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For many horse trainers across the world, the round pen is a relied-on staple in their program. Numerous trainers promote the round pen as the best training aid, capable of transforming any horse no matter how dangerous, untrained, or wild into a responsive partner. Often the round pen is introduced early in the horse's training and is said to establish respect and help create a relationship between horse and trainer.
The round pen is most often promoted by natural horsemen, including Clinton Anderson, Monty Roberts, and Buck Brannaman. Touted as a magical way to get control over horses with a plethora of behavioral problems, round penning has become a fixture in many natural horsemanship programs and in barns across the world. Especially for people who are struggling with their horse, the promise of a quick fix can be tempting.
As more and more horse enthusiasts are looking for better ways to train their horse, natural horsemanship and the round pen continues to be a popular choice. However, the average horseperson and trainer doesn't truly understand what the round pen is really teaching their horse.
Why The Round Pen Is Used
Natural horsemanship is marketed as a way of communicating with the horse in their own language. This appeals to many owners looking for a way to train their horses with compassion and empathy. Natural horsemanship attempts to mimic the way horses interact with each other in the herd. It is created on the idea that horses have single alpha and a pecking order where more dominant horses can push subordinates off of resources they desire*.
It is the job of the trainer to assert themselves as the leader of the horse. In the herd, horses establish dominance by pinning their ears, biting, and kicking at an offender until the other moves. Because horses in the herd establish dominance by moving other horses around, the basis of natural horsemanship revolves around establishing dominance and gaining the respect of a horse by moving their feet.
Round penning is the main way many trainers attempt to assert themselves as their horse's leader and gain their respect. The confined space allows trainers to push their horses around until they show a sign of submission. The ultimate goal of round penning for many is join up, when the horse stops, faces the trainer and comes into their space when allowed.
*Herd dominance theory has numerous studies disproving it
The Hidden Horrors of the Round Pen
While round penning can look like an intricate dance between human and horse, and sounds like the best way of communicating with the animal, taking a closer look reveals the many pitfalls of the round pen.
It is NOT Communicating with the Horse
Taking a moment to catch horses interacting in a herd will reveal a range of behaviors. Ear pinning, biting, and kicking are all common occurrences in many fields as horses compete for space, play, and communicate with each other. Over the years natural horsemen have tried to transfer horse language into human terms to help simplify the training process. This led to the use of the round pen.
While at first glance, the method seems to check out, a closer look reveals one very important thing... horses DO NOT communicate with each other the same way many trainers do. Altercations in the field only last a few seconds most of the time. Horses in an open space never chase each other in circles for minutes on end. Therefore using a round pen goes against the nature of the horse, triggers their flight response, and only serves to confuse them if not done exactly right.
Relies on Force and Helplessness
Horses are prey animals that have evolved over thousands of years to be able to outrun predators. Because of that, when stressed, horses will go into a flight response. Traditional round penning relies on triggering the horse's flight response and tiring them out until they are forced to comply to make the discomfort go away.
Because of the confined space, trainers can easily force a horse to move with a combination of fear and pain. Most trainers will then chase the horse and make frequent changes of direction, keeping them in a fear state, until they become tired, and turn and face the trainer to make the chasing stop.
This type of training eventually creates learned helplessness where the horse comes to realize there is nothing they can do to make the negative stimuli go away so they stop trying and give in to whatever the trainer asks. While this is often seen as creating a horse that is "broke," respectful, and responsive, the horse has actually shut down emotionally. A horse that has learned helplessness will lose its natural curiosity, spark, and personality.
Can Increase Fear and Aggression
When put in a stressful situation living creatures respond in one of three ways: fight, flight, and freeze. Round penning works because it triggers the horse's flight response and tires them out until they comply. Because this training method constantly triggers the fear side of the horse's brain, it can over time create more fear and a spookier horse. Horses do not become more confident from this type of handling, but instead, learn that they can't resist without facing consequences.
When a fearful animal feels that they can't get away, the flight response turns to fight. Putting an animal in a small, confined space and instilling fear in them can trigger aggression in bolder horses. From the trainer, this is often met with a sharp increase in pressure so the horse learns not to fight back. However, this quickly can turn into a barbaric display of force that leaves both parties frustrated and at odds. Such could have easily been avoided had the horse not been pushed into a fearful and aggressive state by poor training practices.
Ruins the Horse/ Human Bond
Traditional round penning teaches horses that they have to submit to the human. It provides no avenue for communication individuality. In many instances, horses trained using these methods become robotic and lose their natural spark and curiosity. It teaches the horse to mistrust people as they can at any moment lash out at them and chase them around in a way that does not make sense.
Positive reinforcement trainers often work hard to gain the trust of their horses and teach them that spending time with humans is a good thing. Round penning teaches the opposite. Horses may appear to be respectful and willing to stand by their human but they have simply shut down and learned to give in and comply to avoid pain. Round penning does not inspire trust, acceptance, or companionship in horses, thus ruining the chance someone has to create a true bond with their horse.
Most trainers who use the round pen simply do not understand how they are really communicating with their horses. A long line of prolific trainers have led to the widespread use of the round pen and a lack of understanding about the tool. While the practice has been touted as magic and the best way to create a willing, respectful horse the opposite is true.
That does not mean, however, that the round pen can't be used as a tool o foster curiosity, creativity, and acceptance in your horse. Check back next week to learn how to use a round pen for communication, connection, and bonding.