12/31/2024
Sustainable Round Pen Training.
by Frank Gringeri
My son was off to college so I had the pleasure of working his three year old filly this
Winter. Outdoors was frozen hard and irregular so I set up a sixty foot round pen inside. She worked sixty days straight, an hour a day. She developed a better way to move as well as increased muscular strength and stamina. Her legs stayed tight and she
was very sound each and every day.
The round pen is a wonderful aid in getting young horses going or starting horses off
after a soft Winter season of no regular work. Done correctly, the horse will soon learn you are in command of his direction and his forward speed. But, more often than not, the round pen is used improperly. It should not be a place where a horse is worked
till he is exhausted. The footing should not be deep as to discourage forward motion. If the hoof disappears below the surface, then it is too deep. Stone dust works well and will pack nicely without the worry of small stones or rocks causing discomfort. I
have silty clay sand that when treated becomes dust free and firm. There are many different materials that do well for footing. The main thing is they have to pack and become firm so the horse can push off with ease. And we do want him to push off those hinds.
So, what to do when you get started. I start them walking at the beginning. This gives
them time to adjust to the workplace as well as get comfortable in motion. If the pen is in a strange location for them, I turn them loose for ten or fifteen minutes to explore and make peace with their surroundings.The walk helps to regulate speed as well.
Hot blooded horses get moving in a rush and should be slowed down. Cold bloods need to be prodded to stay moving. The panels of the pen are your outside aids. Teach them to stay on the panels by applying lateral force as well as driving them forward. I assure
you if you just stand in the middle they will do whatever they want and you won’t teach them anything. Be active and let them know you mean business. If you’re tracking to the left, keep the whip in the right hand and follow them around. A quick word about the
longe whip. Use it sparingly as a horse that is afraid of the whip renders the whip useless. Starting off with too much whip gives you no place to go. With easy motions of the whip you can always increase the tempo. To apply lateral force, you should be somewhere
between the point of the hip and the shoulder, half way down from the center to the horse. Soon they will seek the panels like they do the show ring rail. It also maximizes the size of your pen and keeps them from coming in at you. Don’t change direction too
soon. And don’t let them turn back at will. A horse that picks his direction of travel is on his way to taking over. While he is walking you have a chance to evaluate the motion. Pay particular attention to the hind legs. Is he covering his front prints or
coming up short? Is one hind reaching but the other isn’t? And check the speed of the legs as well. Many horses that are tense will show more speed with the hind legs than the front legs. This will show up as the walk looking more pace like than a true four
beat walk gait.
Now we have been walking for ten or fifteen minutes and we want to press them into the
trot. I say press them carefully so as not to invite all out running. The trot is a wonderful gait to teach them to keep moving. It is our chance to mold and shape the forward energy of the horse. The world doesn’t rush at them too fast and they can settle
into a constant speed. The young horse will speed up and slow down in his effort to get around the circle. But, in time, he will find that the easiest way to get around is to move with rhythm. Like us humans, horses prefer the path of least resistance once
they feel what it is. So, keep him moving in the same direction for fifteen minutes or so. He may start to sweat but more from tension than over work. If he runs on you, stand still and ask for the walk. Keep your whip down or drop it on the ground. If he
puts in a couple canter strides, don’t punish but let him drop down to trot. Now we have been working one side of the horse so far. I always track to the right first as most horses seem more rigid to the right. When your trot work is over go back to walk.
Watch the hind legs again. He should be tracking into front prints or over stepping from the continual motion. He should be a softer muscle mass than when you started. Keep him walking for another ten minutes. Observe his demeanor. Neck level or lower than
withers? Poll open with head swinging? Eyes closed or maybe half opened? Will he halt from the walk and then back to walk on demand? These are all signs of a horse who is happy in his work. This is important as you are setting him up for the next day of work.
How you leave him will be where you pick him up the following day. At this point when you can see he is relaxed, you can reverse and finish cool down tracking left. If he isn’t fit, I don’t work both sides in the same session. And I don’t ask for the canter
right off because the pen is small and fitness levels are low at the beginning. Horses are big but are very fragile. Their soundness should be of great concern as lameness will halt your training progress. If they can learn rhythm and develop some hind leg
swing in the trot, you will have done something to lay the foundation for the more difficult work ahead.
After sixty days of this kind of work, the filly is in a snaffle and side reins.She
moves just as well under tack as without. Her topline has been made stronger with continual motion. She can trot without effort for an eternity. Her canter is good but labored due to the size of the pen. She has never broke a sweat in sixty days.She cools
down with a rider on her back. She is never bored and never ever allowed to run in a haphazard manner. More injuries occur when horses are running at top speed. Soft tissue is stretched to the limit and sometimes becomes torn. Our goal should be to train for
increased strength and stamina.
Round pen work is a good starting off point. You have built in containment and you can
start controlling your horse’s speed as well as his direction. You have set the lines of communication that will be familiar to your horse. This will carry over when you start your riding, whether on the trail or in the riding ring. Work on a circle cannot
be overstated. It will strengthen the haunches and teach the horse to bend. Certainly, like all things, if used improperly it can cause problems for you and your horse. Most important, get him moving and keep him moving. It’s a great way to instill work ethic
and keep him honest.
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