# Fencing for highway frontage?



## Kalraii

I can only speak for the ones I have seen around in the UK but usually it's one huge fence then a good meter+ (both tall and the gap itself) of really bushy/spiky foliage and then more fencing +hotwire. It'd definitely have me paranoid and up in the middle of the night without it!


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## horselovinguy

Check what your zoning says is permitted when on a main road as you are.
I would put in a road-frontage fence that is one piece like field fence with a strand of barbed wire on top as the perimeter fence.
Electric fence interior can then be used if you want since there is a barrier for the public to not be zapped.

You want this to not be simple to cross if your horses are going to be seen from the road so no one is temped to steal a ride while waiting for a ferry or showing off after returning from other regions...
A gate with heavy chains both sides and padlocks on it as it is a emergency egress for you, it can be opened but should not be opened is the point.
I don't know if you can do cattle guards with horses as a barrier point... that means you will be needing a interior fence line too.
Now me, knowing how fast a curious horse can be...I would design my fences to have a alleyway at that egress point so open one gate, pull in, close first gate and open the second gate into your property proper...and then done in reverse to leave.
It _is_ overkill, but for me, peace of mind knowing gates are open or closed while moving vehicles so those fast on hooved feet not slip out.
If you design a double gate and alley area, make it long enough if you are towing a trailer {considerably larger than what you plan on owning}you fit between gates as needed for safety and security reasons.
It will become your responsibility to protect your animals from stupid humans and do so while working within the code laws of your community, county and state.
If this is a local road it is one jurisdiction, if a county another and if state highway another jurisdiction...make sure you know whose "laws" you need to do the project according to.
More research....

:runninghorse2:...


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## waresbear

Because it is on a busy road, I would use high visibility fencing that looks good. I would use white estate fencing, looks sharp. I have that in the front of my place.


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## QtrBel

Check your state livestock fencing laws for the designation of road your property fronts and go from there.


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## rambo99

We have pasture that is along a busy highway. We have no climb fencing, for that 400 feet plus of pasture. Have two strands of hot wire, one on top and one mid way up on fence. That wire is flagged and have electric fence signs posted all along that fence line. 

We wanted a solid fence for that section of fence..being it 's right near a very busy highway. 

Part of pasture is on power line so power company has to be able to access power line. So we have a gate that goes into pasture near road.


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## ACinATX

Thanks everyone! I have to admit it didn't occur to me to find out if there were any county restrictions about fencing, so that's definitely a good place to start.
@rambo99 I also have electrical lines on my property, which I didn't think about. I think they could access them from either entrance, though.


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## Cynical25

Definitely check if there are local regulations for livestock fencing at roadways. Put up the most highly visible option you can afford, both for the drivers & the horses sake. I have black pipe & top rail lined with cattle panels on my road frontage - beautiful, visible, reasonably safe (knowing full well a horse can hurt himself in a padded room.)


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## ACinATX

@Cynical25 is there any chance you could post a picture of that fencing?


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## 4horses

I would plant a line of trees. Long leaf pines or something really fast growing. Then put your fencing behind the trees. We've had our mailboxes hit two or three times by drunk drivers and the neighbor down the street has had about 5 or 6 cars miss the turn and go through his fence. He keeps building a more robust fence with reflectors but it just gets knocked down again. 


I would be worried that someone would hit the fence and leave the scene, letting your horses out. Of course you don't want someone getting killed hitting a tree either, so perhaps a reasonable setback would be a good idea.


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## AnitaAnne

Along a busy road one must also worry about trash thrown, broken bottles, etc. 

IMO the more hidden the horses are, the safer they are. 

Thus plant a row of fast growing hedges along the roadway with a sturdy fence inside of it. The bushes should be tall and thick enough to keep out prying eyes and slow down cars that swerve off the road. 

Put a padlock on the gate, but if there are power lines there then the power company has an easement across the property and you might be limited on the width of gate placed. Also the power company would need a key to the padlock. 

Other option is to build two fences with at least 30-40 feet between them. If you leave it just grass, you can cut hay off that strip between fences and use it as a "gallop" lane. Even put jumps in it, if you like to jump.


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## horselovinguy

To touch on those commenting about power lines and access...
Before you build get the power company to come out and specifically look at your land and what wires are through it...
Some equipment is enormous in size and length power companies utilize and you thinking a certain size gate to put in may not be sufficient...and yes, to maintain power supply lines the power authority_* has *_easement rights of specific sizing under and setbacks both sides of them they can enforce but not usually do unless they have a issue with the landowner...that be you.
Consult with them, if they say a 14' gate...make it 16' so you know they won't be breaking through your fence if they need to get in.
Once you do the fence, chain and padlock it, and again call the power company. 
By us they come out with a padlock only they have a key to and put it on the end of your chain and connect their padlock to yours...if they need admittance they open _their_ lock not yours with no damages to any property...
If they open they close, if they unlock they re-lock when leaving is the way it works down here.
Our crews deal with all forms of livestock...cattle, bulls, horses and assorted other beasts...think they must have goodies to hand-out cause they are surrounded with friendly noses in the fields often at arrival. 

Also found that most ranchers who have padlocked gates also have a key for said padlock usually hanging on the gate on a small nail or within reach so not having to climb the fence...
When an emergency arise and fire rescue needs in, they look for and will use the key or they put bumper to gate or fence and come through it as needed...they don't wait for someone to arrive to open access...they make their own access...
Unless you live here you would not know that is the way on many ranches and large spreads of land...something to consider for you to.
:runninghorse2:....


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## Cynical25

ACinATX said:


> @Cynical25 is there any chance you could post a picture of that fencing?


Trying, can't guarantee it'll show up, lol. My front yard.


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## ACinATX

@horselovinguy Yes I am learning that things are going to be different here! I didn't expect so many different things so quickly! 
@Cynical25 that looks REALLY nice.
@AnitaAnne thanks for that advice. And also Kalraii I think said the same thing, about hedges. It's in the PNW, so all I need to do to get some quick growing thorny hedges is not mow, and in one year whatever patch of land I selected will be four feet deep in blackberry bushes. You don't even have to plant them, they just show up.


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## QtrBel

We have two types of hedging. On the county road we have Leyland Cypress planted in a triangular pattern. For every one close to fence there are two closer to road. They are set so you can easily mow around them and if walking see through the gaps but from side or driving by you can't. Ours were put for shading and wind break because here you cannot put anything that could cause a fatality on an easement. The cypress are more forgiving than say a live oak of size. We have had neighbors put dirt embankments that were forced to remove them because they could cause a vehicle to flip so you really do need to know what you can put and how you phrase it. Had those neighbors claimed it was flood control they would have had no problem or if it was more moderate and planted as landscaping to improve the value of their property or even set it further back they could have gotten away with it. Our second planting is along the driveway easement to prevent renters from cutting fence for access from the backside of the property when they have an easement along the front. That is t-post with barbed wire that we planted the meanest, nastiest rambling rose. It is a Cherokee X and I don't remember the name but the blooms are single and much larger than Cherokee. Roots everywhere it touches the ground, grows quickly and fills a fence fast if hedged. Nothing goes through it. Another option that may or may not grow there is Trifoliate Orange "Flying Dragon". It is the rootstock for citrus to give it cold hardiness. That is one wicked plant. I have it in a few places here. Birds love it for nesting because nothing can penetrate it. Tx A&M used it to wall off their steam plants. The last two plants if thick enough will stop a vehicle and cause all sorts of cosmetic damage but shouldn't cause a fatality from impact.


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## elkdog

I used to live on a straight stretch of highway that people would just fly down so I put up a sign.

ALCOHOLICS ENTERING HIGHWAY

That slowed them down!

I ended up fencing the place with "for sale" signs. While it didn't keep horses in very good, it did get us out of there.


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## RideAndDie

I'd recommend putting in a tall stock fence or possibly split rail. Sink 9' posts 3' deep, space 10-12', run boards evenly spaced up the posts at whatever size and spacing look appealing to you. If horses are well grazed, and handled calmly, they really shouldn't ever have incentive to try breaking out of that, and probably couldn't if they tried. Wood will be more expensive than wire but you mitigate the risk of injury or infection to your animals by not using steel posts or barbed wire. If you're planning on using concrete to secure your fenceposts, remember that in colder locations with harsh winters, frost heaves can wreck havoc with your posts as the ground moves in the freeze/thaw cycle. Try a pounded clay/gravel mix instead. Temperate climates should handle concrete pretty well however, but remember that'll add to your material cost significantly. Good luck!


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## avjudge

ACinATX said:


> . . . I suspect a lot of people would suggest putting in an electric wire on top, but then I’d have to run it down and under the gate, wouldn’t I? And would I not need to run it through twice, because I need a circuit (there and back)? . . .


I didn't see anyone address this point - yes, you'd run it under the gate (there's special supply wire with insulation rated for the voltage that an electric fence carries) but no, you don't have to run it through twice, at least with the nice damp ground you'd have in the PNW. An electric fence doesn't have to be any sort of loop - it's just a charged wire, and you (or your horse, or any critter that touches it) complete the circuit through yourself and the ground when you touch it. 

In fact it's better that it not be a loop as that way if you use electric gates (an electric wire/rope/tape with a spring-hook handle) you can have it hook at the side toward the charger, then when you unhook it the gate itself is no longer charged and can be dropped on the ground.

Think of a strand of the fence as one side of an electrical outlet - the ground you're standing on is the other - they just sit there waiting, doing nothing, until you touch both (stick a couple pins in the holes in the case of an outlet) and then ZAP! Except an electric fence is charged in such a way that that zap is safe.


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## Maxify

This is what we use.








Yes, it's 10Kv charged.
The single strand is non-bending.
The horse can't get tangled in it.

Different fence but same material:








Different color but same configuration:


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## mollyareb

The fence should be decorated with climbing plants.


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## Zimalia22

First off, does the fencing need to be fireproof? If so, you want all metal. If not, you have options.
In my part of the world, it must be fireproof. That's an absolute must. So that means an all metal fence.

I have t posts, with barbed wire. Never ever ever put a wire below your own knee for livestock. Also it's best if there is not livestock on the other side. In my little valley, there is not. Also by putting the bottom wire up a bit, weeds will blow on under it.
NEVER EVER use 4 inch by 4 inch hog wire. If a horse gets a leg thru that, it will deglove the leg and ruin your horse. The no climb horse wire is good. But, it's also expensive. I have 1/2 mile of hwy frontage. With having cattle in the pastures as well, it meant that I was running fence lines all the time replacing clips. 

Another thing to find out, is your area open range, or do you have a herd law? My area is open range. I still keep my fences in very good shape. 

Power companies do have to have access to their lines. Most of the time, they use a helicopter to check them. But there are times they have to have access. They have their own gates, and keys. They have always been real good at shutting gates and not letting livestock out.


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