I love round pens. Whether you are working a broke horse, a green one, or a two year old….I think round pens are an invaluable tool.
When I was first working Alibi several years ago, we used round pen work in a variety of ways.
First, I used the round pen as a method of exercise. He was young and I wasn’t riding him long or hard, so he needed an outlet for his energy.
While getting out that energy, I used round penning as a means to learn to trust me and listen to my body language. When I was training Alibi was the big kick on natural horsemanship. I had attended a bunch of clinics and was fairly interested in Monty Roberts/Gawani Ponyboy approach. I applied a lot of it Alibi’s work in the round pen with those methods. He learned to submit to me, to not come into me until I allowed him, and that /i was in control. Him and I both enjoyed at liberty work with him following me. It also improved his showmanship.
Also, round pen work really improved Alibi’s lunge line work. He became very voice trained on the line as well as in the pen. This really translated at shows when he was feeling fresh and needed lunged.
I also used it as an educational tool. Sometimes we used loose side reins to give him the freedom to explore being on the bit and using his back without me interfering and inadvertantly punishing good behavior. I also used it to introduce him to rollbacks. We worked from the walk and eventually to the canter of crossing his center of motion and having him spin around. It really transitioned very well into riding.
I use the round pen with every horse I’ve ever worked with. Depending on their issues, I treat it differently and work each horse differently.
Right now I’m working with this wonderful mare. She’s a 17hh thoroughbred mare with the best disposition I’ve ever encountered; mare or gelding. She’s absolutely willing and a perfect angel no matter what I ask.
So I took her to the round pen all this week before ever riding her.
I wanted to know a few things about her. All things I could assess through round pen work.
I wanted to see how she moved, see what her education looked like, and check her disposition while moving.
The first day I simply wanted to see how well she moved and what she was like while moving. She lunged quite well, but needed the lunge whip for a bit of encouragement. She knew her voice cues and had VERY cute movement. There were a few times when, in me asking for the canter, she would leap into the canter and throw out a playful buck. I haven’t seen it since that day.
The next day I round penned her again. I used a surcingle to see how she was going to react to tacking and how she would carry a bit of tack. No problems. After warming up, I attached some very slack side reins and let her continue. She traveled without fuss. I tightened them two holes and allowed some pressure to get to her. She backed way off and didn’t seem to understand. She didn’t throw a fit of any sort, but didn’t seem to know what I wanted.
Today we round penned again. I was looking this time for her to submit to me. She took some time to come around, but eventually chewed, lowered her head, and asked to come to me. I let her stop on the rail, walked up to her, and she followed me around the rest of the time we worked together; even outside the round pen and all around the stud, the barn, the wash rack, and her pasturemates.
Have I mentioned that I adore round pens?
1 Comment
July 5, 2009 at 6:19 am
Nice!