Do I *need* wood corners for a fenceline?

[Knubbsy]

After spending a combined 6.5 months in the last year on stall rest/small pen turnout due to not backing down from fights, we have banned Pony from group turnout, but the boarding farm isn’t set up for that. Currently, she’s in a small convalescent pen, but the BO has given us permission to set up a small paddock on a well-established grass elsewhere on the property. There would be no shared fencelines but in view of other horses. Eventually (I’d estimate at least 2 years away), the BO will set up permanent wood post-and-braid fencing in the same general area, but thanks to Pony loving to find ways to give me ulcers, I want to plan out this temporary fencing right. So my question for you all is, how necessary are wooden posts at the corners and gate for a fence-respecting horse?

The current plan is as follows: Fence with (capped! tall!) T-posts every 12 or 14’ with three strands of bi-polar horseguard tape starting at 20" high. The gate (diagonal section)is currently going to be a three-strand tape gate. It would be on pretty much level ground with a slight decline towards the gate.
(ignore the features inside the proposed fenceline, those are long gone)

[trubandloki]

There are details available online about how to make a good corner with T-posts, so no wood post is required. Let me dig around and see if I can find them again.

Edit to add, here is a (poor quality, sorry) graphic of how to do it. There are lots of videos if you just search using Google.

The hardware to make those brackets is available at Tractor Supply.

[Knubbsy]

Thanks! Now consulting with my engineer brother if the N brace is a better option than H brace (so handy there are kits for this sort of thing!)

[endlessclimb]

You aren’t going to tension horse guard tape to the degree that you need an h brace. An N brace would be fine. It would also probably be fine to have just tposts and have the corners lean in an inch or two.

Eta: you tension that stuff by hand. Not with a ratchet or anything.

[Jarpur]

We have Horse Guard tape cross fencing, mostly ending at our permanent fencing. But, in a couple of spots, where we have sub-divided a larger area, there is a corner with T-post without any braces. Both of these include a gate. Just as endlessclimb posted, those corners lean in a bit, but we simply straighten them out once in a while.

This has worked fine in our situation (horses which don’t really challenge the electric fence too much, although lots of deer that don’t respect it) for decades.

[Knubbsy]

@Jarpur and @endlessclimb Did you bother with tensioners at every turn/corner or only at the ends? It looks like it’d be best to put them at turns but it’d be so nice and easy not to have to use a hose clamp for the buckle tensioners and just use the normal insulators most of the way around (and cheaper)

[endlessclimb]

You could probably get away with it, but I’d think it would wear the tape faster.

[Jarpur]

We have tensioners at those posts in the corners; our tensioners and insulators are almost all attached with the extra heavy-duty UV resistant zip ties HG used to carry (also available elsewhere, of course), some with the wire ties that they had later (similar to wire fence ties). I see that they’re now using pipe/hose clamps – we have those in use a few other places on our property, for other purposes (not the HG fence). They aren’t difficult to manage, although I don’t like any extra clamp metal band anywhere near a horse’s eyes.

Also, in regards to those corner posts: consider installing them at a slight angle leaning back outwards. That’s what we did, to somewhat counteract the force from the fence tape which will pull the posts inwards over time.

None of our horses have been fighters that needed to be isolated, and there’s not a more attractive area worth an escape attempt, so no huge pressure on our cross fencing. We use a solar charger, which has been sufficient, except for one imported mare that would blow through it every 12 to 18 months. At which time, I’d borrow a plug-in charger from a friend, just for a day or two, which is all it would take because when she hit the fence hooked up to that, she’d see the error of her ways (for another 12 to 18 months).

[Knubbsy]

@Jarpur

I see that they’re now using pipe/hose clamps – we have those in use a few other places on our property, for other purposes (not the HG fence). They aren’t difficult to manage, although I don’t like any extra clamp metal band anywhere near a horse’s eyes.

This paddock is for a mare who managed to take out a chunk of her lip on a zip tie (thinline muzzle; they recommended tying some of the fins closed because she was eating out of the side), so I have the same concern. I’m using their “Clip Clamp” on the normal insulators and buying extra in case they work for the buckle tensioners as well, but we have plenty of the heavy-duty zip ties lying around; we use them for hanging things at horse shows.

In all likelihood, this mare will rarely go near the fence except to stare at humans when it’s mealtime.

Thanks all! I’ve been overthinking this, so getting user feedback is helpful.

[trubandloki]

If you make the fence hot enough, you should have no problems.

[Jarpur]

This may be obvious and you’re already planning on doing this, but think of the gate posts as corners. The fence line is going to pull those posts slightly away from the opening, IME. The tension on the gate itself can help in this situation – we use (and recommend) the Horse Guard #11gate handle with spring in this situation.

Our HG fencing has been basically trouble-free. When we first bought the supplies, the estimated lifespan was 12 years; thinking ahead as we approached that time frame, I re-purchased insulators, etc., in order to be prepared as the old ones bit the dust. Another 12+ years later, and I’ve yet to need most of the replacement parts. Some of the zip ties have gotten brittle after several years in our climate (we don’t get snow/ice, but do get a lot of sun, and it can be windy), and the occasional insulator eventually comes apart but, overall, the HG was easy to install, affordable, has held up well, and does its job. For us, it was worth it.

By the way, the fenceline will require re-tensioning every once in a while, which is not difficult, but goes faster with an extra pair of hands.

Yikes about the lip injury!

[Knubbsy]

@Jarpur

This may be obvious and you’re already planning on doing this, but think of the gate posts as corners. The fence line is going to pull those posts slightly away from the opening, IME. The tension on the gate itself can help in this situation – we use (and recommend) the Horse Guard #11gate handle with spring in this situation.

That’s in line with the thought process I’ve had. If they start pulling too much, I might put N braces outside of the paddock since it’s going to be on an obtuse angle and not 90-degree turn like the true corners (and then pad the braces so no one trips over them). I consulted with my structural engineer brother on angling the posts, his response was, “This sounds fine but so you know, this is way below my paygrade”

And their gate kits are in my shopping cart (I’m waffling on the color of tape before purchasing - white looks so sharp, but then there’s the onus on us to get things level, probably just go with the green/brown to make it easy)

[Jarpur]

We went with the uni-polar green, next door neighbor went with the bi-polar green/brown. Another neighbor went with a farm store knock-off in white – big mistake. Showed every bit of uneveness and dirt, plus didn’t hold up.

[endlessclimb]

I have the brown. It sits in a pile waiting to be installed but if it’s anything like our brown chain link it’s going to look super.

[mmeqcenter]

I’d how you would hang a metal gate on T-posts. But you can make a gate out of the electric tape.

[Simkie]

I swear I’ve seen something for this…

Huh, like these?

https://a.co/d/hZELU4B

Idk if they’re really “horse safe”?

[mmeqcenter]

Interesting

Maybe if you have the most saintliest of saintly saints

[Knubbsy]

I wouldn’t trust my mare - but I’m not sure I’d trust t-posts either. If we were going to hang a metal gate, I’d want to sink wood posts

[Jarpur]

The gates included in our HG cross fencing are strands of HG tape, as well. Work fine for our purposes.

[Christa_P]

They might work for a 4’ garden gate.