Crooked posts = crooked fence... Post driver blues

[sixdogs]

I somewhat understand horses but not on the high dollar level that you do. In places I've lived, I have seen smooth wire high-tensile multi strand fences keep horses in and behaved. It also prevented injury because the wire had springs in it that had "give" in case of contact. There also was a wide strand of white fence tape so horses could see it. I'm not sure how esthetically compatible this look would be for Kentucky. Would this type of fence work for you?

This is an attractive fence with six or more strands and is not that difficult to put up. It requires strong double corner posts and occasional posts in line maybe 120' apart but in the spaces between we ran batten posts that floated and were not in the ground. Again, Kencove Fence in Pennsylvania had the particulars on construction so we just followed their lead. Just a thought.

 

[Dadnatron]

6 miles is a lot of fence.

2 1/2 mile perimeter. Then each paddock will be fenced completely separately. Its like a big bubble with lots of small bubbles within it. Overall, by the time we are done and all the roads, people areas, paddocks, and perimeter is fenced it is just a bit over 6 miles.

 

[prof fate]

I can't imagine painting that much fence..no way no how.

Looks pretty..but unless you're a racing operation with a groundscrew and budget to match can't see how you can justify all this work.

We've just started replacing our horse fencing - some is very old (25+) and the posts re very nice - driven in I assume from the looks of the ones i've pulled (most pointed). The boards were rough sawn - amish supply and way cheap (think 68c per BOARD..1 1/8 thick mixed width 8 to 16' long - so I gotta do some table saw work..soft (or hard..i chose soft) maple).

Most of it she's decided will be t=post and electrobraid. Hi=T was her first choice but the price...yowsa.

Driving posts here is common, for line anyway, corner and gate are often holes.

 

[prof fate]

Horses can find amusing ways of injuring themselves. If you keep them in big enough pastures it's a lot less likely than if they're crowded.

For 15 years our main pasture has been one or 2 strand electric on simple rebar pounded in the ground. The safety aspect is a)elec keeps the off the fence and b) if htey do run into it it comes down easily.

The drawbacks are it comes down easily..deer take it down a lot. Easy to fix but it'sa daily or twice daily chore during hunting season.

t posts and the same wire work much better so we're going to that. Top strand will be electrobraid for higher visibility. part of the refencing is to turn some pasture in to hay field, an arena, a trail course - so visitors will need to see the fence more easily.

Some of the old fence was board but a lot was page wire with top and bottom boards..solid, but a maintenance PITA unless you keep it sprayed to kill the weeds/trees that like to grow through it. Removing it is a hassle - very solidly attached and the "she" in the relationship is very fearful of nails/staples being left laying about so it's gotta come down by hand...would be so eary to use the tractor to pull it out and piile it and burn the wood, have a scrapper come get the metal...

I kinda like the wide wire/vinyl 'tape' but it seems to degrade over time - in looks if nothing else - and washing a mile or more of fence doesn't sound appealing either.

We have thoroughbreds, in the middle of horse country. One injury to a horse resulting in major issue would pay for a large portion of the fence. My wife likes the 'board' look. I do as well, but I'd be happy with the Centaur strap as well. We also might put in V-Mesh in some paddocks.

Steel posts and regular woven wire is not an option.

I grew up with barbed wire and cedar/steel posts with both cattle and horses, so I understand horses 'CAN' be OK in them. But Tbreds are so hot blooded, that they work to find ways to injure themselves. Anything short of Vmesh is not an option. And it STILL requires driven posts.

 

[Dadnatron]

95% of all 4 board fence on Tbred farms, in KY is painted black. There are only 2 farms that I can think of off hand which have white fence. Calumet and Darby Dan. There are a couple more probably, but it is rare.

Black fences are better IMO. Easier to maintain for sure, but blend in to the countryside better. If I could get away with it, I wouldn't have any fencing at all. I love the open appearance of our place.

 

[Fuddy1952]

This is the opposite, and a good laugh, but many years ago Dad and I built a stable. He was all about doing things cheaply as possible, so we built a small about 12ft×48ft barn out of saw mill rough oak. Three stalls and one for hay we got up by hand (sickle bar cut, raked, loaded on wagon). Three grade horses, although his favorite was an Arabian "Blaze". We fenced off about 8 acres or so using those plastic posts about every 40ft or so, two strands of smooth electric wire. The horses never once got out. They all lived to be quite old, and I was elected to keep hooves trimmed, etc. after watching the farrier do it once.
When Blaze had to be euthanized it's the only time I remember seeing Dad cry.

 

[showcattle]

Wood Fencing | Product categories | McArthur Lumber & Post

 

[rustyshakelford]

I thought you were going to go with pvc fence? I love the look but the maintenance is a major turn off. Good luck in your project and if I was closer I’d come and help ya

Brett

 

[skipperbrown]

My hood has 18,000 feet of white 3 board pine fence on 6 ft centers that is now 24 yrs old. We paint it once every 4 to 5 yrs with Sherwin Wms deck stain and it's looking pretty miserable by that time. The last time it was painted we were charged $1 per foot for power washing and stain application by brush (lasts longer than spraying) and that was by far the cheapest quote. Is divorce completely out of the question????

 

[Dadnatron]

Is divorce completely out of the question????

We are trying to put if off in case we get a Derby winner!