Fence Planning for Horses

Fences should be built with particular attention to fence post integrity. Several fence material manufacturers provide good detailed guides to assist in construction and material selection.
Fence openings should be either large enough to offer little chance of foot leg and head entrapment or so small that hooves cannot get through. Small safe openings are less than 3inches square but can depend on the size of the horse. Tension fences such as the types that use hightensile wires usually have diagonal crossbracing on corner assemblies. These diagonal wires or wood bracing provide triangular spaces for foot and head entrapment. Good fence design denies horse access to the braced area or at least minimizes hazards if entrapment occurs.
Horses will test fence strength deliberately and casually. Horses often reach through or over fences for attractions on the other side thus sturdy fences are essential. Fences that do not allow this behavior are the safest. Keep open space between rails or strands to l2 inches or less. For electric fences this open distance may be increased to 18 inches since horses avoid touching the fence. With most fence and particularly with paddock and perimeter fence a single strand of electric wire can be run 4 to 6 inches above or just inside the top rail to discourage horses who habitually lean scratch or reach over fences.
The fence should be smooth on the horse side to prevent injury. Fasten rails and wire mesh to the inside horse side of the posts. This also strengthens the fence. If a horse leans on the fence its weight will not push out the fasteners. Nails and other fasteners should be smooth without jagged parts that can cut the horse or catch a halter.
Visible fences will prevent playful horses from accidentally running into them. A frightened horse may still

hit a visible fence while he is blinded with fear. A forgiving fence that contains the horse without injury is better than an unyielding brick wall. Wire fences are the least visible so boards or strips of material are often added.
Fence Post Selection
The fence post is the foundation of the fence so its importance cannot be overemphasized. The common element in virtually all successful horse fences is a wooden post. Setting posts represents the hardest work and the most timeconsuming part of fence building and is absolutely the most critical to the longterm success of the fence.
Driven posts are more rigid and therefore recommended over handset posts or those set in predrilled holes. Driven posts are pounded into the ground through a combination of weight and impact by specialized equipment. The principle behind driven posts that makes them so secure is that the displaced soil is highly compacted around the post resisting post movement. Even for doityourself projects you should contract the job of driving posts. Postdriver equipment is nearly impossible to rent due to liability concerns. Under some dry hard or rocky soil conditions a smallbore hole will be necessary for driven posts.
Wood is recommended for all horse fence posts. The best buy is a pressuretreated post from a reputable dealer. The preservative must be properly applied to be fully effective. Initially treated posts are more expensive than untreated ones but they last four times as long as untreated ones. Depending on soil conditions and preservative treatment quality a pressuretreated post can last 10 to 25 years.