All Weather Round Pen In Texas (Houston area)

[desertmyst]

I’m about tired of all the rain we are getting (and get in our “rainy” seasons), I can’t work my horses and I can’t afford to build a covered arena…I’ve been trying to board at a facility with a covered arena but affording that is wreaking havock to my budget.

Soooooooooo, I’m thinking about trying to build an all weather round pen that will dry fast OR is there a way to cover a round pen on a budget?

I’m in the Houston area and everthing gets wet and soggy in winter\spring, I have a particular area of my property I can get electrical to easily but that part is of course the area that gets soggy.

What should I do to make this? Does anyone in the area have anyone to recommend do the work?

I’ve been researching but there haven’t found anything concrete to help me.

THANKS!

[Guilherme]

If you Google “covered round pens” you will get a wealth of information. I didn’t go through much of it due to time restrictions. I got you into the house; you get to do your own exploration!!!

We lived in Houston (West U. actually) in the early '80s and went through Hurricane Alicia there. If you are on relatively high ground then you can build a round pen that will dry out relatively quickly but it will not be a cheap project. You’ll have to build as carefully as football field or a turf tennis court. That means digging out the base and using rock, fill, geo-cloth, and bunch of heavy equipment time.

If by “on a budget” you mean “low cost” I’m afraid you’re in for some disappointment. You can try simple things like just build up an area a few inches above grade, roll it, seed it well, and to forward but over time I suspect erosion will reduce the value of what you’ve done.

In this Google is your best friend and it’s worth spending some time to see what you find. You might try asking for help from Extension. You can ask at your feed and tack stores who might have done this and talk to them. You are in a difficult climate and geography for the project.

Good luck as you go forward.

G.

[desertmyst]

Thanks! I’ve been googling like crazy already lol
Just want to see if anyone locally has any ideas, I was quoted about 20-30K for a 60’ covered round pen and that is not something I want to spend. BUT maybe someone knows if you can do it for less?
Trying to even find someone to work around here is crazy since the Hurricane and flooding, I’ve only been able to get two people out to quote the fences that need to be fixed and only 1 actually said he would do it! It’s a full market.
I have a possible lead on someone to put in a pad that I could work horses on but he hasn’t committed to coming out and quoting yet and I’m not exactly sure what to tell him to do.

[clanter]

in Vietnam we used a center pole draping a cargo parachute to make what would be a round pen
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Exc-cond-Vietnam-era-US-military-OD-64-foot-G12-cargo-parachute-w-lines-/192414617222

here we were not concerned about rain but sun so used a B-52 drag chute which is slotted, it lasted about five years but only cost less than $100

Since you are in Houston check with Mueller Steel to see what they would charge for a steel cover

[Bluey]

You could also get bids on a square cover, or even partly enclosed building.
Being square may cost less, more standard fabrication and materials.

Then you can add something to round up the corners.

Is what someone here did, works great for them, even had some demonstrations in there.

Steel in Houston should be as cheap as anywhere, is where so much of it enters the US, by ships.

Here Mueller are nicer, Metal Mart not so much.
Both are big companies that there should be as cheap as anyone else, no middleman, like here.

FarmTek has some cloth material covered round pens, google them.
Not sure what their prices may be.