I want to make a few small-ish drylot areas on my property. I’ve in the past used Horseguard electric tape fencing with their fiberglass posts, but they are a PITA for a variety of reasons.
How good are step-in posts with electric tape fencing? If it helps, I’m in a sandy soil area, so the “dirt” isn’t even really dirt, but loose-ish sand.
Thoughts?
It’s less about what the post is, than it is about how sturdy the soil is and using the right connectors. HG has t-post insulators, but I certainly wouldn’t use t-posts :no:
There are white Zareba step-in poly posts - is that the type you’re referring to? If the HG tape will fit through the slot, that should work just fine. You still need a bigger/more stable end post for tension. I don’t think they will go deep enough to be stable in that soil though.
What problems do the HG fiberglass stakes give you?
I was looking at these…
http://www.rammfence.com/fence/horse-fencing-accessories/post-components/step-in-plastic-post.html
I have used those with electric rope for sundividing a paddock or for a temporary supervised paddock on the lawn (I hate mowing). They are not very secure because the pin is fairly short - wouldn’t trust them for any real containment, more just a “please do not cross” sort of fence for polite horses with no reason to test it. I would think a horse on drylot with grass on the other side would not go well.
I have used these on a temporary basis. I wouldn’t put unsupervised horses in a pen with these posts, especially in sandy soil. Gophers like to tunnel around them too–which gives a sort of drunken look to the fencing.
Yeah, those are similar to the Zareba ones, and I’m really afraid they will not allow you to put them deep enough for your soil.
What issues are you having with the HG stakes?
I would only use the step-in post within a secure area. Particularly in a dry lot situation. There is a lot of incentive to get to the “greener” side of the fence.
I used similar ones for creating a small sacrifice area in my field
The ground froze and they were in solid!!! They were very sturdy for the entire winter. They did a great job. Mine are a little different, there’s one large and one small pin that goes into the ground. I like them better than the ones posted.
Forgot to answer. No problems per se with the HG fiberglass ones, I’ve put them in the ground in my old place and they stay put forever. I was just thinking of all of the bamming (that’s what we call it) that needs to be done to put that fencing up and not looking forward to it! Wondered if there was something easier…
I use step in posts with electric tape to do temp fencing for rotation. Works fine as long as I’m not trying to step them in during the summer when the ground is too hard. I hook it up to be hot and horses stay off, but the posts and thus the fence are quite short, do I have had the exuberant one jump it. Only use it inside the “good” fencing for that reason. For putting up temp paddocks outside the good stuff, which I do occasionally, I prefer the HG fiberglass ones as they are taller and more secure.
I wouldn’t use those in sandy soil, there just isn’t enough grip but in the clay soil here, they work just fine, even for opening a large temporary grazing area. How safe they are to contain depends entirely on the horse…mine won’t cross a rope on the ground and thinks any fencing that looks even vaguely like electric fencing is hot, regardless; he is so leery of tape and electric wire, I keep him from leaning on the permanent fence with just a tape across the top of the posts or by stringing twine across.
Most of these step-ins are really short and quite flimsy. I find that they bend over time with any torque on them. They will work for supervised horses or horses that are otherwise enclosed, but the height is a problem and I agree about the sandy soil issue. The good news is that your local farm supply store almost certainly has something very like that in stock and you can buy a couple and see what you think for very little money.
I have some of these posts for our sheep fence:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=101169&cat_id=47
They’re stiff and they stay in the ground really well, and are super easy to use and reset. But, I don’t know if there’s a clip that would go with those that would accept tape.
They seem to suggest these for horses, which I haven’t tried:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=75896&cat_id=47
They aren’t very tall once put in the ground, and if you have to do corners you’ll need to rig up bracing or use a single T-post. But if your fencer has a really good zap, and your horses respect electric tape & aren’t the sort to just blithely jump fences to get where they want to go then you should be ok.
My guys have been behind this fence for several months now as my barn was being built. At first I needed to fence them away from the construction area, and now I’m using it to make sure that where I currently plan on putting real fence eventually is actually going to work.
I’m in the sandy part of SC, and I’ve not had any problems with the posts standing. I have them about every 8 feet though, and the tape (Zareba from TSC) is pulled pretty tight. It held well through the wicked storms we has a month or so back. I used short T-posts to anchor the ends and beef up corners, tying the step in to the T-post with zip ties. It’s not the prettiest fence, but it’s worked well so far.
[QUOTE=Pocket Pony;8101756]
Forgot to answer. No problems per se with the HG fiberglass ones, I’ve put them in the ground in my old place and they stay put forever. I was just thinking of all of the bamming (that’s what we call it) that needs to be done to put that fencing up and not looking forward to it! Wondered if there was something easier…[/QUOTE]
Gotcha. Yeah, if you’re doing this on a regular basis it’s a pita. But, they really are more secure.
[QUOTE=sherian;8101331]
I have used those with electric rope for sundividing a paddock or for a temporary supervised paddock on the lawn (I hate mowing). They are not very secure because the pin is fairly short - wouldn’t trust them for any real containment, more just a “please do not cross” sort of fence for polite horses with no reason to test it. I would think a horse on drylot with grass on the other side would not go well.[/QUOTE]
Ditto this! My spacey neighbor uses them as her main fencing, and she has two grass-loving mares who routinely test and escape. Nearly every single day they get out.
[QUOTE=Pocket Pony;8101217]
I want to make a few small-ish drylot areas on my property. I’ve in the past used Horseguard electric tape fencing with their fiberglass posts, but they are a PITA for a variety of reasons.
How good are step-in posts with electric tape fencing? If it helps, I’m in a sandy soil area, so the “dirt” isn’t even really dirt, but loose-ish sand.
Thoughts?[/QUOTE]
We keep a few around to patch any sections that have trees or large branches fall on the fenceline resulting in a broken top board and post. But it’s a temporary fix.
Ok, another question then. Anyone use their t-post covers? I’m having a hard time seeing what they look like on the website.
We use fiber glass step in posts for our cross fencing. I love it because they are easy to move around and change our minds. T-posts with caps are used for corners.
Our horses respect them. They used to think they knew when the fence was off and would graze under them so we would wait for a horse to touch it and then turn it on. Now they think even off it is on and no issues.
[QUOTE=Pocket Pony;8102263]
Ok, another question then. Anyone use their t-post covers? I’m having a hard time seeing what they look like on the website.[/QUOTE]
Do you mean the t-post covers from Horse Guard or another maker? I have the HG ones for my dry paddock cross fencing and they have worked well. Only brand that I have found that comes in brown. If those are the ones you mean, I can try to find a photo.
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