Fencing-in Power Pole

[PsyPsy]

We are building a second pasture on our property, and the area contains a power pole with guy wires. Obviously, this is not horse-friendly and we need a solution to box-in the pole and wires. The solution can be semi-permenant, but not completely permanent, in the event that the power company needs to access it.

My ideas so far are to fence it in with the same fencing we’re already installing (Gardner vinyl), but this isn’t particularly cost-effective.
I’d prefer some kind of electrified solution, like a good cross-fencing wire or something. But I’ve never used or installed electric barriers before (new farm owner here!), so I just don’t know what our options are.

Any suggestions for things I’m not thinking about? Disclaimer: we’re not too worried about anything aesthetically pleasing, we’re looking for the best solution.

[mmeqcenter]

What about a full 6’ height privacy fence in a box several feet off the wires with a padlocked gate access?

[Equus2000]

We just wired a panel to the guy-wire that is in our pasture. That made it easy to mow around it.

The horses know it’s there - we placed their salt blocks and mineral blocks by the panel so that they are super aware of it being there.

[walkinthewalk]

I have three transformer poles spread out over 20+ acres. The power company covered the guide wires in heavy yellow conduit.

We have been here 16 years and the horses have never bothered the guide wires nor have they ever been hurt. That bright yellow conduit can be seen from the space station at night, I think:)

[PsyPsy]

@walkinthewalk

I have three transformer poles spread out over 20+ acres. The power company covered the guide wires in heavy yellow conduit.

We have been here 16 years and the horses have never bothered the guide wires nor have they ever been hurt. That bright yellow conduit can be seen from the space station at night, I think:)

One of the wires has the bright yellow conduit you’re referring to, so I would need to get one more for the second wire. You don’t worry about them tripping on them, or hooking a leg or whatnot, trying to eat grass?

[Huntin_Pony]

Mine has yellow conduit also. I added a low stone wall ring all the way around the pole and guy wire. It’s only a few inches high but is enough to make a horse look where he’s going before getting to the wire. Been here 21 years with horses in that field all the time. No problems.

[jawa]

Are guide wires in a straight line so that you could do what an above poster suggested, placing a fence panel along that distance? If the wires are offset to brace the pole for wires coming in from different directions, you might need to panels. Or you could just call the power company and ask them to put another cover on the naked guide wire. They should be very responsive to your request to avoid the liability of the exposed wire.

I have had my horses in pastures that had power poles with guide wires before and it was never an issue of them running into them, but they did have the covers on them to make them easy to see.

I know of more incidences with humans and guide wires than equine.

[Equibrit]

The best thing to do is put two fence poles in and 4 board fence where the guy wire meets the ground. Mine have been that way for 25 years without incident, equine, human, or machine.

[TMares]

@Equibrit

The best thing to do is put two fence poles in and 4 board fence where the guy wire meets the ground. Mine have been that way for 25 years without incident, equine, human, or machine.

Yep, that’s similar to what I’m describing with the panel. Yours would be more attractive and safer.

It helps me keep it in mind when mowing- before we did that I bumped the base of the wire with a rear tire a time or two.

[PsyPsy]

@Equus2000

We just wired a panel to the guy-wire that is in our pasture. That made it easy to mow around it.

The horses know it’s there - we placed their salt blocks and mineral blocks by the panel so that they are super aware of it being there.

Can you send me some pictures of your set-up please?

[Bluey]

We have some really cheap panels we use for such spots in fences, around trees or poles with guy wires.

Easy to move, to remodel with them and the poles and wires give you good places to tie to, or a T-post is easy to pound in if more is needed.

[crosscreeksh]

@Equus2000

We just wired a panel to the guy-wire that is in our pasture. That made it easy to mow around it.

The horses know it’s there - we placed their salt blocks and mineral blocks by the panel so that they are super aware of it being there.

THIS! You only have to make the horses aware that they can’t run between the wire and the pole. Any sort of gate or wooden panel the reaches from the pole to where the guide wire fastens to the ground will work!

[walkinthewalk]

@PsyPsy

One of the wires has the bright yellow conduit you’re referring to, so I would need to get one more for the second wire. You don’t worry about them tripping on them, or hooking a leg or whatnot, trying to eat grass?

No, I have never worried and they have never hurt themselves. I had four horses when we first moved here. All of them mature broke-to-death trail horses, pretty good at keeping their noses clean and staying out of trouble:)

At one point I had an 18 month old and he never bothered with the guide wires either. I might have felt different had I had newborns-to-weanlings, however:)

[clanter]

@PsyPsy

One of the wires has the bright yellow conduit you’re referring to, so I would need to get one more for the second wire. You don’t worry about them tripping on them, or hooking a leg or whatnot, trying to eat grass?

inform the utility provider that the Safety covers are missing on the guide wires …THEY will replace the Safety Covers

A friend of our daughter was killed when the motorcycle she was riding clipped an uncovered guide wire

Her mother asked for some our mare’s mane to put in her casket as her daughter considered our mare as best friend, often we would find the girl with Foxie just talking to her

the girl is the on in the center [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: B&W posed.jpg Views: 6 Size: 10.7 KB ID: 10425872”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“10425872”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]

[PsyPsy]

@clanter

inform the utility provider that the Safety covers are missing on the guide wires …THEY will replace the Safety Covers

A friend of our daughter was killed when the motorcycle she was riding clipped an uncovered guide wire

Her mother asked for some our mare’s mane to put in her casket as her daughter considered our mare as best friend, often we would find the girl with Foxie just talking to her

the girl is the on in the center [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: B&W posed.jpg Views: 6 Size: 10.7 KB ID: 10425872”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“10425872”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]

Oh my goodness, what a terrible and preventable tragedy! I’m very sorry for the loss of your daughters friend, but what a lovely gesture to include the mane with her.

[PsyPsy]

What do you all mean by “panels”? I’m not following, just trying to visualize the set-up.

The pole & wires are very close to the existing perimeter fence, so I thought about setting two more fence posts, then anchoring the rails to them and back to the fence.

BUT, doing nothing and leaving the horse with new, yellow conduits sounds like a much better solution now…

[Bluey]

Any one cheap panel attached to the pole and wire, standing there alone as a barrier to the horses from hitting the wire or pole.

For some places, like around solar wells and light poles with boxes on them, we use three panels in a triangle, or four in a square.

We bought several of those panels, the 10’ ones were $45, have 9 bars and work fine for any place you don’t need to crowd against them as in alleys or small pens.
They are excellent as visual aids, like on guy wires.

[S1969]

I have two in my pasture. I have a hard fence in a straight line (not a box around the pole + wire). The fence is 2 posts with non-climb wire and a top rail that extends from the base of the guy wire to the pole. So, maybe 15’ long, in a straight line. Horses cannot go under the guy wire, but the utility workers can access the pole.

[TMares]

A stock panel, like you’d make a round pen with…

[Leather]

I can’t find it right now, but there was a thread a few years back where a horse almost severed its leg from guy wire.

I remember it because we had just bought our place that has a power pole with a wire in our pasture and despite knowing that horses like to try to kill themselves on just about everything, I hadn’t thought it would be a problem.

I made a simple panel out of plastic snow fence and step in temporary electric fence posts that sort of sandwiches the base of the wire so that they’d have a larger visual barrier to “know” it’s there and not walk close to it. It was cheap and easy and made me feel a little better to do something.

I didn’t worry about the pole because I figured if a horse isn’t going to pay attention to a giant wooden pole then perhaps it’s a sign. :lol: