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 Veteran
Posts: 222
Location: Texas | I'm tired of our paneled round pen. Hubby hates getting his knees banged and I'm always worried when we get idiot horses in cutting loose and hanging a leg. I'm thinking 8 ft tall possibly slanted walls something solid all the way up and a DIY type. Anyone done this and have pictures or ideas? We deal with some really "special" horses so I want it to be able to handle it and not break. |
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  Ms. Manners
Posts: 1820
 
Location: Oklahoma | Cherry Hill has an awesome chapter with detailed plans and directions in her book Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage. She used telephone poles and boards, with a wire around the outside to help brace it. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
 
Location: Bandera, TX | I've had two 8 ft round pens. The first was on my family's place behind Bandera Downs. We started lots of running horses there. It was made of old telephone poles. Nothing about it budged, nothing. How I didn't break in there Ill never understand.
The second was at a ranch my husband managed. If was one of his first projects when we moved there. It was made of 4-5 inch 8' cedar rails on pipe structure that was slightly stanted. I really liked the pen it had a little more airflow than the first. He built observation decks on the side of it and had an umbrella on one deck. It opened into a lane that came down from the pens and opened into the holding pens at the back of the arena. Very handy as we had (too many) lots to start every year.
My favorite is the one I have now. It's 7' tall and made of cedar rails about 3-4" and the structure is a combination pipe and cable on the outside. It's more forgiving. I love the airflow and the fact I can see out when I'm up top a colt. I've not had anything "try" the walls when I put pressure on them so I believe 7' is adequate. It opens into my arena. The idea was to be able to work a calf then turn out to bigger spaces.
I can't blame you for wanting to go solid. When we moved to our present location I brought a 2 year filly that had only been touched once into our panels (6') wreak and big mistake. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 464
| If you have access to conveyer belt, it will make the best round pen you could ever hope for. Set your post at an angle, then wrap a band of it around the bottom. Overlap that band by about a foot, when you run the top band. Secure it with lag bolts, with a big flat washer. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 495
Location: Washington | I'm interested to see what other people have done. He moved this winter and are working on the land and are about ready to put our round pen back up.
We train cutters so we deal with cattle and buffalo, so we want something sturdy. Our plain panels have severed their purpose in the past but have had buffalo jump out a time or two. We also wants something all the way to the ground so we don't loose footing.
We also bring in horses for training. We had one take off when my husband got on, after being free lounged, and try to jump the panel, got a leg caught, pulled the panels inwards before he could get his leg free. All with my husband on him.
My husband was talking about getting the cedar slats and lining the round pen with those. |
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Veteran
Posts: 222
Location: Texas | Does anyone have pictures of any of these. I really like the ideas so far. I definitely want it all the way to the ground as I'm tired of loosing footing as well. How are you guys doing the gates so they are solid? |
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Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | Here was ours in NM. My husband trains and shows cutters and we decided a dual-purpose round pen for starting what we needed to as well as any cattle work.
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Bigfoot - 2014-05-12 10:23 PM
If you have access to conveyer belt, it will make the best round pen you could ever hope for. Set your post at an angle, then wrap a band of it around the bottom. Overlap that band by about a foot, when you run the top band. Secure it with lag bolts, with a big flat washer.
This works really well. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 915
Location: SE KS | I have a solid round pen, love it!!! Would sell it, but love it!!!
I have pictures of it in my albums on my fb page. Lori High profile picture is a head shot of a sorrel horse. Pictures are public, & in the Horse stuff for sale album, so you should be able to see them.
Dislikes about it: It is HOT in the summer, (no cover over it) the air doesn't move thru it. However that is about the only dislike I have about it!!
Edited by lhighquality 2014-05-13 12:06 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 683
Location: Ohio | Bigfoot - 2014-05-11 11:23 PM
If you have access to conveyer belt, it will make the best round pen you could ever hope for. Set your post at an angle, then wrap a band of it around the bottom. Overlap that band by about a foot, when you run the top band. Secure it with lag bolts, with a big flat washer.
I've used a friends round pen like this and loved it. If I can ever get my hands on a large about of it I will be building one just like hers. I have also seen it attached to pip corrals as well. |
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