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.
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's 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 Teri -
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!
That's it
for this month.
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