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Whether you&#;ve just moved to a new horse property, or you want to fence a new section, or add some cross-fencing, or you&#;ve got challenging terrain to fence &#; we&#;ve got you covered! I&#;ve gathered together some of the best fencing ideas for you to peruse, along with my personal opinion on barbed wire and Bayco elastic fencing.
First of all, I watched an excellent presentation by an experienced Veterinarian, Dr. Geoff Tucker, who&#;s been to many different farms and barns. Geoff has then collected photos of some of the do&#;s and don&#;ts we can apply to our properties, barns and fencing. In this post, I&#;m going to focus on the fencing options as this is something I&#;ve been experimenting with lately.
If you want the full barn safety info (and it&#;s excellent &#; based on decades of experience with thousands of clients), then start watching Geoff&#;s video here at 5 minutes (the beginning is just intro).
For now, I&#;m going to show you some of the best fencing options that I screenshot from this video:
In this photo you can see the boards are on the inside of the fence posts &#; keeping a smooth surface against the horse (prevents them banging/hooking a shoulder on a post). This also makes the fence stronger as the board will not pop out when a horse leans or rubs hard on it. Note the bottom board is far enough from the ground that if a horse lays down next to the fence, their legs will not get stuck when they try to get up.
However, as Dr. Tucker points out, this distance is too high to be safe for a foal, who could roll under and get up on the other side of the fence &#; separated from mum! Also note the buffer alley in between paddocks (handy for manure and hay carts too!). A lot of fence damage is done by horses trying to get at each other &#; for reasons of play, aggression, or in heat.
Dr. Tucker says this diamond mesh is very tough and he&#;s never seen a horse that can break through it, nor has he ever seen one caught up in it. Note the boards are on the inside of the fence posts &#; keeping a smooth surface against the horse (prevents them damaging a shoulder on a post). This also makes the fence stronger as the board will not pop off when a horse leans or rubs hard on it. Likewise, the diamond mesh is also afixed to the inside of the fence.
This is Dr. Tucker&#;s favorite fence and was used for Secretariat. He also points out that the corners are rounded off (no square corners) so a horse can&#;t get trapped there by another horse. The corners have 3 boards, but the straight sections only require a single board at the top. Not only does this improve the strength of the fence, it also takes care of the visibility issue (wire fences are hard to see in certain light conditions or when the horse is in a panic).
Here&#;s a vinyl fence with electric wires running along the inside of the boards. Dr. Tucker likes this fence because if the horse runs into it, he&#;s just going to bounce off. Again, boards should always be on the inside of fence posts, so horses can&#;t pop the boards off easily.
Another fencing option that Dr. Tucker likes is welded metal pipe fencing &#; a cheaper option if you live in an area with an oil/gas industry that generates cheap surplus pipe. If you don&#;t, and you have to buy steel railings or posts from a fence company, then it is a very expensive fencing option.
Now let&#;s get into a thorny issue. We all know that barbed wire is not a good fencing option for horses. However, some people have a line of barbed wire fencing because they share a field with cows. Or, they are boarding their horses on someone else&#;s property.
I recently read a great article on barbed wire and the Comments underneath the post are as good as the article &#; especially the one where a horse ran into the wood fence on one side, then into the barb wire fence on the other&#; (spoiler alert: The wood did more damage). So if you currently have some barbed wire fencing, take some time to read through this article and the comments. I&#;m not going to repeat anything here, because it&#;s just that good!
I will say that I had 3 horses and 2 foals in a well-maintained (no loose wires) barbed wire field for 10 years in Alberta and not one of them sustained an injury. In my current place (I&#;m boarding) there was a mix of barbed wire, high tensile steel wire, and board fence. The only injury incurred in the last six years was with the smooth steel wire; which my then 2-year-old colt (Montaro) used to slice off the back of his heel (it has a 3,000 lb break weight) requiring surgery and a $450 vet bill.
Ironically, we used the smooth steel wire in that spot to keep them away from the rotting wood fence, as the tenant didn&#;t want barbed wire used on that fence line. Personally, I think that if the wire had been barbed, Montaro would not have stuck his foot through. All the horses figured out pretty quickly that barbed wire hurts and they stay away from it for anything vigorous. For minor activities, like leaning against it, they don&#;t care:
My semi-feral and wild horses go right through blackberry bushes too! I routinely check their faces for embedded blackberry barbs and pull them out. And the younger horses have minor rips all over the place (they also spar quite a bit). My domestic horse won&#;t touch barbed wire or blackberry bushes.
I also used the high tensile smooth steel wire in a corner of the paddock area, since I&#;d heard it was a good alternative to barbed wire. Again, if you&#;re boarding on someone else&#;s property, or money is really tight, you can&#;t always implement the ideal. Having had no experience with smooth steel wire, I thought I&#;d test it:
After observing the horses for several months, I would not use this kind of fencing again! I&#;m not saying that barbed wire is necessarily better, but at least they realize barb wire hurts and stay away from it. With this smooth steel wire, they play with it! Having no idea that it can slice through flesh; they rub on it with their head and necks, they stomp on it with their feet, they push against it. Apparently vets have seen many serious injuries from high tensile steel wire.
And if the horse happens to run into it, this wire is not going to break &#; it&#;s just going to slice through the horse&#;s flesh. Here&#;s what happened in a wind storm when a few trees fell on it. The wire loosened (even more fun to play with!) but did not break:
I have since also covered over this steel wire with a length of mesh fence. Yes, it&#;s more expensive, but cheaper than another vet bill or two!
However, the main problem with any kind of single-strand wire fence is not what the horse does when they&#;re conscious, but what they do when they are being chased by coyotes, or in a fight, or otherwise frightened. As Dr. Geoff Tucker says:
&#;The reason we use cowhides, is because it&#;s tough. I&#;ve seen cows go right through barbed wire, leaving [only] little tufts of hair, and the wire is in shambles. But as soon as the horse goes through barbed wire, it&#;s a meat cutter and it&#;s no good, and it should be outlawed for every horse.&#;
So on the high tensile steel fence line where my colt sliced his foot, I put up 2×4 inch wire mesh, on the pasture side, covering up the steel wire and the wooden fence. They lean right over the top of it to get to the grass lawn on the other side, but so far it is holding up well and no injuries! The wooden posts on this line are sunk into concrete &#; otherwise, they would no doubt just push the whole fence over. I didn&#;t know about diamond mesh when I used this 2×4&#; mesh, otherwise I would have used that instead. This size mesh is fine for adult horses, but a young foal could get a hoof stuck in this:
And here&#;s another consideration for those of us in wet, rainy climates. Even if you use treated posts, your fence posts (and boards) can rot in 15-20 years and need to be replaced. The only type of fence you could use in this climate that would never have to be re-done is steel posts, sunk in concrete. However, treated wood posts sunk in concrete with a combination board (even just 1 board) and diamond mesh fence should last at least 30 years.
If you already have barbed wire, or high tensile steel wire up, you could even just place the diamond mesh over top of the existing wire. If you don&#;t have cows to contend with on the other side though, then you may want to remove the barbed wire, to prevent your horses getting little tears from it.
Now, having said all of the above, I attended a workshop with trainer/filmmaker Elsa Sinclair and she told me about an intriguing new elastic fencing option called Finishline Fencing. This fencing material is produced by a company called Bayco. So you may also see if advertised as Bayco elastic fencing. Although these stretchy strands have a break-weight of lbs, they are also designed to stretch/give 20%. So even foals who have gone completely through the fencing are unharmed and just come back in through the strands which stretch out of the way!
I figured this fencing would be great for me to use in the wooded areas of my pasture, where trees and branches fall on the fence all the time; either taking out the fence line, or making the use of electric wire impossible. Here&#;s the picture that convinced me this elastic fence could actually work in my forested areas:
So four years ago, I decided to fence about 10 acres at the back using this new elastic fenceline material. Since this area is densely forested and home to lots of wildlife, I decided to see if an &#;organic&#; curvy fenceline would work; rather than just straight lines, which would require a lot of tree-cutting.
Let me show you the challenges that resulted from both using this elastic wire/line and not having poker straight fencelines!
When you have a curvy fenceline, and then you tighten up the lines on it, the tension is not even. This sounds obvious, I know, but we thought we could counter the pull by moving the line to the other side of the posts where needed, to offset the tension. Nope. Maybe if you lived in a dry climate and your ground was rock hard for your posts, that might work. But in our rainy Pacific Northwest/UK type climate, our posts just could not withstand the torque. So we had to add bracing at all vulnerable spots:
As you can see, we had to add a lot of bracing to make up for the all the points of torque threatening to pull the fence posts over. But due to the posts not being in a perfectly straight line, we also couldn&#;t tension up with lines the way you&#;re supposed to. Which created more issues&#;
Since we couldn&#;t fully tension up the lines, our lines were looser than recommended &#; which the horses quickly discovered. Montaro and Juno figured out how to go through the fence, graze or forage on the other side and then come back in whenever they pleased! Here&#;s one of the spots they favored. They would step on the lowest line to pin it to the ground, then use their neck to push up on the lines above &#; which would create a perfectly adequate gap to squeeze through.
As you can see, we added branches to try and discourage them, but they just knocked the branches out the way. The only thing that worked was to add 2 lines of barbed wire along these sections.
You might be wondering why we didn&#;t just add more lines and space them closer together&#;? Well, we started out with 5 lines like this:
However, the deer did not like this arrangement! One day my dogs were chasing a deer and it fixed eyes on me as it scooched under the fence, staring at me as it popped up the other side, &#;You see?? We don&#;t have time to jump over the fence when coyotes are chasing us!&#;
Someone had been chewing through the bottom strand of the Bayco elastic fencelines at key points where there were wildlife trails &#; hence my bottom, 5th line had disappeared in numerous places. In one forested section of the pasture, they had chewed through the bottom 2 lines. This didn&#;t create a problem with the horses, since there was no inducement for them to leave the pasture at that section &#; all that was on the other side were trees.
So when I placed the strands of barb wire on the fenceline in the photo above, I placed them as high as I possibly could, to leave the deer and other animals as much clearance as I could. I had thought this fencing material would be ideal to leave passage open to wildlife. But as the deer showed me, during a high speed chase, they have to be able to get through the fencing in a split second.
Here&#;s the other issue that occurs when using this tensioned elastic fence line, that no amount of bracing can fix. If your posts are too far out of alignment at any spot, the tension in the lines simply pops your staples out of the posts:
Not sure how this post got so far out of alignment with the others, but this is very rocky ground with buried boulders, so sometimes you just have to move the post to a new spot.
Then guess what the horses can do with a section of fence like this?
However, where this type of fencing is totally outstanding, is how it performs in heavily treed areas! This is where all that stretchy elastic really comes in handy:
Once we removed the tree, we simply tightened up the lines again and voila! Fence was fixed in 5 minutes flat.
Oh and I have one last point to make &#; although this would apply to any kind of strand fencing &#; is to consider where your blackberries are. I was staring at this part of the fenceline, wondering why the blackberries had gone hogwild in this section&#; when I realized that by putting the elastic fenceline there, I had built them a trellis! What do we know from tomatoes and peas? Yep, if you give them a scaffold, their growth will increase greatly due to increased sun exposure.
If I&#;d realized this, I wouldn&#;t have bothered hacking through the blackberries in this spot to place the posts here, I would have just moved the fenceline over. Or, known that I would have to be rigorous about keeping them cut back on a regular basis.
If I had domestic horses (with no escape artists in the bunch) and perfectly square or rectangular pastures, hard ground, and not much wildlife migration, then yes, this fencing is a good option. It is certainly way better for safety than high tensile steel wire. And for withstanding falling trees, you just can&#;t beat it!
I don&#;t like the fact that it is a plastic product &#; if I could ban plastics from the planet I would &#; so for me and my situation, there are not enough benefits to make up for the plastic pollution aspect.
I hope that round-up of fencing options has been helpful for you. I only use electric fencing when there&#;s no other option, or it&#;s only temporary, like when I&#;m regenerating pasture for a few months, so I haven&#;t gone into that option here. I don&#;t feel I have enough information on the effects of enclosed electrical loops on animals to make a choice about electric fencing as an option, or not. I don&#;t know how the currents travel through the air or through the ground. I do know (after having an engineer come and test my house) that it&#;s much healthier for me to unplug everything in my bedroom at night before sleep. But I haven&#;t seen any information on how electric fencing affects an animal&#;s electromagnetic field. If you know or have any links to data, please post them below!
Originally published May , updated March
Fencing Pros and Cons & The Best Horse Fence
Jini Patel Thompson is a natural health writer and Lazer Tapping instructor. She began riding at age 2 in Kenya, and got her first horse at age 8 in Alberta, and so continues a life-long journey and love affair with these amazing creatures.
We&#;re lucky to live in the Northwest. We&#;re surrounded by breathtaking mountain ranges, pristine rivers, and rural farm and ranch lands dotted with Black Angus cattle. It&#;s a special place to live. Out here, garden, farm, and ranch fencing plays a pivotal role in securing your property, keeping your livestock safe from predators, and maintaining boundaries between acreage.
If you&#;re wondering what type of fencing is best to surround your land or what the difference between low carbon, high tensile, or electric fencing is, you&#;ve come to the right place. In our &#;Ultimate Guide to Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fencing,&#; we&#;ll explain what this type of fencing is, what the advantages and disadvantages of farm and ranch fencing are, how to maintain it, and more.
Whether you&#;re looking to protect your garden vegetables from hungry critters or you aim to surround your entire farm with a high-quality fence, our Montana Fence team wants to help you find the fencing solution that best fits your needs. Read on to learn which garden, farm, and ranch fencing is right for you.
What is Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fencing?
Garden, farm, and ranch fencing is a broad term applied to popular types of fencing used for agricultural purposes. Whether it&#;s a small garden fence, a robust fence surrounding your entire farm, or a livestock enclosure on your ranch, we could write a guide about each kind of fencing. Each type of fencing in this category serves a different purpose and is constructed to fit your specific needs. Fencing products in this category can range from high-tensile field fences to treated wood rails and posts to electric fencing and more.
What are Examples of Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fencing?
There are many different examples of garden, farm, and ranch fencing. From high tensile wire to low carbon fencing, wooden or t-posts to electric fencing, and more, at Montana Fence, we carry a large selection of garden, farm, and ranch fencing products to choose from. Here we share a few examples of garden, farm, and ranch fencing products you may want to consider for your fencing project.
High-Tensile
fencing is steel carbon wire that is stretched or rolled between fence posts. Because it has a higher carbon content, high-tensile fencing products are stronger, lighter, and longer lasting, which makes them good fences for livestock such as cattle. While low-carbon fencing, as its name suggests, contains less carbon content than high-tensile fencing. It is strong but also more supple.
Low-Carbon
fencing is a good fencing solution if you need temporary fencing that you don&#;t mind if it stretches over time. Low-carbon fencing is good for surrounding your garden and protecting it from small animal pests. High-tensile or low-carbon wire can be stretched or rolled between either wooden or steel posts.
Wood Railing
may also be used to connect between wooden posts because another type of ranch fencing is wood post fencing. It is used for shorter, more permanent boundary fences, fencing corners, and braces. However, if you don&#;t want to build your fencing with wood railings and posts, an alternative is t-posts.
T-Post
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fencing are steel posts that are used for temporary fencing over long distances connected by wire. T-posts are also durable and easy to install.
Electric
fence is made of plastic strands that are embedded with metal wires. It can also be made of galvanized steel and aluminum. Electric fencing is used to contain a wide variety of livestock. It can also be used as temporary fencing when rotating grazing of your livestock or even be used to set up bear barriers for when you camp in the wilderness.
Benefits of Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fencing and Gates
Garden, farm, and ranch fencing and gates come in a wide variety of materials, styles, and sizes, so the benefits vary depending on the type of fencing you use. However, no matter what your fencing project is, there are several advantages that are common for this category of fencing:
Aesthetic Appeal
&#; The most obvious benefit of this type of fencing is that it enhances the look and appeal of your property. Farm and ranch fencing adds character to the landscape around your home and distinguishes your estate from your neighbor&#;s. Garden fencing can be an integral part of the outdoor design of your property, not only protecting your vegetables, but also enhancing the beauty of your space.
Livestock & Wildlife
&#; Farm and ranch fencing isn&#;t all about the aesthetics. It has a job to do. One of the most essential functions of this fencing is livestock management. It keeps livestock confined while keeping harmful predators out. In addition to keeping livestock safe, farm and ranch fencing prevents livestock from wandering off, grazing in other pastures, or polluting water sources. Garden fencing is also excellent for keeping animals away. It helps keep your garden vegetables, fruit trees, and flower patches safe from nibbling wildlife.
Establishes Boundaries
&#; Farm and ranch fencing helps to clearly define the borders of your land. It acts as a visual distinction between your property and your neighbor&#;s. It can also help with land management by dividing your property into sections&#;areas can be fenced for livestock, pasture, or crops. Garden fencing is great for establishing perimeters around your vegetable patch. It also separates your yard space from your garden space.
Disadvantages of Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fencing and Gates
While there are many advantages, different types of garden, farm, and ranch fencing products serve different purposes and, therefore, have varying drawbacks. Before you choose any type of fencing, consult with one of our fencing experts. We offer free estimates and can help you make the right decision for your fencing needs.
High Initial Investment
&#; The upfront costs of building a garden, farm, or ranch fence can be a drawback. Costs can scale quickly if you have a lot of area to fence in. It tends to be the cheapest in material &#;cost per foot&#; but with the larger amount of fencing that usually is done in this style, that can end up being a higher initial cost. However, in the long run, a well-maintained garden, farm, or ranch fence can last years and add enhanced value to your property. This makes the initial investment pay for itself over time.
Termites & Untreated Wood
&#; Specific to wood fencing, if you purchase wood posts that have not been treated to be in contact with soil, they may eventually rot and not support the weight of the fence. They can also be susceptible to termite damage. On the other hand, untreated wood has a natural look and is good for gardens or indoor use. At Montana Fence, we sell both treated and untreated wooden posts and rails.
Maintenance & Weather Damage
&#; Garden, farm, and ranch fencing require regular maintenance to ensure they will stand the test of time. Harsh conditions such as extreme weather can be damaging to your fencing, so it is important to regularly check your fence for any deterioration. It&#;s a good idea to annually inspect your fence for any signs of damage, rot, or breaks.
How Much Does it Cost to Build a Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fence?
While some types of garden, farm, and ranch fencing are less expensive than others, the overall cost depends on the materials you choose, how many acres you need to fence, and the purpose your fence needs to serve. Are you fencing in your garden, putting a perimeter around your property, or keeping livestock protected? At Montana Fence, we offer free estimates and can help answer any questions and guide you to making the right choice for your fencing project. Here are a few cost factors to consider when preparing for a ranch fence estimate.
GARDEN, FARM, AND RANCH FENCE COST FACTORS
Length
&#; The more area you have, the more fencing you&#;ll need. The more fencing you need, the higher the costs. Of course, you can cut costs by choosing less expensive fencing types, such as swapping wooden posts for steel t-posts. Factor in miles of fence line to build, and costs can add up quickly if not kept in check.
Type of Fence
-The kind of ranch fencing you need will be a deciding factor in how much you can estimate to spend when building your fence. If you rotate your livestock and graze them throughout multiple pastures, then temporary electric fencing may best suit your objectives. However, electric fencing has associated costs, such as purchasing an energizer and insulators. On the other hand, wood fencing costs depend on whether the posts are treated or natural. For example, treated posts can cost more than natural posts because they are pressure-treated with chemicals to keep the posts from soil rot and insect damage.
Gates & Braces
&#; If you&#;re building permanent fencing, you&#;ll want to include gates at entrances and exits. So, when building your ranch fence, you&#;re not just purchasing posts and wire. You&#;ll also need to factor in the costs of gates to let you into and out of your fenced area. Not only should you factor in gates, but you also need to consider adding braces. Braces are used at the corners of fences and next to gates to support and strengthen the fence.
Maintenance of Garden, Farm, Ranch Fences and Gates
Whether it&#;s livestock scratching their backs on fence posts or harsh weather conditions wreaking havoc, garden, farm, and ranch fencing is constantly being put through the paces. When it comes to maintaining the longevity of your fence, there are a couple of steps we recommend you take.
Annual Inspections
&#; Walking the parmiter of your garden, farm, or ranch fence at least once a year will help you identify how your fence is holding up and if it needs any repairs. Look for signs of sagging and stretching, rotted wood, or leaning posts. Does a wire need tightening up? Is there a shortage in the energizer of your electric fence, or is a garden gate not closing correctly? All these issues are easily fixable. Staying on top of regular fence maintenance helps ensure your fence investment stands the test of time.
Stay Ahead of Repairs
&#; The amount of time you&#;ll spend on fence repairs depends on the type of fencing material you choose&#;do you have garden fencing, farm or ranch fencing? No matter the type, when you notice damage to your fence, it&#;s a good practice to address problems immediately. Continued strain from broken fences can weaken the integrity of the entire fence. As mentioned before, we recommend staying on top of regular fence maintenance to avoid further damage to your fence.
Applications of Garden, Farm, and Ranch Fences
Garden, farm, and ranch fencing comes in various materials and products, so naturally, this type of fencing has many applications. Here are some possible uses for garden, farm, and ranch fencing.
Livestock Management
&#; Ranch fencing can be effectively used for livestock management. Whether you are building a corral for your horses, sorting pens for your cattle, or a small enclosure for your llamas, this type of fence application keeps livestock within a safe area and ensures they are kept from wandering or getting lost.
Property Management
&#; Ranch fencing can mark property boundaries between neighboring parcels. It can also organize your acreage into sections between areas you raise livestock in and areas you grow crops.
Garden Fence
&#; Garden fencing not only distinguishes your garden from the rest of your property, it also ensures critters such as deer and rabbits are kept from eating your precious flowers and vegetables. Other applications for garden fencing may include vertical gardening support for climbing plants.
Protective Barrier
&#; Farm and ranch fencing can keep predators away from livestock. Portable electric fencing can be used as protection from bears when camping in wilderness areas. It can also be suitable for implementing rotating livestock grazing practices so your land stays healthy and vital.
Montana Fence: Premium Fencing Solutions Tailored to Your Garden, Farm, or Ranch Needs
At Montana Fence, we are expert fence builders with an extensive garden fencing portfolio and farm and ranch portfolio of experience building all types of garden, farm, and ranch fencing. We can help you choose the best fencing products for your projects and build ranch fencing tailored to your specific needs. Contact us today to schedule a free estimate. We serve clients throughout Montana and Idaho, selling and installing only the highest-quality farm and ranch fence supplies. Our friendly fencing experts are standing by to answer all of your questions.
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