Most Popular Choices of Horse Fencing

The Most Popular Choices of Horse Fencing

Ever dream of beautiful expanses of three or four-rail whitewashed horse fences surrounding manicured pastures? There are many options for the horse owner when it comes to fences. Educate yourself thoroughly before you make a decision.

This is an abbreviated list of the most popular choices. All are readily available in the large box stores, lumber stores or your local feed dealers.

Wood Board Fence

This is the classic fence we all think of first when we consider the purchase and installation of a horse fence. It is traditional for riding rings and pastures. We have all seen gorgeous installations of wood rails on large breeding farms and it is the fence of choice for many private horse owners. Certainly the proper installation and well-maintained wood fence is eye catching. Rough-hewn planks can be affordable; finished planks are also reasonable. Yet this type of horse fence takes upkeep and maintenance or it will soon fall into disrepair - horses may chew on the wood; it requires painting; planks may bow; rails will break if horses are able to rub on them; careless nailing of planks can present a serious hazard to horses.

This type of fence is ideal if an electric wire is added to the top rail. Horses soon learn to stay away and are less likely to ever spook through the fence. If the horse owner is willing to maintain this type of fence, the reward is eye appealing.

Vinyl Fence

Another superb fence suitable for horses is vinyl plank fencing. Generally known to add value to properties, vinyl fence never needs painting, is visible to horses and is attractive from a "curb appeal" standpoint. Perhaps the best reason to use vinyl fencing to surround your pasture is that your horse will not chew it. However, it tends to be very expensive.

Horses may not chew vinyl fences but they may well rub or push it. The vinyl rails pop out easily and this presents a clear danger. To eliminate this problem, it is advisable to run an electric wire along the inside of the top rails to prevent rowdy horses from "testing" the fence.

Pipe Fence

In some parts of the country, especially in the West and California, pipe fencing is the primary fence choice. It provides a clear boundary for horses and, if installed properly, is good-looking. Additionally, it is safe and solid for horse use. This is an expensive fence to build but offers longevity. Once installed, it requires almost no maintenance.

Wire Fence

This type of fencing material comes in many variations and styles. Overall, it is easy to find in the stores, is not expensive and is relatively simple to install.

Wire fencing installed in conjunction with a strand or two of electric wire is a fairly safe fence type for horses. When purchasing wire fence, make certain the openings in the wire are smaller than horse hooves to prevent accidental injury.

This type of fence is difficult to see for horses. It is advisable to tie surveyor-type flags at even intervals on fence and electric strands. A little foresight at time of installation can remove many reasons for later hindsight discussions.

For added visibility and safety, many horse owners add a wood plank top rail. It is important to keep the fence line clear of weeds and vines inside and out to prevent vegetation from getting ahead of maintenance.

Chain Link Fence

This type of fence is a safe and solid alternative fence for horses. It is expensive from both a material and installation standpoint. However, if you have a difficult-to-fence horse or some other type of problem, this is an ideal fence choice, especially for smaller installations. Again, the recommendation is to use a hot strand of wire along the top of this fence. Use professionals to install chain link fence to get the job done properly.

Electric Horse Fence (or Electric Tape)

There are many uses for this type of fence as already discussed above. When used as a top wire, it tends to prohibit horse behaviors such as cribbing, chewing, jumping, rubbing, pushing and reaching over the fence.

Electric fences can also be installed temporarily to permit quick and inexpensive pasturing or pasture rotating. When used exclusively as the means to pasture a horse, it must be clearly flagged with bright tape so the horse has clear vision of the fence obstacle. It is also recommended to use an electric charge box (The Old Gray Mare further recommends a non-pulsing box so the horse does not learn to test it with whiskers or other clever means).

When the horse owner uses electric wire fencing, he must be vigilant that weeds and grass do not touch the bottom strand. Further, if there are trees around or in the fence, he must frequently walk the fence line to assure that no branches have fallen on the wires. Wild animals sometimes run into the fence; trees fall on it. Advice by The Old Gray Mare is not to use this type of wire by itself for any extended time period unless the horse owner is willing to check the fence frequently..

Portable Pipe Horse Fence

Round pens are fabulous fences and come in portable panels. This type of fence provides the horse owner great flexibility of installation and relocation. The round pen is a terrific training aid and can readily serve as an isolation area for injured, sick or new horses.

There are numerous other types of fencing available to horse owners. For brevity, I have listed the more popular types. The horse owner must assess his needs, his property, his horses and his budget.

The Old Gray Mare adds one final, and most important, bit of advice - choose the safest and most solid solution for your horse and never wrestle with hindsight!