I am currently looking for white fencing options and I’m not sure where to purchase from or what the best options are.
I’ve heard of the PCV tape like fences but haven’t heard anything positive about them. I know I absolutely do not want a wood fence. I’m interested mostly in the “plastic” looking 4 board white fence.
Currently we have electric wire fencing, which is a safety concern!!
I’m based out of Canada so would prefer to shop from a Canadian supplier. Can anyone help me out?
Depending on how much snow you get and for how long, you might want to consider a color other than white for contrast and visability.
I use brown electric tape fencing for my interior fencing and love it.
Where are you located in Canada? Check out System Fence (based in Rockwood, Ontario). I’m not sure if you are close to them or not, but they are a great source for fencing.
One farm I was at used the plastic flex rail. It was nice fencing, never needed painting ever, but it would “droop” and had to be tightened often.
They also have the PVC fencing but I’m not a fan of it. You could always call them as they are very knowledgable and will answer any questions you may have.
http://www.systemfence.com/category/White5/525-high-impact-plus
I have three rail white vinyl/PVC fencing from AVinylFence.com. Not sure if they deliver to Canada, but I am very happy with my fence. They were a little less expensive than any local fencing companies.
I boarded at one barn that had the PVC fencing. When that stuff breaks it is scary looking, like really sharp shards. I would be concerned if a horse slid into it or was panicing an ran it it. I can’t even begin to imagine the cuts.
A tree came down on this fence and that is what broke it. I have seen where cars have taken it out it it splinters the same way. When the tree came down it was really hard to repair. Each post was cemented in and 2 posts and 6 rails broke. Getting out the blobs of cement was rough.
My personal favorite is the 2x4 no climb with a top rail. I also sent my horse for rehab to one place that had high tensile coated wire fencing. It had a top line of electric. It was brown. I have know other people that have had horses run into the coated wire and they just bounce off.
I recently read an article that while people see white fencing/wire better studies show that is not true with horses. They see brown and black better even at night.
Where did you find brown tape?? 1/2 inch or wider??
I’m in Canada too and have been really happy with my polytape fencing, mine is 2" width and I have white as snow isn’t really an issue in my neck of the woods. I like how quickly I can adapt my fencing, or quickly shorten a paddock for a rehab horse. It is quick to install, the horses respect it and so far touch wood also very safe. I have a backup battery I run my fence of if the power is down too!
[QUOTE=Cashmere109;8489520]
I am currently looking for white fencing options and I’m not sure where to purchase from or what the best options are.
I’ve heard of the PCV tape like fences but haven’t heard anything positive about them. I know I absolutely do not want a wood fence. I’m interested mostly in the “plastic” looking 4 board white fence.
Currently we have electric wire fencing, which is a safety concern!!
I’m based out of Canada so would prefer to shop from a Canadian supplier. Can anyone help me out?[/QUOTE]
If you mean the plastic flex rail fence that is sold by Centaur and Ramm, I love mine and highly recommend it. Mine is black, however.
PVC board type fence seems to be best augmented with electric to keep the horses off it. After seeing many people’s experience with it, I do not think I would go that way for myself.
Love my system fencing flex fence. Love the fencing team who I give wayyyy too much money to every spring.
The first question: how much money you got?
This is not a snark; money makes the world in general and the world of fencing in particular go 'round. 
Remember, too, that a good fence does two things: it keeps something in and everything else out.
Second, what kind of terrain is involved? Flat, rolling, rocky, etc.? These can have influence on what you pick. It will also dramatically effect the cost of labor to install and maintain.
Third, how well trained to fencing are your horses? Do they constantly “test” or are they “fence avoiders?”
Assuming you can use standard t-posts on reasonably flat ground I’d recommend Electrobraid. http://www.electrobraid.com/ It’s not Canadian made (I have no idea where it is made and really don’t care 
). Of all the “soft” materials I’ve seen it has the highest quality in look and feel. As part of my research I saw fences of this material up to five years old and they were in very good condition. Most tape is ready for replacement by that age. It has the added advantage of being portable if you chose to re-do a fencing plan.
Electric fences all have the same downsides. You must keep the vegetation at bay. In cold climates you have to plan for things like ice storms (that will coat electric fences, making them less effective), snow (which can bury them), etc. They have to periodically tightened, or maybe loosened as weather changes.
You might also want to consider that for a perimeter fence (which will be permanent) using a material like wood, slick wire, or even barbed wire (depending on what you need to fence out and fence in). For cross fencing use the Electrobraid (or other material).
Think “system” in all of this. What will be most friendly to your budget considering cost to buy, cost to erect, cost to maintain, cost to move, etc.
Good luck in your decision.
G.
The PVC type fencing looks really nice and fancy, but even if I had the money, personally I would NEVER use it for fencing.
First thing I think of is why don’t you use PVC pipes when you make jumps? Because if the horse breaks one it can shatter. So it blows my mind to even consider that same material for fencing, for safety reasons. I can’t image the wreck of shards that would make to a horse if they tried to run through it or something.
Also, I know when horses lean on PVC or similar fencing, it is NOT very sturdy at all.
A good ol’ wood fence is not going to slice like wire or shatter like PVC, but of course you have to keep it maintained and you have to keep the horses from chewing on it.
Metal piping for fencing is very sturdy, and fairly easy to maintain, but I do worry about a fence that would have ZERO give. While wood is sturdy, if a horse ran thorugh it or kicked it, you might have a little bit of give. Not with the metal pipes.
I bought some land and we’ll have to go about fencing it in the next few years. It’s 130 acres that will be split up into smaller pastures. For the large size, we’re going to do metal T-posts (with caps) or wooden posts in the low places, along with smooth wire that is electrified. Won’t have to worry about painting it, the horse’s won’t lean on it or reach through (electrified), and the electric clip holders should break free if someone happens to get tangled in it. And relatively easy to tighten and/or fix after the snowfall each winter. Most economical choice for the large size in my case.
Corrals we’ll probably do in wood fencing.
There is a half mile of four board pvc fencing on an acreage along the hwy that I drive into town on every day and it looks terrible against the snow. The snow really shows how dirty the pvc is. It’s a show fence (the actually animal containing barbwire fence is a foot back on the inside).
It seems to require a lot of upkeep to keep it looking sharp.
Honestly, my plan is to use 4" x 4" square wood posts, a wooden rail on top, and two or three lines of Electrobraid underneath, with one inside the top rail too. Would something like that suit?
There is a COTHer who did that with a wood top post and Horseguard tape. Looks nice.
We did four board oak fencing 13 years ago with Shuck from Kentucky and never looked back. It’s as tough as nails and still looks great. We put Pittsburgh Waterproofing Sealant on it.
[QUOTE=beau159;8520432]
Metal piping for fencing is very sturdy, and fairly easy to maintain, but I do worry about a fence that would have ZERO give. While wood is sturdy, if a horse ran thorugh it or kicked it, you might have a little bit of give. Not with the metal pipes.[/QUOTE]
I’ve seen hundreds of horses confined with pipe fence in very high pressure situations, and I really like it. It’s expensive to put in but IMHO very safe.
I don’t like the pipe panels that have loops at the ends, rounded corners at the tops, nor do I like the lighter duty ones. Most of the accidents I’ve been aware of involve one of those factors.
The pipe actually can give some, but that’s not especially a factor in its safety, IMHO. Done right, it has no sharp edges, doesn’t trap body parts, and it stays where you put it.
[QUOTE=poltroon;8522589]
I’ve seen hundreds of horses confined with pipe fence in very high pressure situations, and I really like it. It’s expensive to put in but IMHO very safe.
I don’t like the pipe panels that have loops at the ends, rounded corners at the tops, nor do I like the lighter duty ones. Most of the accidents I’ve been aware of involve one of those factors.
The pipe actually can give some, but that’s not especially a factor in its safety, IMHO. Done right, it has no sharp edges, doesn’t trap body parts, and it stays where you put it.[/QUOTE]
I am probably the one person who had a horse get permanently injured on continuous pipe fence. It was a heavy duty (solid), rough finish continuous pipe fence that you see used for cattle yards. Kicked it and now has a lovely bone chip in her fetlock that the surgeon advises me to leave alone. Ankle looks terrible, but she is sound in work, so it could be worse.
I love electric or electric plus something else for the deterrence. I have had the least injuries over the years at places that kept their fences wicked hot. YMMV.
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