# Neighbor's new horse fence



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I used the term horse fence loosely. Property is adjacent to a highway and the fencing they opted to build has only two rails. Easily enough room for a horse to get it's head in between and start pushing. My paddock is built like this but it's inside the pasture and I've seen how quickly the horses can demolish it. My concern is their horses escaping and getting onto the highway. This has already happened in this area resulting in the death of one person and two horses. There's no electric on the inside to keep them away from the fence. Makes my stomach churn.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

have you suggested to your neighbors that the horses could get out ? 
is there a county ordinance that has specific wording regarding livestock or horse fencing ?


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

He's the type "women don't know anything". All I know is there can be heavy fines if livestock get onto the highway even if no one gets hurt. After that it's an insurance issue.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Drive slowly past his place & be glad you're not married to him.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

natisha said:


> Drive slowly past his place & be glad you're not married to him.


_LOVE IT!!!_

What a great answer.

_Seriously, though you care there is nothing you can do as it isn't your animals. The problem will be his...sadly it may also be at the expense of his animal{s}....

If asked,_ by all means give some pertinent information to help improve the situation.

_If not,_ grit your teeth every time you go by and be very glad your horses are behind well constructed fencing and safe from harm!!
:-|


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## RBuchele10 (Aug 19, 2014)

To follow up stevenson, you should definitely look up the local fencing laws for your area to make sure that his fence meets the requirements. Every state, county, township varies in what is required, so be sure your contacting the right authorities.

If his fence meets the requirements/law, unfortunately there isn't much you can do legally. But it never hurts to double check!


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I don't think there are any specifics, just that the animals must be contained. In our neck of the woods, about mid Aug. the old instinct to move from the summer pasture kicks in and that's when horses start testing the fencing.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

I know in my area the county requires a minimum height of 4 feet, and 5 feet when next to a road and it cannot be 'flimsy' as in two rails, unless those two rails are used to hold no-climb wire, and it cannot be other certain things like electric tape under 2 inches wide and post must meet standards et cetera.

If your local area does not have requirements look at state requirements, some times they have them on the books, sometimes not, but it's worth the look.

I can't stand the 'women don't know anything' types. I can typically work a man into the ground and get up early the next day and go back while he's whining that his back/ shoulder etc hurts. (Usually it's more like butt hurt but any excuse to keep from being shown up yet again, LOL)

Heck my BF comes to me for any kind of home repair he need done, he likes to do them himself, but he likes to have me at least supervise him. (He's so strange sometimes, LOL)


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I'm very glad that there aren't any specific laws about fencing here. As long as the animals are contained. Good enough. Why do I feel like that? Because my horse is behind one, count 'em: one, string of electric fence. That's it, that's all. Horses down the road within sight, hearing and smell, and horses going by in the summer. My horse just watches and is quite content to stay home. If I had to pay thousands of dollars for fencing, I wouldn't have a horse.

However, if ever there was an inclination she was going to get out, I would deal with that problem BEFORE it happened -- whatever it took. I once had a horse (so two at the time) that I was concerned about so I improved my fencing whereever she was at the time, jic.

So, not every horse needs that heavy duty, 5 foot high fence. When I was a kid, we didn't even have a fence. Just a gate at the road and a fence along the road. The rest was open. The horses never strayed.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Northern, with a horse standing on snow the fence doesn't shock it. You should run a second wire, a ground. If it should start leaning it will touch both wires and wish it hadn't.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

^Why wouldn't it shock a horse on snow? I can guarantee you that's not true XD

The issues is blankets- so many people put a wire at chest height and can't figure out why it doesn't work...because it's not touching the horse..


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Mine never worked in the winter with a single strand if the horses were standing on snow. It would deliver a good shock as soon as the snow was gone.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

There definitely is a loss of ground in the winter, no doubt. Depends on the winter, the snow, the dryness, etc. Last year was really bad for that; we had so much snow that in places my fence was actually buried. However, in my situation it's not an issue. My mare is either so content or so dumb that she just doesn't ever test the fencing. Ever. I have even inadvertently left a back gate open a few times. When I notice, I panic and rush out to find the horse. I find her in the barn or grazing contentedly nearby. She just doesn't wander. Go figure. I am rather spoiled with her!


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

NorthernMama, I'm guessing you're in a fairly rural part of your area? Or at least a somewhat animal friendly area?

Around my area it's law because it's an urban area and must be done to prevent certain mishaps, like aggressive dogs coming into the pastures/ paddocks, or people for that matter. 

My city is not very horse friendly, personally after what I've seen happen to some of the horses around my town I'd like a 10 foot perimeter fence with if at all possible electrified razor wire around the top. 
I've seen people letting horses out from 'normal' to code fences, no-climb mesh or 3-4 board ranch fencing onto major roads. Horses being attacked in fields by dogs and people, and horses killed for meat. The first chance I get to leave this city I'm taking it.

I'd love to be able to get away with much more simple fencing, not necessarily because of the cost, but because I'd like something that might be easier to maintain. Not that any fencing is 100% easy to maintain, but something not so troublesome as wood fencing and having to make sure the wire doesn't loosen over time.


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

Yogiwick said:


> ^Why wouldn't it shock a horse on snow? I can guarantee you that's not true XD
> 
> The issues is blankets- so many people put a wire at chest height and can't figure out why it doesn't work...because it's not touching the horse..



I have hot fence and snow on the ground,three strands top strand is 5 feet high. So when horse goes to put head over it it gets zapped in the nose. 

Works fine even with horse standing on snow,have to have it grounded right for it to work in winter. I have three copper rods in ground ten feet deep and rods are spaced so many feet apart,don't remember spacing right now. 

With three ground rods i never have an issue with fence not putting out a good shock even with snow on the ground. 

I currently have a boarded horse who has no RESPECT for fencing,she's having some pretty good lessons about hot wire last few days. She will either learn to respect my fence or will be going to board some where else. :wink:


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

So glad to see the neighbor has now strung electric on the inside. His fencing does look nice, when he does something it's gotta be just so, after all, it gets looked at for a long time.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Horseychick87 said:


> NorthernMama, I'm guessing you're in a fairly rural part of your area? Or at least a somewhat animal friendly area?


Yes, rural area. I can't imagine having livestock with "citified" neighbours. If an animal gets out here (horse, cow, goat, chicken, dog), we just catch the animal and find out whose it is, then they come and get it. Only if it happens repetitively or the animal is stud or dangerous is there ever a complaint. We all accept that cr*p happens and no one is perfect. As long as we are tolerant of our neighbours they are tolerant of us. Those that aren't tolerant and respectful don't get any help when they need it.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

NorthernMama said:


> Yes, rural area. I can't imagine having livestock with "citified" neighbours. If an animal gets out here (horse, cow, goat, chicken, dog), we just catch the animal and find out whose it is, then they come and get it. Only if it happens repetitively or the animal is stud or dangerous is there ever a complaint. We all accept that cr*p happens and no one is perfect. As long as we are tolerant of our neighbours they are tolerant of us. Those that aren't tolerant and respectful don't get any help when they need it.


 
I'd love to be back in an area like that. I used to live in a nice little town not far from where I am now.

An old farmer that lived a road over had a son or son in law that would forget to close the gate and his goats, horse, cows etc would cove for a visit, he always knew where to find them. Cr*p does happen, that's for sure. my moms rose bushes never did look the same after the goats got ahold of them, LOL.

Now the cr*p in my current town is insane. 
Some poor kids show horse was sabotaged the night before a show, spray painted, mane hacked off, tail butchered and left out by a highway. Of course it probably had more to do with the stable owner being such a grade A a$$ than anything else, but still. 
They found the horse the next morning when someone lead it up to the barn after stopping their car and catching it. They got lucky the horse was too occupied by the nice spring grass to wander off. No one would come forward to help the child, even after a new report because the barn owner has earned a reputation in town.

After what I've seen, I want a big freaking fence, and some LGD's


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## RBuchele10 (Aug 19, 2014)

Fences are not just for keeping horses in anymore, but to also keep people out. (Electrically charged fences are GREAT deterrents for humans too!)

There are cases were horse/property owners have been sued and lost because a child or ill-advised adult was able to scale/climb through the fence and was injured by the horses in that field. Yes, it's trespassing. Yes, that's the inherent risk of being with horses BUT...

A good lawyer will do the work to find the loophole. Invest in a proper fence now. Or you'll be paying through your nose for it in legal fees and damages.


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