If you
are going to use metal panel round pens, yes, they should be 6 feet high. The
biggest advantage with metal panels is that you can put up a round pen quickly
and change the size of your pen easily. However, the panels should be heavy duty
and that type is heavy and expensive.
I prefer a wooden round
pen 66 feet in diameter: 10' x 8" pressure treated wooden posts set 7 1/2
feet apart with 4 wooden rails of 2" thick x 8" wide pine boards nailed
on the inside. The footing is held inside with railroad ties set between each
post.
Once you build a wooden pen, and it does take time,
it is there for good. You can see how to build a wooden round pen like mine in
Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage.
(http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_books/Horsekeeping_on_a_Small_Acreage.htm)
My
round pens have also been pictured in these books: Making
Not Breaking, Longeing
and Long Lining, and Becoming
an Effective Rider.
I would never use a round pen with
any kind of wire fence involved in its construction - its just too dangerous for
a training pen.
Take care and good luck. 
Round Pen Footing Dear Cherry,
Thank
you for your web site! I got my round pen set up at the barn where I board, and
have been trying to find out what type of footing and how deep to put it. It hit
me like a ton of bricks. Check out Cherry Hill site! I have not done that before,
although I do have a number of your books. I am so thankful that I found the information
I have been seeking. I live in Portland, Oregon so rain here is a big consideration.
I could not do a lot excavation, as the land is not mine, and I wanted to keep
the expense down. Also moles have invaded the round pen area, and I am in the
process of ridding them out. I was told to use castor oil, dish soap and alum,
to spray it on the ground and into the holes. I hope it works. I want to get my
sand in this next week. I can get river bank sand from a place not too far form
me. Is one type of sand better than another? I just wanted to say how happy I
was to finally find the information I have been searching for. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Teri
Hi!
Be
sure you use either clean decomposed granite or masonry sand (which is washed
sand with no dust or dirt it it) NOT regular fill sand which is unwashed and contains
dirt. The dirt, besides being dusty when hot and dry, makes the sand footing drain
poorly and also the footing will set up almost like concrete after it has been
wet. Also, more weeds tend to grow in dirty sand. So, buy decomposed granite or
the cleanest sand you can afford.
Good luck and good training
to you!
Catching
Dear
Cherry,
My traveling horse is prone to need to be followed
around for about 2-3 minutes to get caught. Any ideas how to correct the problem?
My grandpa had a horse that would come to his whistle. That would be much nicer.
Thank You! TJ
Hi TJ,
What happens if you don't follow
the horse around but just stand still - does he show interest in turning and looking
at you or does he turn away? Maybe you are approaching him as if you are in a
hurry to catch him and that tends to drive him forward.
The
best method to use if the horse is moving away from you is the walk down method.
You start in a small space such as a stall or a small pen and you walk toward
the horse's shoulder, not looking him in the eye. When he stops, go up, scratch
him on the neck or withers, then walk away from him. Do this over until you can
just walk up to him in a small space. He will learn that every time you approach
him, you do not necessarily catch him and work him.
Gradually
move to larger areas. Repeat the procedure.
This is really
the oldest, time-tested way - it does take time and patience. If you discipline
the horse when you finally catch him, it will teach him to not be caught in the
future. So even if you are irritated that you had to walk for 3-5 minutes before
he finally stopped, resist the temptation to give him a scolding or a jerk on
the halter. Instead, give him a scratch and walk away.
If you
have a round pen, you can free longe the horse until he's got the edge off him
and then tell him "whoa" and then walk up to him. If he moves away from
you, you can exercise him some more.
Pretty soon the horse
learns that being caught is his best alternative and nothing bad is going to happen
once he is caught.
Have fun.
Reference:
How To Think Like
A Horse
Leading
Hi,
Cherry
Just came from your home page and your articles.
Thank you very much. Read all of your pages pieces of your books.
I have trained a few horses, they all knew how to lead. Then I took it from there
up driving and riding. Last August, my boyfriend and I purchase a 3 year old filly
Icelandic Horse. Last Nov. I started to get to know this filly, like brushing,
picking up her feet, teaching her to back up, and a little bit of lungeing. Then
Winter came and still here. My boyfriend try to lead her around the pasture, she
would not move. But she would lead little bit with me when I carry a riding crop.
When I first starting leading her, I would tap her with the crop, when she would
take a step or two I would pet her and tell her GOOD GIRL. Then we would try again,
for about 15 minutes, last year. My boyfriend said, he does not want to deal with
a horse that does not know how to lead. I told him, that we both have to trained
her together so she will do whatever anybody wants her to do, and not for a women
handler/rider.
Do you have any knowledge of training
the Icelandic Horse. this breed is a gaited horse. I know, my mare has
to walk before she can ride. Any help would be very greatful.
Thank you,
Anne
P.S. I plan buying all of your books.
Hello
Anne:
I have never worked with any Icelandic horses but I have
worked with many kinds of horses and they all tend to respond the same way.
You
must make it clear to her that she has to move forward. Rather than using a crop
(which is short), use a long in-hand whip, about 40" long. Carry it in your
left hand with the rest of the lead rope. Use your right
hand on the lead
rope about 8-10 inches from the halter. Look straight ahead, not at your horse.
Tell her "walk on" with an inviting, encouraging tone and if she doesn't
move, instantly tap her on the hip with the whip and say "walk on" again.
Keep
facing forward and stay next to her shoulder and start walking yourself. If you
look at your horse, it tends to stop her.
Once she gets going, keep walking
briskly and tap her if she even thinks about stopping, saying "walk on"
as you do. Pretty soon, she will associate your voice with the command and you
won't need to tap her. Try not to do a lot of other talking or it could confuse
her.
It is best if you don't stop and praise and pet her after
only a step or two because what you are praising her for is stopping! You should
praise her with your voice as the both of you are walking - you don't need to
pet her.
You would gain much from How
To Think Like A Horse
and also from 101
Longeing and Long Lining Exercises
which has a complete set of in-hand
exercises that your horse would benefit from.
Good luck.
Age to Begin Training
Dear
Cherry,
I've just received your audio, "Making
Not Breaking", and it is wonderful. Thank you so much!
I
do have one question. My horse turned two years old this past March. Is she too
young to begin training (riding)?
Thanks so much for
any and all advice.
Jane
Hi Jane:
If
a horse turns two early in the spring like yours, I often do longeing and long
lining training (go to my website for info on these topics) during the summer
of the 2 year old year and do some light riding training in the fall,
then
turn the horse out for the winter and resume in the spring when the horse is 3.
It depends a lot on the breed and size of the horse and the maturity of the limbs
- you might want to have your veterinarian look at your filly's knees to determine
if the growth plates are "closed", that is, mature enough to begin training.
I'm
glad you like the tape! Best of luck,
Explosive Behavior
Dear
Cherry,
In one of your books you talked about estrus
in the young horse, and you indicated that some mares may have a particular problem
which could be the reason for undesirable behavior. My two-year old filly occasionally
exhibits dangerous behavior such as squealing, kicking, bucking and slinging her
head excessively while being lounged and trying to jerk free while being led.
I think the most alarming thing about these behaviors is that sometimes they are
quite unexpected. The filly will be going along quietly and then seem to "explode".
I know that she is not agreeable to lessons when it is near her meal time, but
isn't this behavior a little too extreme a reaction to her desire for dinner?
Any suggestions, comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much!
Jay
Jay:
What
you describe sounds like typical, but not necessarily desirable, young horse behavior.
It is common with yearlings and two year olds receiving training. And because
your horse is a filly, some of her outbursts could be hormone related. With all
that in mind, you still need to implement means of discouraging such behavior
because if left unchecked, it could result in an unruly, even uncontrollable animal.
Safety is always the first thing in my mind when I hear of sudden outbursts, so
take care.
Be sure that before you embark on any in-hand or
longeing lessons that the filly has been turned out for free exercise. This allows
her to burn off that excess energy that often shows up as bucking and head slinging
etc. It is hard to expect a horse of any age to not be a little frisky or head
strong if she has not had the opportunity to kick up her heels and be a horse
before being asked to pay attention to lessons.
Good luck.
To
read other training and riding articles, look under Ground Training
at
Cherry
Hill's Horse Information Roundup at:
That's
it for this month.
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Round Pen Walls