Fencing - do I need it?

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Deborahm

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OH and I are in the process of buying a field. It hasn't been used for grazing before, just had silage taken off it for the last few years. Before that it was down to crops.

Therefore it doesn't have fencing right now. However it has tall mature thick hedges pretty much all the way round it. I am currently planning to fill in any gappy parts where the hedge is thiner with short runs of post and rail, and plant some hawthorn in those sections too for the future.

However do I need to fence the whole perimeter of the field anyway (even if I only use wire) or will the hawthorn be enough to keep the nags? It would be helpful to know if that something else I need to add to the stretched budget!

Sorry that it sounds like a stupid question, but I've always rented before and not done a yard myself from scratch.

Any advice welcomed.
 
I should think the hawthorn will keep the horses in whilst they have grass, the moment they start looking for fresh stuff they'll be investigating weak points.:( Well, that's what any horse I've ever met would be doing.

Personally, for peace of mind at the very least, I'd be putting in T posts (or wooden ones) and some electro braid and getting a solar fence energiser if you aren't near enough to mains power to utilise that.
 
Enfys said:
I should think the hawthorn will keep the horses in whilst they have grass, the moment they start looking for fresh stuff they'll be investigating weak points.:( Well, that's what any horse I've ever met would be doing.

Personally, for peace of mind at the very least, I'd be putting in T posts (or wooden ones) and some electro braid and getting a solar fence energiser if you aren't near enough to mains power to utilise that.
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Sensible answer above :D

I second the comments ;)
 
Ours would be through it without a thought, grass or not.

I'd put a single strand of wire at chest height right the way round the land, just to be sure.
 
I would just put fencing up for peace of mind, however i perfer post and rail (wooden) fencing as find the wire can be a bit more dangerous esp if a horse get a leg cought and it coils up around their leg ect.
 
You Wont Forget Me said:
I would just put fencing up for peace of mind, however i perfer post and rail (wooden) fencing as find the wire can be a bit more dangerous esp if a horse get a leg cought and it coils up around their leg ect.
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Post and rail looks pretty but for a stop gap electric fencing is better than nothing and on the whole does the job unless you have horses that take it on. I don't think Honey 08 meant plain wire.

I've seen horrendous injuries caused by horses staking themselves on post and rail too and it is horribly expensive if you are on a budget.
 
we are just taking down our post and rail after 5 years of fixing it or having to electrify it to keep the beasty horses off it (it was seperating field in half). We have hedging and ditches round edge of field and mine have never tried to get through - I think the honest answer would be to strengthen any weak points with either post and rail (expensive) or poly posts and tape - it also depends what is the other side of hedge - if ours did get through they would end up in another field not on the road.

I was really paranoid about everything at first when got land - reading books about poisonous plants - checking hedging etc - but you soon relax and as long as nags arnt hungry you will prob be ok.
 
Thanks all. There is a road the other side of the hedge, and a ditch, but the horses wouldn't see that until too late.

Any idea how much it would costs to do the perimeter of a 4.5 acre field in barbed or plain wire?
 
Barbed wire - I would never consider it! Plain wire, I would prefer to avoid it.... have you thought about electric? Mains is perfect, battery is pretty good and solar might be ok. Please think of your horses before buying barbed wire,
 
Barbed wire is not ideal, but is probably the cheapest way to fence a field (and quickly too). I am in process of upgrading the replacement fence supplied by the landlord 3 months ago which is barbed wire on posts (all new) to rails on the posts. Significant difference in price, and one which he was not prepared to pay, but has no objections to me doing it at my own expense.

a 12 foot rail costs about £4.00, 200m barbed wire costs is about £40.

I think it is loose wire that causes the worst injuries, and of course electric rope does not break easily and can also cause terrible injuries. All of them seem to come with problems...
 
Don't use barbed wire! I would personally fence tho as mine would probably eat his way through hedges!!
I would go for post and rail and electric. Any type of fencing could cause injury but barbed wire (in my opinion) is asking for trouble.
 
If money is tight then don't fence all the field at once. 4 and a half acres is a lot anyway and they probably wont be on the whole lot at any one time? You can get fairly cheap electric fencing now off the net, I bought 200m of tape for £24, posts about the same for 20.

And you have the bonus of it being flexible ie you can take it down and use it anywhere
 
We fenced a lot of our land when we first moved here a few years ago. We were determined to get rid of the barbed wire, and replaced it with sheep netting and plain wire over the top (instead of barbed over sheep net). The horses have had absolutely no respect for it at all - leaned and leaned on it until it snapped, etc. Out internal fencing, which didn't need to be sheep proof, was two strands of plain wire - three strands in places - again they literally walk all over it, causing it to snap or simply sag. The only fences on the estate that are still in tact and respected are the old barbed wire fences! Our horses are not stupid, they're sensible irish types that know what is going to hurt them.. If I had a fizzy, silly horse I may be more worried. All of ours can be left out alone without the risk of them jumpin out..

So I would actually lean towards taut barbed wire. Some of our fences were done 25 yrs ago, and the barbed wire is still really tight - its much easier to put up taut than plain wire, which slips through the nails.. We did have the top strands of plain wire made so that they run through rubber hoops and can be electrified if need be. I'm very wary of leaving elec fencing out that is clearly visable - the only problem with electric fencing is that it is highly nickable! We have had an electric box stolen from the middle of a field that is well away from the lane and in view of a few houses. They even stole the tractor battery too.
 
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