I have a need to section off around a 90 foot straight across area. I have a fence line on the left, and an indoor arena on the right which provides a left and right barrier. Can I put up 8 or so of those tractor supply 12 foot panels in a straight line and serve my purpose? This is a temporary solution until I can get wood fencing. I’m trying to make a dry lot. I’m wondering wouldn’t they just blow over in high wind or if a horse pushes on them?
I would say, more than two panels in a straight line need some kind of support.
Could you set those panels with a third one as a T for support every two or three panels?
We have done that where we needed a quick temporary/portable fence and didn’t want to set posts for it.
Does take a few more panels, two or three to support 8 panels like that.
A few extra panels are always good to have anyway.
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you might want to use Stock Panels, several fences around here are built using drill stem posts, top and bottom rails with stock panels as fillers.
being 4 gauge wire they might be stronger than inexpensive round pen panels which are often made of 16 ga or lighter tube
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr…SAAEgLAUfD_BwE
For a temporary setup you could run three or four stands of aircraft cable then hog ring the stock panel to the aircraft cable
https://www.e-rigging.com/three-sixt…SABEgJVO_D_BwE
I had to run aircraft cable in the no climb as the miniatures were using the fence as scratching post … the cables have a high break point.
That kind is not that safe for horses because a horse kicking up may stick a hoof thru the larger upper opening.
Those also bend too much, you need posts for them on both ends and the middle.
Also, if a horse rubs on those, some times the welds come loose and the stiff wires on the ends can easily cause injuries.
When those first were made, decades ago, many used them for horse pens.
After years of injuries, they finally took all those down and went to pipe or the horse safer 2" x 4" or even better 2" x 2" 1/4" welded wire mesh.
That kind of wire panel, on those horse appropriate size of holes and framed with metal or wood all around and middle, would be fine for horses, especially in places like the upper part of a stall wall.
Now, many, many have and still use those wire panels for horses and get by, but they tend to have more injuries than with other kinds of fences if a horse tangles with that kind of wire.
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We’ve done that. They can be a bit wobbly but if you kind of zig-zag them they will stand up better. You can drive some taller metal fence posts (the kind for electric fences) and zip tie the panels too them, but you need to make sure they are secure and not where a horse can come down on them etc.
nothing is safe around a horse, we have had horses (well one, TB mare) run full speed into a heavy gauge stock panel making a U of the thing
Right.
I wish that wire mesh company would make that same panel with horse appropriate hole sizes.
We sure could use some of those right now for the stalls we are building.
We have to order the horse kind from far away and at a higher cost for same square feet.
Horse Guard Fencing used to sell a temporary kit. It came with fiberglass posts and the electric tape and a few other things I think the attachments for the posts. I purchased 1 years ago and I still use it to this day. I use tennis balls for the tops of the fiberglass posts so that nobody hopefully doesn’t get hurt on them. You could buy a temporary kit and either a solar charger or a battery-operated charger if you don’t have electric in that area. That’s what I have because I move it around frequently.
If you buy the panels, I would get ten foot ones (easier to move around) and add several to the length needed so you can create corners in the fence line. I think only about four can go in a straight line before you need to put one at a 90 degree angle and another back to straight. A few steps like that in the fence line should be enough. Also, make a turn at each end so the horses can’t push it open or knock it down. I would not have horses on either side. One side can be braced against each end, but that will make a funny wedge on the other side. Also, I wouldn’t tie the last panel to other fences because the weight of too many panels will damage the fence or make it unstable.
We have been using temporary panels for a fence while we wait for some work to be done on our new farm. It forms one side of a small pasture that the horses enjoy. No one is turned out on the other side.
I really prefer the ten foot ones because you can load them in the back of a truck easier and move them around the farm easier. The twelve foot ones are a better deal, though.
Another option (one we did in the past) is to just buy enough panels to make a small rectangular paddock. Less grazing for the horses, but those panels are very useful to have anyway. You are using them as intended, so less chance of injury. I suppose it would be dependent on the temperament of the horses you are trying to contain. Some would not respect a temporary fence line, but the additional resistance provided by the rectangular design might be fine. Plus, they won’t be in the way when you build your wood fence.
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Seconding @Lolliver here: My temporary dry lot is about 120’ of panels straight to a corner. I put in the tall T-posts between every two panels and zip tied the panels to them. It has held up to lots of idiot gelding and donkey play!
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I use Premier1’s electric Horse QuikFence for sectioning off inside paddocks. Since you only need 90’ you may have to set one post in the middle and make this a (very wide) V shape for the 100’ roll to work. It does best if stretched hand-tight between solid posts.
https://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_id=117
Well, I thought OP wanted to set panels in a straight line but no posts at all.
Yes, putting in some T post here and there works very well, is how most set panels on straight lines if they won’t be set there permanently.
Another way to cover that length with panels only would be to put more than is needed and zig-zag them.
Then they will hold straight down the line without falling over.
Our 120x250 riding ring is made with 12’ BULL panels (Very HD) …it makes a GREAT “safe” place to ride greenies…but we sunk wooden fence posts every 4-5 panels to keep the lines straight. Cattle panels are not safe IMO for fencing unless topped with electric to keep horses away. They do not stay straight/firm even for the 16 foot length of them.
I don’t know what I want or don’t want Bluey. I want something that can be done rather quickly and doesn’t require some specialize laborer to do it. I don’t mind putting up a post, if you are meaning a post like is used for wood fencing. If I put up posts, I could just do wood fencing as I probably have enough split rails laying around. The only issue with posts is the ground is hard and I don’t have a post hole digger.
I don’t even know what a T-post is. I’ll google it. As for the electric wire, no thanks.
A T post are the metal posts with a T at the end to provide stability in the ground. They pound in “easily” and are taller and sturdier than the plastic step in posts. You will need some T posts to keep your panels from falling over if a horse leans on them since you need them to be so long.
You can try step in posts and electric tape but it does need to stay hot.
I assume you don’t have a short length of well pipe and scrap metal to weld on it and make a T-post driver?
You can buy one at Home Depot and they will have the T-posts in several lengths also:
Watch the video in that link.
A person is pounding T-posts in.
You stick that post driver on the top of the post, line the post with the others and drive it into the ground until it is as short as you want it.
These drivers also work with the lighter yard fence pipe, if you have some of that around.
If your New Jersey weather is anything like my Southern PA winter this year you could get this done this weekend/week before the ground freezes (ten day has some real January weather coming) with T posts and panels. I’m also new to panels and Tposts but super simple as described above. You got this.
Don’t use cattle panels. Too flexible. Great for trellising raspberries and keeping your mini donkeys from slithering under corrals panels but not as a fence for horses.
