# Affordable Fencing options



## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

She will be installing the fence by herself with the help of her DH and DS. They cannot afford any fancy equipment to install fencing. As it is, she is taking out an equity loan on the house to afford the renovations to the property. 

She has ruled out electric fencing as the main fence, but does plan to put a single row of electric tape at the top. 

The question is, what to use below or in combination with the electric tape that is not only affordable, but also safe. 

Most people here just have barbed wire, but she has of course ruled that option out. 

I used some plastic mesh fencing to repair a section of fence that was torn out by a fallen tree. My fencing is barbed wire, which I hate too and did not want to put more up. 

The fencing I used looks like the orange stuff that they put up for road work, but is green and advertised as dog fencing. 

One of the brands is called Tenax and it comes in different strengths. 

Has anyone ever used this long term? Does it hold up? Mine has been up for about 3-4 years but is in a shady area. I have let the privet bushes grow up on it figuring it is more secure and a bigger deterrent to the horses. It still seams very strong and secure. My posts are metal with some wooden ones at bigger intervals and corners. 

I thought it might be a good low cost option, especially if she plans to get goats or puts her dogs in with the horses (she wants to put her dogs in with them, I didn't think that was good idea). 

Looking for input or suggestions.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Link to the material she is looking at:

alt="Perimeter fencing for farming and construction environments - TENAX RANCH 1"


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## 98ramtough (Nov 15, 2016)

When it comes to a fence, it's a lot easier to do it right the first time. I would bite the bullet and buy the galvanized horse fence. It is pricey, but will last a LONG time if installed correctly. There is no way I would go to all the work of installing that plastic rubbery fence for horses. Seems like they would push or bite it.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Buy a mesh horse fence, or look into high-tensile. I know a lot of people don't like it, but it's inexpensive, lasts forever, and if you electrify a wire or two of it and put a strip of electric tape or board along the top so the horses can see it, relatively safe for broke adult horses. You do need special equipment for high-tensile so someone else may have to install it, but for unlevel ground and a budget, it's hard to beat. 

I would not use snow fence for horses...just...no. If budget is her primary concern and she can't afford a mesh or smooth wire, go with electrobraid or electric tape fencing and use 3 strands. It's cheap, easy to put up, easily repaired, easily visible, and she can upgrade it as funds allow. It's going to be far cheaper and safer than a sub-par snow fence. Horses can easily see it, the electric will keep them off of it, and as long as you check it occasionally to be sure there aren't branches or weeds across it and that ice hasn't broken a tape, it will last quite awhile and work well. 

Another option--- What about those 16' long by 5' high heavy wire 'cattle panels' or 'hog panels' available at any farm store? Those are pretty simple for a couple of people to install, not overly expensive, and last a long time. They will also contain goats/sheep/ponies if she goes that route. We had part of our pastures fenced with those for years. Initially it was meant to be temporary, but they worked so well we had them in place for 20 years. We used wood corner posts, otherwise metal pounded in to be below the fence when the fence was up so a horse was less likely to impale himself. The wire is heavy, but will usually break/bend if a horse hangs a leg in it. Next to no maintenance, and I never worried I'd come home to loose horses, either. It was also tall enough that horses won't lean over it, meaning no electric needed. If you look around, you can find them on sale if you buy in quantity, or even find them on CL occasionally. It's easy to put up-- if you go this route, don't set your line posts ahead of time in case you need to cut a panel in half (use heavy bolt cutters) to make it work on unlevel ground. Set your panel, mark where you want the post, put in the post, attach the panel, repeat. Photo below is part of the pasture we had fenced with it, posts every 8' with 16' panels. The only problem we ever had with it was that it would drift over with snow, but so will any mesh-type fence up here, so that wasn't the end of the world. No special equipment needed to install it, either.

If budget is the primary concern, I would err on the side of a safe, permanent fence for a smaller area rather than a sub-par, temporary fence for a larger area. So perhaps she'd be better starting off with a corral of pipe panels or rail fencing to begin, then when funds allow, a pasture can be added to it, and the corral will still be worth using when it's muddy or you want to otherwise contain or keep the horses off the grass. This also allows for the option of a sturdy, safe corral for overnight or when she's away, and a grazing area fenced with electric tape for when she's home and can watch the horses. Such an arrangement on a new property can be worth doing for a year--- find out what areas get really wet in the spring or icy in the winter and don't use those in your permanent pasture.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

98ramtough said:


> When it comes to a fence, it's a lot easier to do it right the first time. I would bite the bullet and buy the galvanized horse fence. It is pricey, but will last a LONG time if installed correctly. There is no way I would go to all the work of installing that plastic rubbery fence for horses. Seems like they would push or bite it.


Thank you for your input. 

I guess I didn't state it clearly, have had to rule out that kind of fence. 
1) costs too much - not enough bullets to pay for the cost of fencing three acres plus posts to hold it 
2) doesn't have the funds to have it professionally installed 
3) doesn't have the equipment to install it themselves. 

I helped install some of that galvanized horse fencing at a boarder barn. The three of us used a truck to pull the fence as tight as we could. Six months later the fence is sagging and the horses think its fabulous to lean and scratch themselves on. 

We are looking at other options.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

@SilverMaple the cattle panels are a good idea. They look fabulous for being 20 years old!! Longevity and ease of installation is very important. The ground is unlevel, so that might be a concern too with rigid panels. 

Snow is not an issue here in Alabama, we only get a snowfall maybe every 2-3 years :grin:

I will suggest it to her but not sure she will like the large openings. She is against field fencing. Very protective of her first horse. The mare is about 15 years old and I haven't seen her ever test my fence. 

I did suggest smooth wire high tensile fence, but don't remember if she shot that idea down or not.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Honestly, if she can't afford the panels or high-tensile (both on the cheap end as far as fence is concerned) and is unwilling to do electric, perhaps she'd be better off waiting until she can afford better fencing before installing something. Keep the horse at your place and buy fencing as she can. If she can't afford it all at once, a few panels or a roll of wire a month over the course of the winter and she may find she can get a decent fence within her budget that way. 

FWIW, her mare is a lot more likely to become entrapped and hurt in something like the snow fencing than she is in wire panels or electric. Since they can't lean over those, they tend not to get near them. The only time I had a horse put a foot through was a horse kicking at one of the neighbor's horses on the other side. He got a scrape but the wire bent and he easily pulled his leg out. All of mine are hobble broke front and rear, too, which helps them not to struggle if they would get caught in something, and I highly recommend that, particularly for wooded areas--- I've seen a lot of horses hurt from catching a hoof in tree roots or downed branches than in the fence. If she goes with the panels and is really worried about the gaps in the wire, run a strand of electric on the inside of it about chest height for the horses. They will stay clear of it.

A lot of people around here use those panels for smaller corrals for horses and cattle, too. For that, use heavy wood posts and raise the panel up about 8" off the ground when you install it. I know probably 50 horses kept in corrals made of these, with no injuries to speak of. Horse can't graze over or through them so they don't lean on them, they will contain small animals and ponies, and if you're worried, run electric on the inside and a solid board along the top. Pipe gate and done. Sturdy, safe corral for not a lot of money. A friend has one about 200' x 400' and has had no issues and no maintenance on it for over 10 years. It attaches to a series of pastures in use during the summer, but in the winter her horses are in that corral. Since we have snow, she put a double gate on it so a tractor with a blade or snowblower can get through, and she snowblows it out along the fencing so the horses can't walk over when it drifts.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

I've had horses in hot wire and/or tape on t-posts for many years without issue. Love my current solar powered fence charger. Cheap and easy to put up. Cheap and easy to expand or reconfigure. Cheap and easy to take down if/when they can afford something else.


I wouldn't talk her out of a companion equine, as that's really the best option. Some horses are fine solo, some are fine with goats, some hate goats, and some will manage to tear down the most impressive fence/gate/wall/barn in search of another horse buddy (I've had one of each, and you only find out which they are the hard way, lol.)


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Well... my first thought is, "Why does she need to do all at once?"....
Fence an acre....then save some more and fence another or a part of that..
Small amounts done not all at once make the task not so financially difficult nor such a huge job.

So, she can rent from many Lowe's or rental places post hole augers that are gas powered...
Many say one-person but I beg to differ and they are much easier to handle with 2 people working together to dig straight, deep holes where you want them.
She can purchase https://www.harborfreight.com/gas-powered-earth-auger-63022.html her own for about $250 _including_ the auger bit and then she has it for any more jobs needing done around a farm property... We used ours a lot when we put up new paddock fencing. A true back-saver.
Today you can also rent farm tractors with auger attachment but that gets real costly real fast...

So as far as fence goes....
I'm in Florida and that plastic fence would last about 3 months here before breaking,_ maybe._
I have 3 kinds of fencing on my property.
4 board fencing surrounding my barn, paddock area and what I see every day looking out the back window.
Then there is some horse and some livestock wire with top-board along the road and 2 sides.
I still have to finish removing the hated barb-wire that was on the land when we purchased it and now that the neighbor no longer has bulls at my back fence, the neighbors horses respect fence _{now electrified her side}_ so I can finish and my horses will be safe from "horned" bulls.

So...
I would suggest she do a smaller area and do it right the first time so it lasts, is safe and low maintenance.
If she is going to use any electric wire with her fencing she can go with a livestock wire. 
A graduated size from smaller{3"x6"} on bottom to largest at top {6"x8"}, a hoof could slip through _*if*_ the horses got close enough and rolled or pawed.
Yes, openings are larger but the "bite" of the electric is going to keep the horses away.
A little more money is goat fencing with a smaller opening {4"x4"}
The costliest is of course horse fencing with a opening of {2"x4"} and the smallest number of feet per roll.
Posts would be wooden, pressure treated 3"- 4" round and 61/2' tall for line posts, corner need to be 6" round and 8' long with support braces and secondary corner/line posts for added strength and durability.
All told, 100 line posts and 16 corner posts and she_* would*_ have extra for the next part of her fencing project.
I used Tractor Supply pricing for my area and was able to figure $950.00 total for all materials and left over extras to start the next section.
Wire fence comes in different grades with top-wires being different thickness, I chose the best quality in Red-Brand fencing.
My wire fence is now up since 2003, still in decent shape and my posts are strong and secure with no rot. My fence owes me not a dime and I have no need to replace immediately that that is safe and securely holding my horses inside their boundaries.
So, 3 rolls of 48" tall livestock wire with 330' length, 100 line posts, 16 corner posts. 
I can buy 1'x6'x16' rough cut top boards for $6.95 a board = 50 boards to top her wire makes her fence see-able, strong and resists horses pushing it over or someone easily cutting and gaining entry. $350 for boards, including sales tax...
Her posts would be spaced 8' on center so if she used 16' top board she has a nailing post at the ends and halfway mark offering more strength.
So for just under $1,300.00 she can fence her first acre with products that she can plan on having last_ for more than_ 10 years...of course if a tree falls on it that is not "planned".
That is _not_ a lot of $$ to spend...
Not doing a top board if she is electrifying might be a $$ savings...I do like to see my fence line with top board and no horse has challenged it yet.
Unless she has really large horses 48" high fence with a top-board of another 4" because you have a little overlap needed works great for my horses who range from a 14 hand Paso to 16.1 hand pushy OTTB who likes to rub his neck/chest for scratching. This height works well for them, for my dogs who occasionally run in the horses field with me, and worked keeping my neighbors goats from going over the top. _{If she does goats she *needs* to do the more expensive goat or horse fencing so they not get their heads with horns stuck and seriously hurt themselves}

_I would strongly suggest she do not all at once, but a smaller section and do it right the first time so not wasting time, money on materials that won't last nor lose her time just having to do it over again.
I _*am not*_ a fan of steel fence posts and horses together, regardless of them being capped or not.
A horse bucking in play can get ripped to shreds in a instant with a steel post...
I've seen that damage done to a mare...some of the worst damage I've ever seen and 3 hours of stitching to put her back together...all while she was unconscious and laid out in the grass._ No thanks!_
Yes, could happen with wood but less likely....

So, end to this tale is....
Go smaller in size fenced, but do it right so it lasts a long time and needs not done again.
Add to it as time and $$ avail...
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I think she has 6k at most to do everything. Some of the trees are being cleared for free for lumber. It is costing her 2K for another tree guy to come clear the land of the brush and stuff left from the logger. 

Don't even know if that includes stump removal. 

So 4K left for a shelter and fencing. Her mare is only 14.2h and 15 years old. She does not do well on her own and I think would become buddy sour with only one other horse. 

She has a garage on the property that she is going to add a lean-to for shelter. 

The biggest concern to me would be the little subdivision behind her property. I think she needs something quite solid or solid looking along the back where the houses are. 

Her mare can stay on my property as long as she needs to, but of course she really wants her horse in her backyard! 

We live about 45 minutes apart, but she sort of passes my place to get to work so not too much out of the way.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

Oooh, subdivision changes things a touch...From an insurance standpoint, she may HAVE to have a fairly solid fence facing the subdivision - horses are often legally considered an "Attractive Nuisance" (where a landowner may be held liable for injuries to children trespassing on the land if the injury is caused by an object on the land that is likely to attract children.) 


She should definitely inquire with a few insurance carriers BEFORE installing any fence, to make sure she will remain appropriately covered. Carriers could say anything goes/not have specifications, or they could have very detailed "must have 4 wires no farther than 12" apart" type specifications. Not knowing what's allowed/covered could cause her home owner's coverage to be canceled, or they could simply require a Liability policy or rider. Can you tell I work for an insurance brokerage? lol


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

I recently installed a rubber fence, and I love it. It was cheaper than the pretty vinyl that I really wanted, but still very safe. We Recycle Tires - Home I have lots of odd corners, and it's no problem. Installation was simple. Putting the wood posts in the ground was more difficult than running the rubber strands. You only need a come-along, a nail gun, and an air compressor. If you have trees, you can use them as posts. The only thing is, this fence won't keep goats in or children out. I don't know how the price compares to the mesh options; I didn't compare those.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Yeah, that subdivision changes things. Contact insurance to see what may be required or 'recommended'. As mentioned above, horses are usually considered an 'attractive nuisance' and it's up to the property owner to safely fence wandering children and the general public out. Some require a fence that is 'climb proof' and non-electric-- so that limits options to upper-end horse mesh fencing. Before she does anything, see what rules and regulations are for zoning and insurance. That can make a huge difference in what she is allowed or able to do. Additionally, with only 3 acres, is she allowed more than one horse and/or additional animals like goats? I'm assuming she's checked into this, but it's worth asking if she perhaps has not. 8-10 acres is the minimum in many semi-developed areas for having more than one horse/livestock so it's worth checking into. 

If she wants other horses on the property for low cost companions, consider two minis or small ponies, and keep her saddle horse across the fence from them. That will help keep her mare from getting lonely while still allowing her companionship and keeping the minis safe from unintended kicks. Of course, that also means mini-proof fencing, which is far different from horse-proof fencing.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

mkmurphy81 said:


> I recently installed a rubber fence, and I love it. It was cheaper than the pretty vinyl that I really wanted, but still very safe. We Recycle Tires - Home I have lots of odd corners, and it's no problem. Installation was simple. Putting the wood posts in the ground was more difficult than running the rubber strands. You only need a come-along, a nail gun, and an air compressor. If you have trees, you can use them as posts. The only thing is, this fence won't keep goats in or children out. I don't know how the price compares to the mesh options; I didn't compare those.


I wish that option was available around here-- it looks decent and simple to install.


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

SilverMaple said:


> I wish that option was available around here-- it looks decent and simple to install.


They're nowhere near us either. We had to have it shipped, but DH's work has a shipping dock, so they could send it there for less. Our 10 acres is so long and skinny that the perimeter fence is close to a mile long.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

mkmurphy81 said:


> I recently installed a rubber fence, and I love it. It was cheaper than the pretty vinyl that I really wanted, but still very safe. We Recycle Tires - Home I have lots of odd corners, and it's no problem. Installation was simple. Putting the wood posts in the ground was more difficult than running the rubber strands. You only need a come-along, a nail gun, and an air compressor. If you have trees, you can use them as posts. The only thing is, this fence won't keep goats in or children out. I don't know how the price compares to the mesh options; I didn't compare those.


I like it!! Don't think she would object either...how is it priced?


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Ramm fencing will have a fall sale here soon and have really good fencing options that she could do. Including High Tensile coated fencing. We have High Tensile Centaur fencing with wooden posts 12 feet apart. It is beautiful and has been well worth the few thousand it initially cost to fence in the 4 acre pasture. The biggest expense was the wooden fence posts!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

I do not know if she has checked with her insurance company or not. I have heard that 3 horses are considered a hobby, four horses are a business, but not sure how true that is.

She is not worried about the neighbors, but I would be. 

Not sure what the laws are, but she is in the county not the subdivision so no restrictions on animals except there is a law now that chickens can't be loose :icon_rolleyes:

The subdivision is behind her but her property boarders about 6 houses, maybe more along where the back fence would be. 

I would worry about people messing with the animals, which is why I suggested she put in the fence but allow the privet bushes to grow over it. Keep the neighbors away. 

I am a bit offended that a horse would be considered a nuisance; attractive or not. I think the kids are the nuisance!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

BTW there are no building codes in the county here, so you can pretty much do whatever. Not sure if that affects insurance or not. 

She has lived there a long time and always wanted a horse. This area still has a lot of people with small acreage and a few horses, chickens, goats, or cows. Pretty rural area but subdivisions keep popping up :sad:


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## mkmurphy81 (May 8, 2015)

AnitaAnne said:


> I like it!! Don't think she would object either...how is it priced?


The 1-inch is $0.15 per foot, and it comes in 70 foot lengths.* I used 4 strands spaced about 14 inches apart, so my fence is 56" (4' 8") tall. So, with 4 strands, that's $0.60 per foot of fence, rounded up to the nearest 70 feet. I don't remember what the shipping was. I'm sure it depends on how much and where. You can call and ask. Their phone number should be on the website.

*The fence is made from recycled Nascar tires -- the ones with no tread or steel belts. They literally just cut the walls off the tires, then spiral cut them and ship them. Each tire = 70 feet, but in my experience it's closer to 75. One tire certainly has 70 useful feet plus a few extra to tie onto a come-along. The directions actually say to get it "fan belt tight."


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## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

I recently just fenced in a dry lot for my two horses, a little bit less than an acre in size. To stay within a tight budget we ended up using the following:
- pressure treated wood posts in ends, corners, and every 50' on the longer sides
- T-posts roughly every 8', changing it up slightly every now and then for even aesthetic purposes (CAPPED)
- Electrobraid (5 strands, top 2 electrified)
- T-post clips and Electrobraid brand heavy-duty rollers for corner posts

I dug the wooden post holes myself with a manual post hole digger. My father helped by using a steel digging bar to help get past the rocks/shale layers. It was a tough few days digging those holes but it saved enough money for us in the end to be worth it and the results seem to be just as fine as what an auger would do. The T-posts were put in easily with a handheld pounder. We had a level on hand to make sure everything was straight as it was going in!

Come springtime I will be looking to hire someone to dig the main pasture holes and we will be putting permanent board fence up there. But for my budget at the time and a deadline to be getting horses in, this was what worked best for me. Electrifying the top two strands keeps the horses very respectful of the fence and the Electrobraid isn't flimsy in the least (it was fairly easy to make it very taut by hand as well, no special tools needed).

I hope this can be of some use!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

@Mewlie that sounds very nice and sturdy! Digging fence posts is hard work, so is driving in T-posts! What we do for our horses...

She is really set on making the fence dog-proof too. Says her dogs get out of their current pen. Don't think she has considered the gate situation though. 

Every 50 foot is a lot of wooden posts. That fence should last a long time.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

My homeowner's insurance will only allow us to have one horse per listed individual at the house - so if I wanted a 4th horse on my 6 acres, I'd have to find a new insurance carrier or adopt another child, lol.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

AnitaAnne said:


> She is really set on making the fence dog-proof too. Says her dogs get out of their current pen. Don't think she has considered the gate situation though.


She can get a mesh filled gate. Here are mesh filled but different framing.
https://www.mildfence.com/gallery/farm-ranch-garden-fence.php
Powder River Wire Filled Gate, 16' -Right Hand (Powder River 6554275), Livestock Gates | Runnings
As you can see by the pictures they come in two different styles of square frame and rounded frame, both are made from rounded pipe.
I have the squared frame ones in many different sizes....
Square ones fit tighter to the post which reduces the chance of a horse getting their neck caught trying to reach over it... I like "the look" better too myself.
Our gates allow my labs to place their head through about six inches or so off the bottom rail to the very top, but they can not get their shoulders through.
My neighbor has a small Jack Russell...her dog can not get his head high enough to put through the gate openings.

Check around, check Craigslist for used gates and local gate manufacturers.
Tractor Supply along with Lowe's & Home Depot by me all carry gates but watch the prices as they vary greatly for the same product.

You've said there is a sub-division of homes behind this property.
Are there any covenants regarding the kind of fencing she must have or is not permitted to have?
Many places will _not_ allow electrified fence as a perimeter fence nor barb wire.
As a secondary, interior fence, where innocent hands/arms/bodies can't reach is allowed...
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

If she only has a budget of $4K to do everything, she needs to rethink this. She needs somewhere around 3-4000' of materials to do a perimeter fence. That budget alone only leaves a 3 strand smooth wire fence ($.50/ft) or electric fence (.20/ft) option. The first thing she needs to do is seed the cleared area. It won't magically become a lush pasture on it's own. The weeds will quickly take over the area without grass competing with them. Whatever is left might be enough to build a small 12x12 loafing shed and a metal or wood fence around it. Has to be something sturdy that can withstand a lot of abuse. The pasture won't be ready to be grazed for 6-12 months so the perimeter fencing can wait.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I was thinking about this earlier today-- if she hasn't already, she needs to make sure every tree in that area is non-toxic to horses. No black walnuts, no red maples, no yew, etc. She may have already done this, but if not, it's essential. Even removing black walnuts can get costly as you can't just grind the stump and leave wood chips all over like you can with most trees. 

She may also want to rethink using the horse pasture for her dogs. Dogs are, well, dogs, and will usually be more than happy to eat horse poop, roll in stinky things, etc. Not to mention that horses and dogs don't always mix well so she'd need to have them out there at different times, which means her horses will also need a dog-proof loafing area near the barn where they can be when the dogs are out. My dogs are used to horses and vice versa, but I would never put them in a pasture together alone. It doesn't take much for a bored dog to learn that chasing horses is great fun, or for the horses to get territorial and take off after the dog. A friend's dog is laid up with a broken pelvis and an amputated leg when her mare, who never reacted to the dog before, attacked him when he cut across her pasture on his way back to the house. He was sniffing at something and not paying attention, and she nearly killed him before he got away. 

I don't think your friend is being realistic at all about what her budget will allow, what the needs of her horse and dogs will be, and how to manage a rather small pasture so it won't be rapidly ruined. She needs to sit down, really consider what she can afford, and perhaps scale back or postpone her plans for awhile so she's not throwing money away or doing something that will harm her horse, harm her dogs, get her in trouble with the subdivision, or ruin the land.

If she wants to get her horse on her property soon, she needs to get the shelter built and a small pen around it. Then get the rest of her costs taken care of, and then IF there's anything left, see about fencing a larger area. Make sure she's factoring pasture maintenance and hay into her costs, as her pasture size won't support a horse fully, especially if it's new pasture or wooded. If new pasture, she really should wait 12 months before grazing it lightly, and 2-3 years before heavy grazing. As she's finding out, things cost more than you think they will, and you can't have everything at once.


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