Where to work your horses at home?

[RackinRudy]

Since I just recently left a boarding stable with huge indoor and outdoor arena's and now have my horses home .... where do you all work your horses? If it's a roundpen, is it just on grass? What's the cheapest way to build one? or Did you get an outdoor arena built?

I know I can ride Rudy (13 years old) anywhere, but Rykin (4 years old) I'm not sure I just want to get on in an open area (11 acres) and try to train him. He's been ridden "maybe" 20 times at the most in the indoor. Now since I'm pregnant he's had like 5-6 months off so I'm sure I'll be doing a refreshing course in everything.

Lisa

[Palogal]

I bought panels from Tractor Supply for my round pen, it cost me about 500 bucks and I have my pasture divided so I can move the ones I'm not riding out one or the other so I can ride.

[oursarge]

I have a round pen made from red panels. I really liked boarding since I had the round pens and arena etc. I rode my boy alot more when I was there. Since he's been home I do ground work but hardly ride him, same with the other since when something goes wrong I don't have my friend here to help me fix it so I do nothing rather than mess them up. We also have had major amounts of rain so there is mud everywhere, not a great environment for working a horse. One also has had eye issues most of the summer so I didn't ride him. It was one thing after the other.

Our mare is still boarded and I ride her alot since I know if I have an issue my friend or one of her kids will be right there to help and I love the facilities there. I wish I lived close enough to them so I could keep the boys home but walk them to the arena. In a perfect world I'd have my own arena but that won't be happening, I'm lucky I have a round pen.

[ownedby7horses]

I mostly work in the round pen right now. All my horses except for a couple of our arab mares are either not started yet or very very green broke. I have ridden in our yard some, but mostly ride in the round pen for now.

[mandisue]

Well I have no arena or round pen, never have. I ride/train in pasture and open field above our house. That's where I'll be training sui.however i would LOVE to have an area.!

[TacheteTreasures]

We had a very swampy yard so when we first brought them home it was just a very small area for their paddock that we could afford sand for. Just last fall, we bought a round pen and put it in an area that the person who did the paddock had smoothed out for us. In the spring it was just way to muddy to even walk in, so I called around for quotes for sand, because I knew the guy we got it from before would be wicked busy that time of year and he had to "squeeze us in" before because he was busy but was nice enough to do it anyway, and I didnt want to pressure him. I ended up buying a load of sand for $210! Oh well, it worked and I was able to at least ride over the summer(the round pen is about 70' if I had to guess) I called our normal guy earlier this week so I can get more to sand in the winter, then use the rest to extend the round pen into an area come spring. From him, its only going to be 90! Heck, I might get 2 loads and actually have a good sized area next year!

[Gypsy Rose]

I have a small arena at home, but it's grass, and I don't have the equipment to maintain it- it doubles as pasture, he,he! I have a track in it that's okay to ride in, but circle work isn't the best for Gypsy's arthritis, so we mostly ride in the ditch, where it's flat, and the four wheelers have made a nice trail.

[WashingtonBay]

Round pen panels can be put anywhere, if you want... but from what I've seen of the layout of your place, I bet you could make a nice arena to work in with just a cross fence or two. How much work you have to do on the footing depends a great deal on the soils and drainage at your place.

[WestmanFarrier'sWife]

I brought my 4 year old home after being at a stable for 3 years. I just pounded in some t-posts (with the caps on them) and strung up the really thick electric tape. It makes a great arena! We also borrowed the neighbors tractor and tilled up the ground.

[zoel_222]

I work the horses in my smallest pasture. I used to also work them in my round pen also but I needed the panels for other stuff so I had to dismantle it. I was building an outdoor arena but I had to postpone that due to lack of finances. So far I have like 3/4 of the fencing. I hope to have it finished by January.

For Rykin you could pick up some round pen pannels and make a smaller section off of your 11 acres to ride in.

[magayle]

i just used step in posts with electric tape to make us a play pen...it's just big enough to pull the drag thru with the lawn tractor so it stays nice and sandy....we have nothin' but sand here

[vicklynn]

I have a med size round pen in my front yard. One day, when the trees are down, Ill have a larger area.
It does not sit in front of the house, more so to the front side of the house. Works for us.

[Palogal]

The cool thing about my setup is that my pasture is actually in front of my house so I can hear the baby if she wakes up.

[Cat]

We already had an arena here when we moved in. Its wood fence w/ pea gravel. I want to redo the footing in there and regrade it. They have it sloped a bit, but we are having problems with errosion due to the way it was originally created.

[Equine_Woman]

I don't work my horses at home. . which SUCKS!! I have rocky hilly tree-y land and my round pen panels are being used for fencing. One day I will actually get a real permanent fence put in but for now I just trailer to the grasslands to ride but it's really putting a damper on the training for my 5 year old who's only been riden like 5 times. . .I figure she's not going anywhere. . .I'll get around to it when her Mom's gone out of necessity. (Which will hopefully be a very long time from now)

[Miracle Whip]

Sadly, I do not have an arena. I have a smallish pen that I use to free lunge. I can ride in this pen but mostly at a trot. It is about 1/3 the size of an indoor arena at a stable. I ride my mare in the pasture to work on our rising trot. I also ride her on the gravel road outside of my house and I will work her on turning and transitions. You can do figure eights on the road. No traffic here!!

I usually attend a horse show to use their arena or pay for a riding lesson. I am going to be trading stall chores for riding lessons here in a bit, but I will still have to haul the horse about 15 miles one way or so to do that.

Having your own arena is nice but its not a requirement either. I have a fire pit, or rock pile if you will and I trot around that to practice the 20 meter dressage circles. Its one of the few places where the ground is flat.

[vicklynn]

i just used step in posts with electric tape to make us a play pen...it's just big enough to pull the drag thru with the lawn tractor so it stays nice and sandy....we have nothin' but sand here
:p
Thats pure jealousy

[painthorse72]

we actually have a really nice size outdoor arena but tend to work them in a smaller pasture closer to the house and off the barn. If you have the area you could get the panels or even hot tape will work to make an area just for riding.

[Palogal]

Aren't you guys that have hotwire a little concerned if the horse spooks he/she will hit it and make things worse? I have hotwire around my pasture that I turn OFF while I'm riding.

[oursarge]

:p
Thats pure jealousy

Here too, we "grow" rocks here, can't even pound in a fence post without hitting a rock. My husband dislocated his shoulder when he was trying to get holes dug for a fence, the digger thingy hit a rock and spun him around and that was the end of that! We picked rocks for days in my friend's out door arena and it's still rocky! Sand would be s nice!!!!

[Buckpoco]

I too always boarded and had a ring or indoor. Now, with the horses home we have a round pen. It's stone dust and works well, but we are slowly adding sand as it does get hard in the summer. We had the area leveled, compressed and then added the stone dust. It's great in wet weather and in winter we add salt...it really is useable all year.

I try to do some training on the trails, and also am lucky that we have friends with a boarding ranch where we can use the ring. But, it's an hour away so we go, camp and do lots of ring riding when we can.

(My hubby tried schooling in the pasture but he got some bucks, so I'm not sure it's such a good idea. The horses associate the pasture with fun-bucking, running, etc.)

[alittleoffkey]

I have a 50+ foot round pen, just on grass... but when Daisy's turn comes around I'm thinking I might pay to have sand put in... 'cause I'm thinking sand hurts less to land in then packed dirt and grass. ;)

[ProvenPaint]

I love my round pen. Have had it for about as long as the horses (12 years), and have just had it set up on dirt. I don't do heavy-duty work in it, but it's great for basics/warm up. Past that, I've just rode in the stubble fields that are around - no arena. Even on the green horses - it's a challenge but that's all I had so I worked with it. Occasionally I could get into town & use that arena but that wasn't too often.

[RackinRudy]

thanks for all your suggestions.

i wonder if it's cheaper to buy wood to make a round pen or to buy panels?
i want a 70ft round pen if thats the warm up/working area.

Lisa

[cloedoll]

I haven't read through all of the replies, so sorry if I'm repeating something. We have a 50' round pen and it cost $700, I *think*. It might not be ideal to work Rykin in that open of an area, but it could be good for him. Get him to really focus on you, then no matter where you ride in the future, he's focused on you, not Rudy, not the wide open space around you, just you. If you had a round pen (especially a 70' one), that would be plenty of room to warm up in, do your training with Rykin in, etc. Then when you get him to where he needs to be in the round pen, you could start taking him out of the round pen. An arena would be very nice, but not all can afford one. Think, though, you'll only be able to use the arena during the summertime (well, mainly). Is it worth that money, or should you save up for an indoor one? I think the outdoors work just fine, no arena needed, heh. To answer your question, I ride in the round pen, in my pastures and all over creation. :D

[RackinRudy]

Okay .. got it figured out for round pen panels.

If I use (18) 12ft panels I will get my 70ft round pen, that is based on the calculations on this page - http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/20041219114435.php

If I get the economy panels from TSC, they are $80 a piece.
http://www.tractorsupply.com:80/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?mpe_id=12075&cm_cr=No+Campaign-_-Web+Activity-_-Cross+Sell+Up+Sell-_-ProductDetail_Espot1-_-American+Farmland+Panel+Corral+12+ft+Economy&catalogId=10001&productId=36037&evtype=CpgnClick&intv_id=15001&langId=-1&storeId=10551&ddkey=http:CatalogSearchResultView

That would equal $1,440 ... not too bad! :cool:

Lisa

[mtnmollie]

At home I ride in the round pen, corral, pasture, road, and steep mtn trails...

My first round pen was hot wire- the I upgraded to pannels.
Pipe pannels keep going up iin price.

[cloedoll]

I know this sounds odd, but I got my round pen from here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-70ft-HORSE-ROUND-PEN-ARENA-CORRAL-PANELS-W-BOW-GATE_W0QQitemZ310091637906QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 310091637906&_trkparms=72%3A1418|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A13 18&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-70ft-HORSE-ROUND-PEN-ARENA-CORRAL-PANELS-W-BOW-GATE_W0QQitemZ310091637906QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 310091637906&_trkparms=72%3A1418%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)

eBay, weird, I know, but it might be cheaper. =P

[RackinRudy]

I know this sounds odd, but I got my round pen from here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-70ft-HORSE-ROUND-PEN-ARENA-CORRAL-PANELS-W-BOW-GATE_W0QQitemZ310091637906QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 310091637906&_trkparms=72%3A1418|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A13 18&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-70ft-HORSE-ROUND-PEN-ARENA-CORRAL-PANELS-W-BOW-GATE_W0QQitemZ310091637906QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 310091637906&_trkparms=72%3A1418%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)

eBay, weird, I know, but it might be cheaper. =P


You ROCK chic! I emailed them to get a quote on shipping costs! :cowboy:
Lisa

[oursarge]

Our panels were $70. apiece and the gates [2] $90. but the prices have gone up quite a big from last yr. We got ours from the stable where we keep our mare. We need to put sand in it because they see the grass and think it's a place to eat and not work.

[cloedoll]

You ROCK chic! I emailed them to get a quote on shipping costs! :cowboy:
Lisa

Yippee! Hope it works out for you! Shipping, if I remember correctly, is of course slightly pricey, but I think shipping + the round pen would be cheaper than what you were originally going to spend. =D

[RackinRudy]

:eek: WHOA .. shipping is $450! :eek:
cheaper by about $130. hmmm?

Lisa

[SedonaThunder]

Have you checked your local "Little Nickel" or "Craig's List"? I have been watching for them and they are coming up more and more (and cheaper and cheaper) around here as so many people are getting out of horses due to hay prices and the bad market.

[lovesfortune]

We do all our riding in either the pasture or on the trails, fields, etc. I really want an arena, but we are also just at home... so... I don't see it happening. We have lots of land though 300 acres so at least that is a plus.

Sounds like you got things figured out!