still doesn't walk into the center for join up and she's a little rusty on changing directions, but boy do I love the results I'm seeing! Just the difference in respect towards me and the way that she follows. I'm able to get her attention with just a click of my mouth and a movement of my hand. She's so much more responsive and is finally allowing me to catch her in the field rather than run away. Its amazing how much they take away from a short time in the round pen!

As soon as I get my technique refined I'm going to start working with my baby horse. She is two, so I will have to start very slow, but I want to get her used to moving away, going in a circle, and joining up. The rest will come in time. She can be a little pushy sometimes, so I think round penning will be a great thing for her. Its doing wonders for our very dominant gelding!

Anyways, how many of you use a round pen and what are some things you do in it? What style of training do you use? We are currently using Clinton Anderson's style and it seems to be working, but I know there are many many out there!

 

[Countrymom]

Chickerdoodle, round penning is wonderful and I am glad that you have an somewhat experienced horse to learn on. The real key that many people miss before they begin to round pen is work in hand. I always make sure a horse can get forward motion, stop, turn on fore and turn on hind, and back in hand before we begin. If you get that points across for turning on hind and fore, then you simply translate that to turning toward you and away when you are round penning. I also begin a lot of the round penning on a long line so that the horse can remember those cues and I get my point across. Clinton Anderson has some great stuff and has a good way of training the person to train a horse.

Now, don't forget that there is life outside the round pen and it is not only good for the rider, but the horse's mind too.

Maybe we will get more interest if you keep posting these questions!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Thanks for the tips!

My horse is pretty good on a lead. However, from just working with her for about a week I've seen a total transformation in the respect she is giving me. This is a horse that "supposedly" hated women...but she does everything I ask! Its amazing how you can see her thinking about what I am asking too. I notice that she will turn fine, but if you rush it she just does whatever is easier for her, which usually means turning in towards the fence. Usually I can grab her head (Not literally, just with the motion) by extending the arm closest to her and an open palm. One thing I notice about Clinton Anderson is he does things very quickly. I've sort of slowed down some things because my horse does seem to need that little bit of extra time to figure out what you are asking!

I was very proud of her today though! She only turned in towards the fence once. She wasn't walking towards me as far for the join up, but I was still very happy with her progress. I take a lot of "leading" breaks because she is still somewhat out of shape. I usually run her a bit to stretch out, turn a few times, and then join up. When I join up, I have her follow me all around. She's really doing well following me, but I was working on her backing up today. She does it, but doesn't seem to understand what I am asking. I'm trying to associate the word "back" with the action and she'll come along soon enough.

I was researching methods to help me teach her to square up and pivot. Those are some other little things I will work on while I'm with her. I'm also hoping to finally ride her tomorrow (I know my dad is a little nervous about this! I think she'll be fine.)

Do you have any tips for me to get her to do these same commands off a long lead line? I have yet to "lunge" her, but I imagine that would be easier to communicate with. I think it would be a great exercise for those times when a round pen isn't available, such as before a trail ride or before a fun show. Once I round pen her for even just a few minutes, she is completely mine. She won't even eat grass unless I give her the ok LOL. She's not afraid of me, but the respect is amazing. Also, before round penning she wouldn't let me touch her ears or her back legs. Now she's almost fine with the ears and let me touch her back legs all over today. I think she would have even let me lift them, but I didn't want to do too much with her because I don't want to get hurt! I'm doing everything in little steps.

Sorry for typing so much! I finally have my horses again! I haven't really had a horse to work with since I lost my mare. This time I am taking a new approach to my training, so even though I've been around horses for many years, I am sort of learning things all over again. I look back now at some of the things I did when I started out with horses and I just can't believe I did them!

Oh, and once we get our new trailer from the dealer and I ride her a bit, she will be a trail horse and I may do a few walk/jog fun shows to get my feet wet. I'm hoping she'll be a very versatile horse! The round pen is only the beginning for me to get to know her and for her to trust me as her leader!

As for the baby, I am still working on her in hand commands. She's got backing down, is sort of ok with the whoahs, and I only started with turning. She needs a little bit more work on that before I can round pen her!

 

[Countrymom]

Like I do with all my guys, long line her - or lunge line her in the round pen the first few times. That way you have a boundry for her to follow and she will get an idea of the "give" in your line to how far she can go to work. Nothing like a horse running around and not going in a circle and hitting that lunge and stopping. The round pen helps them to get an idea. Also, make sure to talk to your horse whenever you want them to do something. I know it is mainly body language, but I also expect all the horses I work to be able to lunge or round pen by voice command. Start your younger one doing this on the lead rope in hand. And when you ask for a stop also ask the horse to step back a bit and keep that respectful distance. If a horse learns to stop and step back is also learns to get it's body weight shifted back and be ready to work off it's back end. For my line of training most are for working cow horses or basic ranch horses. So they are also taught rollbacks and generally to stop on their back sides. LOL Not your average Dressage square up stop. So I find if I start the whoa and step back in hand with the babies it easily translates to a nice stop undersaddle.

Anyhow, working on join up is really a minor issue for me. I can see when I have attention from the horse and then I ask them to think for me. Like I ask for turns always at a different point. I ask for outside and inside turns, cutting half the pen, and a major thing to work on is transitions. STop face up and wait for me to tell them which direction. So much you can do with a round pen or lunge line. With all of this I use a specific word, like walk, trot, lope. You can see that a horse really has an idea of what I want before I do a whole lot under saddle. Then those first few rides when a horse is trying to figure out what the heck this person who rudely climbed on their back wants. LOLOL

Also, build up a horse by working in the trot. Makes wonderful muscles and break time for loping to get some wind. And for your first ride on your new mare tomorrow, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get her a little tired from round penning before you get on. Take away nervous energy that might be fuel to a wreck you don't need.

Good Luck!

 

[()relics]

I start a colt/philly in the round pen before they ever see a lunge line...after they have figured out the "circle thing" with stops and direction changes...the lunge line is no big deal....in contrast I have worked with older horses that had no real ground manners...They can be tough on the body while they drag you around at the end of a line....I simply put them in a round pen and work them,walk/trot/run,stops,direction changes, until they "get it"...then the long line....It also gives the horse a chance to see that its positive behavior is rewarded and also who is the boss...A bigger older horse can and will drag you on a long line...this reinforces their idea that they are in charge...