I know that now…and no I wouldn’t use field fence on that.
Another vote for no-climb and top board.
All our perimeter fencing is redbrand no-climb wire, with creosote posts and boards. The fence that was put in over 15 years ago still looks practically new. We did have issues with one tall horse trying to graze over the fence, and breaking top boards. We put a single strand of hot wire on the inside, and now all the horses have a healthy respect of the fence.
We mow up to the edge of the wire regularly, and that keeps a lot of the weeds down. A single session of spraying the fenceline takes care of any others.
While not the most attractive fencing, I feel it’s very safe. It keeps our farm dogs in, and the coyotes out. While not the least expensive fencing option out there, it’s well worth it in security and durability. We do have some fenceline along woods, and falling branches haven’t been a problem (don’t break it, might damage the top board), We’ve had several hurricanes drop large trees right on it. Of course, no fencing is going to stand up to a 12"-15" diameter tree trunk landing on it. The no-climb is a hassle to stretch and install, but then very low maintenance after that, especially if you have a string of hotwire on top/inside the top boards.
When people say “perimeter fencing,” I imagine a second fence encircling the property, with horse safe fencing inside it. Is that what you are doing, or is your pasture/paddock fencing with horses in it extending to the perimeter of your property?
My preference is 3 strands of electric tape with a top board. Looks great, inexpensive, and holds up to weather, trees, etc.
No matter what you put up, you will have to mow and maintain both sides of the fence line. It’s a much easier task if you keep up with it than if you let it get out of control and then try to tame it back down.
Palm Beach- that’s a good point about the definition of “perimeter” fencing. I do not have enough property to run two fences concentric with each other. My perimeter fence is essentially on my property line and my horses have access directly to it in most places. As I said before, mine don’t mess with it, though I too had a tall “lean over and eat” gelding at one point. We added a smooth wire (hot) on top and no issues since.
In my location, wood posts simply don’t last long regardless of type. The only thing we’ve found that will not rot off in a few years are RR ties. Those are our corner posts behind the house in the back pasture and in the front one one side. We then spent the time and money putting in concreted black, steel chain link fence posts (not wire!) with a black metal top rail with field fencing. It is gorgeous, has lasted for many years and the horses leave it alone.
Wow - lots of thoughts. I did mean perimeter in the sense that it will be my outermost fence. In some areas - nay, most - horses will have access right up to this fence. I think I’m feeling fairly convinced that no-climb with a top board is the way to go. My permanent inner cross fencing will be three board, mostly for aesthetics combined with function - helped along with the fact that I know how to put that up.
I think I’m feeling fairly convinced that no-climb with a top board is the way to go
we have a section of fence like that, but with steel posts with steel top rails with no climb fencing run… we had to go back and insert an aircraft cable (break strength of 20,000 pounds) at butt scratching height… ran this cable between the fence and the post then have turn buckles at each end to tighten the cable… the cable is cheap, easier to use than using a 9 ga smooth wire
Kind of you to put up so much fencing that is horse-friendly for butt-scratching. I saw a horse run through 5 board oak fencing, no hesitation, no effort to jump (5ish feet tall). I’d put electric tape on the inside of each fence line to discourage physical contact. It only takes one horse who like to scratch that will have you pulling your hair out with down/cracked fence boards and leaning posts. I put 4 board in my first place, and in my next place, joyfully replaced all the 4 board with electric tape. I have to do fence repair maybe once a year for less than 10 minutes. Although this year it was close to 2 hours - 1 hour 45 minutes to cut up the tree, and 15 minutes to put the top board back up and tighten the tape.
You might consider electric for your cross fencing given you’re planning on such small paddocks. You’ll have a lot of opportunity for horses to bicker across the fence…keeping them off of and away from the fencing will go a long way to preventing injury (and endless board replacement.)
Just electric rope or tape on step in posts might even be a good idea. Then you can reconfigure as needed or remove entirely a couple times a year to make field maintenance easier.
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Butt scratchers are the bane of good fencing…add wet soil and over your posts go! Ask me how I know…grrr…
OP-- We just can’t use much wood here, and it’s so much more expensive than all other options, that we tend to use electric to divide pastures. It can be done aesthetically well too.
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For several reasons…cost and speed of installation among them…we did “field fence” around our 65 acre farm’s perimeter. Ours was mounted on 6’ T-posts with a large wooden post every “so many” feet for stability. Where there are woods on the far side we didn’t put a top wire…along the road and where there was grass on the outside of the fence, we mounted one strand of electric. The cost difference between field fence and horse fence (which we use on all interior/cross fences) is very significant. I try not to use electric in areas I can’t view easily…when electric gets broken…you have NO FENCE!
I have electric tape with a top board, so I do still have fence if the electric goes out. And my horses are so very respectful of the electric tape, I’ve gone up in the morning to bring them in and realized that hubby never plugged in the fence when he turned them out the day before. They. Do. Not. Touch. It. Ever. I also have one paddock in 4 board, since occasionally we lose electric for days at a time. I have another with a solar charger, so the loss of electricity is not an issue there.
I’ve had wire fencing break if animals touch it or mess with it.
Having openings that are hoof sized at any height can still catch a hoof and the consequences of catching one high aren’t nice.
Look, I’m not saying that it is the best fencing for horses. It is not.
It is an alternative if price is a breaking factor and you have to have solid fence between you and a known problem on the next property, or the highway, or the river, or… and you can’t afford no climb.
As for breaking it, yes the welded stuff at 15 gauge designed for sheep will break when a cow itches on it. It is the gauge and the knot that matters, not the mesh pattern.
Just FYI, groundhogs can climb trees, so it’s probably easier to fence a goat than to fence out a groundhog.
Also, electric fencing does not have to be dependent on your municipal power grid. I have a solar panel with charge controller connected to a deep cycle battery, which runs my fencing. The sun could be eclipsed for a month, I would still have power. But my horses respect the tape enough that I don’t have to have it on every day. I do leave it on when I’m out of town for work travel (often).
And I love that the only thing they can lean on is their shed. 
The tape does line a pre-existing perimeter fence of heavy gauge hi-tensile , came with the property. It was built correctly with safety breakaways (which I learned after my horse jumped THRU it on the 2nd day, all the right mechanisms gave & he didn’t have a mark on him & I walked down the driveway to thank the neighbor who built it), but I don’t electrify the wire because I hate messing with ground rods. My tape is Horseguard bipolar so doesn’t need one.
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