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Conference noted::equitation

Title:Equine Notes Conference
Notice:Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151
Moderator:MTADMS::COBURNIO
Created:Tue Feb 11 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2080
Total number of notes:22383

42.0. "Paddock size and fence posts." by YES::MACEACHERN (Electric Horesman) Wed Feb 10 1988 13:30

			< Paddock Questions>

	Since I have decided to by a house with 13 acres, I now have to plan
 out how to use them.  During my planning I realize that none of the books
 I have explain how large a paddock should be.
	What is the minimum size that a paddock should be for one horse and
 how much larger should it be for each additional horse?
	My first plan was to build a paddock 200ft by 200ft and divide it in
 half so that I could either let my two horse move freely from one side to
 the other or, when my mare has her foul, seperate the mare and the gelding.
	Please tell me if my plan is good and also how far apart I should
 place my posts for the fence.  I thought every 8 ft with posts every 4 ft
 on both sides of any fence.

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
42.1PLANET::NICKERSONBob Nickerson DTN 282-1663 :^)Wed Feb 10 1988 16:0830
    If you are just looking for turnout paddocks, 200' x 200' is adequate
    for up to about three horses.  I like to have one small one 50'
    x 100' for horse recovering from injury.  If you are looking for
    a size so they can graze, think about one acre per horse.  The paddocks
    you described will have no grass (or roots) in them after six weeks
    regardless of how much you feed.  I like to put posts in every eight
    feet on the same side (for asthetic reasons).  The is no margin
    for error when you alternate sides.  I also use 16 foot rails which
    I overlap as follows:
                            start of top rail                                 
                           /
            -------------||-------------------||-------------
                         ||                   || start of middle rail
                         ||                   ||/
            -------------||-------------------||-------------
                         ||                   ||
                         ||                   ||
            -------------||-------------------||-------------
                         ||\                  ||
                         || start of bottom rail
    
    Put the posts on the outside if you put them all on one side since
    the fence will be stronger and the horses will have less to chew.
    
    Regards,
    
    Bob
    
    
    
42.2CHGV04::LEECHDTN:421-5623 Chicago, Ill. RLOWed Feb 10 1988 20:1315
    Horses being much like people, you might want to go ahead and seperate
    the paddocks into two seperate units in case the two horses take
    an immediate and total dislike of each other.  Also, many mares
    get extremly protective of their foals and will attack another horse
    put in with them.  Another thing is that with two enclosures you
    can rotate the horses between them so that both of the paddocks
    don't get grazed down to bare earth and create duststorms in the
    summer and mudholes the rest of the year.  My Dad has five acres
    and two horses (both geldings) turned in there.  The pasture is 
    divided into three sections. He rotates them through on a 2 to 4
    week schedule and doesn't have much of a problem keeping it green 
    all summer long.  Another thing that he does is to keep the pasture
    mowed so that the weeds don't take over and crowd out the grass.
    
    Pat
42.3ThanksBUGEYE::MACEACHERNElectric HoresmanThu Feb 11 1988 12:5921
	Thanks for the info.  It seems like I can do what I had planned if
 I am good about managing the land properly.  I will probably make additional
 pastures later, but I want to get the two paddocks done first and then do
 more at a slower pace.
	Pat, it was good to hear that your Dad does the same type of land
 management.  Know I know it is not impossible.
	My reason for the two paddocks is that the books say to keep a mare
 ,that has been breed, away from stallions and geldings.  I want to be able
 to do that, but I'm not sure if with my two it is needed.
	Sunday, my mare and Skip, my gelding, are the best of friends and I
 am afraid that I may have problems if I seperate them.  I have had a time
 when we took Skip to a show and both animals were very upset about that.
 The last show of the season, last year we ended up taking both, so we had
 no problems.
	Bob, I guess I didn't explain myself properly concerning the fencing.
 What I meant to say was that I would increase the number of posts when I came
 to a gate so that the distance between posts would be 4 feet rather then 8 ft.
 In a previous note this was suggested and it sounded like a good idea.
	Well, Thanks again

					Dave.
42.4HERE IS WHAT WE DIDSCOMAN::ROCKThu Feb 11 1988 20:5534
    HERE IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR.....I TOO HAVE MARES AND GELDING
    THAT ARE BEST FRIENDS AND MY MARES ARE PREGNANT. I LEAVE THEM ALL
    OUT TOGETHER UNTILL A FEW DAYS BEFORE (A WEEK) AND THEN I SEPERATE
    THEM INTO PADDOCKS SIDE BY SIDE.
---------------------    
|                    |
|THIS IS 2 ACRES     |------------|          |--------------------------------|-|           
|                    |            |          |           |                    |
|                    | 100'X200+  |          | 100'X200+ |                    |
|                    |            |----------|           |   3/4 ACRE         |
|                    |            | 30X30    |           |                    |
|                    |            | BARN     |           |    PASTURE        ||
|                    |            |----------|           |                    |
|                    |           -|30X40     |           |                    |
|                    |            |PADDOCK   |           |                    |
|                    |            |--------- |           |                    |
|                    |            |30X40 SHEEP PEN       |                    ||
|--------------------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------------------
                                                                               
    WE STILL HAVE MORE FENCING AND LAND TO CLEAR BUT AS YOU CAN SEE
    WE HAVE PADDOCKS SIDE BY SIDE AND THAT WEY I CAN SEPERATE THE 
    "CREATURES" AND THEY CAN SEE ONE ANOTHER AND THEY ARE USUALLY
    QUIET. BUT OTHER THEN THAT I TURN ALL MY ANIMALS OUT TOGETHER. 
    
    WE USE 4"X4"X 8'(PLUS) POSTS AND 1 1/2" X 6" RAILS. WE HAVE FOUR
    RAILS AND THE FENCE IS 5' HEIGH. THIS HAS WORKED OUT GREAT FOR WHEN
    I HAD A STALLION AND FOR WEANING THE FOALS. ( THEY ARE NOT THAT
    BRAVE TO TRY JUMPING THE FENCE) AND IT KEEP THE CRAZY "MOMMY'S"
    IN THEIR PASTURE.
    
    HOPE THIS IS SOME HELP.....HAPPY DIGGING. I DO NOT ENVY YOU FOR
    WE ARE ONLY HALF THE WAY THERE WITH OUR FENCEING AND CLEARING.
    
    GOOD LUCK,      TERRY
42.5MIST::BACKSTROMMon Feb 15 1988 19:1525
    RE: .5
    
    Looking at the location of your barn.  How do you prevent your horses
    from chewing your barn siding?
    
    The reason I ask is that I'm going to take the temporary post &
    pipe section down now that the barn is done.  I though about hot
    wire since chemicals don't last.
    
    Larry.
    
                               :---------------------
                               :
    -----------------\--------|:
                      \        :
                       \<- temp:        BARN
                        \      :
       Paddock           \     -
                          \    | Sliding
                           \   | Door
                            \  -
                             \ :
                              |:----------------------
                              |
                              |
42.6MY HORSES DON'T CHEW TO MUCHSCOMAN::ROCKTue Feb 16 1988 19:0120
    WELL, I FIRST OFF AM VERY LUCKY THAT MY HORSES ARE NOT BAD CHEWERS.
    WE USED CREASOTE ON THE BARN WHILE WE WERE ABLE TO STILL GET IT.
    OUR HOUSE IS STAINED IN A DARK BROWN SO THEY MATCHED WELL. I DO
    HAVE WIRE AROUND THE TREES AND USE COPERNOL CLEAR ON THE FENCES
    NOW TO STOP THE ANIMALS FROM CHEWING ON THEM. BUT AS THEY DO GET
    BOARD, THERE IS A SPOT ON MY FENCING ( AN EIGHT FOOT SECTION) THAT
    I MISSED WHEN TREATING THEM AND THAT DOES NOT HAVE A HOT WIRE ON
    IT THAT THEY DID CHEW THIS WINTER. SO IN THE SUMMER I WILL REPLACE
    IT. MY HORSES AS A RULE STAY OUT IN THE BIGGER PASTURES AND ARE
    ONLY IN THE ONES NEXT TO THE BARN WHEN I NEED TO KEEP THEM SEPERATED
    OR QUITE AND NOT OUT RUNNING WITH THE OTHERS.  
    
    THE HOT WIRE ON THE INSIDE OF THE TOP RAIL DOES WONDERS AS FAR AS
    STOPPING THEM FROM LEANING ON THE FENCE AND CHEWWING IT. 
    
    OTHER THEN THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO SUGGEST....FEED MORE HAY DURING
    THE DAY AND NIGHT......
    
    GOOD LUCK,   TERRY
42.11Building a Playpen for a Horse?KACIE::DEUFELDaniel Allen DeufelSat Jul 07 1990 13:5636
    My wife has asked me to see about putting up a 50'x50' corral at the
    far end of our back yard so she has a place to let her horse free in
    when she rides her. (She boards the horse 4 miles away.)
    
    It would seem that an electric fence would solve this problem but
    knowing nothing about these I need some recommendations. I would guess
    that a 50'x50' area would require 400' of wire and a fence post with
    insulators every 10'.
    
    If I am not too far off base, a 50'x50' area would require the
    following:
    
    		  1	Battery Powered Fence Charger
    		  1	Battery
    		 20	Fence posts
    		 40	Insulators
    		400'	Wire
    		  2	Insulated Gate handles
    
    Is this reasonable? If so, could someone answer the following:
    
    o	Is two strands of wire necessary?
    o	Is the woven fence tape better/worse than 14/16 gauge wire?
    o	Can anyone recommend an inexpensive battery powered charger?
    o	How high should the fence be?
    o	Are the nylon round fence posts a reasonable alternative to steel?
    
    Finally, is there any place that handles used/inexpensive fence
    supplies? I have priced out the above parts list and keep coming up
    with a cost of $150. This seems a lot to pay for a playpen for the
    horse.
    
    Comments PLEASE!
    
    				Cheers,
    				-Abdul-
42.12LANDO::AHARRISMon Jul 09 1990 14:3012
    I used the fiberglass posts, plastic insulators, and electric cord for
    my "playpen." The posts are ten feet apart and I used only one strand
    of cord, set at about four feet. I did use two real wooden fence posts
    for the gate. And I hung the charger on one of these posts. This is a
    flimsy-looking arrangement--a horse could easily plow through. That's
    why we made sure the horses zapped their noses a couple of times tp
    learn to respect the fence, and we only use it when we are home. It has
    worked fine so far. (There's a note in this file about my experience.)
    
    I think the charger is going to be your most expensive item. I saw that
    State Line sells some pretty cheap versions (@ $30) so maybe you can
    cut corners that way. 
42.7remember - fill the holesCMOTEC::HARWOODJJudy Harwood RDL 899-5879Mon Jan 07 1991 08:3314
    Just a gentle reminder to all those who may be planning to, or have
    moved fence lines.  Please, please fill in the old holes, particularly 
    if they are in grass.
    
    Recently my mare put her foot down a conceled hole.  Fortunately
    for both of us (I was riding her at the time) she escaped the more
    serious injuries - broken leg, damaged/severed tendons to name some.
    A long gouge along the canon bone is bad enough.
    
    I know we all try to make our places safe, but it is all too easy to 
    think 'I'll deal with that tommorrow', get distracted and then forget 
    because the grass has grown, obscuring the hole.
    
    Judy
42.8DASXPS::LCOBURNIf it works, break it.Mon Jan 07 1991 11:319
    Speaking of fence posts, a friend of mine was giving me a tour of
    her new barn/paddock and rather than digging post holes and cement
    the post in she had found these "post ups" that looked interesting...
    a square metal tube that is easily driven into the ground and holds
    a 4 x 4 (or whatever the size is) in position. Has anyone else ever
    used them? We will probably try them in the spring as we have new
    fencing to install once the ground thaws, looks like they'd be easy
    to move around...
    
42.10I hate to dig fence postsFRAGLE::PELUSOPAINTS; color your corralMon Jan 07 1991 12:325
    My boyfriend and I saw them at a home show.  The vendor claimed
    many customers have used them for paddocks.
    
    They looked sturdy enough....