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!

 

[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 !!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

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.

 

[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...

 

[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??

 

[lupinfarm]

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.

 

[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.

 

[lupinfarm]

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.

 

[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.

 

[Countrymom]

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.

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.