Safest posts for cross-fencing horse pastures?

[Helicon]

I would like to cross fence one of my pastures. I want something that is very safe but somewhat removable. I like the Horseguard tape, but I need a safe post to put it on. I am concerned about the safety issues of T-posts.

I think the horses can pull caps off the t-posts too easily, so I won’t consider doing that.

I do have some T-posts covered in the Safe-Fence vinyl sleeves. This looks nice but when the wind blows or a horse gets in it, it tears the insulators off the sleeves. I have tried reinforcing with glue and zip ties, but its a short term solution. I find I have to redrill and attach insulators every six months.

A friend of mine has the Horseguard brand T post sleeves but she says the plastic is disintegrating in the Texas heat.

I have used wood posts for some of my cross fencing, but I don’t want something that permanent.

What has worked well for you? Thank you!

[saultgirl]

Will there be horses on both sides of the fence?

[Helicon]

Yes. My mares are too rough on each other so I need to turn them out together but separate

[poltroon]

Horseguard has some fiberglass line posts that are pretty useful.

I like very tall t-posts. I think they’re pretty safe if they are capped and the horses can’t get their bodies over the top of them.

[horsepoor]

I have the Horseguard t-post covers and they have worked well for my cross fencing, but I don’t live in a hot area so no “disintegration” issues. I’d be inclined to go with wood otherwise, even though they might be more maintenance prone, they are safer than plain t-posts in my mind. I don’t think the HG fiberglass posts are suitable for what you want. I use them for temp fencing but they would not be my choice for separating horses, especially two who don’t get along.

[Flash44]

[QUOTE=Helicon;8173846]
I would like to cross fence one of my pastures. I want something that is very safe but somewhat removable. I like the Horseguard tape, but I need a safe post to put it on. I am concerned about the safety issues of T-posts.

I think the horses can pull caps off the t-posts too easily, so I won’t consider doing that.

I do have some T-posts covered in the Safe-Fence vinyl sleeves. This looks nice but when the wind blows or a horse gets in it, it tears the insulators off the sleeves. I have tried reinforcing with glue and zip ties, but its a short term solution. I find I have to redrill and attach insulators every six months.

A friend of mine has the Horseguard brand T post sleeves but she says the plastic is disintegrating in the Texas heat.

I have used wood posts for some of my cross fencing, but I don’t want something that permanent.

What has worked well for you? Thank you![/QUOTE]

How are your horses “getting in” electric tape fence??? They should be staying off it if it is hot.

Not sure how much fence you are running, but if you have horses on both sides of the fence, I would run two fences parallel to each other and spaced 10’ apart to discourage any conversations over the fence line.

[Helicon]

Horsepoor and Poltroon- thanks for the input!

Flash- My horses will have discussions over the fence sometimes and then in the heat of a conversation with strike or kick and put a leg between the “rails.” When they withdraw the leg they get shocked and bolt away, pulling the tape off the posts.

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=Helicon;8174553]
Horsepoor and Poltroon- thanks for the input!

Flash- My horses will have discussions over the fence sometimes and then in the heat of a conversation with strike or kick and put a leg between the “rails.” When they withdraw the leg they get shocked and bolt away, pulling the tape off the posts.[/QUOTE]

You need a pathway between fences or it’s just safer to put the mares together.

[PeanutButterPony]

[QUOTE=Helicon;8174553]
Horsepoor and Poltroon- thanks for the input!

Flash- My horses will have discussions over the fence sometimes and then in the heat of a conversation with strike or kick and put a leg between the “rails.” When they withdraw the leg they get shocked and bolt away, pulling the tape off the posts.[/QUOTE]

You absolutely need lanes between your fields. I would never count on a single row hot tape fence to keep fussy horses separated.

[horsepoor]

My guys will play fight over the fence but not do anything too serious, so the three strands of HG tape topped by one strand of hot-twine on the covered T-posts has done well. I did have to make it quite tall (can’t remember, but I think the top hot twine is at 5’6" or higher) just to keep them from reaching over and getting at blankets or fly masks. If they were getting into the fence, I’d have to consider another type of fence or do as others suggest, add a lane between. But sometimes just making it tall enough they can’t reach a head over will make them not get to the point of pawing or kicking. Of course, I have geldings and I know girls are a different story!

[PeanutButterPony]

exactly. Girl fights are serious, boys are just goofy