BREAKING ROUND PEN

A Circle of Learning

The round pen is used for ‘breaking’ young horses. This process serves as the foundation for later training. A well broke horse is less likely to injure itself and those around him.

The process begins with a horse in a small round enclosed area filled with sand and dirt. A handler uses a lunge line to teach the horse to respond to the handler’s voice and body commands.

The horse starts without a saddle but will later progress in teaching the horse to accept a bridle, saddle and weight of the rider. Once the horse is comfortable with the saddle the handler will “belly-up” by laying over the horse’s back. When the horse is used to the weight the rider will sit astride in the saddle.

Desired Outcome

•Keep the horse and handler safe

•Develop a positive attitude

•Build trust toward handler and rider

•Teach the horse to respond to commands

•Eliminate fear based responses