© Antti Walnestedt
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A roundpen
is useful to have where there are horses. It has many different utilities, when
the vet or the farrier comes, it can be used as a waiting room. It can be a
hospital box for an injured horse that is allowed out but not free in the field.
When it is time to wean the foal, it is a safe place to leave the foal in.
Everybody can find new uses for it if they have got a roundpen. All leadership
training can be done in the roundpen. Breaking a horse to saddle or harness can
be done there in a way that is safe for both horse and trainer. The diameter of the pen can vary from 12 to 18 meters. Is it going to be used for breaking to harness it ought to be more than 20 meters. A small pen puts more stress on the horses, while a big one is harder for the trainer. The wall has to be constructed in a way that the horse can't get stuck with any part of his body. It doesn't necessarily have to be solid all the way up, only from the ground up till about 0.5 to 0.7 meters. If the wall is as high as the horses poll, the horse can't run around with his head over the edge. |
 If you ride a lot in the roundpen, the wall can be inclined outwards. The wall has to be sturdy enough to stand even if the horse throws himself on it. Wood, steelpipes and also tight nettings are fine, concrete and stone should be avoided. The gate must open inwards, so the horse can't push it open, and it should be wide enough to be able to put the trailer in the opening for training the loading. The footing has to be nonslippery and relatively hard, too soft can hurt the joints, too hard can hurt the hoofs.  |