Keeping horses safe on your property involves making the right decisions on farm fencing.
Installing the best farm fences for horses will keep animals and humans alike safe and happy, but the wrong ones could lead to disaster.
Before assuming any kind of barrier will do, fence companies recommend that you understand a little bit about horse behavior to help you make your choice.
Horses Are Large and Very Active
Of all the livestock that average people keep on their farms and ranches, horses are the largest, the most active, and also the most destructive.
They are also fairly fragile in comparison to other livestock like cattle and where farm fencing is concerned, tend to get themselves into all kinds of trouble in just being horses!
To make an appropriate choice on farm fences, it’s essential to take this into account, as well as the behaviors of the individual horses being fenced in.
Better to Use Wood for Horse Fencing
Generally speaking, horses are safest, and most respectful when contained in farm fencing made of wood because it is long lasting, strong, and durable enough to put up with some abuse.
Post and board or split rail are the most popular options as it is readily available and looks nice, but it can also be expensive.
Steel pipe farm fences are another option and other options include PVC, high tensile, and wire mesh.
PVC fencing is desirable for horses due to its attractive appearance, but only when electric wire is used inside the fence line to prevent contact since these boards are hollow and not as strong as wood.
High tensile wire is another popular horse fence, but it must also be used with electric wire on the inside to prevent contact to keep horses from tangling in the wire.
PVC coated wires or wire and PVC “rails” are another great option that perform as well as high tensile wire but with a greater safety margin.
Non-climb, horse-proof wire mesh installed on wood posts is yet another safe option.
Fencing Must Stand Up To Kicking, Leaning, and Chewing
In most cases, protecting farm fencing to prevent damage from kicking, leaning, and chewing with electric wire is recommended.
Due to a horse’s nature of flight and to pull back when caught in something, barbed wire should never be used as horse fence as it could be deadly.
Citing these examples, it is easy to see that there is a wide range of products that fence companies can install on your property to safely contain your horses.
Choose the best farm fencing for your horses based on their temperaments and activity levels, and your budget.