- 1). Tie a 33-foot cord to a nail and insert the nail into the center of where the pen will be. Fix the loose end of the cord to another nail.
- 2). Walk away from the nail in the ground. Hold the nail on the end of the cord until the cord is pulled taught.
- 3). Walk around the center nail in a circle, dragging the other nail in the ground to make the perimeter outline of the pen. Use spray paint to highlight the nail line.
- 4). Mark the gate post-holes along the outline with a cross of spray paint. The gate should be at least 6 feet wide to allow a saddled horse room to enter easily. Continue to mark the holes for the rest of the pen posts. These should be spaced about 7 feet apart.
- 5). Dig out each of the marked holes for the posts with a shovel. Make the holes 3½ feet deep, or dig below your local frost line, whichever would make the hole deeper.
- 6). Insert a post into the first hole and use a level to position the post at a 10 angle. The top of the post should point away from the inside of the pen.
- 7). Have your helper pour in wet concrete to fill the hole half way up around the post. Dump two shovels of dirt into the hole to support the angled post, checking the post with a level to make sure the angle is still correct.
- 8). Place posts into the other holes the same way as you did with the first. Each post should be angled the same way. Let the posts rest overnight.
- 9). Fill the holes with dirt until the dirt reaches 12 inches below the top of the hole. Fill the rest of the holes with concrete and let them set overnight.
- 10
Attach ¾ x 2-inch boards horizontally to the inside of the posts with a nailing gun. Use 8-foot-long boards. Cut them with a circular saw where they meet at each post so they fit flush with each other. - 11
Place the lowest row of boards so they are 8 inches off the ground. Space the consecutive rows so the boards are 13 inches apart. Do not install boards between the gate posts. - 12
Run railroad ties around the perimeter of the pen, between each post. These will hold the sand flooring in place, so make sure the ties fit very tightly between the posts. - 13
Fill the pen floor with 2-3 inches of sand. Attach a pen gate to the gate posts with a power drill and screws.
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