Bringing pony home and fencing

[Pixel]

Hi All

I am soon to be buying a pony (and companion) who will be kept at home and I need to sort out the fencing situation. I can't decide between tournado horse fencing and post and rail. I also think it will take time to best know how to divide up the paddocks.

I am looking for a 13-14hh ish cob and shetland and will have just under 2 acres clay so I need to be clever about paddock management and probably have a small winter turnout area with mud control mats or similar.

Anyway as I am unsure about splitting the field and want flexibility initially I wondered if it would be acceptable to just put in electric fence initially? Not just to split the field but also as a perimeter fence for the paddock? If the pony got out of the fencing it couldn't escape our property as we have a gate at our entrance which I can padlock but the escapee would be able to access a small woodland and steps up to the house!! I imagine there are plants and bushes that shouldn't be eaten and general hazards. We do always have someone at home so if they did escape it wouldn't be long before we realised. The boundary of our plot is currently stock fencing but our house and the woods is within that.

Obviously I would be looking at either mains electric fence or a decent solar system with probably 2 tapes as I really wouldn't want any escaping.

Does anyone have this set up with a field that isn't fully fenced? Would it work short term whilst I figure out the best way forward?

Or if you think I should fence properly first how would you split it up and what fencing would you use?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I would fence the perimeter with p & r and then work out what works best with electric fencing, that you can move as you like.

 

[laura_nash]

I used electric fencing for the first four years here to re-enforce pretty useless stone walls that fall down regularly before we had the time to properly fence everything. You need decent corner posts, then the rest can just be the plastic posts if needed. Obviously will also depend on the ponies, the Shetland might be an issue.

I agree that living with the land for a full year before making final decisions on the layout can be really helpful.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Tornado on the boundary topped with a rail is my choice. I have post and rail for sub dividing, with 2 lines of tape fixed both sides to prevent smalls crawling under and bigger ones getting head through etc. Easy to pull tape further away onto short posts if I have temporary lodgers in.
Beware, many small ponies love itching on wire fences, I have a strand of tape on the inside.

 

[Pixel]

Thanks everyone that's very helpful. I think I am going to go electric in the short term. I do think tornado is probably the way to go long term for the boundary. I love the look of post and rail but tornado will be less maintenance.

 

[PeterNatt]

I installed Post and Rail Fencing with Equi-Fencing on it about 30 years ago and it is still going strong. (The Equi Fencing stops the horses kicking through the fence line and any dogs getting in). You could also put drainage in to ensure that it drains well in Winter. Plastic water troughs rather than metal ones just in case they kick them as if they kick metal ones they can fracture their bones.