[appgirl]

okay so i love reining, and the guy who trained my horse elmo said that with time elmo would be a good reiner and look good in the arena two. So this is my problem, this summer i will teach him to neck rien, and how to do controlled circles (and not run over other horses and judges cough) but the thing is is were he is now there is lots of wide open spaces to work with circles and that kinda jazz, but once he is home this fall alls we have i a 20x 50 foot lawn 9its maybe that big) is this to small to work circles in even if we dont get riening he needs to know how to loup a circle nicely. so is this big enough or will it be a hazard.

I seriously need you advice on this one cause if it is a good size for stuff like that then i may talk my parents into turing it into a little arena. i will mesure its forsure length tomorow. but please tell me your opinions

[Blistering Winds]

a 50 ' area is a bit small to ride in safely.

Especially since you say it is 20' x 50'...so in reality, you only have a 20' diameter.

Not enough room to do anything in.

Trailer to the arenas. I have.

Start looking around as you drive. I've found 5 arenas within a 2 minute drive of my house that I never knew were there and I will pay $50 a month at any of them for arena useage. I will provide them with a copy of coggins and vaccinations, and one place wants a vet report of health once a month. (he got nailed not long ago by someone trailering in a sick horse...took out his barn)

But that would be your safest bet for both you and your horse...and your lawn...as the horse will take that to NOTHING in no time.

[cd_horton]

Thats not much room and one other thing to consider is good footing. It takes very special ground to teach horse to slide 20-30 feet. As for training nice circles, you have to first have total body control, hips shoulder and rib cage, then at first show your horse the circle, use the reins and your legs to keep him on the circle, over time you will start asking him to stay on the circle on his own. Everytime he leaves the circle you can correct him. Some trainers work the hub, they put the horse on the circle and if the horse leaves the circle, they turn them into the middle, lope all the way across and pick the circle back up on the other side, this creates more work for the horse when he leaves the circle so they quickly learn to stay on track....others will let the horse leave the circle a good distance and then correct them by using the leg to push them back on track again the horse learns if he is on the circle he gets no correction, when he gets off track a correction is applied.