# Round pen as paddock for horse?



## singlefooter (Aug 7, 2018)

I have a mare that I need to watch the amount of grazing time she gets. I would only be keeping her up 8 hours a day -- the rest of the time, she would be on 12 acres with two other horses. She would be miserable in a stall and would lose any grazing muzzle you put on her within minutes.

Would it be okay if I let her into a 70' round pen? Her shelter would be attached and could be closed off by a gate when I'm working her or one of the others. She'd have plenty of shade as well. I've needed to build a round pen for a while and this would be two birds with one stone, but I want her to be happy! I'll build her a square paddock if that would be best.

What do you think? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated! :smile:


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_*WELCOME to the Forum!!*_


I as a rule _do not_ use a area that I "work" my horses in for their recreational area...
My riding area is my riding area and my turnout is my turnout...
Just realize if you dual-purpose use the round pen for a convenient t/o...you make very clear and precise differences to the horse between work and their out/play time.
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## singlefooter (Aug 7, 2018)

horselovinguy said:


> _*WELCOME to the Forum!!*_
> 
> 
> I as a rule _do not_ use a area that I "work" my horses in for their recreational area...
> ...



That makes sense! Thank you for your input. I am currently still pretty sick and unable to ride, and I'd mostly be doing groundwork and lunging but I can see how this could become complicated.

What would you suggest for a paddock? Again, she'd only be in it 8 hours a day or so and turned out the rest. Thank you again


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

By all means do it if it works best for you.
For me, I would make it so my stabling area was accessible through a fence gate into the round pen...
That way you can contain her in her stable area as needed and turn her out in the pen as needed...
However, you must make clear signs to the horse that when say you close the gate and are inside the pen with her tack or halter on this is time to work...
When the horse is permitted to be loose with no tack/halter then she is free to play, buck, fart and kick in exuberance...
That halter/tack come out, the gate closes it is time to work _not _play...
_Very clear boundaries she needs taught so she is not confused having a joint-use area is my thinking_...but totally do-able and work-able.
Feel better and enjoy the horse.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

A dry lot of any size bigger than her stall if connected (like a shed) automatically doubles her space. The more room the better but if the panels you have limit you to a 70' round that is fine. Squaring it off makes it harder for some horses to work in but most would adapt and circle. A few though get "caught" in the corners instead of keeping on a curve. When I was in Tx there were two places I boarded that had runs off the stalls. One was 12' wide by 100' long and the other was 36'wide (three stalls opened into the area) by 120' long. If she is staying for a significant time I would sink t-posts where the panels meet just make sure they are to the outside and lower than the panel. When you wrap the chain they are an integral part and give the pen more substance. Have the leg of the t not the cross between the two panels for the smoothest transition.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

One of my trainer's has 3 nice big round pens (at least 75 feet) and they're deeply bedded with sand. When he's not working a horse, he takes one from the barn and lets them run and buck and roll in the round pen and like HLG says, when he comes in with halter and longe line, it's work time. If they're just loose and alone they play. He doesn't seem to have any trouble keeping things straight in their heads.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I use my round pen as limited turnout all the time--- for horses that are waiting for the vet or farrier, for one who has to stay in for some reason, etc. Everyone I know with an arena also uses that for turnout at times. Horses are smart enough to know when it's relaxation/play time and when it's work time. 

Do what works for you. Your solution sounds perfectly fine.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I use my riding arenas for turnout occasionally and never found there to be a problem when the horse has to work in there - though it is 'funny' that they never see the monster in the corner when they're using them for turnout!!


Your other option would be to fence off a small part of the pasture that's got a shade area for her using step in posts and electric tape - you can run a fencer off a battery.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

singlefooter said:


> I have a mare that I need to watch the amount of grazing time she gets. I would only be keeping her up 8 hours a day -- the rest of the time, she would be on 12 acres with two other horses. She would be miserable in a stall and would lose any grazing muzzle you put on her within minutes.
> 
> Would it be okay if I let her into a 70' round pen? Her shelter would be attached and could be closed off by a gate when I'm working her or one of the others. She'd have plenty of shade as well. I've needed to build a round pen for a while and this would be two birds with one stone, but I want her to be happy! I'll build her a square paddock if that would be best.
> 
> What do you think? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated! :smile:


This sounds like an excellent plan! Dual purpose too. 

Most boarding facilities do this when horses have to be in dry lots just to get them out of the stall for a while. 

Your idea with shade and shelter sounds perfect and much better than having to be stalled for 8 hours. You might need to switch it up and only turn her out for 8 hours in the pasture if she continues to eat too much.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I actually have one horse living in a round pen and I take her out when I have to "work" my younger horse. 



That works great except that you have poop/pee in your round pen when you are trying to work the other horse, potentially leaving slick spots. Even if I pick up the poo just before working the other horse, I still have wet spots from the urine. It hasn't been a huge issue, but I do wish I didn't have to worry about slick spots in my round pen.


Which brings to mind something else.......the footing. Before I got the extra horse and the round pen was just a training area, I had some lovely pea gravel mixture put in there. It was pretty well all-weather and soft and ready to go, anytime I needed it. Now with a horse actually living in the round pen, the footing got all packed down in some areas and mixed with manure in others, so my footing isn't as consistent as it used to be. When it rains, the whole thing is wetter than it used to be, less "all weather."


So yes, it's doable, but there are some minor drawbacks. A small one is having to remove the one horse every time I want to work the other one. I have also left the horse that that uses the round pen for training in the round pen as his "home," especially after he cut his leg and I was trying to keep him out the mud, and I had no problem with him determining work vs. play. Anytime he was just there loose and eating hay or whatever, that was his time. If I walked in with a halter and a lunge whip, that was work time. But really, that hasn't been a issue. The footing getting messed up with pee spots and manure getting mashed into the gravel, and packed hard on the high side, has been my biggest problem.


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