Fencing question

[Lplates]

I have a field I need to keep sheep and ponies in. Large hedges but thin at bottom so need to fence - I was thinking of cutting hedges back and putting in posts with five high tensile wires, rather than sheep netting. Is there any reason this is not a good idea with horses? I would love post and rail but can't afford it at the moment.
thanks

 

[Lplates]

or cattle fencing? friend says strands of wire sound lethal.

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

be warned with sheep/stock fencing, horses shoes can get caught on them and legs go through, especially if you have a foot stomper horse !! always have wire cutters handy.

 

[OWLIE185]

Use proper Equi-fencing which is a tight form of sheep netting. You can put it on posts or if you want post and rail.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Dont use Tornado (or similar) fencing, unless you are also using electric tape on the inside.
Whilst its brilliant fencing, small furry people (shetlands & sheep) love to scrub on it & can make even the best tensioned fence sag.

*voice of experience with all things furry*

 

[Lplates]

can't afford horse fencing or post and rail sadly.

 

[TigerTail]

if you can't afford the proper stuff the only other thing I can think of is plastic orange sheep netting with a strand of electric infront but I wouldnt be that happy with it safety wise tbh.

 

[Cobbytype]

We had equine fencing when we fenced our 4 acre paddock, as we couldn't afford post and rail. Equine fencing has small wire squares at the bottom, with larger squares at the top. We used to have electric tape offset inwards by a couple of inches at the top, but the hedgerows have grown, so the tape is no longer used.

 

[sport horse]

When you say 5 high tensile wires I hope you do not mean plain wire - please never use plain wire with horses - if they get caught in it it pulls tightly into the flesh but does not pull free from the flesh - a bit like a cheese wire. Seen some horrible injuries - far far more serious than even barbed wire.

 

[Landcruiser]

Following with interest as we also have a lot of fencing to do on new place and no money left to do it with. There are thick hedges around a lot of our boundary, but ideally we want to dog proof as well, as we have a lurcher who likes to take himself off into the woods behind us, and there is a fast road nearby. I'm currently supposing we'll go for stock fencing around the perimeter (horses are barefoot and not fence pushers or stompers), with home erected post and rail to seperate the paddocks. If it looks like the stock fencing is an issue, I'll run a strand of electric around just inside. Can't think of a cheaper way to do it.

 

[Dry Rot]

When you say 5 high tensile wires I hope you do not mean plain wire - please never use plain wire with horses - if they get caught in it it pulls tightly into the flesh but does not pull free from the flesh - a bit like a cheese wire. Seen some horrible injuries - far far more serious than even barbed wire.

I agree. But any type of badly constructed and badly maintained fencing is lethal. As are lots of other things in life.

I have had mains powered permanent electric fencing using high tensile galvanised 2.5mm wire on my 30 acres for 25 years and in that time I have had only one accident involving a serious injury. That was a foal that got caught in a single strain of BADLY TENSIONED wire, so entirely my own fault. My fencing safely contains up to a dozen Highland ponies of all ages. My only hesitation would be to use it as a boundary fence simply because my neighbour's livestock are not trained to respect electric fences.

Single strand wire is difficult for horses to see so I have white tape cable tied to the top wire. The fences are regularly checked and re-tesnsioned and have at least 1,700volts going through the top wire, switchable to the other three or four wires if I have sheep.

It makes me come out in a cold sweat to see what rubbish fencing (of all types) horse owners seem quite happy to put up with. Once the energiser is paid for, mains electric fencing costs pennies a metre, is easy for an amateur to put up, and is easy to maintain and adapt. I can section off a field almost anywhere I want by simpy tieing white tape to the permanent system and putting up a temporary fence.

 

[supsup]

No matter what you choose for your fencing, I would recommend having a set-back electrified strand. We have a similar situation (horses are on a sheep farm , and fields are cross grazed), except in most places sheep netting (in poor condition) already coexists with a pretty hole-y hedge. A set back electric fence is a must to keep the horses from sticking their feet through it. But the sheep are also prone to rubbing against the fence (they itch when it's hot...), as would the horses without the electric fence. That will weaken any fence over time. The (permanent) fence has also been "absorbed" by the hedge in many places, so I don't think electrifying a e.g. high tensile wire fence right next to the hedges would work for long. I would go for whatever you can afford alongside the hedge to keep the sheep in, but plan on having a second line of defence (electrified) to act as your primary horse fence.

 

[Lplates]

Thank you that is really helpful. What is the maximum hole size you can have for sheep? Would cattle fencing be too big? I will do a s

 

[Lplates]

Sorry
... Set back electric as well as you recommend.

 

[Lplates]

This is all really helpful thank you. I like the idea of electrified permanent fencing you can run a tape off to get smaller paddocks. Unfortunately the only fencers around here have no idea about horses and consequently keep suggesting unsuitable fencing. I am not always experienced enough to know better, so am very grateful for this forum

 

[JillA]

I don't see stock fencing on decent supports (posts or trees) being a problem if it is backed by a hedge, they won't be able to get heads over so pushing on it or getting legs through is so unlikely as to not be a realistic risk. And if the horses persist in trying to push on it a strand of electric a foot inside it will solve that while ensuring small furries like sheep are safely contained. I have inherited stock fencing all round the perimeter of mine and never had a problem. Of course if the fields are bare and the horses overcrowded that is another situation altogether

 

[FairyLights]

No matter what you choose for your fencing, I would recommend having a set-back electrified strand. We have a similar situation (horses are on a sheep farm , and fields are cross grazed), except in most places sheep netting (in poor condition) already coexists with a pretty hole-y hedge. A set back electric fence is a must to keep the horses from sticking their feet through it. But the sheep are also prone to rubbing against the fence (they itch when it's hot...), as would the horses without the electric fence. That will weaken any fence over time. The (permanent) fence has also been "absorbed" by the hedge in many places, so I don't think electrifying a e.g. high tensile wire fence right next to the hedges would work for long. I would go for whatever you can afford alongside the hedge to keep the sheep in, but plan on having a second line of defence (electrified) to act as your primary horse fence.

^^^^^^^
this

 

[FairyLights]

I don't see stock fencing on decent supports (posts or trees) being a problem if it is backed by a hedge, they won't be able to get heads over so pushing on it or getting legs through is so unlikely as to not be a realistic risk. And if the horses persist in trying to push on it a strand of electric a foot inside it will solve that while ensuring small furries like sheep are safely contained. I have inherited stock fencing all round the perimeter of mine and never had a problem. Of course if the fields are bare and the horses overcrowded that is another situation altogether

I very sadly lost a super little pony when it got caught in sheep netting. the netting was taught properly installed and backed by a thick hedge. good grass cover and space in field. I now have a secondary fence of electric tape all the way around the perimeter now. removing the sheep netting is not an option because the sheep would then escape.

 

[OWLIE185]

On any areas that are open and do not have a dense hedge I will always use heavy duty wooden post and rail and Equi-fencing (a tight form of sheep netting). (Posts made from red wood and rails treated). The advantage of this is that even if the rails were broken then the Equi-fencing would hold it together.
In areas where there is a dense hedge then I do use tensioned barbed wire or Equi-fencing but ensure that it is regularly checked.
I never use plain wire or sheep netting as I have seen too many accidents.
Someone I know runs an emergency horse ambulance who's services are used regularly by local authorities and the police when horses escape on to the public highway and are injured or killed. In most cases their escape on to the public highway is caused by poor fencing and the consequences are serious to both horse and human life in the event of a collision.
It is absolutely essential that perimeter fencing is secure and electric fencing should never be used for perimeter fencing as it is to easy to breach if the electricity supply becomes turned off, is prematurely earthed or the fencing is simply removed. Electric fencing by itself is only suitable for dividing paddocks to control grass intake etc.
Horse owners must also bear in mind that they should have third party public liability insurance to no less than £10,000,000 (Ten million pounds) as the owner of a horse is responsible for any accident that it causes be it their fault or not.

 

[Lplates]

Yikes. Thank you.
I am now considering a track system using hedges to keep ponies in, with sheep proof electric fencing as the inner perimeter. I never thought this would all be so difficult! I would love love to have equi-fencing or post and rail but sadly just can't afford it at the moment.