# What is the best and cheapest fencing for mare and foals??



## juliewebster (14 January 2009)

Need to fence a paddock for my foal due end april - anyone got any ideas for fencing that wont break the bank?


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## pinkcatkin (14 January 2009)

I had my first foal last year and we had 6 acres of new grazing.

The best fencing for foals - post and rail!!!  However, totally out of my price range.  I made do with wooden posts at 12' intervals and 3 rows of good quality, quite wide tape, run off a mains charger.  I was paranoid that foalie would wriggle under the bottom tape if I only had two. 
	
	
		
		
	


	





It worked very well and she did get a shock at an early age and although this isn't very nice for them it certainly teaches them quickly to respect the fence.    I must say I didn't have the mains on for a few days, seemed unkind for such a young thing to be shocked, but a few days on then it was business as normal.

Hope this helps.


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## Touchwood (14 January 2009)

Best/cheap/mares and foals is not really a sentence that goes together! lol!

Your cheapest option is electric tape, but I will be honest, I really don't like it for foals, especially young ones.


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## ASM2 (14 January 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Best/cheap/mares and foals is not really a sentence that goes together! lol! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely!

Rather than total post and rail (and have it chewed to death by foals) we go for small stock fencing (too small for small hooves to fit through) with tensioning wires and electric set-off. Wooden top rail where no hedgeline - otherwise not. Works very well (less creosoting!) and very safe.

Here eg:


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## ASM2 (14 January 2009)

and here without top rail


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## juliewebster (14 January 2009)

thats fantastic - thanks a lot guys - not trying to be cheap - just with the expance of land cant afford post and rail

your mares look fantastic


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## Maggie2 (14 January 2009)

ASM what make is your fence?

We have Tornado and have had 2 cases of foals (to make 16.2 so not teeny ones) lying against fence, rolling, and getting feet through it.  Thankfully no damage done, but has changed my view on it.


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## ASM2 (14 January 2009)

Don't remember the make - will try and find out for you - but it's manufactured in Germany for German studs.


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## Foxfolly (14 January 2009)

We put our paddock in with posts and 2 strands of electric rope, it was fine for our 2, and has been fine and the stallions paddock since!

The stud we used last year have stock fencing like ASM's but with bigger holes, then they have a plastic mesh type fence over it.... can't really explain it well 
Here is a link to some pictures..

http://www.angrovestud.com/gallery/index.php?gallery_id=34

If done badly it could look a bit tatty but actually is a good idea as the holes really are too small for them to get their feet through, I think put up properly and fixed tightly it works quite well!


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## showjump (15 January 2009)

I am thinking of re-fencing my fields in horse netting. The holes are smaller and rectangles on end (if that makes sense?) I think this *should* be ok?- unless anyone else fore sees a problem with it?


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## Maggie2 (15 January 2009)

An older horse may be fine with the Tornado, if you Google it you'll find it I am sure.

But I have several issues with it.  One is that where it has been kicked I have several places where either the upright section has broken, leaving a hole that a leg could easily have gone through  and a dangling sharp wire.  Where the foals legs went through it were not already damaged.

Another is that where kicked the upright section has moved across sideways, again leaving a hole.

Thirdly despite being built and tensioned to a very high standard in places where the foals for example have rubbed against it (has wide elec. tape on top) it has billowed out of a true line.

Looking at alternative fences at HOYS the one make said that theirs was a continous run of wire vertically so that there were no individual joins at each horizontal joint, if that makes sense?

The Tornado it seems is many pieces of wire, each one having a start and end at each horizontal wire.


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## ASM2 (15 January 2009)

We've never had any trouble with ours but then a big key to the overall safety is the electric set off which is attached to the mains. Once they've had a zap they really do stay well clear!


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## Tia (15 January 2009)

I have all types of fencing on my farm, however I am in the process of getting rid of all the other types and putting up vinyl stud rail wherever there are no treed/hedgerow fencelines.

Post and rail is not great for foals, hence mine is coming down.  Stock fencings is probably the worst.  The no-climb fencing shown above is okay but I personally wont use it again.  When I researched fencing for foals, the only one I found (at the time) which had no fatalities whatsoever, was the stud rail.

The one I use is made by  Centaur Fencing . Click on the link for further info.  Now this is an American company, however you may be able to have it shipped to you.  I have mine shipped from Alabama up to here in Canada.

This is mine and I am absolutely thrilled to bits with it.  It is expensive, but price wise I'd say certainly no more than post and rail and it comes with a 25 year guarantee, which if you've used post and rail, you'll know you are forever replacing broken rails.  The breakweight of this vinyl fencing is phenomenal and the safety aspect is second to none in my opinion.  I rate it very highly and would never go back to other fencing options.













For a cheaper option, you can put the stud rail on top and round vinyl covered high tensile wire on the bottom.


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