Benefits of Using the Round Pen in Horse Training

     Do you want to know how to train your horse in the round pen? Here are some tips to get you started.

A novice horseperson must have an excellent grasp of groundwork before getting onto the saddle. This is the main reason why training the equine in the round pen is a must for an aspiring horseman.

Before anything else, it should be emphasized that time, patience, and most important of all, repetition is the way to make your equine learn. The whole purpose is to desensitize the equine to whatever stimuli it will encounter in the future. Whatever it is, the horse will do well with repetition and balance.

Putting on the saddle on your horse while doing groundwork might be a good idea. Although you don't intend to ride it just yet, the animal will get used to the dead weight on its back. Make the animal learn of carrying that dead weight before actually riding it. Desensitization is the key concept here. It will avoid spooking the equine and when the horse is in a good place emotionally, it cooperates and easy to work with.

Put the saddle on the equine in a way that the equine finds comfortable. Remember, this is could be totally new to the equine Ideally, you would want the saddle tight enough to be secure but loose enough for the animal's comfort Don't cinch up too tight. Use adequate amount of strength to tighten it. Check if your hand fits snuggly between the strap and equine's girth. If it does, you are doing it right.

After you have done all the necessary set-up for the round pen work, you can now do the process of hooking on with your equine.

The Art of Hooking On

Hooking on is a procedure that establish respect and further connection with the equine. As you are doing the guiding and moving your equine around the round pen, you should stay on the outside and when you are ready for your horse to "hook on", all you need to do is to step in front of the animal to make it look directly at you. Try to walk away and see if the equine will follow you. That whole process is called "hooking on" your equine. Needless to say, if the equine goes on even after you have stepped in front, you haven't directed your energy to the front of the horse or you're doing something wrong.

Doing this often will make you and your horse develop a strong bond and a more effective communication process.

The importance of body language

Your horse's and your body language is the primary medium of communication. It is very important to master this skill as a horseperson as well as being keen to your equine's body signals.

For novices, you cannot make the horse move without using body signals. Specific directions would also require specific signals from the human.

The rear of the horse is its powerhouse. You might step toward the equine, kissing or clicking to get it to move forward. Make certain that you are concentrating on the powerhouse of the equine. Master body language with groundwork for it will surely make you a better natural horseman.