please help at my wits end on choice of fencing (post and rail or post and electric??

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vecthom

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Hi can anyone help at all as im at my wits end on what to choose to seperate my field into 4 paddocks.
I really wanted post and rail as it looks so good and tidy with individual gates into each field. HOWEVER i have been told that i will be always replacing posts when they lean on them, jump them and snap them and most of all when they stand chewing them!
I have also been told that it can be a problem with it sagging and coming out the ground in wet weather and so on. Its going to cost AT LEAST £2,400 for it to be all done and i would be so upset if any of the above was to happen as i dont want to keeping spending on replacing things once its done really. I know i will have to at some point but i dont want to spend this money and it be eaten, damaged and pushed over ect, ect,.

It will be for foals, stallions, youngsters, older horses, ponies ect, ect so quite a range.

The other idea is to get all the posts in and put the reallly think electric wire throught the post so it would be post and electric wire. The race yard close to me did this as they did all of there fields post and rail and the horses destroyed it so the next field they did they did post and real thick electric wire with 2 wire up and and at the bottom with individual gates. She has got a big field split into about 9 paddocks like this and it works very good, and to be fair looks tidy.

it would be done with all the correct fixture and fittings and gates with the electric and posts and this could be done for around £600 so a REAL saving.

I dont want to do post and rail and electric as it will cost to much.

Please help!
 
If done correctly (i.e. pounded into the ground by tractor) the post and rail should definately NOT sag or move in wet weather! The horse may chew it or lean on it, but once you have the post and rail it's very cheap to add a small strand of electric to the top rail that will discourage them from going anywhere near it. That way you will not need to replace any rails.

If you do go for electric personally I greatly prefer electic tape to rope and certainly to wire. Should a horse get tangled up in it they have a much better chance of escaping unscathed from the tape than the rope and I would imagine the thick wire could be pretty bad.
 
seconding booboos post.

If done correctly post and rail will last a lifetime. It is expensive though and false economy to try and use low quality timber / increase the gap width between posts.

My gate / corner posts are sunk 3ft into concrete so even the heaviest of horses isn't going to shift them.

Like booboo says all the posts need to be well pounded down by a post driver and as long as you don't try an leave too big a gap between uprights there is no way the rails should sag.

I found a good coating of cribox for a few weeks discouraged any chewing.

Electric fencing is fabulous if you need it to be moveable but post and rail is best for permanent fencing in the long run. :)
 
you could go for a middle option of post and horse mesh with an electric line at the top. It is high tension and no sharp bits, designed for horses. makes include tornado.

We have very tall stuff as we have a non livestock friendly Doberman to exercise and we have sheep etc outside so need to be sure! Horses have never touched the fence and never leant on it, in face we have never put on the electric line at all.

Needs a proper fencing person to put it in but tbh if you want the fencing to last thats the way to go anyway.

Costs seems to be in between fliimsy electric and post and rail but a lot less than post and rail. Also good if you ever sell the property to someone with livestock as it is good for sheep etc.

just a thought, heres ours, the horse is 17hh so the fence is quite tall (6ft incl the electric)
if you do go for post and rail you really have to either concrete in posts (£££) or do a top offset line of electric, you can get special attachments for the posts to do this.
P1010883.jpg
 
I have post n rail and although its expensive it does the job if done properly. IME with a variety of horses electric fencing is useless and always needed seeing to. If there is any welsh D's then only mains electric will keep those bu@@ers in.

I'd personally bite the bullet and get the post n rail and from what i've spent I think £ 2000 + for four paddocks is good value.
 
I'm just about to get some fencing done - can't afford post and rail and it's only a rented field so am going for posts and three strands of high tensile wire, the top strand will be electrified. It's the cheapest permanent option. I like the horse mesh stuff though - it works very well and looks tidy and is what I'd have on my own land.
 
I would go with wooden posts and electric tape. Lasts much longer, the horses cant chew it or rub on it and it needs less maintenance. I say this from experience as i have one paddock with post and rail and it looked a mess in no time, the post and tape is as good as the day it went in.
 
I've got post and rail and to stop them rubbing themselves on it and talking over the fence - I put up offset electric fencing (rope). Works a treat.

Have also done post and rail fencing with recycled plastic fencing. It is more expensive than wood but heck - it doesn't rot, doesn't need painted and the horses don't chew it. Certainly will pay for the initial outlay over the years.
 
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