Thanks Guys, I really do appreciate the advice. I guess I am caught between having a fence that is absolutely level (top of post to top of post, and the toprail too), Vs not having too much of a gap between the bottom 4th rail and the ground.
So far I have been able to put up 80 feet of fence, and I do have to say it does look really nice. I guess I have to remeber that I am building a fence and NOT the space shuttle. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] With having 5 ' showing above the ground, that leaves me with 3 feet in the ground. and if the land dips down a foot then I worry that I will only have 2 feet in the ground.... but the results so far are great. [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img] Thanks to both of you, for your help, I am sure that as this horse thing goes along, I will have to ask you guys for help again [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
I was always under the impression (which doesn't mean it's correct [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] ) that a fence follows the contour of the land, i.e., each post would be 5 feet above the ground.
Yeah, I guess your right. but this section the fence is on both sides of the driveway, and I wanted it to look uniform and level. But I have also figured out that if I know the land is going to dip, I make the fence follow the dip, but do it gradually over several posts, and drop the top rail maybe and inch over 8 feet of run and then raise it back up the same way. This has worked out OK since the fence looks level and nice. The only thing is that the fields on either side of the driveway are about 8 inches lower than the driveway. This drop off will work in my favor, since the fence is 5 ' when I am standing on the driveway, but it is 5' 8" if Iam standing in the field looking at the back of the fence, (the way the horse will be seeing it). I just want to make sure these horses stay inside the field. [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] The old fence is maybe 4 feet tall and compared with the new fence, it looks so low... So after work tonight I will go and put in some more posts, and use up the last of the boards for the rails. Then its back to the sawyer for more rails [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I will have to take some picture of my progress, and see what you horse experts think......
Five feet high is really the minimum for a horse fence; six foot high is considered the minimum for mustangs. Also, if those are wood 1x6’s a spooked horse will run right through them. The 2x6 plastic fences seem to be a bit stronger than wood, while keeping the same decorative “lookâ€Â.
I’m in the process of building the fence for our turnouts; two large turnouts, each dividable into two smaller ones. It works out to about 2,900 linier feet of fence. That is 3†welded pipe uppers and posts on 10’ horizontal centers set 4’ deep in concrete. The 3 lower bars are 2†welded pipe on 18†vertical centers (4 bars total) for a 6’ tall fence.
All of our hitching racks are also 3†welded pipe set 4’ deep in concrete. Why 4 feet deep? That was a deep as I could get with my post hole digger :-)
Our turnouts are graded pretty flat, so ground contour is not really an issue there. Our perimeter fence is not flat at all, and that follows ground contour. The perimeter fence needs to keep range cattle and javelina out as well as provide a second line of defense against a loose horse. That is 4’ of no-climb topped with 2 strands (another 12†vertical) of 4 point bard with a 4†hot wire stand-off on the inside; this is strung on T-post at 12’ centers – more or less. We will be planting pines around the inside of this fence as a windbreak and to prevent the horses from getting a good straight run at it.
We have the 4 acres immediately around our house fenced with 4’ of no-climb and 2 strands of barb-less on top for our yard, garden, and to keep the dogs close. That has hot wire with a 4†standoff on the inside too, mostly to keep he dogs off the fence and in the yard.
It was very pretty watching a pair of our Arabs clear a 5’ fence. It took me half the day to track them down and round the up.
>Five feet high is really the minimum for a horse fence;
For a four rail fence 5' works out pretty good. It's a little tall for a 3 rail fence. Most horse fencing in my area is not 5' tall. I would not consider 5' a minimum.
Thanks guys, I have put the fence in between 5 foot and 5 and 1/2 feet, depending on the ground elevation. Boy putting this fence in is a real chore. [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img] I will be glad when it is done. I find that the best and most productive days for me are the ones when it is either lightly raining or very cloudy. This leaves the temp around 70 degrees and no direct sun beating down on me. [img]/forums/images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
A few days of the last 3 weeks have been very sunny and hot (90 degrees) [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] , on those days I start at 7am and knock off around noon, let the sun pass, and then I am back at it around 5pm. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I am getting there, I have 3 sides done, but now have to make some gates. The fourth side has a stream on it. Do you think that it is OK to allow the horses free access to it (it is pretty flat and safe for them to approach, and the water is slow moving around 8 " deep), or should I keep them away from it? Some pictures will follow soon to mark my progress... [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
It will be fine to allow the horses free access to the creek. The only thing you have to watch is that they don't start eroding the banks away. As long as they aren't trampling this down you will be fine. No risks to the horses. Plus you won't have to worry about watering them. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Thanks, the far bank goes up around 5 feet and is lined with thick brush, trees and bushes. I don't think they would be able to get through it. The side that faces the field is a little mushy, but I don't think that whey would be caught in the mud, it is not that deep. How will they get along without shade? There is morning shade from about 10 am to maybe noon, then they will be in full sun. I have planted some black walnut trees, that are now about 10 feet tall, [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I plan on putting a fence around each of the 2 trees to keep the horses from chewing on them, but are they a danger to the horses in general?
I also have a few crab apple trees in the next field. I have yet to fence in that field in but when I do, will the horses be ok to eat those apples right from the trees, and ground? Will they become sick from eating too many? Any advice is appreciated, as I don't want the animals to become sick, especially if I am boarding other peoples horses [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
You may not like this advice but black walnut is very toxic to horses, so much so that even using sawdust for bedding that was cut from black walnut can be a problem. I would not let the horses anywhere near the black walnut trees.
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