No, meaning no regrets what so ever. But this comes with a caveat meaning it all depends on available materials and the quality of installation. If you can’t get ANYTHING but oak for the boards don’t bother by and large. No, pine, and especially NO hemlock, total crap. Though I have not used it I have seen pressure treated pine boards hold up pretty well verses untreated. The more “knots” in a board the shorter the life span. Though oak is better then any.
The best fence post bar none are made from honey locust if they can be had. 4X6 treated pine is pretty much the standard these days at “professional” farms. There is absolutely no reason to worry about using pressure treated material. I have not used the board only post. The only posts that have been chowed on are where we feed off the fence line. We are a TB breeding operation, pretty much “soup to nuts” with TBs. Needless to say the majority of our horses have a considerable dollar value compared to the average horse owner’s. To each their own on this.
The majority of our more than 3 miles of fence is done in oak slip board. This is a link to some pics; http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/gumtreestables/library/Horse%20Fencing%20Oak%20Slip%20board%20and%20Oak%20nailed?sort=3&page=1
I like slip board fencing because it is not nailed so when horses “lay on it” it will have give, flex. Because the boards are not nailed they can “slip”, move on the posts so they do not warp because of expansion and contraction. I do not paint my fences, once painted it becomes a maintenance hassle to keep looking good. Oak fades to a pleasing grey IMO.
Personally I do not like the esthetic look of “artificial” fencing. It is not proven to be safer regardless of what is written, advertised and or people’s subjective opinion. I am 58 been working with horses my whole life and been around/on some of the best TB farms in the country that have oak fencing. I have no personal “horror” stories not know of any. To each their own on this.
If you go with board fencing do not be talked into using round posts. There is not enough flat surface area to nail/screw to and hold secure. Over time the fence boards will warp and the line will look crappy. If you want the posts to run straight and true and remain that way they must be pounded in with a proper set up. Regardless of what is attached to them. 3 point hitch pounders on the back of a tractor do a crappy job. Skid loader set up with a “high end” driver is the only way to go. If this is going to be a DIY and you only have a tractor and posthole drill use a 6 inch auger for 4X6 posts. But you will need a bucket on the tractor also. Place the post in the hole have someone hold it and “press” it down in the hole with the bucket. They go in nice and tight with little back fill and tapping needed. I paint a “depth” line on the post with survey paint and pound with my bucket if they don’t not "press’ to the desired depth.
The ease of installing comes down to the type of ground being worked with. I can put up a lot of “feet” in a day with “clean” ground. But if I encounter rocky areas it can be very slow going. The odd posts that don’t go to the desired depth I cut the tops with a chain saw. Slip board is a bit more tricky the posts have to be measured to the depth of the hole and the bottoms cut off accordingly.
In the days before pressure treated posts is was SOP to cut the tops off on an angle so water would not sit on it and rot the tops. IMO and experience this is not necessary. I have posts going on 15 years and don’t look much different than the day they were installed.
All of the above is based on my hands on experience and or paying a lot of money for others to install. It is also based on my experience in my neck of the woods, Mid-Atlantic and Kentucky. A properly installed oak fence is a thing of beauty, curves, follows land contour etc. Any poorly installed fencing regardless of material will look like crap in a couple of years.
Do not if you can help it hire residential fence contractors they don’t have a clue. Unless they have “horse farm” references. Using deck screws is fine if you are not putting up 1000’s of feet. The screws are pricey and time consuming. Definitely invest in an Impact Driver, especially if using oak. Every farm owner should have one anyway IMO. Worth their weight in gold.
I have a fairly big farm by east coast standard so I have a lot of equipment. For nailed boards I have trailer set up with a generator, compressor and nail gun. Shooting 16g sprial nails, makes for short work. All of which can be rented. Slip board is not nailed and goes much faster. Very easy to replace a board also.
Around here 16’ oak board go for around $5-6 each. 11-12’ oak slip boards around $4. 4X6 pressure treated posts $12-14. Locust slip board about the same. All less in quantity. My supplierswill ship anywhere. I have little to no experience installing “synthetic fencing”. But have helped repair a lot for friends when a horse and or horses have run through it and “zippers” off the posts. Total PITA. One horse was all “wrapped” up in it. Pretty scary. Yes, I have had he odd horse run through a board fence, no worse for wear and only one small section to repair.
As with all my comments/advise/suggestions on COTH they are based on my operation, in my neck of the woods and on a fairly large scale. To each their own and what fills their needs and or idea of things.
PS, like others have said, boards on the inside for obvious reasons. And it has nothing to do with “knocking” their knees.
If I see boards on the outside of the posts I think “There are some more newbies moving to the country without knowing/caring why things are done the way they are.”
