Best fence options

[tony123]

Great information so far! I don't want to sidetrack the thread too much, but... I'm putting in a fence right now. I'm using the 3.5" PT posts and dug the holes with a 9" auger bit. I was delegent in tamping the posts in with the existing soil, but still have a bit of wiggle.

What are some of the tricks to eliminate post wiggle? or maybe some wiggle is acceptable and the WWF will help strengthen them as a unit?

Thanks for any insight. tony

 

[Soundguy]

I don't board horses.. and you can get t-post caps for them to make them less likely to get punctured.

I've seen stabbed horses from broken shards of fence boards.


I personally own a horse that managed to get a shard of fence board stuck into it's head, under the eye..

Board for horses is common.. but in many parts of the country, hi tensile wire and barb wire is just as common...

I've never had a horse walk down a fence, barbed, electrified or not... but then.. i don't keep warmbloods or draft horses either... just mules, quarters and mini's.

by the way.. 10ac of electric fence is EZ to keep working..

Soundguy

The man said 'possibly horses'. I'd never use T posts for horses because they learn how to walk them down and if they jump up to chase a fly, they will get punctured. T posts will need to be electrified for horses. That 10 acres of WORKING electric fence.

Barbed wire never stopped a horse until its too late. If you ever board other's horses, they will probably reneg when they see the wire. My treated landscape timbers have lasted 15+ years, even the ones in the swamp. New pallets I just purchased to run some lanes in my fields went for $1.50 a piece from Lowes last fall. That's a lot cheaper than 4x4's or 6' cedar, You set the landscape timber so the strong side is out, not sideways. (Yes, I've seen the geneous side of civilization).

 

[Soundguy]

2x4 no climb woven wire is probably used for horses around here more than 3 or 4 board fencing.

Go out west and you see barb wire used for everything.

It's my 'last choice' for a horse.. but if your animals aren't particularly stupid.. you will have few problems. My mule has been in barb wire his entire life.. he has not a single scratch on his body or face.

My other horses are similar.. one I got from the water district.. they kept that animal in barb it's entire life. had a scratch or two on the muzzle.. nothing worse than I've got on my arms from just being alive on this planet..

There are plenty of ways to mitigate a fenceline and make it safer for an animal.

You can go to stranded hi tensile wire.. etc.

I've personally seen more animals maimed by electric wire embeded poly tape than i have any other fence material.. as for cattle.. well.. stronger is better.. and a deterrent is good.. but a charging bull will go thru anything not made of concrete.. if it wants to. And buffalo are 10x worse.

soundguy

A fence for both dogs and horses really means woven wire. While the woven wire will work well for the dogs, woven wire is less than ideal for horses. Barbed wire is absolutely a no go unless you like Vet bills.

When using woven wire for horses, PLEASE use only woven wire especially designed for horses. This kind of fencing has very small openings to preclude the horse from putting its hoof through the fence and injuring itself.

Examples are posted on this site Horse Fencing Systems for the Equine Industry - RAMM

I used Ramm's Flex-Fence and love it. Easy to erect and care for, and easy on the horses too.

Like several others who have posted, I like to use round posts for my fencing ... horses are powerful, inquisitive creatures and they will often test a fence. T-Posts are OK, but will need at least one strand of electrified wire to keep the horses away.

If you use wooden posts, I recommend using one 60lb bag of concrete for each line post and two bags for each corner post. Unless your ground is very dry, there is no need to mix the concrete. Just dump the bag into the bottom of the hole, maybe add a bit of water, then fill in with dirt.

 

[mlauk]

I agree with soundguy that barbed wire fence and t posts work fine for horses. That's what most people around my area use. Of course if you're running high dollar horses, then you can afford to run a high dollar fence. I've never had any problems with my horses and barbed wire fence, but I did have a neighbor whose horse got cut on the chest from a low t post.

 

[VAChesterfield]

To each their own ..... here's another on-going discussion about horses behind barbed wire on a different board.

Barbed Wire? - Yahoo! Answers

 

[Malvern]

Hello All,

We have 3 acres fenced off for our show horses, we use Poly tape with T-posts covered with a 2 x 2" PVC sleeve with caps, The Poly Tape is mounted to the 2 x 2 PVC with clips. The corners are 4 x 4 x 8 with a PVC sleeve. The entire fence is electrified and is the most horse safe fence we've found. Easy maintenance and can be repaired quickly.

Malvern

 

[Rara Avis]

Anyone who suggests barbwire to contain horses must have stock in their local vet...

A neighbor, who knew better than us......when advised about their fencing, has had one of their expensive 3 day eventer, that has been in treatment for getting cutup in their barbwire fence, out of service of serveral months...not counting the emergency call, initial treatments and then the weekly vet visits...I would hate to think what it has cost her...

Barbwire...not for expensive competition horses...

T-posts are no problem...as long as you cap them as has been mentioned...

Electrical fencing in snow country requires that you run a ground wire along with the hot wire, because our snow pack will actually insulate them from be jolted if all you run is hot wires on you fence...Demonstrated by a neighbor whose horses ended up at my barn...

 

[Soundguy]

I believe it was already mentioned that if you owned a million dollar horse.. something other than barbwire should be used.. also.. if you have warmbloods, drafts, or stalions, you need better fence.

If you have some mild pleasure horses that just pull grass all day, and mosey around tot he water trough now and then and come up to eat a handfull of carrots .. etc.. you may be able to get away with it.. Lots of variables... much of it the animals disposition.

Amount of land you are maintaining makes a difference too. if you have hundreds and thousands of AC. then 4 board with no climb wire might be something that donald ***** or bill gates maybee could buy to keep a few hay burners in... but most are going for stranded wire. Like I said.. my horses in b-wire have never had a vet issue... I have had a horse in board fence get poked by a broken board though... not sugesting anybody do either or.. just relating my experiences. Anyone that don't like my fence is welcome to stop by and upgrade it on their nickle -anytime-.

soundguy

 

[jmfox]

Is it too late to rein this thread in a little and focus on canines? I may preserve my options to contain horses, but my primary goal is the dog world. Are there any issues that I should be aware of regarding pooch running about? Fence height, buried portion, posts, weave, etc.?

jmf

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Is it too late to rein this thread in a little and focus on canines? I may preserve my options to contain horses, but my primary goal is the dog world. Are there any issues that I should be aware of regarding pooch running about? Fence height, buried portion, posts, weave, etc.?

jmf

What kind of dog are you trying to keep in? Makes a big difference, we had a Queensland Healer a few years back, and he would clear a 5' fence no problem. I had to go to 6' and that pretty much stopped him. Small dogs and you will need fence with smaller holes etc. A lot depends on what type of dogs you have.