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The Round Corral - Torment or Release?
To horse owners, the round corral can be a bit of a mystery. We’ve all seen them, some of us have used them, and yet few of us realize how many things we can do with and in them. Why are they circular? How big should they be? What are the benefits of using the round pen, and what can you actually learn from it?
First, we need to explain horse language,
which is markedly different from how humans communicate. Horses are
prey animals, whereas humans are predators. Horses have eyes that are
set wide apart for maximum vision to the surrounding landscape, and
they are keenly aware of the approach of potential predators. Humans
have eyes that are set close together, in the front of their heads, to
focus in on and stalk their prey. Horses naturally perceive humans as
their potential enemy, and humans naturally want to gain mastery and
control over horses. This power dynamic has been going on for centuries
and is well ingrained in both species: if we are to ever really achieve
a partnership with a horse we must acknowledge that their language and
experience is qualitatively different from ours. We must also realize
that it is not our purpose to make horses more like us, but to become
more like them.
In every horse herd, there is a "bell mare", a horse who holds the
group together and is their leader. She will kick an insolent and
misbehaving colt or filly out of the group if they cause trouble or
can’t get along with other members of the herd. These miscreants are
kept out of the herd by the bell mare until they can learn to accept
the rules of the herd. Once they acquiesce to group standards, they are
allowed back in. This same philosophy applies when we are in the round
corral.
Horses respect assertiveness and confidence. As herd animals, their
nature is to look for a leader. If their owner doesn’t recognize their
horse’s need for leadership, the horse feels anxious and will usually
attempt to become the leader themselves. This eventually leads to
problems on the ground and on board, such as a horse who steps on your
feet or runs away with you. But in the mind of a horse,really what is
happening, is that they are "filling in" for their absent leader. The
round corral helps you to establish yourself as their leader, and
ultimately as their partner.
Second, let’s discuss the basics of the round corral:
1. Historically, roundups of herds of horses were done in a circle,
because livestock flow more naturally in this configuration.
2. A circular pen eliminates the panicked "running away from you" that
happens in larger more rectangular spaces (such as arenas). Without
corners, the horse always has a place to move to but can never
completely get away from the human.
3. Round pens help to build a horses interest in what is at the center
of the circle, namely, you.
4. Because of the interest created by round pens, they encourage
"draw", the desire for the horse to be with you.
5. In addition to draw, the round pen allows the horse to communicate
his attitude to the rider by his body language.
6. The easiest sized round corral to work in is 50 feet because it is
large enough to allow the rider to touch the horse: at 60 feet it is
increasingly more difficult because it is harder to reach the horse,
and therefore, harder to draw the horse to you.
The most amazing part of using a round corral
is that you can quickly find out the truth about your horse. Does my
horse listen to me? Does he respect me? Will he partner with me in a
way that allows learning and progress for both of us? You can use the
round corral as a diagnostic tool, a way into your horse’s personality
that will give you clear and obvious information about the mental and
emotional fitness of your horse.
The most important thing that a round corral can do is cause a horse to
face you. In the herd mentality of the horse, facing you is their
acknowledgment that you are the leader and that they are interested in
what you have to say. Having your horse face you also disengages his
hindquarters. Disengagement is a natural instinct for horses. In the
wild, when a horse is spooked he will run up to 800 yards, turn,
disengage, and look at what caused him to flee. Then he will snort,
shake his head and decide whether to keep running or relax and stay
where he is.
Disengagement of the hindquarters means that your horse is willing to
give up his ability to leave, and that you now have the means to
"engage" his power. When a horse faces you, you have become its leader,
and you have set up an environment where learning can take place. What
disengagement of the hindquarters looks like on the ground is that your
horse’s head is facing you, and that their body follows in a straight
line behind their face. Any "part" of your horse that remains sticking
out is considered an area of resistance, a place where your horse is in
effect saying "I won't join you".
I have 7 games that I play with horses in the round pen, each of which
gives me information about the connection I have with a horse. Each of
these games has the prerequisite of the horse being willing to accept
the equipment I am using and to face me andeach game requires 2 things
from the human: if your horse leaves, always go back to the first,
primary game (Catch Me), and when your horse has positively responded
to what you are asking, give them release and touch them.
All of the 7 games use the drive line of a horse, which is located
approximately between the shoulder and the flank. When I walk into a
round corral, I carry a piece of equipment (a longe whip, a lariat) to
drive and support the horse in front or in back of the drive line.
Next, I unhalter the horse and walk towards their hindquarters. Under
these conditions, most horses will leave and circle the perimeter of
the round pen. From here, the games begin:
1. CATCH ME: meaning look at
me
after you have left, stopping and disengaging your hindquarter. In a
round corral, horses will naturally stay at the fence, trying to get
away from the human. By keeping them circling until they disengage
their hindquarters, you teach a horse that their release lies with the
human. I ask for disengagement by bending over and looking at the
hindquarter. If the horse doesn’t respond, I put more pressure on them
by walking towards their hindquarter and spanking behind the drive
line.
2. LOOK AT
ME:
after your horse has stopped to "catch you", they need to look at you
with both eyes. Looking with both eyes signals to the human that the
horse is actively seeking them out and doesn’t have a flight issue.
Once the horse has stopped to look at me,I usually move towards them
and touch them around their nose and forehead, providing reassurance
and comfort. The same hand that seeks them out for petting becomes my
"target hand", which I use as a guide when asking a horse to "stay with
me" around the corral.
3. STAY
WITH ME:
meaning stick with me and follow me around the corral, acknowledging me
as your leader. Hold your target hand close to your horse’s faceand use
your equipment to stimulate behind the drive line, asking your horse to
come with you wherever you go in the round pen. A horse’s staying with
you is unequivocal, and each time you put pressure on the horse, the
more they are tempted to leave. If and when they do, go back to steps 1
and 2.
4. HURRY TO
ME:
meaning come to me when I am asking you to come forward and at a speed
that tells me you are more engaged to stay with me than you are
interested in leaving. Ask your horse to hurry to you by lightly
flicking to stimulate behind the drive line. As your horse gets better
at responding to this cue, the area that you stimulate behind the drive
line becomes closer to where your leg would be on board.
5. CIRCLE
AROUND ME:
meaning stick with me in flexion, which is a prelude to collection. The
smaller the circle, the more flexed a horse needs to be. Use your
target hand and stimulate behind the drive line, always looking at his
hindquarters if he starts to leave. When your horse’s body is willing
to wrap around you, as in circling at a close distance, he is far more
likely to accept your legs directing his movements when you are on
board.
6. GO
BETWEEN ME AND THE FENCE:
meaning stick with me, even in a potentially claustrophobic situation.
Move closer to the round pen fence and drive your horse forward. When
your horse is able to move seamlessly between you and any obstacle, it
signals to you that even in a difficult situation your horse will stay
with you. This skill is invaluable both in the arena and on the trail.
7. TURN IN BOTH DIRECTIONS:
this game is played after you have taught your horse game #6 and he is
willing to go between you and the fence. After your horse has gone past
you in one direction,bend over and ask him to disengage which willcause
the horse to turn, then stand up and send your horse through in the
opposite direction. This game leads to a suppling of the rib cage and
sets your horse up for being able to do quick turns.
Each of these situations puts a horse under a different kind of
pressure, and horses will respond differently depending on the kind of
horse you have. Forward horses are more likely to leave and run around
endlessly in circles because they fear restraint. Yet these are the
horses who are most likely to face you quickly and stick with you in
the corral. In the round pen, we allow horses to have their freedom of
choice: they can always leave, and yet they somehow always choose to
come back to you. This is a signal that in the mind of the horse, you
are worth paying attention to. It also signals that the horse is
willing to partner with you.
Balky horses will stop across from you and be reluctant to come
forward. With balky horses, food is an incentive, and they are "barn
sweet", meaning that they would really rather be with their herd, which
is usually outside of the round pen. Being able to cause the balky
horse to come forward, by flicking behind their drive line and asking
them to "hurry to you", you can teach a horse to be braver and less
resistant to being directed by a human. The confidence that coming
forward instills will be important when you take the horse out on the
trail and the horse has to face potentially scary situations.
Whatever "kind" of horse we have, whether forward or balky, what we
really want to do is give the horse a choice and allow them to become
brilliant at problem solving, because ultimately this gives them
confidence and bravery. It also gives us the ability to be smart
instead of passive or mean. We wait for the horse to make their
decision, being persistent in our correction even if it is the wrong
one, and rewarding them with release when they’ve "got it". Release
means we stop our equipment and give them praise and reward. Since
horses learn through release, it is important to establish consistency
from the very beginning of our training with them. Whatever their
temperament, each horse can be worked with and taught not to fear but
to respond.
From this foundation, round penning teaches the basic cues necessary
for respect on the ground and on board. Respect is one of the foremost
responsibilities of both the horse and the human in obtaining and
maintaining a synergistic, harmonious relationship.