Fencing the large property

[dani0303]

My faince and I bought our dream home today on 79 acres! There’s already a 1400 sq ft open barn which we plan on building stalls in. There’s also an existing post and board fence around roughly 10 acres.

My question revolves around what type of fencing we should use for the rest of the place. I love electro-braid but I’m afraid that might be cost prohibitive due to the size of the property unless we do it in sections. Are there any other budget friendly options that will work on a large property?

TIA!

[Bluey]

Steel posts with plastic caps with electric on it, then whatever below, no-climb, wires, depends on how you will use the fence and what is across it.

How many horses and how small the paddocks?

[dani0303]

We’ll be looking at 2-3 horses with large pastures vs. paddocks

[SquishTheBunny]

I have a large pasture that is fenced with page wire, and the smaller paddocks electrobraid. The horses don’t go to the edge of the fence with the page wire, enough grass to last them years. I plan on putting a mid way strand of electric as a just incase.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=dani0303;8258421]
My faince and I bought our dream home today on 79 acres! There’s already a 1400 sq ft open barn which we plan on building stalls in. There’s also an existing post and board fence around roughly 10 acres.

My question revolves around what type of fencing we should use for the rest of the place. I love electro-braid but I’m afraid that might be cost prohibitive due to the size of the property unless we do it in sections. Are there any other budget friendly options that will work on a large property?

TIA![/QUOTE]

I would not compromise (much) on the durability and safety of your fencing. It would be better IMHO to have 10 acres fenced in great fencing than 20 acres of second-rate stuff.

David

[Flash44]

If you already have 10 acres fenced, and only 2-3 horses, that should be plenty. And congrats!!!

[Mango20]

yeah, stick with the 10 acres you already have fenced for now. It should be plenty for 2-3 horses, and you can always expand later, when hopefully you’ll have more money to do it the way you really want.

[Bluey]

We need to know first what kind of pasture we are taking about here.

10 acres for one horse may not be enough in some places.
Here, two horses in 10 acres would become a dusty dirt lot in a year.

Stocking rate depends on so much, where you are, vegetation, rain, etc.
Here we need 30 acres per horse for pasture and still have to supplement in the winter months.

I agree, put up the best fences you can where you know you are going to have a permanent fence, like on perimeters, maybe with a lane there, if neighbors may also have horses across the fence.

[hosspuller]

I’ve got high tensile wire on fiberglass posts. Wood corners to take the strain.
The system has been in place for 19 years. Falling trees merely push the wire down the posts. Cut the tree off and slide the clips back up. The only thing that has damaged the fence is the tractor.

There are horror stories with EVERY type of fence. HT was designed for large areas.

[babyeventer23]

I did t-posts and the electric rope fencing for our 30 acres; multiple pastures. Ours is a leased property; so I did not want to invest heavily in case it has to be left behind, etc. I HIGHLY recommend PremierOne fencing out of Iowa. Their brand of electrobraid is very reasonably priced; more conductive than ANY generic I have purchased; and is holding up much better to UV exposure; etc. My off brand rope had to be redone after about two years; it frayed or snapped over time, and grounded out quickly. Premier had great fence energizers and supplies too; and their customer service to help you plan it out is unparalleled in my experience!!!

[enjoytheride]

10 acres is more than enough for 2 to 3 horses! You’ll probably have to cross fence that AND muzzle then!

[dani0303]

This is not lush pasture. I live in the high plains so it’s mostly what they call short-grass prairie. When we’re in our wetter seasons (spring and fall) it’s pretty high quality but in the summer and winter it’s basically scrub brush.

This is a good example of what it looks like
http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Lists/CNAP/Attachments/12/ColoradoTallgrassPrairie.jpg

Ten acres won’t support 2 horses without supplementation. I’ve pretty much accepted the inevitability of feeding hay year round.

As for fencing I’m really leaning toward electric braid and wood posts. We’ll just have to do it a little at a time

[Hermein]

I also think you’ll find 10 acres just fine; especially when you find how much work there is to do per acre. :disillusionment:

Anyhow, fencing. What I like to use is the 4 gauge welded panels, which you can buy all over. The reason is that you save quite a bit of money over having to hire someone to stretch non-climb, because the panels allow you to easily put them up yourself, as well as take it with you when you leave. I like to set the bottom very close to the ground, and run a hot wire above it. Iirc, the panels are taller than 4 ft., so you have a 5ft high fence with the hotwire.

Also, iirc, you don’t want any of the wide braid stuff on the high plains, or anywhere that gets lots of wind. It gets twisted and worn.

[jherold]

I’d do electrobraid on T-posts with wooden 6X6 braced corners. The t-posts won’t rot like the wood will. Plus they are cheaper and easier to put in. Just put plastic toppers on them. Congrats on the new property.