Sheep fencing for horses

nosila8080

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Hi all.. advice wanted please.
I recently sent my mare away to
a stallion for a month to be covered. She is a rare breed so stallions are difficult to find. The arrangement was for her to run with the stallion until it was clear that she wasn't going to come back into season. We sent our mare on a 4 hour journey to what we thought was a safe yard owned by the lady hosting the stallion. She has other horses of her own. I had no idea however that the fencing was a combination of sheep fencing and post and rail.
My pony put her foot through and in her panic ripped out 4 fence posts. Only minor lacerations thank goodness but could have been much worse.
The yard owner is now expecting a contribution to the 200 pounds she says it will cost her to fix the fence. I would never have sent my mare to the yard if I had known about the fencing. I do think to charge me is unfair since she should know that sheep fencing is not safe. My mare has come back with a chewed off mane and was also kicked by another mare. I will pay the 100 pds grass livery for the month but what is the view on the cost of the fence? My mare has never been through a fence before!
 

be positive

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I think she is lucky you do not have a huge vets bill and asking her to pay that, as a YO it is my responsibility to maintain fences and if a horse breaks something I expect to foot the bill unless the horse in question was obviously setting out to destroy the fence when I may think about asking for something, pay the livery bill and tell her to sue you, she doesn't have a case so don't worry about it.
 

Polos Mum

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Normal wear and usage, as well as the odd accident I think is just something she has to put up with as someone who has horses come and go - it ought to be built into the grass livery
Persistent chewers or those that put their heads through to get better grass then lean on rails until they break are another matter.

If you have your mare back and all the paperwork you need from the stallion owner I'd just ignore - if you need her for something then debate whether £200 is worth not having her being helpful to you going forward. If you have no alternative stallions I'd also consider that. The YO is wrong but you might need her more than she needs you in the future.
 

nosila8080

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Hi all.. advice wanted please.
I recently sent my mare away to
a stallion for a month to be covered. She is a rare breed so stallions are difficult to find. The arrangement was for her to run with the stallion until it was clear that she wasn't going to come back into season. We sent our mare on a 4 hour journey to what we thought was a safe yard owned by the lady hosting the stallion. She has other horses of her own. I had no idea however that the fencing was a combination of sheep fencing and post and rail.
My pony put her foot through and in her panic ripped out 4 fence posts. Only minor lacerations thank goodness but could have been much worse.
The yard owner is now expecting a contribution to the 200 pounds she says it will cost her to fix the fence. I would never have sent my mare to the yard if I had known about the fencing. I do think to charge me is unfair since she should know that sheep fencing is not safe. My mare has come back with a chewed off mane and was also kicked by another mare. I will pay the 100 pds grass livery for the month but what is the view on the cost of the fence? My mare has never been through a fence before!

Thank you both. I will of course pay the grass livery but I just cannot afford a contribution anyway to the fence.
I think the grass livery fee should help redress the damage. My mare lives on virtually nothing anyway so won't have cost much to keep. I do wonder why the fence was ripped..the behaviour is unheard of previously.
 

Polos Mum

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If you have a foal on the way I'd personally start to save a contingency fund for one off things. £200 is a drop in the ocean when it comes to horses - especially breeding so worth having some good cash reserves - even if you choose not to use them!
 

blitznbobs

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If you have a foal on the way I'd personally start to save a contingency fund for one off things. £200 is a drop in the ocean when it comes to horses - especially breeding so worth having some good cash reserves - even if you choose not to use them!


This??
You are planning a foal with no spare cash in the bank?? Even if she is insured breeding issues are not covered... you need to think seriously about this £200 is eaten up by one small vets bill
 

pec

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4 half round fence posts = £10, 12m sheep netting at most £10, two strands barbed wire £5, 1 hrs labour to put it all in can never cost £175, I think they are having a laugh.
 

JanetGeorge

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I still have some sheep netting on my stud - but all re-inforced with electric tape who ensures that the more sensible ones stand off it a bit. In 20-odd years I have had ONE horse get caught in it (a shod in front 17hh mare.) She just stood there and yelled - so cut the wire (one piece) and no problem. If a visiting mare broke a fence, I would certainly NOT try to rip-off the owner. The posts were probably (or should have been) no more than 6' apart - and unless they were broken, they just need to be whacked back in. £20 would cover it if she THOUGHT she had a right. Did mare get in foal? If not, ALL you owe is livery - and of course she may not have the mare back. If mare IS in foal, obviously the agreed covering fee also due and she HAS to give you a covering certificate.

Breeding a foal CAN cause some nasty, unexpected expenses. A bad foaling, a dummy foal, and a million other things can hit you where it hurts. Start saving!
 

MotherOfChickens

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having a small amount of fencing done always works out expensive especially if you have to sort of land I have where replacing posts is difficult-does seem a lot though she's asking for a contribution not the whole amount?.
I've kept horses in stock fencing for years and years and not had a problem and dont worry about it at all (granted they arent shod and have plenty of space) but if you are that precious about where you mare goes wrt fencing and dont have money in reserve I'm surprised you hadnt checked the premises out first.
 

JanetGeorge

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lol, you mean heavy clay with a lot of rocks!! IF you have a lot of horses or take visiting horses or liveries, then it is your responsibility to maintain fencing - at LEAST have a crowbar and a mallet. When a stud is a long way away, and is standing rare breed stallions, it is a reasonable assumption that your mare will be looked after and that facilities are adequate without inspection. And that you won't be ripped off!
 

HashRouge

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The OP never said she doesn't have savings, just that she can't afford to spend £200 fixing some fencing when the damage isn't really her fault. I'm not sure why everyone is suddenly assuming she's an irresponsible owner/ breeder? I have savings, but I can't afford to waste £200 of them for no good reason!
 

Tiddlypom

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It's not 'precious' to expect a stud to have horse friendly fencing in its fields. Sheep netting, unless protected by off set electric string or similar, is not suitable as horses can and do get their legs entangled in it, it's lucky that the mare wasn't seriously injured/degloved.

OP, I wouldn't expect to pay the fence repair bill either. As a gesture, if you want to keep on their good side, you could offer to pay for the materials only.
 

HBB

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I have seen some horrific injuries caused by sheep fencing, 2 in particular had rolled and stuck one of their back legs right through. They didn't lie still and wait to be released either, it was gruesome in both cases. I would not put a horse in a paddock with it unless it had an internal electric fence to keep them off it.

If she is inviting people to leave their mares to be served as part of her business, then any damages are her responsibility unless it is stated in the "livery" agreement.
 

Clodagh

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I have stock netting and barbed wire around my fields (and hedges) and raised a foal in there no trouble. I would not, however, put a visiting mare in especially in a likely to charge around event like being popped in with a stallion. No you should not have to pay but yes you should have instpected where your mare was going to live for a month, IMO.
 
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