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Safe Fencing
Safe, visible, and sturdy is the game plan with fencing systems.
Safe, visible, and sturdy pasture fencing for your horse involves careful planning. Before investing possibly thousands of dollars in materials, put the effort into designing a fencing system that will work for your farm.
By Nancy Butler
Planning Tips • Watch the budget. For large areas, save money by installing fancier fencing at the front and less-expensive fencing in the back. • Think sturdy. Smaller paddocks/ pens need safer, sturdier fencing as horses who play hard—or get
USRider® Equestrian Traveler’s Companion
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spooked—can run into a fence line before they even realize it’s there. • Determine center length. The standard is to have wood posts on 8-foot centers, but modern fencing materials allow you to extend the centers to 10 and even 12 feet. • Determine height. Fence height should be 48 to 54 inches—even higher if you have a big jumper or a good escape artist. • Provide a sight line. Provide a sight line along the top of a wire fence so the horses can see it from a distance. This can be something >> Summer 2020
