We just purchased a farm and have a lot of fencing to re-do. My fencing guy said the quality of wood for fence boards is so low quality these days he’s encouraging me to look into Centaur Fencing. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences to relay?
Many thanks!
Rachel
LOVE my Centaur fencing.
I have Ramm fencing, LOVE it!
https://www.facebook.com/347546461986279/photos/pb.347546461986279.-2207520000.1430967935./347546821986243/?type=3&theater
This may be the most worthless post ever, since I don’t own any horse property of my own and have never seen any Centaur fencing up close and personal. But at least I’m admitting to my background …
As a horse topic internet junkie for 10 years, and a gonna-buy-horse-property-some-day-fantasizer, I’ve seen Centaur mentioned several times, seen the youtube vids with the elephant sitting on the fence, etc. And can’t recall any bad comments about it from owners, other than price. If\when I ever get my own property, it’s going to be my first call for pricing to see if I can fit it in my budget.
A couple of weeks ago I went out to Warm Springs Ranch where they breed clydesdales (for Budweiser), and they are using 440 fence. So that would be my #2 call for pricing.
I think that Centaur looks cool, but I love my 2X 4 non-climb. I have the red brand. I have a strip of horseguard on top.
When I lived in TN, I had Dennis Fence Co. from KY come down to fence my pastures. Since the house already had 4 board, black painted fence all around it (and I did not want that maintenance of that on two 5 acre pastures, I opted for one strand of black Centaur over V-mesh fencing on large round, black painted posts. It looked great and was fairly low maintenance. I moved to N. FL a couple of years later and used Ramm fencing - three strands brown on large round treated posts (which are weathering to a nice grayish brown color) and two strands of coated brown hot wire to fill the gaps between the Ramm strands so horses don’t stick their heads through. For years my husband and I had built and repaired wooden fences, had horses injured from broken boards, had horses escape after breaking boards, etc. and enough was enough. I love both types of vinyl strap fencing and highly recommend them. I do have photos from both places (but not premium member status here) so PM me your e-mail address if you would like to see them. Hope this helps some.
2 of the handful of farms around me who have it have issues. First is where it was installed on improperly braced runs and it sags. I know that seems obvious, but it does look bad sagging.
I’ve also seen it installed with no hot wire/hot tape/hotcote, etc. and it can sag after a few years where there horses continually lean over it to graze.
You really need to brace the corners well. I have noticed on one place with Ramm the corner braces are leaning a little, but that fence is over 15 years old. Still looks great overall (black).
So it is wonderful if installed correctly and with some hot wire, imo.
For me it works out to about $1,000 more for the run I’m looking at, or .55 a foot more than wood board fencing taking into consideration a one-time cost to stain/paint boards. I have no doubt it would look good longer though with a lot less maintenance over time and be safer than wood board.
There are a lot of threads on Centaur fencing, all you have to do is a search. I know TrotTrotPumpkin and I are almost on BFF status after buying our farms around the same time and having all the questions that go along with fencing. Her and I both have a few threads regarding farm fencing and Centaur.
My whole farm is fenced with Centaur, I work for an ag company where I could have gotten any no-climb, high tensile, barb wire, etc fence at wholesale pricing (and saved a huge amount of money) but I still chose to go with Centaur because of the safety aspect and it ages very well when installed correctly.
I have Centaur HTP fencing and think it is great. It must be properly installed, however, and anywhere there is a problem with it that I have seen, it has been installation error. Like mine – the dopes did something really stupid on one corner, didn’t brace it properly at all and that corner needs to be totally rebuilt so until that happens, I can’t tighten the rails and they do sag a bit. We are fixing that this summer. The manual is very specific and clear and the company is great with help over the phone, but our installer apparently decided to “wing it” and failed (yes, we should have noticed, but didn’t, until it came apart and we are just fixing it rather than involve him again as that wasn’t the only little problem with his work).
I also really like the White Lightning (coated electric wire) from Centaur and would be inclined to go with several strands of that topped with one of the Centaur HTP (5" wide) if I do any future fencing. It would be less expensive and I still think it is very safe and nice looking.
If we had to build from bare land again, including fencing, I wouldn’t hesitate to do Centaur again – the cost is greater, yes, than some other types, but I think it is worth it. We’d just do it ourselves, watch over the installer better, or make sure we get someone with experience with the stuff.
This is true.
We bought it, installed it ourselves and love it. Triple ditto the end braces being put in perfectly to prevent problems down the road. I would use it again in a nanno second.
[QUOTE=ladymcts;8138930]
A couple of weeks ago I went out to Warm Springs Ranch where they breed clydesdales (for Budweiser), and they are using 440 fence. So that would be my #2 call for pricing.
http://www.warmspringsranch.com/
http://www.440fence.com/[/QUOTE]
This stuff is priiiii-ceeeee. Serious bucks. Looked at it for the runs off my barn…and wow. No can do.
They have a calculator on their website or somewhere on the web. I didn’t have to call to have my jaw hit the desk 
OP, I have no climb topped by centaur and a line of hot as my perimeter. Love it!
Simkie - good to know, thanks! I kind of figured it must be pricey if Bud was using it. Everything about that place was immaculate and top notch. My main reason for being so keen on what they use had to do with the fact that I’m a draft owner. Currently 2 clydes and love them to pieces, will always be a draft lover.
That said they’ve been boarded for almost 2 years at a place with rather simple posts and 3 tape hotwire, no problems yet. I’m sure that’s significantly cheaper than either centaur or 440!
Thanks everyone! Very helpful!
[QUOTE=horsepoor;8139326]
I also really like the White Lightning (coated electric wire) from Centaur and would be inclined to go with several strands of that topped with one of the Centaur HTP (5" wide) if I do any future fencing. It would be less expensive and I still think it is very safe and nice looking.
. [/QUOTE]
Just had a very bad pasture accident yesterday with White Lightening. One of my mares put a hind leg through it and severely injured her hock (nasty gash across the joint.) Also has “rope” burns from the coated wire (though it is smooth). My vet said that with White Lightening injuries it is common to see the skin in such areas slough off or the wound to enlarge after a couple of days. Something to do with the chafing from the product. She did confirm it is much safer than high tensile (which would cut tendons like butter in the same accident), but it did not prove as safe as I had hoped. FWIW, the accident occurred in a large (15 acre) pasture with a laid back horse.
[QUOTE=YankeeLawyer;8143009]
Just had a very bad pasture accident yesterday with White Lightening. One of my mares put a hind leg through it and severely injured her hock (nasty gash across the joint.) Also has “rope” burns from the coated wire (though it is smooth). My vet said that with White Lightening injuries it is common to see the skin in such areas slough off or the wound to enlarge after a couple of days. Something to do with the chafing from the product. She did confirm it is much safer than high tensile (which would cut tendons like butter in the same accident), but it did not prove as safe as I had hoped. FWIW, the accident occurred in a large (15 acre) pasture with a laid back horse.[/QUOTE]
I am so sorry. Hope your mare is feeling better soon.
Horses can and will hurt themselves on any fence, as we all know. Unfortunate that yours got into the WL and I do hope it recovers fine. I still much prefer it over other options like the electric rope, but some would say the opposite. When I was at the barn that had the 5 strand WL, I watched a stud colt run into it and literally bounce off. Fence had to be retightened after that, but it was well installed and that is key. I’d still consider it for my place, but hearing of injuries and accidents is always good to weigh against all the good experiences.
Thumbs way way up. Have experienced it at two barns.
[QUOTE=horsepoor;8143159]
Horses can and will hurt themselves on any fence, as we all know. Unfortunate that yours got into the WL and I do hope it recovers fine. I still much prefer it over other options like the electric rope, but some would say the opposite. When I was at the barn that had the 5 strand WL, I watched a stud colt run into it and literally bounce off. Fence had to be retightened after that, but it was well installed and that is key. I’d still consider it for my place, but hearing of injuries and accidents is always good to weigh against all the good experiences.[/QUOTE]
I hesitated to post as I am aware any fencing can cause injury. That said, in 30 years of horse ownership I have never had an accident this serious, and my vet’s comments regarding the necrosis phenomenon she has observed specifically with White Lightening (ie the skin dies / wound enlarges after being chafed by WL) is really off putting to me. My mare’s leg, aside from being gashed, looks like she has a chemical burn. (The electric was not on and the fencing is professionally installed and still perfectly intact).
I was going to install it for another length of cross-fencing but will use another option instead.
I really hope your mare heals easily and well, Yankee, and surprises the vet with her lack of complications
I think the most important thing to White Lightning type fencing is to keep it hot-hot-hot all the time. I’d not use it or anything similar without electricity.
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