Horse fencing: what is the best kind?

Different Kinds of Horse Fencing

One of the main challenges to having horses is keeping them safely corralled – and if you are looking into horse properties the first thing you’ll want to do is check if there is adequate  horse fencing for your four legged friends, and then you’ll need to see what type it is.

1. First off, what NOT to install. The type of fencing to absolutely avoid at all costs is barbed wire.  I learned from personal experience the damage that kind of fencing can cause to your horse.  Mine stepped over a low strand of it cut herself horribly and ended up in a cast.  I ended up with months of rehabbing her and a huge vet bill.  Stay away from this !!

Wooden Rail horse fencing

This is very nice looking and well suited for horses. It is strong and the horses can’t bend over it .  It comes with a high price tag, though, and it must be maintained against the elements.  Sanding, priming and paint are pretty standard when installing this type of fence. There is always a chance no matter what type of fence you have that your furry friend can find some way of injuring themselves.  Thus, checking for splintering wood should be expected.  There is a 3 rail wooden fence that looks really nice but once again the price tag will show you how expensive it can be.

PVC / Vinyl rail horse fencing

A popular fence called Vinyl Rail or PVC fencing looks like wooden rails but the rails are actually hollow. Normally this type of fencing is white in color and nice looking and requires little maintenance.  This type of fencing is very expensive and horses can lean on it and it will break if enough force hits it.  So some folks install an electric top rail which delivers a harmless but effective jolt on a leaning horse.

Wire Mesh horse fencing

Wire mesh horse fencing can be used with wooden posts and t-posts. I have personally had good and bad experiences with this. My first horse did not bend over my fence thus it was fairly inexpensive compared to the other types of fencing to install.  However my current horse is a fence bender and has ruined all the corral fencing because the fence just bends.

Pipe horse fencing

Pipe fencing seems to me to be the ultimate in horse fencing. It’s probably the most expensive, but definitely the best you can install. Once installed, there is little maintenance but you won’t be able to reconfigure your layout.  And if your horse should run into it as they always seem to find a way it is not forgiving so keep that in mind.

For some ideas about  horse fencing, check out Murdoch’s fencing page.

Are you considering buying or selling horse property in Colorado?  If so, let me know!