# Help me with my problem



## MollyDanielle (May 4, 2012)

Help me with this i want to fence in my land to own horses in but most of it is a woods or forest type thing. So can i have horses in a woods or not really??


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

No reason why you can't. Depending on what it was used for prior to you acquiring it, I would walk every inch to be sure that nothing was dropped on it or it was used for someone's garbage heap. Look for any holes, old half buried fencing or vehicles, bottles, cans, etc. Once your sure that it is safe, then get a land plat and begin to decide where you want your fence, how far away from the road or easements, etc. You may have to take down some tree's to ensure that the fence is straight.

If there is no grass, you may want to think about feed. We have no pasture and 90% of our land is forest so we feed hay year round. 

What kind of fencing were you thinking of putting in?


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you are going with electric you can even use the trees as posts. I prefer to tie the insulators on with good flexible wire that can be loosened yearly as the tree grows. My horses run thro forest and love to rub their bellies on the bushes when the flies are out. I should add that with electric it can zig zag thro the trees as the wire doesn't have to be real tight. It's actually more effective if it moves in the wind.


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## Rancher6 (May 9, 2012)

I would look into having somebody clear some of it or at least clear out the underbrush. Horses by nature are sometimes skittery of dark areas & need to be able to see and assess what's coming at them.


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## MollyDanielle (May 4, 2012)

Thanks i do think that i should clear os of the brush out and make a couple more trails in it. I dont reallt know what kind of fence it put in but i like the electric wire idea(a little less work) in the fenced in area there are thisals like thinks and wood ticks should i be worryed about those?????


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

You don't need to clear it. Just fence it and let the horses in. They'll eat what they want, trample the rest, and it be clear in no time.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MollyDanielle (May 4, 2012)

So i shouldn't worry about the wood ticks!!!!


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

MollyDanielle said:


> Thanks i do think that i should clear os of the brush out and make a couple more trails in it. I dont reallt know what kind of fence it put in but i like the electric wire idea(a little less work) in the fenced in area there are thisals like thinks and wood ticks should i be worryed about those?????


 No way would I consider electric in an area like yours. My guess is it will always be grounded out and not work in a brushy wooded area. I would clear out an area and have a few trees for some shade along with some run in shed with the idae of haying year round


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## MollyDanielle (May 4, 2012)

Thank you all for the help i have so much to think about know!!!!!!


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

About half of our land is wooded as well. We just fenced the whole thing, cleared a small area where we do feed and water, and let the horses roam the woods. Its great for shade when its hot. The only think that I'd say is that there is a bit of a higher chance of injury in some cases. You have to deal with more chances of lightning striking, snakes, cyotes (depends on the area...we have quite a few roam our pastures in the spring) and then ofcourse, pokey objects. Just a month and a half ago, our 8 month old colt Peppin mysteriously cut his eye out and had to have it surgically removed- and we're fairly sure that a tree branch was the culprit! The other horses absolutely love it though, and stay in the woods rather than the cleared area more often than not. You'll probably need to clear areas a few feet from the fenceline though if you have high winds in your area and use wood- you don't want a tree falling on it and giving your horses an escape route!


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Yes, you can graze horses in trees, with special management. It's called silvopasture:

Silvopasture » USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC)

I would NOT clear all of it out. The land is developed under trees and removing all of them would make it susceptible to erosion, weed infestation and loss of grasses. You can selectively clear it out, though to make it a little easier to move about, and to help sun get to the lowest plant level so that the grass can grow stronger.

Silvopasture is actually quite genius!


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Word of caution, try to keep a minimum of the branches on the ground, when you clean it out (say once a week) you will want to throw them over the fence or make a burning pile. If a horse steps on them, a branch could fly up and hit them in the face, and it is not the best walking material for them.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

I grew up in WVA. Our land was mostly wood. The cattle and horses had no problems with it. Our dad fenced most of it off with electric. We did have an area around the barn that was cleared out, but that was mostly for feeding and so we could get the tractor through.


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