How to Build a Cheap Round Pen

Round pens are a useful training aid for your young horse, giving both you and him a bounded area to work within and keeping the horse from escaping should he get loose. A pen also functions as a safety device for you, because there's enough room for you to roll out beneath the lowest layer of boards around the fence if need be. You can save money when building a round pen by using regular posts instead of pressure-treated lumber for most of it and spacing the posts a little wider apart than you otherwise might.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Post-hole digger
• Two 10-foot by 4-inch by 4-inch pressure-treated posts
• 10-foot by 4-inch by 4-inch non-pressure-treated posts
• Two 8-foot by 2-inch by 6-inch boards
• 6-foot by 2-inch by 6-inch boards
• Portable electrical screwdriver
• 4-inch wood screws
• Four or more heavy-duty hinges
• Rope

1. Mark the boundaries of your round pen, then measure straight across from one side of the circle to the other. This is the diameter of your round pen and should be counted in feet, not inches.

2. Multiply the diameter of the round pen by 3.14--the resulting number is the circumference, or distance around the edge, of your pen enclosure, in feet.

3. Subtract 8 feet from the circumference of your pen. That represents the gap through which you bring the horse. Divide the resulting number by 6. If the answer is a decimal or fraction, round it up to the next number. This is the number of 4-inch by 4-inch posts you'll need to form your round pen.

4. Dig a hole at least 3 feet deep for each post, starting with the two posts on either side of the entry gap, spaced 8 feet apart. Dig the other holes 6 feet apart, continuing all the way around the circle.

5. Place a post in each hole, making sure that the two pressure-treated posts go on either side of the entry gap. Backfill the holes and, if the soil is especially unstable, add some concrete. Let the concrete set.

6. Soak the 6-foot by 2-inch by 6-inch boards so they'll be more flexible, then screw them in place horizontally around the pen. Start adding the boards at least 2 feet off the ground and stagger them, each about a foot apart, until you reach the top of the posts.

7. Place the two 8-foot by 2-inch by 6-inch boards on the ground, parallel to each other about 6 feet apart. Screw 6-foot by 2-inch by 6-inch boards between them as crosspieces to form a basic door for your gap.

8. Prop the door up on cinder blocks--the 8-foot-long side should be parallel to the ground, and the bottom edge of the door should be at least 2 feet off the ground. Have a friend help you hold the door steady while you screw the heavy-duty hinges into place between one side of the door and one of the pressure-treated entry posts.

9. Tie two loose loops of rope around the free side of the gate, within easy reaching height, and install matching screws on the inside of the entry post on that side. Leave the heads of the screws protruding about 2 inches. When you want to hold the door closed, just loop the rope over the screws.

Tips & Warnings

• This round pen is cheap and functional, but won't last as long as a pen built with sturdier, more costly materials.