V5I2 (Mar/Apr 2010) by Redstone Media Group

wellness

equine wellness

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My horse, my forever friend.

equine wellness

When you lay out your pastures,

avoid making sharp corners into which one horse can pin another.

equine wellness

Fencing Type

Pros

Cons

Wood post and rail

• Attractive • Sturdy posts if installed correctly • Good visual barrier

• Can be costly to install • Requires frequent maintenance • Can be easily broken by a horse running into or kicking it • Sharp edges and exposed nails can cause injury

PVC

• Attractive • Good visual barrier •L ow maintenance (does not require painting – only cleaning)

• Costly to install • Can be easily broken by a horse running into or kicking it • Sharp edges can cause injury • Can become brittle in the cold

High tensile wire

• Low cost and easy to install • Can be electrified

• Not a good visual barrier • Can result in injury if a horse runs into it

Tensioned PVC rail (e.g. Ramm or Centaur rail fencing)

• Attractive • Good visual barrier • Extremely safe • Difficult to break • Requires little to no maintenance • Easy to repair

• Can be costly to install

Wire mesh

• Attractive •C an be a decent visual barrier if a top rail is installed • Very safe

• Can be costly to install • Challenging to maintain vegetation along the fence line

equine wellness

FENCING TYPE

PROS

CONS

Electric rope

• Attractive • Inexpensive to install • Difficult to break • Keeps out some predators and prevents horses from reaching through or leaning on the fence

• Moderate visual barrier • Can result in injury if a horse runs into it

Barbed wire

• Fairly inexpensive to install

• Very dangerous for horses since they have thinner skin than cattle • Poor visual barrier • You should never use barbed wire for containing horses

Three core values

When laying out a pasture, safety for yourself and your horses should be at the top of your list. Old-timers used to say that if a horse could find something to get hurt on, he would do so in record time. These huge animals often don’t know their own strength. What you and I think is horse-proof can break like a matchstick under pressure from a frolicking or panicked horse. Also consider herd behaviors and characteristics. Horses at play or working out their place in the herd can do damage to one another and to fences. It’s up to you to minimize the opportunity for injuries to yourself and your horses.

The land you’ve just purchased will both feed and house your horses. To ensure this happens year after year, with enough healthy forage to sustain your horses, you must plant and maintain the proper grass crop and be able to effectively maintain it. Proper grazing, planting and soil management practices are critical to success, as is selecting the proper grasses to support a healthy horse and grow well in your climate and soil type.

Making sure your setup minimizes the time you have to spend on chores means you’ll have more time to enjoy your horses in the sport you’ve chosen. Lowering the cost of maintaining your horses by moving them to your own land from a boarding situation, and having more time to ride, is what we all want! So how do you accomplish this without being overwhelmed? By methodically considering every element of keeping your horses healthy and safe as you establish your farm.

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