Round Pen Calculator

The round pen works because it contains the horse’s natural flight instinct rather than restraining it. Chasing a horse around will teach the horse to run away from you. The round pen should be used to teach a horse to come to you. You are a safe place and he will not have to run if he is with you.

Round pens at your equine facility need to be safe for horses and humans. The footing of a round pen gets churned up around the fenceline, so you need to bring in a mechanical harrow or use a rake to keep it level and evenly distributed. This will keep your horse focused on you rather than the uneven, clumpy footing.

Example: If you plan to use 10 foot panels to construct a 60 foot pen, multiply 60 by 3.14 to get a circumference of 188.4, then divide 188.4 by 10 (panel length) to get 18.84. So you will need 19 panels for a slightly larger than 60-foot pen.

Jorgensen’s wood post-and-rail round pen is 60 feet in diameter and 5 feet tall, with two wood rails….How to Size a Round Pen.

How many 12 foot panels do I need for a round pen?

Panels are offered ranging from 8′ to 16′ in length. Typical round pens are packaged together with 12′ panels, which is the most popular size. When buying a round pen using smaller panels, such as 8′ or 10′ lengths, the price per linear foot raises anywhere from 10-15%.

50 to 60 feet

Sand creates a soft footing in any round pen. To use sand for the footing of your pen, you will first need to lay down a layer of gravel. Once the gravel has been evenly distributed, the sand will create the top layer. One of the benefits of this method is the incredible drainage it provides.

A nice medium sand is the best. Sometimes it is called 5/16ths minus. If the sand is too fine it can compact too much and become hard over time and also the wind can blow it away. If it is a bit too course it is a bit rough on the hoofs.

Be careful to apply the proper depth of sand. With its deep, loose traction, sand deeper than 6 inches is stressful to horse tendons. Start with about 2 inches and add a ½ inch at a time as necessary. (Start with only 1½ inches for arenas used primarily for driving horses.)

Some sand particles, such as beach and river sand, are extremely round. Both can be useful, as angular sand provides more stability while the round sand provides more cushioning. A combination of both, along with other materials, will let your horses work well.

Key strategies

1. Do your homework.
2. Avoid low-lying areas, and pick a spot where any fall will help to carry water away.
3. Excavate to a good base before trucking in materials.
4. Don’t skimp on base layers.
5. Ignore drainage and there’s a good chance your arena will fail.
6. Plan the project for the drier months.