Thoughts on making a gate safer

[mustardsmum]

So had a bit of a gate incident today in our yard. One of our stables has a 8 foot opening with a normal 12ft field gate on it. Our mare was stood pawing at the gate and got her foot caught, panicked and fell over, grazing her hind leg while the leg that got caught ended up with a nasty graze. Luckily, she is sound and no swelling or lameness several hours later, and I am really aware that this could have been a whole lot worse (so please, no stories of degloving, broken legs etc. - the other scenarios all ran through my head one today....!!!). I am sure she will be a bit sore, but thankful all her injuries appear quite superficial. I have been meaning to replace this gate for sometime, being aware that with the cross braces someone could get a leg caught but it has never happened (like in about 20 years....) so today really was a bit of a freak accident. As a result I am currently browsing the internet for a new 10ft gate (which would work better than the current12ft gate in this opening) and wonder what are peoples thoughts are...

At the moment I have the following options:

1. 10ft half mesh gate with a Solway 6mm gate sheet covering the entire gate, fixed onto the frame of the gate with heavy duty zip ties
2. 10ft half mesh gate with a sheet of marine ply covering the entire gate fixed onto the frame of the gate with heavy duty zip ties
3. Just a 10ft half mesh gate
4. A 10ft full mesh gate

I am just wondering if the hive mind has any other suggestions, or whether anyone has used Solway boards (or Stokboard) and how it stands up to weather. I like the fact its recycled farm waste, and will probably be more robust than marine ply. I also wonder if anyone has used mesh gates and whether they present any issues. I would add neither of our horses are shod so I am not worried about shoes getting caught on the mesh.

If anyone has any other suggestions I would be interested to hear them!

Many thanks!

 

[Hobo2]

Stokboard is what I use on gates we want to make safe . Indoors or outdoors it lasts for ever . Horses and cattle.

 

[paddy555]

10ft wooden gate from mole valley and sheet of marine ply. (Not sure why you want a 10ft gate in an 8ft gap.)

I've done this on several gates to stop them getting legs through.

 

[meleeka]

10ft wooden gate from mole valley and sheet of marine ply. (Not sure why you want a 10ft gate in an 8ft gap.)

I've done this on several gates to stop them getting legs through.

This is the easiest and cheapest way to make them safe. Even half mesh would worry me with some horses.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Gale breaker mesh and cable ties.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

I fence my gates off with electric tape so that they have to stand back from the gateway. It also helps to reduce mud in the gateway, and I can move electric tape around to rest bits if I need to.

 

[rabatsa]

Why not get an 8ft gate if it is an 8ft gap?

 

[Merry neddy man]

Cover the field side of the gate with the bright orange mesh ( the big hole thick PVC one ) that they use on scaffolding etc held onto top middle and bottom rails with timber lathes. Timber laths nailed vertical to the gate with 3"(7:5cm) gaps so the horse cant get his hoof through, (cheaply done with timber from old pallets ) or nail and lath old outdoor rugs to the gate held in place with timber lathes.

 

[mustardsmum]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I hadn’t really considered a wooden gate, but it is a good suggestion so will look into that. I like the stokboard so good to hear you’ve used it @Hobo2.

@rabatsa and @paddy555 so it’s a big field shelter within my yard, which opens onto our fields. I put a spare 12ft gate on so I could use it as a stable. The field shelter is built of concrete block, so the gate has to be hung on the outside overlapping either end, and it opens pretty much flush against a fence. I can get away with a smaller gate but still need an overlap on either side otherwise I can’t close the gate or have the gate flush against the fence.

@LadyGascoyne its a field shelter within my yard and originally, the horses just used to wander in from one of our fields but over the years, it has morphed into a stable. It fronts a concrete yard attached to it so mud etc are not an issue. My problem was our mare being impatient and pawing at the gate whilst being tacked up up prior to going for a hack (which obviously after the gate incident, we had to cancel!).