Fencing Recommendations

[MikePA]

What kind of fencing do you horse owners recommend?

We've installed 2 types thus far and I am thinking about using a third on the 3 acres we just purchased.

6" half round PT posts with 4 oak rails
We had this installed by a 'professional'. At first he tried pounding the posts in with a hydro post driver on the the front of his tractor. It was mid-summer and the ground was so hard (lack of rain) he only got one post in before giving up on this idea. He switched to using a PHD, which was somewhat better, but he could not consistently get the posts in very deep, so he had to concrete some of them in. The horses started leaning on the rails to get to the greener grass and broke some of the topmost oak rails, usually where there were knots which weakened the board. The pushing also caused the fence to lean somewhat. As a reaction, I ran electric fence tape around the inside of the top rail, no more problem.

4" x 6" x 8' PT posts with 1" x 6" x 16' PT rails
I replaced the original fence (see above) around the paddock and was able to get all the posts 3' into the ground and while it looks nice, the PT lumber was expensive.

What I am considering using around the 3 acres are T Posts (with covers) and electric fence from HorseGuard Fencing http://www.horseguardfence.com/pages2k/cat49.html. The T posts would be installed 16' apart, covered with the vinyl protection pictured at the aforementioned web site plus 4 strands of the white electric tape connected to a solar fence charger.

Your thoughts and recommendations?

 

[rf33]

Depending on the availability in your area of pipe, I like a 4 rail 2 7/8" pipe fence. This fence really holds up well, and it has the benefit over electric in that I can go through or over it (so can my kids) without the hair raising shock. I like high tensile smooth wire for cattle (with the option of electrifying), but for horses, I really like the welded pipe. The cost is certainly higher than wire, but probably not any higher than the wooden types you have described.

rf33

/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Mike,
Personally I just go with high tensile. I make two strands electrified, the top and next one to the bottom as this is where they stick their heads. High tensile is great. I've had horses run into this and just bounce off. I put in a wood post every 40' with two t-posts in between. I usually do six strands and make it 48" tall. Personally I can't stand the tape fences. After awhile it loosens and looks like crap in my opinion. If you are looking at rail fences go with the pvc fencing. It costs a little more than wood fencing but not much and lasts forever and best of all no maintaining it!

 

[MikePA]

High tensile requires the sturdy corners, i.e., diagonal braces in each direction? Do you concrete the corners?

I checked into the PVC and the posts need concreted in. Not a show-stopper but a little more work and $.

 

[hess]

Mike,

I'm not exactly sure as to where you live in PA, but I live in Chester County, and I recently fenced in 5 acres of my land for our horses.

I purchased rough cut 4X4 posts (treated pine) and 1X6X16' oak boards from Stockton Lumber in Unionville, PA. I ran three boards high, spaced so that my Lab can get under the lowest rail, and so that the top rail is about 54". This prevents the horses from being able to lean, nor can they fit their heads in between the rails.

I DO NOT recommend the T posts, for the simple fact that if the electric goes off, the horses could escape, and T posts are dangerous to big, stupid animals who like to rub up against everything.

I think the mistake many people make with horses, is that they deal with them like cattle or sheep, when it comes to fencing. I have seen horses run from a wispy piece of paper blowing across the pasture, as if it were out to get them and crash through tree branches, and on one occasion, an aluminum gate. I'd hate to think of what a high tensile wire would do to their flesh, or the consequences of a horse getting out after they easily broke the wire mesh tape.

There is nothing like a tall, clearly seen, wooden fenceline to turn a horse. Electricity just helps them to mind their manners.

Best of luck, hess.

 

[MikePA]

I checked the price for vinyl and just the fencing materials would cost almost $9,000 /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif!

Just for the heck of it, I requested quotes from a local fencing company for 3 and 4 rail PVC and wood.

I will check out the lumber yard in Unionville. I live in south central PA.

 

[MikePA]

Do you have a phone number for Stockton Lumber? I looked them up at http://www.anywho.com and could not find them.

Could you have meant Stockton Supply?

 

[cowboydoc]

Mike,
If you're interested there is a company here that is closing out that PVC white fencing for $20 an eight foot section. The local store is $34 an eight foot section.

Hess,
I totally agree with you on the fact that horses will run through fences but they are few and far between. Once a horse knows the boundaries of a fence it takes extraordinary circumstances for them to go through. Anyway for quarter horses, I haven't raised other breeds. Horses that I have seen go through fences will go through anything that is in their way whether a wood fence, high tensile, fabric, etc., even a building, it doesn't matter. I've seen horses get a broken board rammed through them as well as wire cuts. For the most part if you have enough strands the horse won't get hurt very much with the high tensile. I've seen horses run right into it and just bounce off without any harm at all. If we're talking about putting up a horse proof fence then we need to basically put the horse in a 12x12 padded stall. Horses can and will get hurt on all kinds of things. The best stuff to get is probably horse fence. It's a pvc type plastic that has a high tensile wire going through it that is encased as well. It's called a four inch plastic rail. A 660' coil is around $280. It stays looking good and is easy to tighten if it goes loose. There is virtually no chance of a horse getting hurt this way. I always use high tensile because it's cheap, in my opinion isn't a hazard to horses, and it's easy to put up and maintain.

 

[SteveBenson]

Mike,

You might want to contact RAMM fence (in OH I think) for a sales flier. They have a good variety of fencing sloutions specifically for horses. We had our fence delivered to CT no problem. I you are interested in high tension wire fence you might want to check out thier 5/16" coated high tension wire. It's 12.5 gauge high tension wire but is coated with PVC to make it 5/16" thick so it can't cut. They also have a neat new product that is similar to 5/16 coated wire but has some carbon seams built into it so it can be electrified (great if your horses need to lean on everything). Mix n' match.

www.RAMMfence.com

 

[cowboydoc]

Mike,
With regards to putting in high tensile or any fence you really need to have braces at all corners. Depending on the length you will either need a single or a double corner brace. You really don't need to concrete it in either just make sure that your corner posts are at least 3' into the ground. I was just looking at some alternatives in a catalog that I have for you and it you are worried about the cost and safety of fencing I would think about the coated high tensile or that horse fence I mentioned. You can see some of this as well at www.kencove.com. The reason I stay away from wood fencing is that it is so high maintenance AND the stupid horse chew on it all the time no matter what you try and do to stop them. It only takes one horse to start doing it and then your whole herd is doing it. Last year I had a friends rope horse stay at my house. I put him in the roping pen with some others and by the next day he had taught them all to chew and they had just about chewed the top oak boards off of my roping box!