Fencing and "Barn" help

[Sassy Fillies]

I'm getting 2 Fillies next year both will be 3 years old

I don't currently have any fence which is why I need help lol

What kind of fence do you guys use? I was thinking electric fence?

Fencing cost has to stay under $200 if possible.

I might breed them when they are 4-5 but not my main concern right now lol.

How big of a yard is needed for 2? They'd live together. I'm building a pallet shed for them also.

First photo is of me and my friend showing the girls at a local fun show, Names are Xenia and Xcel

Second one is a pic of Xcel

( I don't own them yet, but soon)

 

[AngC]

What kind of fence do you guys use? I was thinking electric fence?

Fencing cost has to stay under $200 if possible.

How big of a yard is needed for 2? They'd live together. I'm building a pallet shed for them also.

I'm not too sure what a pallet shed is--a shed made of pallets? ...might be a tad drafty, depending on your climate? A couple years ago I recollect reading on the internet about pallet fences/housing; it was for pigs, but it looked rather cute.

I've seen various recommendations regarding required acreage for horses... typical recommendations for minis seem to be in the range of 1/8 to 1/4 acre per horse? (...as a minimum.) I think that would depend whether you're trying to feed them on that acreage or just keep them cooped up.

Two hundred bucks for fencing seems a bit of a lowball estimate, in my opinion. At that budget, I think electric fencing might be your most affordable alternative. BUT... I wouldn't be comfortable having a horse, even a mini contained only by electric fencing. We have 4-rail wooden fencing on our outer perimeters; we set up interior electric fencing to control their fat-butt eating habits. In the past couple years, we've had two minis at different times get scared and run right through the electric fence (I guess if they run quickly they either don't feel the zap or don't care?) To that end we've installed the highest rated charger we could find. So speaking of costs, that would be the first cost; I think the charger cost close to 300 bucks. You can get more affordable ones... in the 50-70 dollar range. I have no clue how well the cheaper chargers perform. You'll need some sort of posts. I think 6-foot T-posts cost us about 4 or 5 bucks apiece. The other required items are pretty cheap; insulators, gate handles, wire (ok wire is a bit more.) Oh and some sort of grounding rod arrangement. Two hundred?...I'm dubious.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Sorry you will never fence an area that is miniature proof for 200 bucks. You need to triple that and then add some.

 

[Barefootin]

We have 2 main paddocks for the minis. One of which is electric wire only. The only ones that can go in there are the lazy, don't get into trouble ones. Any one that tests boundaries or just loves to be where they're not supposed to be HAS to go in the paddock with field fence. Several of them learned to use their forelocks to insulate them from the shock. Plus a good fence charger is close to $200 alone. Ours is one bad ma'am a jamma. I know from recent personal experience! And still some of them will walk right through it as if it were unplugged. Just a friendly FYI

 

[Sassy Fillies]

I do plan on moving the fencing every few months.

Another question I have is, can they wear their Halters while they are grazing?

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

No nevee leave a halter on a horse out in pasture. They can get caught by something (fence) and hurt themselves trying to get loose.

 

[Sassy Fillies]

OK

I've seen some do it and was just curious.

Would the Tape type fence or Wire type fence work best? Or PolyRope

 

[Minimor]

I use poly rope where I have electric fence. I do not leave horses in the electric fence 24-7--they go out there only when I am home. I would suggest having an area that is more securely fenced to keep your horses and just have them out in the hot wire some of the time.

$200 isn't going to give you much of fence. As said fencers are not cheap--I wouldn't expect to get a good one for less than $200, maybe $300. Wire--do not buy the cheapest got wire. It does not induct current well. I paid $55 per roll for my poly rope and that was sale price. I was told not to buy the kind that was $20/roll. I needed 4 rolls to put 1 strand around 5 acres--and part if that already had fence. Temporary Posts are $2 a liece; wood posts are 2 or $3 each. T posts cost more here--I do not use them.

 

[amysue]

It sounds like you have been working with the horses already, what kind of fencing are they contained in now? Use that as a guide to where to begin. Some respect fence, some dont. It is always a good idea to have some solid, secure fence on the property. Electric fence is okay as a temporary containment with supervision. At least one acre per horse is recommended for pasture, a dry lot paddock can be smaller. $200 is not nearly enough to finish a fence. You may have some luck finding used fencing on line, like craigslist or ebay. It may take a while for you to save up and finish the project but thats okay. I would build a permanant pen, then work on expanding the paddock later. I like wire mesh fencing with a hot wire up top and along the middle to deter them from going over or rubbing on the fence. I prefer electric tape to wire because it is visible, I like the rope but it is more expensive. I use the plastic step in posts with clips already on them to so i dont have to buy insulators. I dislike fiberglass posts because they break down in the weather but they are cheap. I have used metal t posts on cow pastures but never for the horses as they can cause impailment and they're a pain to get into the ground here with all of the rocks. With electric fence you will need to re enforce the corners with wooden or metal posts so you can pull the fence tight to prevent ponies from crawling through it.

Pallet sheds are popular now, but just because you can get pallets for free does not make the structure free. You need nails and screws and roofing and siding, footing and 4x4 posts to anchor the shed. You may be able to find an affordable car port online used that would safely work. Keep in mind when building barns and paddocks things related to weather, like rain making mud, gate access with tractors if necessary and snow removal. It all looks good in the summer, but when trying to maneuver in 4 feet of snow, you'll wish you built things so a plow truck can fit through to avoid shoveling by hand. A lot of it is trial and error and you'll figure out what works for you as you go. Good luck with your new mares.

 

[sfmini]

We use the tape and are switching to polyrope with four board along the front of the property. Yes, they do get loose but don't leave the property BUT we have 20+ horses here so the herd dynamic keeps them here. With two, you can count on both getting out and taking a tour of the area and risk getting hit by a car. Their coats are so thick, especially in winter they just don't feel the zap of the fence and if they don't have enough to graze on, they are going to get out. Field fence or board fence is the best solution, if you can't afford it, rethink getting them just yet, especially breeding and making even more.

 

[Sassy Fillies]

I plan on building the "barn" big enough to give both horses a 10x10 or smaller.

I live on 5acres and we have 2 chicken yards and a dog yard. Its possible I could put the horses in between both. They are chain link fencing. They will be working when its not to hot out, so most the time they won't be in there paddock, most likely will turn into a dry lot lol

I'll reconsider fencing

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Remember you are not only fencing your horses IN, but you may need to fence other animals OUT. If you can use your two existing pens for two sides you may save money. Most of my fencing is electric wire. New horses almost always go through at least once. But they are very respectful after that. BUT you will need one secure pen, just in case something comes up. If you take one girl away for any reason, the other may become frantic alone and the electric might be unsafe. Are there any stallions near you?? Are your dogs horse-safe?

Good luck with your pretty new girls!

 

[Sassy Fillies]

They is a Gelden 2 miles down

Most my dogs are horse safe. My new pup needs to learn to respect them still tho..

I'm saving up for some panels to make a more solid cage.

My dogs also respect electric fences. All have come to close to my brothers chicken yard ( fenced off with tension wire and chain link)

Thank you guys for answering my newbie questions

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think fencing must be tailored to individual needs. Breeders certainly need secure fencing. Yearlings and rambunctious younglings need good fences. People with several horses need good fences. I have only 2 mature geldings, with no other animals nearby, and we are generally home all the time. What works for me might not work in other situations. My fence is rarely even plugged in; the boys know their boundaries.

 

[Max's Mom]

As others have said, even electric will cost you quite a bit more than $200, but having said that, it is a less expensive option and can be moved around more easily than other fences. Another lower cost and movable option is using cattle panels, especially if you are only doing a small area. There are downsides to electric, but in my opinion and experience, a high quality electric rope that is multi colored (and therefore more visible) works quite well in many situations. Tape can get stretched out easily in high winds and ice, and wire is hard to see and can cut up a horse in an accident. I'd also recommend placing the electric strands more closely together than you normally see people do. Minis usually have a lot of hair (which reduces the shock) and can squeeze between strands, so if you use 4 strands fairly close together it creates more of a barrier. I know some people hate metal t-posts, but if you cap them with safety caps and make sure the top is 4-5 ft high, I think that is pretty safe.

Also, get a high quality fencer that works for your soil and conditions.

Good luck! Enjoy planning for your new friends!

 

[Sassy Fillies]

Cattle panels are a little more than electric

Its a little over $300 for the paneling with t post and wood post

And a little under $300 for electric if I remember right.

A little extra money for it would pay off its self in the end. Ill have to wait a little longer than planned for them but, I'd rather have happy healthy safe mares over scared/hurt/dead mares.

Thank you everyone again!

 

[wingnut]

I'm afraid I must echo those who say the $200 fencing budget is not going to get you far. We have 1.25 acres fenced. 1 acre of that is pasture, the other .25 is drylot and barn area. We use the 2x4 non-climbing horse fence. We used the cheaper type to start and regretted that decision because it has not lasted. We also used less expensive posts and after only 6 years, most are failing and we are replacing them a couple at a time. Next year, we'll have to replace the remaining and put up new, better grade 2x4 non-climbing horse fence. Right now, that fencing is $155 per 100ft roll. I believe we used between 3 and 4 rolls. That's *just* the wire fencing. The cheaper posts run $2 while the better, thicker posts are between $4-5 and I'd estimate we've used close to 40 posts total.

I would not plan on using electric fence alone. We have a tape running the parameter of our fencing just to keep the horse off of it, but it is not meant to keep them in.

 

[Sassy Fillies]

I've decided to use cattle panels. That's what the breeder has the yearlings in.

 

[paintponylvr]

I love cattle panels! The ones we currently get are actually "combo" panels - the folks here in NC didn't know what cattle panels were, LOL

. If I get them from the TSC (Tractor Supply Company) I pay $20 per. IF I get them from a local hardware store, who only brings in one pallet at a time, it's now over $60 per panel. Over the last 20 years, I've invested thousands of $ in cattle panels - we've had 3 "weird" injuries with them (2 with the same young stud pony - involving him putting a rear leg thru the panel and then standing and getting it back thru and hoof almost all the way but not quite back on the ground. 1st required cutting him out and vet visit/treatments, 2nd we got him out but he's still sore 2 weeks later and moving short in the hind qtrs, the vet has been consulted and seen pics/vid but not laid hands on pony). Another with a larger pony that "climbed" the fencing, then "slid off" (I was right there and watched him) - he opened his leg up from knee to fetlock and had 30 days of massive treatments to fix (I did much of the treating - lowering our vet bill tremendously) and months before he completely healed. The lighter weight welded wire or field fencing did not stand up to his "climbing" at all - w/o hot wire added, he would have destroyed all of our fencing. He was a 1/2 shetland that we bred and raised. We have had horses roll into the fencing, getting their legs caught an not be able to get back up and we've found them and gotten them loose - but I've also had ponies roll under other board, hi-tensile wire and electric fencing and get up on the wrong side of the pen/pasture. One of my 6 yr old mares will still crawl under a gate that is more than 12" off the ground (she started as a foal when in one of those portable panel horse pens).

Prices vary - depending on what you purchase and where you are at. Copper is best for ground rods but the ground also has to carry some moisture (hot wire wouldn't work right now where I used to be in MT - too dry w/ the drought). Too dry here in our sandy conditions as well,

Metal t-posts aren't the prettiest, but for me, with the amount of fencing we have AND both the cost and the fact that wood posts don't last long here in the humidity and usual amounts of rain, that's what we use. I'm having to replace rotted posts that the previous owner put up - and it's not so easy w/ the fencing in place! PIA, actually.

I've seen great pics of Pallet sheds and have put up two temporary pallet sheds of my own! You can make them as minimally protected as you like or add full siding and doors. Our feed sheds have only the pallets tied together at this time w/ hay string, 2 cattle panels for the roofs and tarps over that and a combo of pallets/cattle panel for gates. You can put them on a solid foundation (or not), add siding, windows and proper doors and have a legal building (we'd need a permit here to do that! Cost of the permit is astronomical - if considered permanent.) Our "temporary" sheds aren't required to have permits - which is nice. I do plan on replacing the hay string on the one that is already level and bolting it together. The pallet outsides will be covered w/ the white part of feed bags turned out and stapled up (maybe?). We will be installing tin roofing over the panels eventually as well - but for now, a tarp w/ battery operated lights for nights out feeding works well...

here is a pic of one our of sheds. The pallets are a true 48"x48" - so it's 12' wide by 8' deep. It's going to be expanded to 16' wide (1 additional pallet) x 12' deep (1 additional pallet) and another panel for the roof soon. Then, besides feed, it will house our riding lawn mower and Cyclone Rake (that we use to vacuum the pastures with). We don't store hay in this one. The pallets on the front are turned to allow us to store implements, the ones on the back and side are turned so that the support boards become shelves and I have places to store fly/wasp spray, wipes (for the camping toilet that is also housed in this shed - this paddock is over 1/2 mile away from the house and thru 2 gates), water bottles for me/others to drink. Brushes and care implements are in a bucket hung from the panel under the tarp. Halters are hung from the panels...

Here it is from the other side before putting the tarp over the top.

Here is the one of the boys'. it's not as large, I know that it's 8' deep but think it's only about 10' wide? Haven't measured. This tarp didn't hold up and needs to be replaced now. It's completely shredded by the 5" of rain we received in less then 10 hours! It was a used tarp (don't know how old or how used - craigslist ad & now not at dump) and was free and did hold up to the snow we got after putting it up originally, so not bad for what it was used for.

Here is writeup w/ pics of a really nice pallet shed - Pallet shed project

I gave a series of riding lessons to someone for a while and they couldn't pay me in $$. I accepted an almost new electric fence charger (I priced it at $275 in TSC) in place of $$. That was 7 yrs ago and the charger still runs like a treat! I've used hot wire and hot rope and Horse Guard webbing for fencing. The ponies need the fencing closer together and I've learned the hard way to move them into another fence at night (yep, they can escape or things happen and they end up out - I've even had neighbor kids open gates around 2 in the morning thinking it's great fun to watch the ponies run out of the pen!)...

Here is a combo of hi-tensile wire and hot rope - it worked for the mares and a stallion - but not so well for the foals or determined fence crawlers. I would have to calculate what this cost (would cost a lot more now - I put it up when those posts were only $2.35 each - they are 8' long)... The corner wood posts and H braces are now more expensive as well. The yellow insulators had reg, cheap electric wire on them, later have white, hot rope installed. That is a shetland stallion (pinto butt) and the bay is an 8 month old arabian filly. 2nd pic shows a weanling (5 months old) shetland colt in same pasture a year later but you can only see the bottom hot rope and not the rest of the hi-tensile fence or the top strand of hot rope...

 

[AngC]

I've been meaning to post to this topic again, especially since I discovered our electric wire is not electrified. ...beats me how long it's been like that or why. We're having a draught here in WA; I've been watering the ground rods, but my husband had removed two ground rods that the girls were digging up the wire. The "why" is still under marital debate.

We don't cap t-posts; I don't think either one of our girls would try to impale themselves on the top of the posts... more likely they would figure out a way to nudge the caps off and eat them.

I looked at the tape-type fencing and the cylindrical poly stuff. The husband is the fence builder, but I wanted something I could repair if he was out of town. I couldn't see any way you could easily repair the tape-type or poly fencing. (...my idea of easy is pliers and a wire cutter.) I agree with Minimor that you should not buy the cheapest wire, but disagree with her reasoning. We used 17 gauge aluminum; aluminum conducts better. That said, our fence is not working. But I have had no problem; didn't even notice (although there's a light on our charger that indicates a good ground.) It broke my heart when we first put the girls out there and they zapped their little noses, but it's paid off. They could easily go through the wire or hop over it. They don't; they are such creatures of habit.

Anyway, the original poster decided to go with cattle panels. I had to google that. (I thought cattle panels were what we had for gates; but apparently not; our gates are tubular something or anothers.) I'm not really familiar with cattle panels; we used a few 16-footers to make a bean fence. After the husband knocked one section of bean fence over with his tractor, I've been using the cattle panel to block an opening when I take Nicky out in our (fenced) garden area to weed. The original poster mentioned she wanted to move the fence around. The cattle panel is somewhat "moveable", I guess. Although I find it to be unwieldy because it's so long. If you're mounting your cattle panels on t-posts and want to move them around, I would recommend a t-post puller and the thingie for pounding in t-posts (a cylindrical tube with two handles on the side.) The t-post pounder is kind of heavy, but it's much easier to hit the posts than with a sledge hammer. For cattle panels, I would get some that have that diamond pattern to the wire; the stuff we used for our bean fence has openings that are way too large. I wonder how long this stuff lasts; I noticed we had some rust on the bean panel I've been using as a Nicky safety net.

That's all I have to say about that, except... for visibility I tie tape on the electric wire (it's the stuff they tie on trees/timber out in the woods here.) It doesn't last long, but all I need is to show the girls where the latest fence section is. Then I have to pick up the pieces when the wind shreds it.