ROUND PEN SIZE
michelle seymour
YIPEE, I'VE GOT LUMBER LEFT OVER FROM THE RING --- WHAT IS A REASONABLE
ROUND PEN DIAMETER (I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A CASE WHERE BIGGER IS NOT
BETTER) THANKS IN ADVANCE!!MICHELLE
Jack Griffes
60 feet in diameter is my preference.
michelle seymour <mm...@cornell.edu> wrote in article
<339606...@cornell.edu>...
Terry Norman
michelle seymour wrote:
>
> YIPEE, I'VE GOT LUMBER LEFT OVER FROM THE RING --- WHAT IS A REASONABLE
> ROUND PEN DIAMETER (I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A CASE WHERE BIGGER IS NOT
> BETTER) THANKS IN ADVANCE!!MICHELLE
pen for training and working cows(wish I'd made it 160'!)
--
TERRY NORMAN
4N CUTTING HORSES
LANGDON ALBERTA CANADA
norm...@spots.ab.ca
Vern Christopher
I like a round pen no larger than 50 ft in diameter. I have used smaller
round pens (30 ft, but they were covered and the animal could not see
out. They worked great. Sometimes it is adviseable to put the animals
under some stress in the round pen--better than beating them up as some
would do!) It's really the art of learning to work with the animals.
Well, that's the opinion of this horseshoer.
--
HEALTH ALERT!!! Govt allows 2,000 chemical contaminants in our drinking
water!! FREE INFO you need to Protect Your Family! Click on URL.
http://www.jnb.com/~vern/water.html
Robby Johnson
> ROUND PEN DIAMETER (I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A CASE WHERE BIGGER IS NOT
> BETTER) THANKS IN ADVANCE!!MICHELLE
I'd like a true 20 meter circle. This should make a 66 foot diameter. I'd
go ahead and make it 70 feet from side to side, then build your track at 66
foot (gives you room against the rail).
--
Robby Johnson
rbjo...@aristotle.net
"God I can't wait to buy another horse"
Jorene Downs
michelle seymour <mm...@cornell.edu> writes:
>>
>>YIPEE, I'VE GOT LUMBER LEFT OVER FROM THE RING --- WHAT IS A
>REASONABLE
>>ROUND PEN DIAMETER (I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE A CASE WHERE BIGGER IS NOT
>>BETTER) THANKS IN ADVANCE!!MICHELLE
This was a short enough SCREAM that I suffered through it instead of
automatically dumping an all-CAPS post. <sigh> My eyes do *not* like
screaming.
Round pen size and style kinda depends on what you intend to use it
for. If it is for exercise and work with mature / broke horses, to
be used much like a mini-arena, I'd go for 60-70 ft. And you
*could* build it fence height, but a rail higher would alow more
versatility of use later. If you're breaking / training youngsters
(ground driving, etc.) I'd go for 50 ft. with a higher wall.
Typically solid to 4 ft, then rails to 6-7 ft. If you're going to
be trying to rehab some horses that have learned some nasty habits,
I'd take the solid portion of the wall to minimum 5 ft., then at
least railing (if not solid) to 7+ ft, on a 50 ft round pen.
Some trainers prefer a 40 ft. perimeter for the early work breaking
/ training a youngster. The big advantage is a shorter distance for
the trainer to move after a horse, and the horse has less
opportunity to ignore the trainer from a distance. The disadvantage
is the youngster working in a smaller circle, which isn't a real
good idea for those growing bodies. Much depends on how you work
with the youngster - and how he responds - within the smaller round
pen as to how much stress you might put on him physically.
A 50-60 ft. diameter is a pretty generic round pen size. If you're
more interested in an under-saddle working area, 60-70 ft leaves
more room for non-circle movement. Either size works fine for
turning a horse out for free exercise or free lunging.
And although you didn't ask ... <g> ... Don't forget to build a wide
enough gate to get a tractor in to till up the soil or spread the
sand! (You do *not* want to do this with a shovel and rake! ;-/ )
If your sand / surface would be delivered in a small dump truck, you
might be able to have a gate wide enough for the truck to back in
and dump/distribute a few loads. Of course, in a working round pen
the gate should match the design of the round pen perimeter. The
horse will always know where the gate is, but you needn't blatantly
remind him where the escape route is. ;)))
While you're designing your round pen, also consider the advantages
of planning ahead for water (sprinklers to keep the dust down) and
lights (riding in the evening). Might even consider a cover of some
sort.
And remember to put the boards on the inside! Much safer than having
exposed posts to snag your toes on! It also makes it less likely
that a board will pop loose when a horse bumps or kicks it. ;-/
- - -
Jorene
just moseyin' down the California trails ... :)
Home page: http://www.psnw.com/~jcdowns
Meet other rec.eq posters on:
http://www.psnw.com/~jcdowns/RecEqTour.html
adam mandel
> > YIPEE, I'VE GOT LUMBER LEFT OVER FROM THE RING --- WHAT IS A REASONABLE
> > ROUND PEN DIAMETER
> I'd like a true 20 meter circle. This should make a 66 foot diameter.
I'd
> go ahead and make it 70 feet from side to side, then build your track at
66
> foot (gives you room against the rail).
That is actually a little too big. 50-60 feet is better. If you are doing
ground work in the pen with you on foot, 50 feet is small enough so he
can't get away from you and then just stand there a bit before you can get
over to him, as he could even in a 60 foot circle. I would say 66 feet is
too big. Anything under 50 feet discourages cantering, though. But if you
are just going to ride in the round pen and not do ground work, then bigger
might be ok.
I am sorry I built a wooden round pen. The portable metal panels can be
moved, and the circle size easily changed. I have seen some ads for 50
foot pens for $500 lately, which is less than I spent on the lumber. This
is not even counting how much time the carpentry took me, and if I move to
another location, I can't take the pen I built with me.
Robby Johnson
adam mandel <ne...@screenz.com> wrote in article
<01bc72f2$82308040$19e9c6d0@station15>...
I'll concur - but if combining with riding, I'll hold firm with a true 20
meter circle.
I don't think this is too big even for lungeing. You should be walking and
moving as you're lungeing anyway (so there should actually be two tracks in
the pen, one you make and one Dobbin makes!).
--
Robby Johnson
RBJOHNSON at Aristotle DOT Net
(Never much cared for Spam)
Jorene Downs
"Robby Johnson" <rbjo...@aristotle.net> wrote:
>> > I'd like a true 20 meter circle. This should make a 66 foot diameter.
>> I'd go ahead and make it 70 feet from side to side, then build your track
>at 66 foot (gives you room against the rail).
Someone replied:
>> That is actually a little too big. 50-60 feet is better. If you are
>>doing ground work in the pen with you on foot, 50 feet is small enough so he
>> can't get away from you and then just stand there a bit before you can
>>get over to him, as he could even in a 60 foot circle. I would say 66 feet
>>is too big. Anything under 50 feet discourages cantering, though. But if
>>you are just going to ride in the round pen and not do ground work, then
>>bigger might be ok.
>Depends on what you're using your roundpen for. If just for lungeing then
>I'll concur - but if combining with riding, I'll hold firm with a true 20
>meter circle.
>
>I don't think this is too big even for lungeing. You should be walking and
>moving as you're lungeing anyway (so there should actually be two tracks in
>the pen, one you make and one Dobbin makes!).
Our round pen is 70 ft. diameter. The size works great for riding.
Mature horses do well at free lunging for conditioning. Younger
horses in training often require some serious chasing on the rail -
which becomes a "trainer conditioning" exercise sometimes ;) - but
it can be done. Someone who does a lot of round pen ground training
would probably be happier (less exhausting!) with 50 ft. Those who
do more mounted work would probably prefer the 60+ ft. round pen to
increase the working area.
BTW - a 70 ft. round pen can double as a sand volleyball court if
ya pay attention to where the rail is ... ;-/
Ye Olde Mean Vile & Evil Muleskinner
"Robby Johnson" <rbjo...@aristotle.net> wrote:
>... You should be walking and
>moving as you're lungeing anyway ...
Nah. Your precision alone defines that you can impart to your horses,
and once they have been introduced to longue work it makes no sense for
you to wander about; merely shift your balance, instead, for subtlety.
_____________________________________________________________________________
|Respectfully, Sheila ~~~Word Warrior~~~ (green*@tristate.pgh.net)|
|Obligatory tribute to the founding fathers of the United States of America:|
|=This is not to be read by anyone under 18 years of age, who should read up|
|=on history and the First Amendment to the Constitution, as an alternative.|
|=*Animals, including humans, fart, piss, shit, masturbate, fuck and abort.*|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sylvana Smith
In support of Robby Johnson, who wrote:
"You should be walking and moving as you're lungeing anyway ..."
So true. Too many folks just stay planted in place expecting their
horses to pound away on a 50-foot circle. Lazy technique, that.
I figure, if the horse delivers one nice circle, he should be rewarded
with a chance to travel straight to some other area of the meadow, then
carry out another circle, if another circle in the same direction is
actually needed to serve some purpose. I don't like mindless driving
'em around for any reason, whether it's to wear them down or build
fitness or set their heads or whatever.
And that circle should be made as large as possible to avoid torsion
stress on the poor horse's legs, so I would prefer to walk a 15' or 20'
circle to give my horse a 70' circle rather than a 50' one (assuming a
30' longe line, which is custom-long).
But to drill and drill in place is just mindless repetition. Better for
the frame of mind and soundness of the horse, and the training, to go
from a bending exercise to a straight line to a bending one--which means
the handler does a fair bit of walking or jogging.
The only time I use longeing is when away at a horse trial, when I might
wish to give my horse some "turnout" time when a pasture or paddock is
unavailable. But when I do, I'll make every effort to keep that horse
moving around as much real estate as possible.
But even if I were to use longeing for training purposes, I'd be sure to
move that animal around every bit of 5 acres within 20 or 25
revolutions.
--Longing to Ride, Not Longeing to Ride--Sylvana
Ted W. Luedke
Sylvana Smith wrote:
>
> In support of Robby Johnson, who wrote:
>
> "You should be walking and moving as you're lungeing anyway ..."
>
> So true. Too many folks just stay planted in place expecting their
> horses to pound away on a 50-foot circle. Lazy technique, that.
>
> I figure, if the horse delivers one nice circle, he should be rewarded
> with a chance to travel straight to some other area of the meadow, then
> carry out another circle, if another circle in the same direction is
> actually needed to serve some purpose. I don't like mindless driving
> 'em around for any reason, whether it's to wear them down or build
> fitness or set their heads or whatever.
>
> And that circle should be made as large as possible to avoid torsion
> stress on the poor horse's legs, so I would prefer to walk a 15' or 20'
> circle to give my horse a 70' circle rather than a 50' one (assuming a
> 30' longe line, which is custom-long).
>
> But even if I were to use longeing for training purposes, I'd be sure to
> move that animal around every bit of 5 acres within 20 or 25
> revolutions.
>
> --Longing to Ride, Not Longeing to Ride--Sylvana
It seems that yours is a very general exercise and I would agree with
your 'travel' in ever changing circles.
But, the Round Pen (minumum 60' diameter) is essential for a breeder who
is always working with training the young horse. The fencing is a
limiting wall forcing the younster to work on what we are working on
rather than having the attention scattering who knows where. And when
working a number of horses each day, staying in the middle is my idea of
being able to work more horses.
I have found the Round Pen an essential training aid that I could never
give up. The arena works well, but only after all the basic longing and
saddle training has been done in the Round Pen.
A 60' diameter works very well and seems to be recommended by every one
that uses Round Pens. I never work very young horses hard - mainly
working on Whoa, Walk, Trot and a lot more Whoa - while out on the line.
BASIC TRAINING!!!
Ted
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted W. Luedke:
Box LT Morab Ranch - Gentle Ben at Stud: mailto:tlu...@morab.com
Official Reference Center for the Morab Horse: http://www.morab.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------
"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our childred.
One of these is roots; the other, wings." Hodding Carter
__________________________________________________________________
Robby Johnson
Ted W. Luedke <tlu...@morab.com> wrote in article
<33A0B6...@morab.com>...
a big advocate of lungeing anyway and will only do it when I'm getting to
know a new horse (to work on ground manners and establishing some alpha
behavior) and limit the sessions to about 5 minutes. I'll also lunge to
take the bite off a hot horse and these sessions are limited as well. I've
always found that lungeing will only take so much off of them anyway - the
difference is made after you've mounted, gotten their attention, started
working and they've settled. Plus I get dizzy from constantly moving in
circles!!!
However, I like a round pen for several of the reasons Ted cites, primarily
for starting a baby/young horse. I prefer to work a young horse loose, and
teach more leading/ground lessons than I ever do technically lunge. In a
round pen with a young horse or a horse that's being retrained we have the
confinement that prevents overt external interferences (like the neighbors
Rottweiler who's come charging over to see what's going on!). I like to
think of the round pen as one of those study carrels (sp?) in the library
at college. You can focus while you're there with minimal external noise.
With a full 20-meter circle (which again would be 66' in diameter - I'd
recommended 70' in a previous post - since you aren't riding on top of the
rail and have room for inside tracks) you can also ride a shaky retrain and
know that you're doing adequate sized circles with room to do smaller ones
if necessary. Of course, once you've gained confidence there my next step
is arena with other horses and riders and, soon after, trails trails and
more trails!
Lungeing is one of the last things I'd build or use a round pen for.
Sylvana Smith
In response to Ted, who responded to my description of longeing across
acres of territory by writing:
"It seems that yours is a very general exercise and I would agree with
your 'travel' in ever changing circles. But, the Round Pen (minumum 60'
diameter) is essential for a breeder who is always working with training
the young horse. <good stuff snipped> I have found the Round Pen an
essential training aid that I could never give up. The arena works
well, but only after all the basic longing and saddle training has been
done in the Round Pen."
------------------
As a diehard follower of the Buck Brannaman school of thinking, I am a
*MAJOR* proponent of round pens as well and consider them to be the most
effective and appropriate tool available for educating and softening a
horse of any age. I love 'em and wouldn't want to be without one.
I apologize that my earlier response about longeing in a wide area was
directed to a specific issue I read between two posters: whether or not
the handler should be immobile when longeing. I responded to that
specific issue, but not in the context of round pens.
So count me in--without a moment's hesitation--as a life member of the
roundpen club! I have seen for myself the logic and magic of "round pen
reasoning" and have chosen that route for myself and my horses.
--Achieving More With Less, Given the Right Geometry--Sylvana
Jack Griffes
Sylvana Smith <sylvan...@nt.com> wrote in article
<33A150...@nt.com>...
As any of you who have done it have likewise noted the roundpen
trained horse learns the distance you want it to stay away - it
will then maintain "pretty near" that same distance with near
perfection even when the same excersize is done out in the wide
open spaces IF you are "the ultimate boss horse in its eyes not
just your own." Thus while it may make a few extra wide circles
initially to test your authority at long range it is seriously
inclined to get down to the same old - same old size circles
once it sees clearly you still are in charge even without the
aid of the round pen. Sure you could then teach it to move out
in bigger circles but on "touch-ups" done in the pasture the
tendency I see is toward them making actually smaller "closer to
the boss" circles once they recognize your authority works even
in this setting. In other words the horse was using the rail as
a guide and now actually stays closer - of course that may be
due to the fact I use the round pen and other training to cement
in the horses mind that the safest place to be is up close to me
unless I say differently so that undoubtedly makes a difference
as well.
Essentially the horse is "used to" a horse herd boss that has a
fairly limited range of command enforcement range (you can only
kick or bite from mighty close up) and you are using the
framework of its instincts to teach it you can insist on
compliance from LONG range (using your brain you can enforce
commands from greater distance until the horse thinks you can do
it from anywhere). In essence you are teaching the horse that
you are more to be respected than any horse boss they have or
ever will run across - you are "the ultimate boss horse" - a 5
star General with full expectation that they best "salute" and
stay "at attention" whenever they are in your presence until you
say "at ease."
--
Jack Griffes
Ottawa Lake, MI
USA
e-mail: Griffes at ix.netcom.com
Web site: http://pw2.netcom.com/~griffes/
"Always be nice to other people,
they outnumber you 5.5 billion to 1..."
- Steve White! "
Jane H. Kilberg
In article <33A150...@nt.com> Sylvana Smith, sylvan...@nt.com
writes:
>In response to Ted, who responded to my description of longeing across
>acres of territory by writing:
>
>"It seems that yours is a very general exercise and I would agree with
>your 'travel' in ever changing circles. But, the Round Pen (minumum 60'
>diameter) is essential for a breeder who is always working with training
A round pen is not essential nor a requirement. A round pen is simply an
expensive tool for gaining a horse's attention and to establish an
acceptable relationship. However, round pen guru's do have problems with
their horses in that they become specifically trained to perform under
certain conditions. When those conditions change, time must be spent
wastefully in a transition period.
The same objective proper usage of a round pen can be and has been for
years, successfully done in a small corral or nice size paddock. The only
difference is that one has corners and one does not which only requires a
slight adjustment of body language approach. A round pen should not be
used for lunging or riding as it becomes a crutch for the handler/rider
and the horse.
As I have posted before, I built a round pen a few years ago at my old
place and only used it for establishing attention and dominant
relationships for young horses and horses under re-training. Once that
was done, I worked horses in the fields or larger areas where there was
more room for maneuverability and correction methods. After a while, I
rarely used it except to keep a horse or two in it as a holding pen while
I was working others.
Even folks like Lyons, Dorrance, Hunt and so on say one should not use a
round pen for general training and teaching skills such as lunging,
transistions, riding and so on. Yet, because a lot of these clinicians
including Parelli and Brannaman use these round pens in their
demonstrations and clinics; folks have become to believe they are a
neccessity of training.
They are not, but they sure make people spend their money. BTW, my new
place does not have a round pen, nor do I have any plans of building
another one. Instead, I have incorporated large paddocks off the barn
(85' x 32') plus a smaller corral of 40' x 32' that will suit me just
fine and dandy for working youngsters as well as adult horses in the
basic objectives. Once the relationship is established, the horses will
be worked over acreage ranging from small fields of 160' x 252' to 15
acres to use of open range of about 750 acres.
down the sunny trails . . .
jane kilberg and her gang of 4 legged spotted critters at
timberswitch in the great nation of Tejas
member of ApHC, Sundance '500' Int'l (Appaloosa appreciation society)
Montgomery County Adult Horse Committee
Mannuscript Farm
Ye Olde Mean Vile & Evil Muleskinner <~eat...@regular.mealtimes~> wrote in
article <5novng$kcd$2...@taurus.bv.sgi.net>...
> "Robby Johnson" <rbjo...@aristotle.net> wrote:
>
> >... You should be walking and
> >moving as you're lungeing anyway ...
>
> Nah. Your precision alone defines that you can impart to your horses,
> and once they have been introduced to longue work it makes no sense for
> you to wander about; merely shift your balance, instead, for subtlety.
>
Hmm, I have to disagree with you on this one, Sheila. Unless you have one
heck of a long lunge line (most commmercial lunge lines are too short), you
should be walking to make the circle the horse is traveling on larger.
Otherwise, you stand the chance of spiral fractures in those legs. The
basics should be there and I agree, you should be able to do everything
without moving about. However, I prefer to minimize the amount of stress I
put on my horse's legs by walking a circle while lunging.
Kathy Mann
Mannuscript Farm
Ye Olde Mean Vile & Evil Muleskinner
"Mannuscript Farm" <bm...@gunnison.com> wrote:
>Ye Olde Mean Vile & Evil Muleskinner <~eat...@regular.mealtimes~> wrote in
>article <5novng$kcd$2...@taurus.bv.sgi.net>...
>> "Robby Johnson" <rbjo...@aristotle.net> wrote:
>> >... You should be walking and
>> >moving as you're lungeing anyway ...
>> Nah. Your precision alone defines that you can impart to your horses,
>> and once they have been introduced to longue work it makes no sense for
>> you to wander about; merely shift your balance, instead, for subtlety.
>Hmm, I have to disagree with you on this one, Sheila. Unless you have one
>heck of a long lunge line (most commmercial lunge lines are too short),
The pen means you don't need a line at all.
>you
>should be walking to make the circle the horse is traveling on larger.
No, you should just get a long-enough longue line.
I buy mine from RC Steele: I get the forty-foot nylon dog leashes,
they're light, durable, and can be rolled to a 10-meter length for
those interested in such precision.
I also use them for my driving lines.
>Otherwise, you stand the chance of spiral fractures in those legs.
No, you should keep the work slow enough to avoid such, regardless.
> The
>basics should be there and I agree, you should be able to do everything
>without moving about. However, I prefer to minimize the amount of stress I
>put on my horse's legs by walking a circle while lunging.
That doesn't do it, and it doesn't impart precision.
I refer you to those lunging at the SRS, for example, who pivot
precisely in place, and whose horses make perfect circles.
The whole idea is for the horse to more as you do less.
Bruce Saul
In article <5oe7oe$ffj$1...@taurus.bv.sgi.net> ~eat...@regular.mealtimes~ writes:
>"Mannuscript Farm" <bm...@gunnison.com> wrote:
>> The
>>basics should be there and I agree, you should be able to do everything
>>without moving about. However, I prefer to minimize the amount of stress I
>>put on my horse's legs by walking a circle while lunging.
The reason for walking the circle is to stay slightly behind the
horse's middle in order to use your body language to help keep the horse
moving, when you step up so that you are even with the horse's shoulder
it should slow down, step back so that you are at the hip and you drive the
horse on. I use this kind of body language along with my normal voice and
longe commands, often the horse responds first and foremost to the body
language even when other cues are not given. It is also sort of like when
you are running with a horse trotting next to you and the horse matches your
stride, if you have a quick stride so will the horse, if you have a short
stride so will the horse, if your stride is short so is the horse's. This
particularly useful with young horses in order to teach them how to lunge
correctly.
>I refer you to those lunging at the SRS, for example, who pivot
>precisely in place, and whose horses make perfect circles.
The SRS starts the horse on the lunge with a helper doing the
chasing and the long line handler walking a small circle, only when the
horse is well developed do they go to a single handler standing still in
the center of the circle.
I agree that the lunge line should be long enough to start with, but
I also agree that walking a small circle is a good thing to do. I would
like to point out that the size of the circle necessary for each horse will
vary with the size of the horse and how balanced they are. With my Arabs
it is very easy for them to lunge and balance on a small circle, 15 or even
10 meters is not difficult for them at all, nor are they likely to fracture
a leg, but a larger circle often gives them too much room to play. However
a bigger horse or a younger horse will need a larger circle. You can use
the size of the circle to slow down a racy horse, by making it smaller, you
can also use the circle's size to teach the horse leg yielding and collection.
There are two purposes that I use lunging for, one is to let a young
horse get their bucks out before I get on them and in that case I just let
them play and have fun and when they settle down and start to focus on me
then they are ready for riding. The second thing that lunging is for is
to teach the horse to balance on the circle without having a rider on its
back, and to introduce some new concepts to the horse regarding balance,
collection, lengthening, leg-yielding, and self-carriage that are easier
started without a rider than with. There is another advantage of lunging
and that is teaching the horse some verbal cues which can be useful in other
situations around the barn and on the trail.
Tracy and everybody
Tracy Scheinkman
Misty Mountain Arabian Sport Horses
Tucson, AZ
Ye Olde Mean Vile & Evil Muleskinner
kit...@scoraz.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Bruce Saul) wrote:
>In article <5oe7oe$ffj$1...@taurus.bv.sgi.net> ~eat...@regular.mealtimes~ writes:
>>"Mannuscript Farm" <bm...@gunnison.com> wrote:
>>> The
>>>basics should be there and I agree, you should be able to do everything
>>>without moving about. However, I prefer to minimize the amount of stress I
>>>put on my horse's legs by walking a circle while lunging.
> The reason for walking the circle is to stay slightly behind the
>horse's middle in order to use your body language to help keep the horse
>moving,
It's a perfectly simple matter to do more precisely that rotating in place.
>when you step up so that you are even with the horse's shoulder
>it should slow down, step back so that you are at the hip and you drive the
>horse on.
This is roughly correct.
Draw an imaginary line similar to the pole through a carousel horse, right
at the heartgirth.
Merely turning toward the quarters suffices to drive the horse on, while
merely turning toward the forehand suffices to slow the horse down, from
the trainer interested in getting the most from the horses.
> I use this kind of body language along with my normal voice and
>longe commands, often the horse responds first and foremost to the body
>language even when other cues are not given.
This is true also, but it is more effective to consistently use the
combinations you cited.
> It is also sort of like when
>you are running with a horse trotting next to you and the horse matches your
>stride, if you have a quick stride so will the horse, if you have a short
>stride so will the horse, if your stride is short so is the horse's. This
>particularly useful with young horses in order to teach them how to lunge
>correctly.
Horses will definitely match your stride as you lead them, and it is
good to start horses on the longue line with a handler leading them,
but that doesn't require that the person doing the longue-lining
run about the whole time.
>>I refer you to those lunging at the SRS, for example, who pivot
>>precisely in place, and whose horses make perfect circles.
> The SRS starts the horse on the lunge with a helper doing the
>chasing and the long line handler walking a small circle, only when the
>horse is well developed do they go to a single handler standing still in
>the center of the circle.
Actually, the long line handler rotates in place, while the assistants
carry the whip (without chasing), as well as lead the horse at times.
> I agree that the lunge line should be long enough to start with, but
>I also agree that walking a small circle is a good thing to do.
No, it is not.
It is an expedient when necessary, but not to be continued per se.
The whole idea of training is for the horse to do the work, not
get to longueline the trainer around.
> I would
>like to point out that the size of the circle necessary for each horse will
>vary with the size of the horse and how balanced they are. With my Arabs
>it is very easy for them to lunge and balance on a small circle, 15 or even
>10 meters is not difficult for them at all, nor are they likely to fracture
>a leg, but a larger circle often gives them too much room to play. However
>a bigger horse or a younger horse will need a larger circle. You can use
>the size of the circle to slow down a racy horse, by making it smaller, you
>can also use the circle's size to teach the horse leg yielding and collection.
The point should also be made that longuelining is not a situation
in which horses should work at all fast.
> There are two purposes that I use lunging for, one is to let a young
>horse get their bucks out before I get on them and in that case I just let
>them play and have fun and when they settle down and start to focus on me
>then they are ready for riding.
That's what turnout with their own kind is for.
>The second thing that lunging is for is
>to teach the horse to balance on the circle without having a rider on its
>back, and to introduce some new concepts to the horse regarding balance,
>collection, lengthening, leg-yielding, and self-carriage that are easier
>started without a rider than with. There is another advantage of lunging
>and that is teaching the horse some verbal cues which can be useful in other
>situations around the barn and on the trail.
The longueline allows the trainer to teach the horse everything ever needed,
so long as sufficient precision is the order of the day.
CowboyArts
I agree that a life without a round pen is no life at all but anything
over 40' dia. is worthless. If you need more sppace for a training phase,
you don't need a round pen for the operation--it could be done in a
pasture or arena. For what you need a roundpen for on the ground or
saddle, 40' is optimum.
kk