Suitable fencing for an unbroken gelding - help please

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Elchies

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Our neighbours keep horses and are planning to move an unbroken gelding to the paddock adjacent to our garden. They currently have a standard post and wire stock fence with additional electric tape which has been fine for previous horses who are no trouble to look out on. They want to replace this with the sort of 2m high featherboard garden panels you get at B&Q. They say this is for our safety and because the horse will be flighty if he sees us in the garden. Our garden is on a hill so he will see us over the top. My questions.....Will it be strong enough to keep a boisterous horse in? Is it normal to be a solid fence? (it will be quite oppressive). I appreciate that my neighbours needs have changed but I'm just not sure that this is the best solution for us or the horse. Any advice or alternative fencing styles would be gratefully received from those in the know.
 
Elchies said:
They bred it themselves. It's 4 years old, unbroken.
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Apart from the fact that if it is going to be alone, in which case it may get upset and want to meet other horses over the fence, being unbroken should not really make a difference it is only 4 many 4 year olds are unbroken, if they bred it themselves I assume it has been handled and it not a total lunatic, or as said above a dragon!!
 
How strange?!

I can't see what is wrong with the original fencing and surely the horse is more likely to be spooked if it can hear you in the garden, but not see what is going on?

After all how is a youngster meant to learn about the world if it is hidden away from them?
 
That was our thought but not being a horse owner I think the neighbours are trying to blind us with horse-science. Does anyone know what height or material would be best? I was thinking post and rail/or board maybe to 5' as it's hardly going to be able to jump uphill (we have a kind of haha just behind the existing fence.
 
I wonder if the tale about concerns about the unbroken horse, is a cover for your neighbours wanting to erect a tall solid fence between your boundary and theirs.

Maybe they want more privacy and are embarrassed to admit it, or think that it might hurt your feelings.
 
It does run about the field at speed (as do their other child-sized ponies). It can see us and them from it's current field and has never been bothered. It is led in and out the stables daily and boxed regularly just not ridden. We're told the new fence needs to be high and solid for sound horse management reasons because it's an unbroken gelding but we're just not sure it makes sense to us.
 
I also think thats not the truth. Either that or no one told my boy that once he had been saddled he would forever be calm and mannerly in his field. Unless you have a reason to not want the fence I would suggest to them that they leave the strong boundary fence in place and put the other one inside that - double strength against the crazy horse and all that...
 
Well, I have a four year old unbroken gelding and he's kept in his paddocks/fields with normal post and rail fencing. One of the paddocks is next to the garden and there is an electric tape running along the fence too, but that's not to keep him out, it's to stop the greedy mare from reaching over the fence and eating the young hedge plants. They've never been upset by mowing, strimming, gardening, washing on the line etc... they come over in the hope of being fed copious amounts of carrots.
 
to be honest garden fence panels aren't that strong and can easily have a hoof go through or buckle under the weight of being used as a rub post
 
As others have said. They are using this horse as an excuse to put up this kind of fence. Either that or they are weird. Fence panels on their own would be useless as most horses would use them to rub and scratch on
So would still need electric fencing to keep horses off them

Panels are not needed at all

Even if what you mean is an I gelded colt/stallion panels are not suitable
 
It's definitely a castrated 4 year old male and it manages with standard post and rail horse fencing to their garden and neighbouring paddocks so why it needs a 2m high solid fence to our garden for equine management reasons remains a mystery.
 
We have offered to provide more privacy for them in a manner appropriate to the very rural areas we live in by planting a mixed native hedge or living willow screen in our garden to provide screening to a new equine fence. Our concern is not even loss of view as our garden is elevated. My main concern is that the panels proposed are not the right sort of fence to safely keep any livestock behind, particularly along a windy exposed valley, it looks very flimsy (and is bright orange). I think their priority should be the welfare of the horse.
 
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