The Best Fencing Options For Your Outdoor Horse Farm

Do your horses happily live outside 365 days a year, day and night? Whether you have an outdoor horse farm or outdoor boarding, you will need to ensure that it is equipped with the right solutions to keep horses safe and happy. This includes, but is not limited to, the fencing along your property.

From what to consider before installing the fence and the best options available to you, let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about outdoor horse fencing.

What to Consider

When planning, designing and building horse fencing that will need to provide adequate protection, containment and quality of life, 24/7, you may want to consider the following first:

Predators

If your horses will be outside throughout the day and night, predators should most definitely be taken into consideration. If there are wolves, coyotes, foxes, bears, or other predators in your area, you may want to consider a fence that provides horses with additional protection from the outside barriers.

Best fencing to help keep predators on the outside of the fence:

  1. Square Deal or Diamond Mesh Fencing – using the square deal or diamond mesh fencing for horses is safe for the horse, but also helps to keep predators out of the field. The 2×4 mesh sizing or closer with the V mesh keep smaller animals from crawling through and larger animals from getting through.
  2. Electric on the outside at the bottom – using electric fence as a predator deterrent helps keep unwanted animals on the outside of the fencing. You can use Shockline, rope, electric braid, or even straight high tensile wire.
  3. Board fence with closer board spacing – this would be an expensive option, but you can use extra boards to help prevent critters from crawling through and coming into the horse paddocks

Proximity to Roadways

Is your farm close to major roadways? If so, the fence you choose is of even more importance. A more durable fence can help to reduce the risk of damage or broken parts, which could lead to your horses escaping and navigating near the roadways.

When doing road fencing you need a strong physical barrier fence. Minimum three rails or a combination of wide rail and at least four wires to be used on major roadways.

Wire fence with a maximum or 2×4 size holes will also work and we would recommend a rail on top of that wire fencing. For maximum safety on road frontages, you can use electric but a minimum of four strands and not rope or twine. Shockline or Raceline at the very minimum should be used.

Your Horses

The number of horses and what kind they are can also play a part into the kind of fencing you invest in.  The more horses you have and the more active they are, you may experience a little more roughhousing which could lead to an impact with your fence.

For these instances, you may want to invest in a fence that can withstand more impact. Around gate areas and in smaller mud or sacrifice paddocks you need to make sure that the fence will stand up to the abuse.

We recommend Flex in three or four rails, or a combination rail with electric on it. The electric fence for horses can help to keep the horses off your valuable investment in fencing. Three or four oak boards will also work, we would also recommend electric on it. Pipe fencing is another option available to you. Areas that have access to pipe and a welder it is a good option, but expensive if you do not have access to those materials.

Your Budget

While determining which fence installation will best suit your needs, you should also take your budget into consideration. The health, happiness and safety of your horses should always be a top priority, which the fence can have a large impact on. If you are working with a certain budget, our equine fencing experts at System Equine can work with you to find a reasonable solution for your horse farm.

We usually say: “The difference between a good fence and a bad fence is often one vet bill”.

Your Best Options

Electric Fencing

The right electric fencing can help to keep predators out of the paddock and away from your horses. Using a permanent electric fence such as coated high-tensile wire may be the right solution for you, as it can be electrified for added confidence and peace of mind.

While electric fencing does require some maintenance, such as removing tree branches and trimming grass away from the fencing, it can provide you with an ideal solution to keep your horses safe and farm operating efficiently.

Another option would be to add a flex rail along the top of your electric fence. Not only can this provide a visual barrier, but if an animal were to hit it, they would simply bounce off. Not only does this reduce the risk of a predator getting to your horses and horses from escaping, but also reduces damage done to the fence. Not to mention that it also reduces the risk of the predator getting hurt.

Flex Fencing

As mentioned above, Flex Fencing can provide an ideal solution to an outdoor horse farm. Flex Fencing is crafted with a unique design that allows for impact from horses and predators alike, with no to little damage.

In fact, the fence will flex on impact and then return to its original shape. In the case of a severe impact that does lead to damage, more often than not it is a simple rail break, which is easy to fix with a splice buckle.

Flex Fencing is crafted using high-tensile galvanized steel wire with a bonded or trapped polymer around the wire. Not only is it highly visible, but it also offers a safer and more cost-efficient solution. The strong design helps to contain horses, keeping them safe and predators out.

PVC Fencing

PVC can provide horse and barn owners with a beautiful, high-quality fence installation. For those looking for a 24/7 fence, we suggest only moving forward with PVC if you also opt for a combination with PVC and electric fencing. Installing a PVC fence is not generally recommended if you live in a cold climate, as it can crack and break easily as the temperature drops.

Wire Mesh Fencing

Square Deal or Diamond Mesh Fencing are types of wire fencing with hole spacing that is smaller than the foot of a horse. This design offers a safe and practically predator-proof solution, as animals on the outside cannot enter into the fields.

For a wire mesh fencing installation on a 24/7 horse farm, we recommend adding a flex rail along the top or a board, so that horses are less likely to lean on or put their heads through the fencing.

Shop Horse Fences at System Equine

For more helpful information about horse fencing, take a look at the other articles in our blog section. To shop from a wide selection of high-quality horse fence solutions, contact our experts at System Equine today or browse through the inventory on our website. We carry a variety of equine fencing solutions, including but not limited to:

  • Flex fencing
  • PVC fencing
  • Wire mesh fencing
  • Electric fencing
  • Board fencing

One of our equine barn and farm specialists would be more than happy to assist you. Together, we can create a safe environment for your horses and everyone else on the farm.

Horse Fence Installation Ideas

  • Wire Diamond Mesh in Black with Hardwood Topline
  • Electric Braid Fence in White with 3″ Strand Flex, 425 Topline
  • Electric Braid Fence in White with 4″ Strand
  • Flex Fencing in black with 3″ Rail
  • Flex Fencing in Black with 4″ Rail
  • Flex Fencing in Brown with 4″ Rail with Wire Square Deal Mesh
  • Wire Diamond Mesh in Black with Hardwood Topline
impdigital
Author: impdigital

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