# Horse people i need your help



## DROPPINEM (Mar 4, 2011)

I have not fooled much with horses but my wife grew up with them and now is wanting another one.My question is about fencing.I have heard that barbwire is not a real good idea for horses but she says its fine if the horse knows its boundaries......Basically what is a good way and not too expensive to fence in about 4 acres.....I am not saying what is the cheapest fence i can do but what is the norm for people who dont want to spend a yearly income on a fence.I see a lot of different styles around but what are the pros and cons to them?

Thanks in advance


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## Keebs (Mar 4, 2011)

I've seen & heard too many horror stories with horses & barbed wire!  
I have my 7.5 a's in electric fence, mostly 9 gauge, 4 strands, 2nd strand flagged real well.  Adding springs & wenches will add security & ease as well, they may "stretch" the fence, but most of the time it won't break & you can just wench it back up.


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## JuliaH (Mar 4, 2011)

There is a barbless wire, not much more expensive than regular barbed wire... just doesn't have the sharp barbs on it. Works good, can put up nice fence with it and even use insulators with it. Check your local Tractor Supply.


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## DROPPINEM (Mar 4, 2011)

What do yall think about t-posts with 2x4 welded wire and then run a vinyl toprail around the top to serve as a visual barrier????


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## rvbmrb (Mar 4, 2011)

I have electric 3 strands t posts 15 ft apart never had any issues with this. Horses will learn the boundaries fast. Sometimes I let them graze in the yard while I am here with some extra wire strung up around the trees with no fire on it but they dont test it.


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## olcowman (Mar 4, 2011)

Just go on put you up some 48" field fence (hog wire as some folks call it) with a single strand of gaucho barbed wire strung tight across the top of it. Corner braces out of 8" wood (tied in) and t-posts 12 - 15 ft apart. Start your field fence about 4 inches above the ground so you can weed-eat under it.

Electric is cheaper (in some cases) and they got some real pretty vinyl stuff out now but if you want to sleep good at night and not worry about your horses getting out or getting tore up.... go with the field fencing. Horses are about as dumb as animal as there is and they'll find a way to get tangled up or loose on the highway if they can. 

I'd try talking her into buying a cow or a steer and breaking it to ride? (Otis Campbell sure looked good on that cow?) That way when she get's tired of it ya'll can eat it!


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## twinstar (Mar 6, 2011)

i have had horses for about 15 (long ) yrs an i use the 2x4 field fence with 3 boards .  never had a problem with it . an went to the local power company an got power poles to put the fence on . cheap an looks good plus safe .


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## fireretriever (Mar 8, 2011)

Get her a new four wheeler then you want need the fence. It will be cheaper in the long run too. You don't have to feed it when you aren't riding it, it want get out in the middle of a rain storm, you don't have to chase it down when you get ready to ride it and if it throws you off it's your own fault. It also will not crap everywhere or kick you just because it can. I have trained horses most of my life and have been a farrier for 18 years. Horses are like boats the best 2 days with them are the day you get them and the day you get rid of them.  I used to have money then I got horses. Spoken from experience. If you ever see another one in my yard you will know you are at the wrong house.


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## wilber85 (Mar 8, 2011)

twinstar said:


> i have had horses for about 15 (long ) yrs an i use the 2x4 field fence with 3 boards .  never had a problem with it . an went to the local power company an got power poles to put the fence on . cheap an looks good plus safe .



I live in my landlords horse pasture and this is what they have all around their house as well as the majority of farms around Milton.  Seems to work just fine for most folks.


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## shakey gizzard (Mar 9, 2011)

X3 on the farm fence not the welded wire! You'll be able to keep out all the unwanted critters, yotes/neighbor dogs!.


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## DROPPINEM (Mar 11, 2011)

fireretriever said:


> Get her a new four wheeler then you want need the fence. It will be cheaper in the long run too. You don't have to feed it when you aren't riding it, it want get out in the middle of a rain storm, you don't have to chase it down when you get ready to ride it and if it throws you off it's your own fault. It also will not crap everywhere or kick you just because it can. I have trained horses most of my life and have been a farrier for 18 years. Horses are like boats the best 2 days with them are the day you get them and the day you get rid of them.  I used to have money then I got horses. Spoken from experience. If you ever see another one in my yard you will know you are at the wrong house.



Trust me you are not telling me anything i dont know......I could care less for the things.If i am gonna ride it i want it to have a throttle and brakes not a mind of its own.Some things you just cant get through to a woman.


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## JuliaH (Mar 11, 2011)

Horse people are horse people   Can't take the horse out of the person most of the time... I have been out of horses for years, but now have a beautiful palomino MFT in my barn... gotta move out some of the stuff stored there so he can have all the room he needs...lol. 



DROPPINEM said:


> Trust me you are not telling me anything i dont know......I could care less for the things.If i am gonna ride it i want it to have a throttle and brakes not a mind of its own.Some things you just cant get through to a woman.


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## K9SAR (Mar 11, 2011)

For folks that swear by barbed wire and "my horses would never run through it," etc...Here is why you don't use barbed wire or open-topped t-posts.  This horse respected fences, but it was startled when another horse came charging through the fence after it....












With this horse, flesh and muscle ripped off on its chest, and a gash on the horse's rear leg that had flesh hanging off of it.  The Vet was concerned about there being any bone damage on the rear leg, but there wasn't any.


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## LEON MANLEY (Mar 11, 2011)

High tensile electric fence, with enough juice flowing through it that after you touch it, you want touch it again.
Put the corner post in about 3' deep and secure with 2 or 3 bags of quickcrete and a fiberglass post about every 50'. the cost is about $00.35 per foot.
A horse fence top strand should be about 52" from the ground.
Horses tend to eat over a fence not through it like a cow.
I forgot to mention I'm not a horse person, but when I build a fence animals don't get out.


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## Wild Turkey (Mar 11, 2011)

T posts are fine but I would place wood posts at corners and random in long straight runs. Cap the t posts with soft caps. Elec wire or the web strap elec wire works good.


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## Bitteroot (Mar 11, 2011)

High Tensile wire is the only way to go with horses.  I use 6 strands and one really close to the ground that takes care of dogs and such. Much easier to put up and will last forever.  Hot up every other wire with the top two being hot also. They won't lean on it, they won't paw at it.(seen several horses get caught like that on field fence) And best of all it's the cheapest you'll find to put up.  Use t posts if you like, but get a good insulator for the hot wires. The folks at Tractor supply have a pamplet on the fence or you can look it up on line.


here ya go...http://electric-horse-fence.com/high_tensile/index.htm


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## jimmystriton (Mar 23, 2011)

i use 4 x 4 hog wire with t post. on top of that i have electric 2 inch white tape all the way around and works great. I have big horses Percherons and they respect the tape and never try it.........


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## AbnormalEKG (Mar 24, 2011)

I grew up with 6 horses. The only kind of fence we had anywhere on the place was barbed wire. Never had a problem out of it. Easy to maintain. I guess my horses were just intelligent enough not to run into it, cause we never had the first injury from it other than my cousin driving into it on the go kart, but that's a different story for a different thread.


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## robinleeanne (Apr 18, 2011)

All we have ever used also was Barbed Wire! Only 2 strands, and we have 11 Horses and 2 small Ponys! The only time our horses have ever got out was (1) we had a 16 hands horse that didnt like to be caught and he would jump it, (2) if a tree fell on it, or (3) someone (me) lol leaves the gate opened! We have not ever had a horse get hurt on it! And most all of it has been ran since i was a child!


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## cowgirl1 (Apr 18, 2011)

No to the Barb wire. It is not only can rip there flesh, but it pulls their manes out so they look UGLY!! 
Trust me I have shown horses my whole life. If you going to spend the money, do it right. cutting corners could cost you Vet bills down the road. Not always, but if you really cared about the horse those are the ones it normally happens to lol... 
Get regular horse fence, (2x4 squares) put wood post (T post here would be okay in the middle just make sure they are tall just put post in the corners...) , and then optional for stability and looks- run wood boards on the top... LOOKS very nice, and also very safe... not to mention if you ever have small livestock in there it holds them in too... Plus you don't have to worry about if the fence is on, and with tinsel wire if it ever breaks or whatever it is a pain to piece together and get it toworking right.... Ihave had them ALL. If I had to choose I would to board fence, or the horse (2x4) fence. (field fence they can get there foot in and tear it down to easy)


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## fishstix (Apr 30, 2011)

Can you TRY that message one more time in English?


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## shakey gizzard (May 2, 2011)

cowgirl1 said:


> No to the Barb wire. It is not only can rip there flesh, but it pulls their manes out so they look UGLY!!
> Trust me I have shown horses my whole life. If you going to spend the money, do it right. cutting corners could cost you Vet bills down the road. Not always, but if you really cared about the horse those are the ones it normally happens to lol...
> Get regular horse fence, (2x4 squares) put wood post (T post here would be okay in the middle just make sure they are tall just put post in the corners...) , and then optional for stability and looks- run wood boards on the top... LOOKS very nice, and also very safe... not to mention if you ever have small livestock in there it holds them in too... Plus you don't have to worry about if the fence is on, and with tinsel wire if it ever breaks or whatever it is a pain to piece together and get it toworking right.... Ihave had them ALL. If I had to choose I would to board fence, or the horse (2x4) fence. (field fence they can get there foot in and tear it down to easy)



Horse fences shouldnt have corners!


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## probass (Jun 28, 2011)

*Best fence*

I use a combination of three rail vinyl and electric.

I use a Zareba solar fence controller, t-poles with caps and 2" tape, three strands of rope under it.

It looks really good, cheap and easy to install and keep up/repair etc.

Have two big 16+ TWH and a 14 Spotted in there and have never had a problem.

I would go this route ... if you need some tips let me know as I ran all mine myself .. and it looks perfect!


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## triggerclarkmt (Jun 28, 2011)

i have metal t-post with plastic caps and two strands of barb wire. it works great because they want try to lean over the fince to eat grass on the other side. they can just put there head down to eat it. sometimes they are stubburn and want to go over the fence line to eat. plus their up body will be more sensitive to touching the barb wire than their legs


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