Fencing
Just wanted to take a moment to discuss horse fencing.
I'm a huge snob when it comes to horse fencing. I want properly set poles, corners, and a nice clean fence line. I really get annoyed at cheap do it yourself posts and corners. Your animals need to be kept within the fence without injury, this isn't the place to slack off.
Barbed wire is the top on my hate list. I don't mind it if this is a huge run with plenty of roaming and grazing area, the horse isn't going to be interested in pushing through the fence. I really prefer it to be electrified if it's being used, to discourage rubbing on the fence. So many injuries can happen with barbed wire if not set properly. It needs to be tight and not hanging. I really hate seeing it used for small runs, because then the horse is going to be running along the fence line more. The panels in the picture below would be unsafe, they're large enough for a leg to get through.
If a leg gets caught:
We use high tensile wire, not coated and not the rope. Our pasture is also large enough for the 3 horses that are currently in it to where they aren't going to be pushing on the fence. We have properly set corners that are cemented in and set slightly out to keep the corners from pulling inwards from the tension of the fence. Right now there are 3 strands, all electrified and tightened with the proper equipment. Posts are set at a certain distance to maintain a nice straight and strong fence, no sagging.
My 3 year old recently ran though the fence, breaking one wire and slipping between the other two. She came out with 3 scrapes on her neck from the top wire, and a couple cuts on her legs from the bottom wire breaking. If the fence hadn't of broken, she would have remained stuck to trip through the fence and keep getting shocked by the electric wires. She stood long enough for me to run out, unplug the fencer, and get a halter on before she broke the bottom wire and came out. Her injuries could have been a lot worse, but I believe our properly set fence actually helped her.
The fencing I would ideally have for a smaller area is strong, small squared mesh panels with a post and board fence. This is ideal for me because I know my horses paw the fence when in a smaller area. I'd love to have it for a larger area to prevent any other animals from getting in. This would also be safe for foals, and help keep in other livestock such as goats, cattle, and sheep. I'd put a single strand of electric rope on the inside of the top board to prevent the horses from leaning on the fencing.
I'm not a fan of Ramm or Centaur type fencing because it can break when not used properly. It can sag if not tightened and horses can slip through if not used with electric rope or wire. I really like the set up below.
I also like this type of fencing for looks, but have no experience with it first hand. It looks sturdy and well put together, I have no idea what kind of paneling is used to comment on the strength. To me this seems very similar to the post and board fencing with paneling. The one thing I don't like is if used for a smaller area, a horse may roll near the fence and get a leg under, but the chances of that seem slim in a small area.
Feel free to post comments on the fencing. I'm not well informed on all types of fencing, just what I have dealt with while owning horses. Horses can get injured with any fencing, some more than others.
I'm a huge snob when it comes to horse fencing. I want properly set poles, corners, and a nice clean fence line. I really get annoyed at cheap do it yourself posts and corners. Your animals need to be kept within the fence without injury, this isn't the place to slack off.
Barbed wire is the top on my hate list. I don't mind it if this is a huge run with plenty of roaming and grazing area, the horse isn't going to be interested in pushing through the fence. I really prefer it to be electrified if it's being used, to discourage rubbing on the fence. So many injuries can happen with barbed wire if not set properly. It needs to be tight and not hanging. I really hate seeing it used for small runs, because then the horse is going to be running along the fence line more. The panels in the picture below would be unsafe, they're large enough for a leg to get through.
If a leg gets caught:
We use high tensile wire, not coated and not the rope. Our pasture is also large enough for the 3 horses that are currently in it to where they aren't going to be pushing on the fence. We have properly set corners that are cemented in and set slightly out to keep the corners from pulling inwards from the tension of the fence. Right now there are 3 strands, all electrified and tightened with the proper equipment. Posts are set at a certain distance to maintain a nice straight and strong fence, no sagging.
My 3 year old recently ran though the fence, breaking one wire and slipping between the other two. She came out with 3 scrapes on her neck from the top wire, and a couple cuts on her legs from the bottom wire breaking. If the fence hadn't of broken, she would have remained stuck to trip through the fence and keep getting shocked by the electric wires. She stood long enough for me to run out, unplug the fencer, and get a halter on before she broke the bottom wire and came out. Her injuries could have been a lot worse, but I believe our properly set fence actually helped her.
The fencing I would ideally have for a smaller area is strong, small squared mesh panels with a post and board fence. This is ideal for me because I know my horses paw the fence when in a smaller area. I'd love to have it for a larger area to prevent any other animals from getting in. This would also be safe for foals, and help keep in other livestock such as goats, cattle, and sheep. I'd put a single strand of electric rope on the inside of the top board to prevent the horses from leaning on the fencing.
I'm not a fan of Ramm or Centaur type fencing because it can break when not used properly. It can sag if not tightened and horses can slip through if not used with electric rope or wire. I really like the set up below.
I also like this type of fencing for looks, but have no experience with it first hand. It looks sturdy and well put together, I have no idea what kind of paneling is used to comment on the strength. To me this seems very similar to the post and board fencing with paneling. The one thing I don't like is if used for a smaller area, a horse may roll near the fence and get a leg under, but the chances of that seem slim in a small area.
Feel free to post comments on the fencing. I'm not well informed on all types of fencing, just what I have dealt with while owning horses. Horses can get injured with any fencing, some more than others.