Re: Lunging up and coming..

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

>I take exception to this generalization and disparagement of pen
work.>I>spend a good amount time on pen work but it is not endless round
'n >round>work. 

Hey Bob,

No offense.  I believe that the person in the original post was
discussing "conditioning a young horse".  The "roundpen happy" term was
meant to describe the type I've met when I've been horse shopping. 
They're small time Arab breeders, who let horses reproduce, and sometimes
show them at halter, then let them reproduce.  They don't care to ride,
but they like to raise horses.  Suddenly, they discover that they can
make one go in circles and it makes them feel pretty important....they
just love it.  Round & round & round & round & round.  Has nothing to do
with all the restraint free methods.  They're just chasing a horse in a
circle and enjoying themselves immensely.

I believe the restraint free fellows recommend a 40 foot? pen, to protect
those joints.  Most of the roundpens around here are much smaller,
probably because it's so difficult to make a flat place to put one.  The
one where the horse I was discussing came from was not 40'.  It was more
the equivalent of putting a horse on a hot walker and making it trot.

Wish I had even a small roundpen, but I wouldn't try to use it for
conditioning.

Angie

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