What Size Round Pen Do I Need?
I hear that question a lot and to me it is kind of like saying what size of hat should I buy. It depends on how big your head is. The size of round pen that best fits your needs depends on a lot of things.
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What size, age and disposition of horse are you going to play with?
What is your personal physical condition?
What are your goals and expectations?

When I was first introduced to natural horsemanship and round pen work, by Ray Hunt, it was in a 50’ diameter pen. I then went to several Buck Brannaman clinics and Buck used a 50’ pen as did Pat Parelli, Dennis Reis, Craig Cameron, Monty Roberts and most of the followers of all these horsemen recommended a 50’ diameter pen. John Lyons recommends a 60’ diameter pen. I have personally played with over 1000 different horses and those were mostly all done in a 50’ diameter round pen.

Then I met Rick Wheat, inventor of the Noavel headstall, and Rick works mostly in a 30’ diameter pen . Before meeting Rick I would always say that 30’ was too small to train a horse in, but Rick does clinics nearly every week and is wearing the 2006 belt buckle that he won at the “Mane Event Challenge” where he started an unbroken horse and brought it to the point of doing more than any of the other competitors in the challenge.
So what size of round pen do you need?

If you are a novice or new to round pen work, you will need to address the questions above.  A young horse under 2 years old can learn a lot in a 30’ diameter pen and could even be ridden at a walk. A wild horse or high spirited horse would be better worked in a 40 or 50’ diameter pen and a large horse would be better off in a 60’ pen if you are going to ride at a lope or canter.

I exclusively use the Porta-flex Safety Round pen in all of my teaching sessions and personal work, not only because I invented and manufacture the Porta-flex, but because it is the safest round pen on the market. I have the luxury of having several round pens and like to spend the first day or two in a 30’diameter pen and then move to a 40 or 50’. An extra panel can be added at any time to make the size pen that best fits the horse that I am working with.

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