considering replacing some fencing with board fencing

[GrullaBlue]

My smaller front pasture is 1 acre....and it, and my big pasture, is all fenced in four strands of electrobraid with round fiberglass posts. Looks nice, and has always been efficient for us with our big horses. However, I'd like to convert that one acre for our mini equines (a handful of horses and donkeys)....and I am not comfortable with strand fencing. Should I feel this way? Well.... our grullo mini gelding came to us actually because he was an escape artist in wire strand fencing....and we live on a busier county highway, so I'm not willing to take ANY chances.

They are in wire mesh fencing now. I am not thrilled with "the look." But, my options are....

~Use wire mesh, but make myself happy with the look by using wood posts and a top board at least....that would look pleasing to me. Perhaps a bottom board too. Would look nice, and be a solid barrier.

~use 3-rail white vinyl fence, which we have stored nearby....we were given a lot of it....for FREE, and have used a very small amount on the property already. But to electrify I can imagine would involve drilling holes into the posts and running wire or electrobraid through....a definite downfall...would, however, look AWESOME. But....it's a PAIN to install...my hubby would probably kick my butt if I asked him to put up more with me. We don't argue...but we sure do when we're putting this stuff up!!.

~post and board fencing. Expensive....but can buy materials as we have the funds...and do so much at a time. Can do 3 or 4 rail, and run an electric wire between each span of boards to keep heads from going through. Would, however, look AWESOME.

I've seen lots of fencing posts....and I believe the majority uses mesh fencing, (like I have now for their area), or cattle panel type stuff. I love the look of board or vinyl fence, but would want to reinforce with electric to keep them off and out of the fence. Anyone have post and rail fencing....and how do you like it? How often does this stuff require painting? How long would it last? This is fencing that would line the road along our property....so it would be something I'd want to look nice. Right now it's four strands of electrobraid.....which is suitable for our biggies. I would like to keep the fence tall enough to be suitable for the biggies if needed as well...since I still do have two. But I'd like to give the minis that area eventually...... Thanks for any input!

 

[supaspot]

we used to have post & rail , it really needs painting every spring and if you dont hot wire it they will push their heads through and rub the mane some of ours chewed the wood , we now have mostly hedges and chainlink on one field , doesnt look as posh but its low maintenance

 

[Ashley]

I have done the exact opposite of you. I am getting rid of the wood fence and replacing it with the rope like you have but on my wood posts. The wood fence is high maintenance, and the horses keep breaking it, even the minis. When I don’t have wood fence I had 5 strand wire, 2 were hot (when I felt like plugging it in). I never had a problem keeping the minis in it, even the escape artists. The fence that I have switched over two is like what you have but 3 strands, all hot. Never once have I had a problem with the horses trying to go through. I have touched it a few times and really couldn’t imagine them wanting to. It left me a bit stunned.

 

[GrullaBlue]

has to be painted EVERY spring? Wow...that I wasn't aware of! But if I did it, I would be putting hot wire between the boards....

I guess I should have made another option....I have four strands of Electrobraid now. I could add another strand too. And not have to do hardly ANY work at all. But I've never really kept minis in strand fencing....and on the road we live on...I guess I'm just so nervous about it!

But I know two minis we have (we have 5 now) were successfully (to the best of my knowledge) kept in strand fencing prior to my buying them...and a third was, but not so successfully. But I don't know how many strands they had. If I added another strand...I could have three closer together on the bottom, and two spaced farther apart above (it's a 5 foot high fence)...and perhaps once they got used to it they'd be fine? Do they feel the shock through all that winter hair? I am in WI....snow and wooly mammoths in the wintertime!

Angie

 

[MountainMeadows]

We have post and rail on all our interior pastures and run a hot wire between the boards to keep them from sticking their heads thru - on the few that don't have the wire it is a favorite spot to scratch and a mane can disappear in a couple of hours

. I like the look of the post and rail, our fences are painted black and will hold up for a couple of years without being restained (white would probably need to be done a lot more frequently). The main thing is the posts tho - if you can find the 4 x 4 posts that are made of recycled tires they are great - heavy, but they won't rot and the thought of replacing posts in 15 years is enough to warrant snooping around to find the recycled posts and paying the extra that it costs to get them!

 

[Ashley]

I am in MN and not a problem. I really think 5 strands is a bit excessive. I only had that because it was what was here when we moved in. I dont live on a busy road now, but they used to and not an issue. The only time my horses get out now is when they break the boards, vs the electrice.

My mom has split rail and I know its every few years that she restains hers. My wood is about every year, unless I buy a really expensive barn paint then sometimes it can last 2 years. I just did a bunch of painting last summer and already see areas that need it again.

 

[GrullaBlue]

I'll try to include some pics to show the current spacing...with QH's for models. How I wish it looked like this outside right now.........

 

[GrullaBlue]

Mountain Meadows....

those posts with recycled tires...is that like those plastic-like posts that look like wood, can be painted like wood, and nailed into and such? I looked into those years ago but couldn't ever find them. Someday, I would like to replace my t-posts in my current mini area with wood posts...or better yet, posts like you describe! Have any info, links, names, anything? I can't even recall now what they called them....

 

[GrullaBlue]

Ashley... you've given me something to think about.... I could at least test them out....I'd be a lunatic I'm sure...but I do rather like my electrobraid.... the only problem I've ever had with it is the deer running through it on the back end of the pasture...so I do have to replace insulators now and then. Guess your thoughts could save me (us) a great deal of work if I at least give it a try....

 

[jleonard]

I am in central Kentucky, just about everyone has 4 board plank fences. I love the look, I like not having to worry that my horses are going to get out and onto the road, and I like not worrying about a hoof getting caught in wire fencing.

I know many people have a lot of luck with just electric fencing, I do not. We have separated our fields in an attempt to rotate them and our horses were constantly breaking through the electric (and yes, it was working). I've known several people whose horses have broken out of electric fields and been hit by cars on the road, it scares me, so I will not use it unless I have a solid perimeter fence. I also saw a horrible injury on a big mare this fall from her getting a leg through a square wire fence then trying to pull it back out and tearing off most of the back of her lower hind leg down to the bone. It was a miracle that she survived.

We paint our fence every couple of years, and have been at our place eight years and have only had to replace one fence line which had been there for probably about ten years. We do replace the occasional board that rots or gets chewed on. Our horses do not rub their manes off on the fence, but they have enough grass in the field that they do not try to go under the fence too much. We have one strand of electric wire to keep the big horses from chewing on the fence, we could use another lower strand for the minis though.

I have never had a horse break through the fence. I had one big filly who was as dumb as they come. She ran into the fence, but only broke one board. It is possible for the wood to splinter if they break it, so there is a risk of them impaling themselves. I actually saw that this year too when our vaulting horse reared up while playing and came down on the fence and ended up with a large splinter in his elbow. However, as far as I'm concerned, if it is good enough to keep multimillion dollar Thoroughbreds in, it is good enough for me

If I had the option I would love the vinyl fence. That is what they had at the barn I rode at in CA and it looks great, and lasts forever if installed properly. It may be a pain to install, but at least it is low maintenance once in! Lucky you to be given so much of it for free, the expense is the worst part of it!

We do have one small field that the original owners put in as a dog run that had the v-mesh (don't know the real name) wire fence. It has wooden posts and we have a board along the top which definitely makes it look nicer and makes it more visible to the horses. The gaps are small enough that it is unlikely that a horse would get a hoof caught, but it does require more maintenance in my experience as it tends to sag. We really need to replace two of those fence lines, one of which has only been in for a few years. It is nice though, and there are several places around here that use it instead of four board.

 

[RhineStone]

We have 3-board vinyl fence in front of our property. We would LOVE some more. We have a strand of electric on the inside of the bottom board and the top one (for the big horses). My husband just screwed those yellow wood post insulators to the posts. You can't see them from the outside of the fence. What we like about it is that it is "visual" enough that the horses won't run into it. It doesn't require maintenence, you don't have to tighten it, and the horses leave it alone because of the electric strand. We've had it up for at least five years with no problems.

 

[Jetiki]

They do make t-post sleeves to make them look like the white vinyl fencing, but they are pricey. If your electric fence is hot enough, they'll stay in it. I have a 2 strand electric fence and it keeps mine in. I have 2 pastures in the wire mesh fence and one big one in the electric. I've only had one pony that would find the weakest spot in the fence and go through it but that was only in the winter when he had all his winter hair, he was also 40yrs old. I've had stallions behind my electric fence and they stayed in just fine with no problems.

At the other farm, we have 5 strand hi tensile electric wire works great. We did have to add an inside strand of the white tape fencing after 2 babies were running and went through the wires. Once we added the white tape nothing else happened, we think the babies were running and didn't see the fence and just went through it, no one was hurt, but could have been.

Karen

 

[jegray21]

I have four board wooden fencing...with dog wire so the local dogs can not get into the pasture. I like it!

 

[GrullaBlue]

I'm gonna be "on the fence" for awhile....lol. Yeah, that's another thing....predators. A solid fence would help with that. Of course, I'll say it before anyone else does, yes, I also believe if something wants to get in, it will!

The vinyl fence...I did see a website that sold "insulators" if you want to call it that, that attatched electric wire to them. you had to drill a hole in, then the insulator was on a vinyl "plate" that had just a little nubby thing in the back. Using glue they provide, glue the plate to the post, with the nub in the hole. Wasn't sure about those.... the idea was nice...and they were all white, fit in well with the fence itself. It does seem like such a waste to have all this fencing and not be using it....a friend of the family had their place fenced in it....they moved out, and gave it to us. The area my minis are in now used to be fenced in it....but I pulled it all out and put mesh in when I got pygmy goats and minis. The goats are gone...but still have the minis.

We do have the fence set up to be able to "shut off" the bottom strand all the way around the pastures (one one acre, the one in question, and an attatched 10 acre), because of the snow we get.

I appreciate all the input, all the way around, and would love to hear from anyone! When we only had one mini (our first), I did have him out on the 10 acre pasture with a couple of our big horses...he was just fine out there. But, with 10 acres, he really had no need to go near a fence, I'm sure he felt like he was free!

Thanks much for the opinons! I have so much to consider....which is why I'm thinking now. It's a project that wouldn't be started until after the spring thaw and mud dries up anyway....if at all.

 

[Charlotte]

Well, I have severe canine phobia. Both wild and domestic. So all of our fencing has always been as dog proof as we can make it. Here our perimiter is all no climb horse fence with the front being on welded pipe posts and top rail.

In IL we put in lovely three rail split rail fencing but on the inside of that we put welded wire fencing to the ground. That kind of wire fencing wouldn't hold up at all if that were all there was, but against a post and rail fencing it works great and after about 6 months is almost invisible so that all you see is the decorative fence. That kept in the arabs and the minis and kept dogs and critters out.

Charlotte

 

[Ashley]

I have the same problem with deer in the back of the pasture. I havent replaced that section yet, that is to come this spring. I do have a plan for that tho.

My aunt has a section of the vinal fence, no electric. They stick their head through to eat but have never gotten out. This has held the most stubborn fence walkers I have seen (they happen to be related to RhineStone's gelding). The there has only been one mare that would go through fence or walk over fence in the winter we would just shave a few strips on her so she could feel it. Never had a problem after that. That said it was single strand electrice.

 

[Marty]

There have been countless number of horror stories here on this forum over the years of dogs getting in pastures and killing miniature horses. The more I think about it the more paranoid I get because we do have dogs roaming at large where I live. In my miniature pastures, I use two rows of field fencing about 6 feet apart, one in front of the other, and have it backed up with hotwire inside and out for that very reason. Then around that perimeter, I have a very thick row of wild thorny bushes that are about 5 feet thick that I won't cut down so no predator is getting in there unless they have wings. Doesn't look pretty but no one is getting out and no one is coming in back there.

As for vinal fencing: I have it in my Quarter Horse field out front. You do not need to drill holes in it to add hot wire unless you want to. The company that sells the fencing does have the little insullators they will sell you that you can get to drill in your posts if you prefer, but I haven't done that yet. I have a box full in the tack room but I never got around to doing it for the past 5 years. You can use instead glue on plastic hooks which do hold for a while but you have to re-do them about once a year. 3M Scotch makes all kinds and you can put them on with sylicone glue. If you want to drill the holes its no big deal you just drill them on the inside of the fence and it doesn't show anyhow. Mine is inbetween the boards down very low just in case a dog attempts to visit my QH he is going to get a lovely surprising shock. However I do never leave my QH out unattended. I do wash it down with bleach water about once a year, more if I have the energy.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

We have post and board along the front and it is a CHORE! Needs painted, the boards break, posts rot out,the wind/minis knock boards off, they are always sticking their heads through and rubbing out mane (electric fence doesn't work well here, as the soil is so dry they don't ground well)and dogs get under the fence.

If I had my choice it would be cattle panel all the way, with a board top and bottom for protection.

 

[GrullaBlue]

Well, you've helped me decide AGAINST the post and board fencing....thanks! What I'll do from there, I'm not sure...but it won't be post and board. Didn't realize it was THAT much work!

 

[Sterling]

We have split rail and behind it we use welded wire. Looks nice, serves it's purpose against predators, and is durable. We've been here now for 21 years and the fencing is going strong. All we've had to do maintenance wise is replace some rails when they've deteriorated here and there and the welded wire. But considering it doesn't need painting and is very sturdy...it has worked well for us for the big horses and the minis. (You can take a look at it on our website if you'd like.)