# Size of round pen



## Saddlebag

I ordered a 50' round pen but am having second thought about whether or not I need on that big. I'm thinking of reducing it by two 12' panels. I think that will still leave it bigger than 40. I have until noon tomorrow. Help. What size are your pens and do you wish they were bigger, could easily be smaller. The supplier is 3.5 hrs away. Someone is going there and will bring the pen back with no delivery cost. I can order more panels later. I'm not usually a fence sitter but I am on this.


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## DancingArabian

Ours is a little over 20 meters (about 70'). Lets you lunge at the end of a normal lunge line.


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## Koolio

I bought a 50 foot round pen last fall and wish it was bigger. I know 50 feet sounds large, but when you have a horse moving around it, especially at a canter or a lope, it is actually pretty small. I have worked in a 60 foot round pen and found it much better.

If I cannot purchase a couple of extra panels for my round pen, I will set it up so that I use a length of my fence it make it bigger.


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## Delfina

The bigger the better IMO. I board with a friend and she has has a GIANT one, fifteen 12' panels I believe? Large enough to ride in or lunge without worrying about the horse's joints and it's easy to pull off a few panels if for some reason we want a smaller one for a day.


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## tinyliny

I would want a 60. so one can canter in it comfortably, even for larger horses. Order UP, not down.


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## Saddlebag

I have a small arena about 50 x 80 for canter work. I'm enjoying the input, quite informative.


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## DrumRunner

Mine is a 50ft..I love it but I do wish I would have gotten a 60ft instead. It's small enough to lunge a horse comfortably and I can still keep 100% control of the horse without a lunge line, but when it comes to riding, it's too small. My stepsister rides her pony and that's okay for her, but if it's a horse it's a whole different story..


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## Saddlebag

I wound up going with the 50". Since the fellow who picked it up for me will be heading back, I can get more panels if needed. Thanks to today's weather I am not wading thro deep slush while it's raining to have a look-see. I appreciate everyone's input. Anyone wanna come help me put it up?


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## TimberRidgeRanch

I wouldnt go any smaller then 60' Mine is 80' allows plenty of room to safely lunge and train. and doesnt wear hard on joints. JMO

TRR


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## Koolio

Saddlebag said:


> I wound up going with the 50". Since the fellow who picked it up for me will be heading back, I can get more panels if needed. Thanks to today's weather I am not wading thro deep slush while it's raining to have a look-see. I appreciate everyone's input. Anyone wanna come help me put it up?


Oh darn, I'm too far away... When you go to put it up, measure out your panels to get the true size. It is likely not exactly 50 feet, but probably somewhere between 48 and 52 depending upon the size of the gate and the connecting distance between panels. Once you know the circumference, work backwards to find the diameter / radius and put a stake in the ground where you want the centre to be. Use a rope the length of the radius to measure out to the middle at the bottom of each of your panels and then lay out the panels in a flower shape. You can adjust them so that when they stand they will fit nicely. Once you have them set, put them up on end afterwards. 

I've set my round pen up twice in two different locations. The first time, I didn't go to the effort of measuring carefully (I assumed 50 feet exactly) and ended up with an awkward shape and had trouble getting the last two panels to connect. They were only about 10" apart, but moving the whole pen to get that last connection was a huge pain. The second time I measured everything carefully and it went up like a charm.

Have fun!


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## sumozmom

bigger is better for horse less stress on legs


Saddlebag said:


> I ordered a 50' round pen but am having second thought about whether or not I need on that big. I'm thinking of reducing it by two 12' panels. I think that will still leave it bigger than 40. I have until noon tomorrow. Help. What size are your pens and do you wish they were bigger, could easily be smaller. The supplier is 3.5 hrs away. Someone is going there and will bring the pen back with no delivery cost. I can order more panels later. I'm not usually a fence sitter but I am on this.


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## Saddlebag

Koolio, thanks for the good advice. It will be put up where I'd had sand hauled in. When the snow first melts the sand is hard so it will be easy to mark out a circle according to actual dimensions.


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