The horse has a front end and a back end. You need to be able to steer both and to do this the horse needs to yield to pressure at both the fore and hindquarters. The round corral gives you the opportunity to test and tune up this steering. Basically longeing is getting those feet to move how and where you want them to so your horse should be pretty handy in yielding to shoulder pressure as well as flank pressure prior to your getting into the saddle. Before we discuss how to operate in the round corral, let's consider why it works.
Horses respect assertiveness, confidence and athletic prowess.
First thing, one must realize that the horse has no depth perception but he does have wide lateral vision. Secondly, in a round corral or on a longe line the horse is travelling over a large circle while we are travelling over a very tiny one. Once we understand this geometric relationship, we can start applying the principles of horse leadership. He can make them run. He can make them stop.