Just a Quick Update
July 31, 2014
A buddy of mine just recently published a post explaining a bit about buying horse fencing and I couldn’t pass up a bit of promotion on his behalf. Please take a few minutes to jump over to http://ma.byu.edu/sites/default/files/horse_fencing_10_things_to_know_before_you_buy.pdf and give it a read. You’ll find a number of different nifty tips for when you happen to be out buying your own horse fencing.
10 Things To Look For In Horse Fencing
December 10, 2013
Ok, this isn’t meant to be a complete explanation of everything to do with horse fencing, but I think it should pretty well cover the basics. If you know nothing about horse fence and need to learn a quick bit about it, you’re in the right place
Temporary Fencing?
Are you planning on a temporary fence or a permanent option? Temporary options are great if you just need to corral your horses for a few days or weeks. Look into different options between buying your own piece by piece and assembling it yourself or buy a pre-built kit. When it comes to permanent fencing, it will almost always be a better option to buy the posts then fencing separately.
Electric Fencing?
Another big question will be electric or non-electric fencing. The biggest factor here is cost as the electric fencing is overall much more effective at keeping your horses in line. electric is perfect if your horses tend to lean, bite, or chew on your current fencing. Check out centaurfencing.net for some great electric fencing products.
Rail or Wire?
Here is basically your decision. If you worry about your horses getting cut by bare wire or breaking it then a rail fence is probably a good option. You get the look of a board fence with the flexibility advantage of a wire fence. There is a huge horse safety factor here as well.
Layout
You will always need to consider the layout of the area that you are fencing off. this includes size, shape, terrain. Hills will need more fencing, more gates means more fence, more corners mean more corner clamps, and so on.
Additional Components
I already mentioned those extra corner pieces but there are a lot more. At this point its almost always better to consult a professional. There may be different components for each fence type, climate, type of animal contained and so on.
Check this pdf out for more info on fencing options and planning.
Height
Obviously you will want your fence to be tall enough to contain your horses. That means climb proof as well as jump proof. Usually 5-6 feet should be fine, but at times a little extra height will help. Especially with horses that are prone to jumping (generally stallions).
Time
Your fence installation will take a lot of time. Especially if you aren’t sure what’s going on. You can always look to professionals for help. I know that Centarufencing.net provides fence-build support when you are buying product from them.
Price
When looking into it the cheapest price is almost never the best. You’ll find pretty standard prices across the same type of fencing. Wire is cheaper, rail is more. Electric costs more. The higher the price the safer your horses are and the better contained they will be. It basically comes down to your opinion. Look at it as an investment more than a cost.
Brand
I wouldn’t worry too much about which brand but I would suggest buying a brand you’ve heard of. Some of that unbranded stuff out there is pretty low quality. You can always get lucky, but I don’t risk it personally. I love Centaur, Gallagher, and Finish Line products. there are others, but I mostly buy these.
Installation
Here’s the fun part. You can definitely do all of the installation yourself. There are a few tricky parts, but if you can get past the hard part (ordering the right stuff) you should be able to get past the rest ok. Horse fencing should be installed carefully because you definitely want to make sure you get it right.
Ok, any questions, feel free to reach out. Thanks! Jim (at) argentinamia (dot) net