# Boards vs poles



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Do you have a Peavey Mart in your province, Op? I bought 10 ft panels (5 ft high) to make my round pen -- it took me a couple of years to accumulate enough (15 plus a gate panel) because I'd wait until they'd go on sale and pick up a few at that price; I think the last sale price they were at $99 a panel (give or take). The plus side with this system is that its portable and it will last a lifetime.

For my corrals, I went with poles because they were the most economical way to go as we bought them in full bundles from the lumber store (unlike you, we'd pretty much clear out our bush if we tried getting homegrown poles). It's been my experience the poles have just as a long life expectancy as the boards. In the end, however, you will need to work with what you can get where you are and keep in mind the availability of reasonably matching material when it comes time to repair or expand.

I don't mind the 'rustic' look of a pole fence as it's a look that is more compatible with the landscape.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Chevaux said:


> Do you have a Peavey Mart in your province, Op? I bought 10 ft panels (5 ft high) to make my round pen -- it took me a couple of years to accumulate enough (15 plus a gate panel) because I'd wait until they'd go on sale and pick up a few at that price; I think the last sale price they were at $99 a panel (give or take). The plus side with this system is that its portable and it will last a lifetime.
> 
> For my corrals, I went with poles because they were the most economical way to go as we bought them in full bundles from the lumber store (unlike you, we'd pretty much clear out our bush if we tried getting homegrown poles). It's been my experience the poles have just as a long life expectancy as the boards. In the end, however, you will need to work with what you can get where you are and keep in mind the availability of reasonably matching material when it comes time to repair or expand.
> 
> I don't mind the 'rustic' look of a pole fence as it's a look that is more compatible with the landscape.


Unfortuntely we only have one place here to buy panels, and that's the Co-Op. their cheapest panel is a four foot gate at $180. It's insane! The pens will be on two properties that I have horses on. (Parents) one is getting an approx 50x100 foot paddock with a fifty foot round pen, as we're expecting a baby in spring and need suitable fencing for when he time comes to start working with it. The other is just a little rectangular paddock at my mothers, where I keep my main horse most of the time. There's no room to ride so we're building an arena. 
At my mothers we will most likely be using board, as I'm in your predicament- not enough trees :lol: 

At my fathers, it is land I will inherit so I want to make the property as valuable to me as possible. We're logging on 60 acres of woodlot to make horse pasture and hay fields, so there's PLENTY of trees. I want a 50x100 foot paddock, a fifty foot round pen up by fall. Poles would be very easy, fit in with the log house and two pole barns :lol:


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Will you be using the 50x100 ft paddock as a turn out area as well? If you use it only for riding and schooling do you really need it fenced? You will have the round pen fenced for schooling and sometimes it is good to school in an area that does not have a fence as it keeps the horse from using the fence as a crutch.

When I did have a fenced riding area, I had boards and I put the boards on the inside so I didn't smash my knees against the posts if too close to the fence.

In your case I would look seriously at poles as they are right on the property and do the round pen first and then go from there, work up the riding arena and if I think I need fence for it still go with the poles.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Subbing <3


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Woodhaven said:


> Will you be using the 50x100 ft paddock as a turn out area as well? If you use it only for riding and schooling do you really need it fenced? You will have the round pen fenced for schooling and sometimes it is good to school in an area that does not have a fence as it keeps the horse from using the fence as a crutch.
> 
> When I did have a fenced riding area, I had boards and I put the boards on the inside so I didn't smash my knees against the posts if too close to the fence.
> 
> In your case I would look seriously at poles as they are right on the property and do the round pen first and then go from there, work up the riding arena and if I think I need fence for it still go with the poles.


I do need a fenced area for a few reasons. One, I like to have a controlled area to initially work the horses in. We have miles of trails and that's what I train for. Two, our whole property is fenced off as pasture, so the arena/round pen will be in the pasture, and I need a fenced area to keep the other horses out. 

Good idea about the posts!! I hate hitting my leg on the arena walls and rails.


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## Luce73 (Dec 7, 2012)

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> Good idea about the posts!! I hate hitting my leg on the arena walls and rails.


I always thought poles/boards should be on the inside so if a horse decides to lean on it the weight is distributed over the whole 'touching' area between pole and fence post, rather than on two nails/bolts/screws (which would also be on the opposite side to the horse, so easily pushed out).


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

We got posts and boards (8" x 2" x 12 ft long) from a mill up the road from us. They were dirt cheap. The boards are rough (best to keep them that way - when they smooth them, it makes them thinner and so less sturdy). The posts are 4-6" and 8 feet long. I think we got the posts for 3$ per post. Boards were more, but not much. If you're interested, I can ask hubby how much they were and can give you the name of the place. 

We own a 185 acre woodlot and live on 13 acres, at least half of which is wooded. But honestly, for us to cut the posts, scrape off the bark (you'd have to scrape some of it off so you can nail the things), trim the branches, etc., it wasn't worth wasting our time. These weren't perfect, but they worked just great. We did put a live wire on the inside of the boards, which were screwed to the inside of the posts, so the horses aren't tempted to push on them. No problems so far. They completely respect the fence and we haven't had a board come off. The advantage for us to use boards was that we could space then 10 feet apart. Our fence isn't very pretty (hubby did it and, well, it's pretty far out of his field of expertise  ), but it works. Of course we don't care about resale value since we're not moving. Like ever.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Yes, easy to cut rails, not to say cheap. We did that, when we first moved here, as all you needed was a cheap $5 permit, to cut rails in the forestry
Unfortunately, we did not treat them, and thus would never go that route again, as they rot in a few years
Better to do it right in the beginning, JMO. Thus, our corrals are made of rails, but they are bought treated rails
The roundpen has rough sawn planks, and a horse is not going to break through them!. I painted them, so they have lasted pretty well
The outdoor arena only has a top rail, as by the time I'm riding a hrose there, the horse is way past going through any rails while ridden!
I do not use my arena for turnout, having manure build up
I would not use un treated poles that you cut, as it might sound easy to replace them as needed, but there is a tendency to let that slide, and not even realize as to how punky one of those rails has gotten. They then are visual barriers only, at best!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Chevaux said:


> Do you have a Peavey Mart in your province, Op? I bought 10 ft panels (5 ft high) to make my round pen -- it took me a couple of years to accumulate enough (15 plus a gate panel) because I'd wait until they'd go on sale and pick up a few at that price; I think the last sale price they were at $99 a panel (give or take). The plus side with this system is that its portable and it will last a lifetime.
> 
> For my corrals, I went with poles because they were the most economical way to go as we bought them in full bundles from the lumber store (unlike you, we'd pretty much clear out our bush if we tried getting homegrown poles). It's been my experience the poles have just as a long life expectancy as the boards. In the end, however, you will need to work with what you can get where you are and keep in mind the availability of reasonably matching material when it comes time to repair or expand.
> 
> I don't mind the 'rustic' look of a pole fence as it's a look that is more compatible with the landscape.


I like round pens made by having posts set deep in the ground. I have seen and heard of some serious wreaks, using those portable panels


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Smilie said:


> I like round pens made by having posts set deep in the ground. I have seen and heard of some serious wreaks, using those portable panels


That's a valid point, Smilie, and would certainly be appropriate in certain circumstances. However, I'll continue to take my chances with my portable job for two reasons: 1) none of my horses are that radical to test the panels to that extent and 2) in my mind if I've pushed a horse to such an extreme that it would rather go crashing through a fence than continue to interact with me then I'm doing something seriously wrong with my training.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Chevaux said:


> That's a valid point, Smilie, and would certainly be appropriate in certain circumstances. However, I'll continue to take my chances with my portable job for two reasons: 1) none of my horses are that radical to test the panels to that extent and 2) in my mind if I've pushed a horse to such an extreme that it would rather go crashing through a fence than continue to interact with me then I'm doing something seriously wrong with my training.


No worries, just though I would mention it to someone just building facilities
A horse does not need to be pushed, to have a freak wreak in panels
A very good trainer I know, was asked to get on a nice two year old, not at his own facilities
The horse slipped and fell, got a leg hung up in the panels, and it trying to get up, pulled a section on top of himself and that rider
Luckily, it was a nice young horse, and did not continue to struggle, when someone went to their aid, or the wreak could have been worse


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I don't bother treating my posts or boards. But they're cedar, which lasts forever. There's a reason why farmers in this area still have their hundred-year-old cedar fences up. Given that it's pretty abundant here, and can be had at a reasonable cost, I'd rather just leave them untreated. If you're going to treat wood, make sure you don't have chewers! Or keep them off the fence with a hot line on the inside.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Poles , boards, pipes are preferred. I currently have portable panels up for arena fence. I had one get spooked and jump over hooked a hind foot and crumpled the panel. He was okay , panel was totalled. If it had been a solid fence I think it would have been worse. Panels can be moved and shoved around by the horses, so far none of them have tested them. But, then again , we can move the panels so we have two round pens or a smaller arena and round pen.


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