3 minute read
Paddock Pointers
Safe, visible, and sturdy is the game plan with fencing systems. By Nancy Butler
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.
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 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 >>
as simple as colored ribbons every few feet. • Round the corners. This design will make mowing easier and keep horses low in the pecking order from being trapped in corners by more dominant herd mates. • Consider a perimeter fence. A perimeter fence around the entire property is a great safety net. • Fence ponds. Fence around any ponds to keep horses from eroding the banks or walking out on ice. • Fence trees. Fence around any trees to keep horses from stripping the bark, and killing or disfiguring them. it won’t pop apart if a horse runs into it. Look for the words “horse fence” on the label. • Wood posts. Treated round or square wood posts are still the standard. (Avoid treated landscape ties.) Install them in a drilled hole using a tractor-mounted or hand-held auger. Or, find a con
Fencing Materials
Once upon a time, there was a limited selection of fencing materials to choose from: wire, wood, maybe pipe. While these are still used extensively, new materials/technology offer us more choices. • Vinyl. The classic wood “estate fence” is available in vinyl, but be aware that not all vinyl fencing is horse safe. Some of these rails pop right out of the posts when horses lean on them. They’ve also been known to shatter if hit. Flat, flexible vinyl strips reinforced with cables give a similar look for less money and they’re more forgiving if a horse runs into them. • Wire options. The thin electric wire of yesterday has given way to thicker, braided wire and narrow, woven mesh tapes that are more visible and less likely to cut a horse who gets spooked and runs through it. Avoid field fence or box wire; the openings are large enough for a horse to put a foot through. Better options are woven wire fences with small openings or diamond mesh. When the wire strands are woven or wrapped rather than welded, tractor who’ll drive them into the ground. Set the posts down far enough to avoid heaving if you live in an area where the ground freezes. • Metal T-posts. It’s best to avoid metal T-posts, which can impale a horse. If you must use them for budget reasons, cap them with plastic caps. Several cap styles are available.
Added Value
Fencing depends on the needs of your animals, as well as your own aesthetic tastes. You’re not only investing in your horses’ needs, but you’re also investing significant capital into your real estate. You want to be happy with the results for years to come.
Nancy Butler is an avid horsewoman, long-time journalist, and freelance writer based in Delaware.
