Fencing help!!

alainax

alainax

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Please help oh knowlegable ones!!!

The story goes I have 3 fields, which have both been empty for 18 months. The fences are falling apart and in the futue i would like the to be suitable again for horse for a few weeks ( I am riding for some a friends and have offered thier horses a few weeks summer holidays at mine to allow her grass a wee break)

However, im poor :p, i have very little pennies, and the blooming farmer next doors sheep keep getting in and eating all my grass! :mad:

So... what do you recommend is the cheapest ( but still horse safe) way to fix them? any cheap suppliers of posts and wire out there?

Thanks!
 
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Try electric fencing and get some sheep electric fencing for were the sheep get it, or tell the farmer its really his job to stop his sheep unning free in your field
 
wilsha said:
Try electric fencing and get some sheep electric fencing for were the sheep get it, or tell the farmer its really his job to stop his sheep unning free in your field
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Errrm, it's as much the OP's responsibility to fence the sheep out as it is the farmer's to fence them in:D

If you put electric rope/wire low enough for the sheep to zap them in the face you should be ok:) But the electric sheep netting is expensive and power hungry.
 
alainax said:
Please help oh knowlegable ones!!!

The story goes I have 3 fields, which have both been empty for 18 months. The fences are falling apart and in the futue i would like the to be suitable again for horse for a few weeks ( I am riding for some a friends and have offered thier horses a few weeks summer holidays at mine to allow her grass a wee break)

However, im poor :p, i have very little pennies, and the blooming farmer next doors sheep keep getting in and eating all my grass! :mad:

So... what do you recommend is the cheapest ( but still horse safe) way to fix them? any cheap suppliers of posts and wire out there?

Thanks!
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You don't give enough information!

If it is your own land, go for permanent electric fencing as the cheapest option. Information here:

http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/

There are other suppliers. The most expensive part is the energiser but get the most powerful you can afford. It could be that your existing fence can be reinforced with a single wire on offsets. Offsets only need to be 10 - 20 metres apart. In that case you are talking pennies per meter (once the energiser is paid for).

But you really don't say enough to give advice. Even the breed of sheep will make a difference! Suffolks -- easy. Black Faced -- impossible! Tell sheep owner the gate is going to be left open and he will be responsible if the sheep stray further....or you'll bill him for their keep!
 
How many sheep on how many acres.Sheep grazing horse fields does do the grass the world of good.If yor field has been empty for 18 months it probably needs a good munch down by sheep.You might find you are actualy benefiting more than you are loosing,and buying electric fencing is going to cost you.Elecric netting isnt cheap and wire is a waste of time.
 
martlin said:
Errrm, it's as much the OP's responsibility to fence the sheep out as it is the farmer's to fence them in:D
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That can't be right. Sheep have to be on specific owners' grazing as they're cloven hooved. You need a whole load of paperwork to just move them about, let alone a Holders Number for the land they're on.

Anyway, if there's a farming themed auction any time soon near you, try that for cheap fencing. I often see rolls of tatty but sound sheep net and electric tape offered at auction and I've bought much of my post and rail that way too. Just make sure you know the retail prices and any VAT or Buyer Commision that might bump up the hammer price before you bid.

I got 60 (yes, 60!) 8x4 inch posts in various lengths from 7 foot up for under thirty quid last summer. Nobody wanted such heavy wood, but it's actually perfect for horses as they can scratch against it all day and never damage the fence at all. It's old pitch pine from Victorian houses, so already dark coloured and naturally weatherproof. We've had similar stuff in for 12 years and it's all as good as new.
 
Thanks for your reply everyone. I went up and had a closer look at the field last week, 3 full sides need replaced :( no quick fixed will do.

Oh and to top it off, the was a beautiful 13.2 muscley dark bay stallion also in the feild... pity he was ofthe bovine variety!! :eek::eek: field inspection ended abruptly!!!

Interestng comment about the sheep, some one had told me in the past that sheep eat a differnt type/part of the grass than horses, never knew if it was true!

ps the info i missed would be - dads fields, about 5 acres, sheep come and go, about 15 tops, white faced :p
 
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Yep, the sheep will be good thing, so don't worry about keeping them out, making fencing much easier.

Post and rail will cost you a fortune. Post and wire will be much cheaper but still will need someone to build it for you. Post and electric rope will be the cheapest, esp if you can do it yourself.

Depends how permenant you want the fence. I'd go for wooden posts at the ends for straining and a couple of wooden posts (about every 10-15m) along the line, with tall electric fence posts in between. Works out dead cheap and easy to do yourself (you'll need a mell and a big strong man to lift it for the wooden posts. Or pay a fencer to come and put them in).

As someone else said, get the biggest electrifier you can afford, a mains one ideally if you have access to electricity. It's the only way you could make the fence properly secure for horses, unless you spend a lot of money.
 
If the farmer has not done anything to stop his sheep coming into your fields you could try and make some agreement that the sheep can come but the farmer does your fencing.

15 sheep on 5 acres would defiantly help the land and grazing sheep with horses is a good idea.
 
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