# ideas for a wind break please !



## mrussell (3 December 2010)

My paddocks are all on a hillside and I have them split into quarters and then halved again to provide summer and winter grazing for 4 horses.  The lower paddocks have field shelters in them but because of the positioning of the shelters, only 3 of the top 4 paddocks have a windbreak in them (ie the back of the existing shelters to stand behind).

This leaves one of my horses standing out on his own in the Easterly wind.  The other 3 stand behind the shelters and are warm as toast.

I would like to provide horse number 4 with a wind break but cant afford £800 to put an unnecessary field shelter up for him to hide behind.  *sigh*

I would need something that he cant knock over and that would not blow over in the wind. Any thoughts ?


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## The Fuzzy Furry (3 December 2010)

Wooden pallets are a start.
Easy (round here) to get hold of, can be lashed to external fencing or a couple of tall fence posts put in to be lashed to. (However, this is really only suitable for smaller ponies).
Split up a couple of pallets & use the wood to infill the spaces on the ones you are putting up.
If poss, add bales of straw built up behind them. Have found this reasonably effective over winter if I ever used my top paddock.

OR:
What I have in one paddock is 2 sections of 'proper' fencing from the likes of Wickes, such as the feather edge fence panels. 2 of these & 3 posts ought to be about £80 or thereabouts.
This also looks tidier in a field - and if putting near a corner, you can always then add on when you have the money & take it round the corner.


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## s4sugar (3 December 2010)

Straw stacked with a tarpaulin?


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

s4sugar said:



			Straw stacked with a tarpaulin?
		
Click to expand...

I did think of rolling a couple of big bale haylage up there as Im short of straw and even a tarpaulin would stop it running down the field and rotting them from underneath.  Oh the joys of clay !!

Yes, might have to get some fencing panels up, just worried about them blowing onto him in the wind as its very "open" up there.


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## martlin (3 December 2010)

Get hold of a local farmer and get a few heston bales of wet straw - no use for anything else stack them up 2 high in either L or T shape, hey presto!


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## xloopylozzax (3 December 2010)

or plant a hedge, so its more permanent? good for foraging and birds aswell


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

ooh now Martlin, thats a good (and cheap) idea !!  My only worry is the mess (God Im difficult !!  heehee).  Would hate the neighbours complaining about an eyesore...

Hmm....  now to find a friendly farmer ;0)


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## Amymay (3 December 2010)

Why can't your horses share the grazing and shelters??


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

amymay said:



			Why can't your horses share the grazing and shelters??
		
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oh AmyMay...  they used to until lonely horse kicked and broke my old horses leg.  Luckily the injured horse survived (after 6 months of box rest) but I cant risk it happening EVER again so Ive got the field split in 2.  I did think of angling the fencing so they could atleast congregate together but naughty horse spends his day running or sleeping and to give him a corner to keep heading for where my old fella would feel cornered just wouldnt work.


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

xloopylozzax said:



			or plant a hedge, so its more permanent? good for foraging and birds aswell 

Click to expand...


I did want to do this many years ago but the fence line is 500m long and we left it too late then ran out of time and money to do it.  I need a hasty solution in the meantime.


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## Amymay (3 December 2010)

mrussell said:



			oh AmyMay...  they used to until lonely horse kicked and broke my old horses leg.  Luckily the injured horse survived (after 6 months of box rest) but I cant risk it happening EVER again so Ive got the field split in 2.  I did think of angling the fencing so they could atleast congregate together but naughty horse spends his day running or sleeping and to give him a corner to keep heading for where my old fella would feel cornered just wouldnt work.
		
Click to expand...

But you could still reduce 4 paddocks to two - thus enabling naughty horse a shelter, albeit on his own???


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

amymay said:



			But you could still reduce 4 paddocks to two - thus enabling naughty horse a shelter, albeit on his own???
		
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Ive got 4 horses,  summer grazing is split into 3, winter grazing is split into 3. (as 2 horses still share a field happily)

3 field shelters, one each in summer grazing paddocks.

editted as that didnt work !


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## mrussell (3 December 2010)

I think what Im saying is that I cant rearrange to get all 3 paddocks access to a shelter without making a tight corner that will cause trouble and poaching.

I need to add another shelter or build a windbreak... theres no way around it.


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## custard (3 December 2010)

How about some strurdy poles in the ground with windbreak material stretched across?  I saw one once made from 4 cut telegraph poles (so about 6' tall and 5" thick) arranged in a sort of three pointed star pattern with the fabric stretched between. Safe as well as quite cheap.


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## WelshD (5 December 2010)

Poles with something stretched between is a good idea

Debris net is pretty good, it lets the wind through but slows it down dramatically


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## custard (5 December 2010)

Just one more thought, some local authorities were doing grants to plant hedging. A longer term solution but worth looking into, there's a link on the DEFRA site.


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## Honey08 (5 December 2010)

We stacked four old bales of haylage in the field 2x2, removing the plastic but not the stringy stuff.  Ours sheltered behind that...


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## Shazzababs (6 December 2010)

Park your horsebox\trailer in the field?

Obviously this depends on how often you need to get it out again!

Edited to add, I mean for the horses to stand behind not inside.


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