Small Arena or Round Pen

[blacktail sniper]

Finally getting closer to being in MT full time. Started excavating for various outbuildings and learning my eye for grade is terrible and having to move way more dirt for things as i had hoped. The goal was to create a small pasture and loafing sheds for up to 4 horses then add a 50-60 x 100 arena to be able to ride practice roping (which i am awful at) with a dummy behind a 4-wheeler and maybe someday add a chute. But with the slope of this place that's starting to seem like a pipe dream and looking at other option maybe a just a 60 -70 round pen. Horses will mainly used for hunting ranch work and maybe some penning or roping way down the line.

 

[wymtnpounder]

Finally getting closer to being in MT full time. Started excavating for various outbuildings and learning my eye for grade is terrible and having to move way more dirt for things as i had hoped. The goal was to create a small pasture and loafing sheds for up to 4 horses then add a 50-60 x 100 arena to be able to ride practice roping (which i am awful at) with a dummy behind a 4-wheeler and maybe someday add a chute. But with the slope of this place that's starting to seem like a pipe dream and looking at other option maybe a just a 60 -70 round pen. Horses will mainly used for hunting ranch work and maybe some penning or roping way down the line.

Was there a question there?

 

[Pony Soldier]

I started out with a 20x40 ft leanto. That evolved into another one facing it and finally I filled the center in and put a roof over all of that giving me a 40 x60 pole barn. I only regret the 10 ft spacing between the 6x6 treated posts. 12 ft would have been better to fit machinery. I put a couple stalls in it that were 10x10. I put a second floor over half of the original building. It gives me hay storage up to 16 ft high in two 20x20 blocks. I have shop and storage for a couple tractors plus working areas. It took me 15 years but I built it as I could afford it.

It also meant the elk couldn't feast on my hay at night. To the barn I added four corrals, each about 50x50. At a common point I put in a locomotive fuel tank that provides water to three of them.

Connected to one of them is a 50 ft round corral out of lodgepole logs. That was chosen because the lariet I had was 25 ft long. I planted a pine pitch log in the center and laid out the boundaries for the logs with the lariet. That opens out on two pastures so I can control grazing and protect my ponies during the winter while they are snowed in.

Think your plan through so your layout gives you the maximum number of options and a minimum number of headaches. Corrals don't have to be flat just as long as they slope away from the barn. Buy a pair of rubber boots. The spring thaw, horses and a barnyard are always memorable but not clean at the thaw.

 

[blacktail sniper]

Was there a question there?

guess I should have been clearer looking for any advice on arena size or if I can probably just get by with a round pen? or ideas on how to build this thing given the grade

 

[blacktail sniper]

I started out with a 20x40 ft leanto. That evolved into another one facing it and finally I filled the center in and put a roof over all of that giving me a 40 x60 pole barn. I only regret the 10 ft spacing between the 6x6 treated posts. 12 ft would have been better to fit machinery. I put a couple stalls in it that were 10x10. I put a second floor over half of the original building. It gives me hay storage up to 16 ft high in two 20x20 blocks. I have shop and storage for a couple tractors plus working areas. It took me 15 years but I built it as I could afford it.

It also meant the elk couldn't feast on my hay at night. To the barn I added four corrals, each about 50x50. At a common point I put in a locomotive fuel tank that provides water to three of them.

Connected to one of them is a 50 ft round corral out of lodgepole logs. That was chosen because the lariet I had was 25 ft long. I planted a pine pitch log in the center and laid out the boundaries for the logs with the lariet. That opens out on two pastures so I can control grazing and protect my ponies during the winter while they are snowed in.

Think your plan through so your layout gives you the maximum number of options and a minimum number of headaches. Corrals don't have to be flat just as long as they slope away from the barn. Buy a pair of rubber boots. The spring thaw, horses and a barnyard are always memorable but not clean at the thaw.

wow thanks that set up seems pretty nice. I likethis property but dang threes not a flat piece of ground to be had. I am not too worried abut the corrals and or small pastures being flat just a place to ride and work with them. A round pen made out of logs would be nice

 

[Pony Soldier]

At least in this country you can buy a logging truck load of lodgepole for reasonble price.

 

[khart_6882]

I built a 60’ round pen at my place and found it optimal size for all sorts of work. Big enough to easily lope a horse in yet not so big that your running your ass off when working a green one on the ground. I did used railroad posts from when the local railroad put all new track in. They had the old ones all stacked up so I just drove my pickup down there and loaded them up. Found a local ol boy with a sawmill in his barn who liked to cut lumber as a hobby, had him cut me rough cut true 2x6’s much cheaper than any hardware store. Have a buddy who works at a rock pit and they’re always replacing conveyor belting on the crushers so I got a few rolls of the old belting for free, hung it from the bottom rail all the way around the pen. Keeps the sand in the pen and the dogs out when a horse is going round and round.
At 60 feet I’ve found it’s big enough to do plenty of roping practice. Started out roping the tops of the railroad ties from horseback then 1/2 dallying so they’d get used to the pressure on the saddle horn, moved onto pulling a log around the pen, then built a dummy on a sawhorse with horns held on with small bungee cords so I wouldn’t have to get off my horse to get my loop off the dummy.

 

[blacktail sniper]

At least in this country you can buy a logging truck load of lodgepole for reasonble price.

Thanks a bunch ive got enuff small pines on my place to cut for horizontals as well. May look better too. Thank you should be back out in August Ill come down take a look at the saddle buy a beer

 

[blacktail sniper]

I built a 60’ round pen at my place and found it optimal size for all sorts of work. Big enough to easily lope a horse in yet not so big that your running your ass off when working a green one on the ground. I did used railroad posts from when the local railroad put all new track in. They had the old ones all stacked up so I just drove my pickup down there and loaded them up. Found a local ol boy with a sawmill in his barn who liked to cut lumber as a hobby, had him cut me rough cut true 2x6’s much cheaper than any hardware store. Have a buddy who works at a rock pit and they’re always replacing conveyor belting on the crushers so I got a few rolls of the old belting for free, hung it from the bottom rail all the way around the pen. Keeps the sand in the pen and the dogs out when a horse is going round and round.
At 60 feet I’ve found it’s big enough to do plenty of roping practice. Started out roping the tops of the railroad ties from horseback then 1/2 dallying so they’d get used to the pressure on the saddle horn, moved onto pulling a log around the pen, then built a dummy on a sawhorse with horns held on with small bungee cords so I wouldn’t have to get off my horse to get my loop off the dummy.

That is exactly what I need. if you dont mind can you send a pic of your roping dummy man appreicate the help!

 

[khart_6882]

That is exactly what I need. if you dont mind can you send a pic of your roping dummy man appreicate the help!

I would but it was destroyed in a colt rodeo lol. I basically screwed the legs of the saw horse to a short chunk of railroad tie for stability and so it wasn’t so heavy that I couldn’t lift it. The “nose” was 2 2x4’s coming off the front of the saw horse in a triangular shape so the loop would never get hung up. The horns were 2” dowels coming off each side. A screw through the base of the horn running parallel with the sawhorses spine, into the top 2x4 that makes up the nose, leave that screw loose because it is the hinge point for the horn. Then a small bungee through a hole drilled through the horn a few inches out from the head, other end of the bungee hooked to the leg.

Hopefully that’s understandable lol

 

[blacktail sniper]

Thanks a bunch

 

[rayporter]

as mentioned, a 10x10 allley way will be too small- you cant open a truck door!! a 12 ft will barley work. 10 ft stalls are basically for ponies. a horse needs 12 ft. i built 10ft on centers for my first barn and went to 12 ft centers for my current barn. much improved.

a 60ft round pen may work for you sometimes but if you do a lot of round pen work it is too small. it takes 65 to 70 ft to work a horse properly. at 50 to 60 ft the animal does not get a safety zone to relax in-- in other words you are always too close. it took a couple round pens to understand this concept.

i found myself always backing away from the horse as i asked for it to perform. as far as riding in the round pen goes 60 ft will definitely cramp you, unless it is the first couple rides you are putting on a young one.

since heat is a problem here i wired the barn for 220v power. old air conditioner and heat pump fans are cheap to free and i have one for each pair of stalls. they move a lot of air.

 

[blacktail sniper]

as mentioned, a 10x10 allley way will be too small- you cant open a truck door!! a 12 ft will barley work. 10 ft stalls are basically for ponies. a horse needs 12 ft. i built 10ft on centers for my first barn and went to 12 ft centers for my current barn. much improved.

a 60ft round pen may work for you sometimes but if you do a lot of round pen work it is too small. it takes 65 to 70 ft to work a horse properly. at 50 to 60 ft the animal does not get a safety zone to relax in-- in other words you are always too close. it took a couple round pens to understand this concept.

i found myself always backing away from the horse as i asked for it to perform. as far as riding in the round pen goes 60 ft will definitely cramp you, unless it is the first couple rides you are putting on a young one.

since heat is a problem here i wired the barn for 220v power. old air conditioner and heat pump fans are cheap to free and i have one for each pair of stalls. they move a lot of air.

Good point and that is my fear. That and me getting bored lol.. Still hoping i can figure a way to do both a small arena and a round pen guess like anything just money.

 

[rayporter]

two sizes would definitely be ideal.