Following on from post and rail fencing post.......

[barkinghorse]

Just had an offer accepted on a property with 30 acres, but there are no fenced boundaries only ditches.
Was going to have the outer boundaries post and railed immediately but after hearing that price, am now having a re think!!
Any suggestions on other acceptable temporary fencing to keep the nags in as maybe will have to do it ourselves to keep down costs (need to build stables and a barn plus a menage)?
Jo

 

[Natalie_H]

We have post & rail, but it is 15 years old & needs replacing. Where it is weak, we have put up electric fencing - but the thin rope type - attached to the fence using screw in pegs. It is barely visible to the naked eye, & stops them chewing the fencing / weakening it by leaning through to eat the grass. When we replace the fencing, we will still use a cheaper less sturdy type - but re-enforce with the same type of electric fencing. Don't know if this helps?

 

[clipclop]

The cheapest way I have found so far is (Whilst waiting to improve fencing in the future) to buy some 4" round wooden stakes aswell as the plastic electric fencing stakes.

I have them fitted roughly: -

One wooden stake, 5 paces, plastic post, 5 paces, plastic post, 5 paces plastic post, 5 paces wooden stake. I have timber posts on all corners and gateways and then I have 2 strands of electric rope.
This has proved to be a fairly cheap and secure way of fencing.
Using just plastic posts tends to be flimsy.
Infact I am so pleased with it I am in no rush to update it.
Hope that helps
Don't know if that is good enough.

 

[barkinghorse]

Well, i was going to use that rope electric fencing on the post and rail anyway, I knew P&R was expensive but didn't realise it would be that much!! So maybe an alternative fencing with electric to start with, but don't really want wire and not sure of what else to use....
Jo

 

[barkinghorse]

What a good idea!
I'll deffo sleep better tonight!
I'm one of these who drifts off into sleep thinking about things, wakes up at daft o'clock to check something out on the net, and then goes back to bed!!!
Last night it was whether i could have a quadrant yard with fire escapes in each corner just incase the worst happened!!
Babbling now so i'll stop, but thanks again
Jo

 

[Natalie_H]

Our neighbours fenced off 20 acres using 4 inch diameter downposts (probably a bit like Bonzabean above) & attached wire (I think a bit like sheep wire) between the posts. When they wanted our neddies to graze it, we ran two strips of elctric fencing across it in the same way as I said in first post, & it worked a treat, looked neat & tidy, & no accidents with the wire. I know most people prefer not to use wire, but it did stop dogs getting into the field to chase the horses.

 

[Murphs_Mum]

We use field guard electric fencing with wooden stakes. Has to be electrified at all times though.

 

[burtie]

We fenced our paddock with the 4 inch round posts (actually cheaper than the plastic ones round here anyway!), then used 2 or 3 strandes of electric tape and 2 stands of plain wire in between the electric so they couldn't get there heads through it. We used the plain wire strands as well as our fence is run of battery and no guarantees of it always being on so we wanted something a bit more substantial then just the 2 strand rope.

 

[filly190]

Been in a similar situation, but only had seven acres to do. We started with post and rails and did paddock by paddock (which looking back was an expensive mistake) It cost us £1k an acre. We ended up fencing the remainder with posts and electric fencing done by an expert. He did the complete outside of the field for £1k and seven years on, it is still in perfect condition. Where as, I might add, my expensive post and rail's have been hammered by the horses and we are always replacing rails where they get kicked and broken.

Looking back, I would have electric fenced the lot. The only good thing we did was make good wide walk ways and plenty of gates, to ensure that we did not have to lead through grazing horses.

We also have a lot of oak trees and so we made our fencing a good way from them so we dont have to worry about acorns.

To do the electric fencing yourself, I would install the posts and get the expert to wire it all up for you.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

Hi - we have some rented land in adition to our home field, opvuisly we did not want to spend a fortune on it, but wanted the neds to be safe. We used round post (fairly cheap), which we put in with a knocker (makes life much easier) then used two strands of plain galvanised wire with a strand of electric rope. This seems to work v well, you must make sure you use ratchets on the wire to keep the tension

 

[OWLIE185]

Firstly you are resposible and liable for any damages or accidents caused if your horse(s) escape. Whatever the reason as ruled by a recent high-profile court case where the horses escaped and got on to a road and caused an accident.

You need to ensure that the perimiter of any fields that are used for horses are securely fenced. Electric fencing is not suitable as if the electric fails (fallen trees/unit gets disconnected or stolen/battery goes dead then it will not work and the horses can escape.

You are far better of to spend the money on some decent perimeter fencing such as post and rail. Make sure that all the wood is painted again before it is erected and that the holes are drilled in to the rails rather than nailed straight in as this will cause the wood to split. Every third post and all corner posts should be concreted in. Use the thicker and wider guage of rails so that if a horse kicks at it it does not break. I put Equi-fencing on mine to prevent them kicking through the fence line to adjoining paddocks and injuring horses on the other side.

If the wood is painted properly and then regularly re-treated then it should last years. Mine has lasted over 16 years and there is nothing wrong with it.

The secret is doing the job properly and it will last you a lifetime.

 

[barkinghorse]

So, if i was to do this myself, the perimeter fencing must be very stong, do i put the rails on the inside or the outside of the posts?
Reason for me asking is, the yards near me have the rails on the outside nearest the road so if a horse barges the rail will come off thus not injuring the horse.
BUT if i have a responsibility to keep them penned in, surely the rail should be in the stronger position of the inside of the rails?
Jo

 

[PeterNatt]

The rails should be on the inside. As I said I also put equi-fencing on top to stop them kicking through and it also strengthens it all. Good Post and Rail will also add to the value of your property so it is a good investment. (If the fields require draining then put this in before the post and rail). If you need any further help then email me on peter.natt@btinternet.com and I can send you a photo of the way I do it.