I assume everywhere, but maybe it is just where I am located the cost of most metals is going up quickly over the last few weeks. This usually leads to the cost paid for scrap metals going up too. I suggest if you are pricing materials for your fence that you get a signed time guarantee on that price.
I would get the acreage done by the pros, get the horses home to save the boarding costs. Do consider Bluey’s suggestion about using another product than pipe, panels or wire, woven fence, between the pounded posts. Have to agree that changing uses, demands on the land, can have you changing fences in the future. So MUCH easier to pull posts only, to reconfigure things.
Paying to get posts pounded in is worth the expense in saving time and labor. We have wooden pounded posts, still solid after many years. The contractor had all of them in during one day! 6 acres with cross fencing, brace posts for gates. Husband and I do not work well together, both thinking in different paths to reach the same end, so it was best to pay for the work. Fences were done, gates hung in 3 days!! Would have taken us much longer with full-time jobs and hard ground. Plus arguing time!! His “simple, logical thinking” never comes close to the way I plan something out!
I do not care for pipe fence, would not have it, but lots of folks do. I think you should go with the electric wire or tape in 2 or 3 lines inside any pipe fences, to keep him away from the pipe. And while solar electric fences “work”, I would have a backup battery or go with regular electric power. Unless you are checking for hot fences DAILY, the solar may fail after a string of cloudy weather. Seen that happen, or power got too low, no bite to the wire or tape. He will lose respect for the hot fence, keep testing it, if electric is not reliably hot EVERY time he gets near it.
We run a hot tape across in front of main gate in each barnyard or pasture, so horses never learn to lean on it or hanging heads over, no CLIMBING the pipes of gate. Gates are expensive! Plus sliding a leg thru the pipes causes a lot of damage to a horse! Our hot tape has a rubber electric wire handle at each end, so tape can be completely removed, laid aside out of the way for bringing horses thru the gate.
Getting horses home soon, will allow you to collect needed tools at “on sale” prices, get used tools, should you still wish to put up more fence later on.
In our area most everyone uses pipe post because wood, even treated wood, other than cedar posts, doesn’t last a decade.
We are so dry, we have termites and other insects that eat any wood not heavily treated and dry rot takes care of the rest, wood just splinters and causes way more injuries than pipe ever did.
If a horse decides to kick at another with a wood fence between them, it will get hurt more than if that fence was round pipe, have seen both to tell what kinds of injuries can happen.
There are places where wood is plentiful and so that is what is used and horses managed well will do fine no matter what fence is used and with a little good luck thrown in.
Here, wood has always been at a premium over metal and metal last way longer.
I would not discount wood where that is what works best, but also won’t discount metal fences where appropriate.
I can’t find the picture now, but we made a windbreak out of corrugated metal sheets and used the existing metal pipe corners.
We had some old railroad ties that we used for posts between the corners, about a dozen of them.
After a few years, termites had eaten the railroad ties up a good 10", the whole windbreak was holding only by the metal corner posts and the 2" x 4" the sheet metal was nailed onto.
Impressive to see.
Sorry Bluey, should have said pipe rails for fencing are what I dislike. Pipe posts with other kinds of fence than horizontal pipe, could make me happy! Ha ha
I know there are many places wood is too expensive or does not last long enough to mention, when used as fencing. So other products are utilized and horses manage well inside those fences. I do not have board or rail fences myself. They are very expensive and high maintenance to keep nice.
Different type of fencing, but DH and I talked when we first bought our property, we were planning to put up fencing ourselves (we were originally wanting to go with Ramm flex fence). Because our property is historic, we ended up needing to do a wood fence. In the end we decided to hire it out just fence in one large paddock and possibly add on later. Best $x,xxx we spent!!! I don’t remember how much it cost but it was up fast and 8 years later looks every bit as good as the day it was finished, other than natural graying/weathering. So my vote would be to hire this out- but my hubby and I are not hard core DIYers, nor do we have a tractor or other equipment. But our marriage is intact and every day I admire the fence and reaffirm our decision to just pay a pro.
Welding shops sell those also, welding pipe connectors, so you don’t have to cut and saddle each pipe.
When labor is so costly or time important, those are worth the money and it can be a neater look than hand cut with a cutting torch:
I’ve been looking at these and similar products. I think if we do diy it this will be the way to go, or perhaps some heavy duty continuous fence panels, though I think those would still need a top rail for structure. Sounds like you’re in a pretty similar climate, but it looks like you have a bit more grass there. I’m in New Mexico where it’s high and dry so I think pipe will fare better than wood.
I was checking out the neighborhood last weekend and there’s a fencing contractor on the next road behind the property. Definitely getting a quote from them! If I can at least get the perimeter done strait and square it will set us up for more success down the road.
My biggest concern is paying for it and still getting poor quality, but I can likely still manage that doing it myself. 
