# Temporary fencing? and other questions...



## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

There are steel/fiberglass post that are only 4 foot high that can be used for temporary fencing. Still a good idea to use T post at the corners as the others are a bit to flexible to make a good corner post.

You can remove T many ways if you don't have a tractor:
-Handyman jack and a length of chain work quite well. 

-You can dig them out with a shovel. 

-Pickup, chain and a spare tire will work quite well. Wrap the chain so it locks onto the T post near the ground. Stand up a spare tire right next to the T post and drape the chain over the top of tire. Now hook the chain to your rig and pull forward. With the chain over your spare it will provide upwards pull on the T post.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I use t-posts at corners only. To remove them, I can wiggle them back and forth and then pull them out by hand. I've been told I'm not "normal for a woman" though, but if I can do it, surely there is a man around that could? For the posts in between, I bought 3/8" steel rod from the steel supplier and had them cut it into equal lengths. The electric fence posts available from the farm depot are just too short IMO.

If Lacey is a leaner, sorry, but you'll have to find a way to electrify that fence or she'll just walk right through it. I had a mare that did that -- she was always my alarm that my fencer wasn't working properly  Why wouldn't you electrify the fence? 

As for stalling -- I can't help you there. I have only gone the other way around: from being stalled 20/7 to free turnout 24/7. I understand your reasons for stalling, but I just hate sticking a horse in a box.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I wouldn't make a small area any smaller than 25 by 25 even than it would have to be electric because she'll push right through it, my old mare would never touch a fence even off if she had grass as soon as that was gone she would jump or run threw any fence. You would want to put it up so it has some shelter such as a tree or a building blocking the wind. 

I use the plastic temporary fence post because I only own 1/2 acre for grazing (which lasts most of the summer on grassing only during the day), I have wooden posts mind you in the corners so I can pull the fence tight, which is just electric rope. I use the posts too to graze my neighbors field. They work good as long as it doesn't get below zero or over 25 C, so over 75 F (I think) they will melt or snap, fiberglass or metal ones shouldn't have a problem. 

You have no way around it, get a charger for your fence it is a piece of mind knowing that if she leans she won't be lose, or parents regret letting you bring her home. I have a small charger that takes 4 D batteries that cost $75 from Hallman that even on day and night lasts a couple of weeks for a one strand temporary fence, under 500 feet. It has two lead wires off it you snap one of the fence and the other on the grounding rod and good to go hang the fencer on a hook. 

Good luck with your plans.


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

For temp fences (I do it every summer with our backyard, I hate wasting a whole acre of grass), I like to use just plain ol bale twine that I get off of the hay all during winter. You can run a string of electric wire through it (I do either the top or middle, Indie is a bit of a fence runner and this has kept her in pretty well.), and since the twine is the same size and consistency of the wire- she won't go near it after she gets herself a good shock on the nose. 

I too am in the process of getting Indie used to being stalled, we just finally got it built in the barn (WOO!), and right now it's a walk in. I do all the feeding in there, that really encourages her to look forward to the stall. I'm giving her a month to get used to it (she had a bad past experience with a stall, so I'm weaning her back on it slowly, Lacey might not take as long to get used to it), and then I'll start closing her off for a couple hours at a time (with food) and then letting her out until we're both comfortable 

Just some suggestions to throw out there. Good luck!


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

So after I posted this I realized that I was going off my past experience with T-posts where I was putting them in to hold up one of those metal tubing fence things. To hold up those things, where I was putting them in, you have to drive T-posts at least 3 ft into the ground. For some simple electric tape fencing, I wouldn't need to drive them in nearly that deep and it would probably be tons easier to get them back out again. Silly me! :lol:

I was planning on not electrifying the fence because there will be enough brush and long grass around the fenceline that I'm sure it would short the electricity out rather quickly. I will look into getting a charger just in case though! 
I would also feel kinda bad about electrifying the fence because when she's been in electric fence that was on, she always seems terrified. Like, going out through the gate, even if it's 5 ft wide (or whatever), she will rush/jump through the opening like she's going to get shocked, even if she wouldn't have gotten shocked.
However, that gives me an idea. Have the fence electrified when I first put her in, leave it on for a few days, then turn it off. Then, she would only be terrified for a little while but she would also be "sensitized" to the fence and hopefully leave it alone over the long term.

I will be back with more questions in a bit, I have a kid to teach currently.


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## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

I use to electrify the fence around brush I always would stomp the fence line putting the posts up, than stomp it down again when stringing it up. As far as being scared of the fence, it gives you something to work on, and even if you just have it on when no one is home or at night, it will be a piece of mind knowing she isn't roaming the roads. If she is really sensitive to the fence than you don't need hundreds of dollars on a heavy duty one, a small portable will be just fine.


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

Wallaby said:


> However, that gives me an idea. Have the fence electrified when I first put her in, leave it on for a few days, then turn it off. Then, she would only be terrified for a little while but she would also be "sensitized" to the fence and hopefully leave it alone over the long term.


That's what I do  I didn't have my fence on all winter, only turned it back on for Spring because that grass is going to be too tempting for my mare to not give it at least one try :lol:


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Wallaby, if you get a decent fencer the grass and light brush won't bother the fence. I do spend time going around my fence line clearing branches, etc. though because besides the electrical side of things, they can cause damage to your fence.

As for the t-posts, for sure. You only need to put them in maybe a foot, unless they are really tall, or the ground is bad.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Fencing your mare in an open stall is not a good idea. You may think she is safe but to her, she is in a trap and can't escape the animals that want her for dinner. She needs to be able to run. If you bring the horse home, who's going to look after her while you are at work? What if she escapes? Perhaps consider using the push in rods and ribbon and just make a small area for her to graze while you are at home. Then return her to the neighbors where she is used to spending her nights and is more secure.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

no reason to stall your horse at night, .75 acres isnt much. 
Home depot sells a T post jack for $29.99 works great for pulling them up, Id get 6.5 foot tposts and a tpost wacker, later in the summer get the puller. 
Use the 1/4 inch diameter electric rope instead of the tape, much stronger, eisier to work with and doenst flop in the wind. For that small an area a solar or battery opertated fence charger would be fine.


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## RitzieAnn (Dec 22, 2010)

I put up a yard at my friends property with these posts
Image Detail for - http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/506443_front200.jpg

She had a few wood posts already up, but not very many. I came every few days and moved the fence around so that they were mostly on new grass. It is best to have solid corner posts. My horses respect the fences at home, if they are on, and even if they are off, but at my friends house they tested it when it was off. So we made sure to always have the fence line hot.

I also agree that since your horse isn't used to sleeping there in your yard, making her a tiny area isn't best. Mine slept outside at my friends house, but 1) they had each other. Nobody was left there alone until they had several nights to get used to the area and the fence line, 2) I always made sure that the 3 trees were inside their pen, so they could get shade from them.

I say, 5 posts. 1 for each corner, and 1 to be the ancor for your gate. It also works best if you use the braided string electric line. It's light weight & doesn't sag the fence posts. I have actually used JUST those posts with that line before, and was able to have the corners hold up well too, but that area was only about 20x20 or so.


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