# Round pen diameter?



## Katierose9 (Jul 21, 2012)

Is 15 meter diameter round pen to small for canter a 14hh-15hh horse?


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## JoesMom (Jun 19, 2012)

A 49 ft(15 meter) round corral may be just barely big enough. I prefer a 60 ft corral for canter work on my 15 hand horse. I have done it in a smaller one, but it got a bit interesting at times. Others may have other opinions, but this is my experience with it.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I've got a 15.2/3 Arabian, and she had no trouble cantering (or galloping) in a 40-45 foot 'almost' round pen.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Yes, whether they can or not, whether it's 'interesting' or not, I'd say it's too small to canter, as the smaller the circle & faster the pace, the harder it is on their joints.


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## longshot (May 30, 2012)

it is tight (mine is a 45') and the horses do nothing but lean. Doesn't give them enough room to really extend and get a true gait. I do it but not much, the smaller pens are nice for training though.. I have to do less walking...lol


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

A 15 meter pen is 48' so it should be fine.


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## ropinbiker (Aug 3, 2012)

fine for training, refining something, I use a 50' round pen to start all my horses - and i have them cantering/loping in it prior to going into the arena


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'd say that mine is about that size, maybe a touch smaller, but I very seldom spend much time in it. If you are planning to spend a lot of your time doing nothing but roundpenning, then I would suggest bigger to minimize the wear to joints...at least 60 feet.


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## ledge (May 23, 2011)

The round pen here isn't actually completely round i left a corner in case of an emergency stop at the suggestion of my farrier (and a trainer).

Its grown from one that was roughly 45' to now 60' its made out of the portable corral panels such as the priefert ones which means as funding allows you can start however big you can afford then add more panels as you can.

Attached is the google earth image, the shadow of the tree covers part of the roundpen, but there is a gate into round pen then into arena, works nicely to do a little ground school in the round pen then into the arena for a good run. as you can see its not perfectly round but i have a round enough section i can keep one going if needed. (don't ask the cost of that many red pannels we don't like to think about it :lol


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I don't use a round pen for anything but giving kids happy horse memories, having the chiro straddle a panel to adjust my horses, and use it for sick bay if the vet says the side yard is too big.

My round pen is 30 meters (100'). It's plenty big enough to school a horse in, if I had an un-broke horse I thought needed some round-pen lessons but, I don't

I wouldn't want anything smaller as I don't feel a smaller roundpen would "multi-task" as well as the 100' one does


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