Ideal Pasture Fencing

If you’re a horse lover, then you know all too well the importance of caring for your horses. One of the most primary factors in determining how well you care for your horses will be in the investment you make to protect them.

When you first invested in your horses, chances are you put some thought into the care requirements and the monetary responsibility you would undergo as a horse owner. As such, you're probably already familiar with the fact that caring for horses requires a few major investments. The major investments to which we refer include shelter, food, land, and the all-important pasture fence.

Pasture fencing is one of the most expensive and important purchases you will make as a horse owner. However, it’s important to note that not all pasture fencing is created equally. In fact, some of the more common pasture fencing choices are considered rather inferior.

The more common pasture fencing choices include barbed wire, standard wooden picket, and occasionally the electric fence. While each of these fencing materials serves a purpose in its own right, none of them can be considered ideal because of their negative effects.

Barbed wire fencing can be dangerous for your horses. Horses frequently cut themselves or pull out chunks of their mane on barbed wire fencing. Unfortunately, barbed wire continues to be one of the more popular choices for fencing material.

Standard wooden picket fencing requires continual upkeep. It's often found that standard wooden pickets warp more and become weakened in a relatively short period of time. This means that horse owners are continually spending money repairing and correcting the damage to their wooden horse fence.

And finally, the electric fence brings with it its own set of negatives. While the initial shock an animal would receive from an electric fence is relatively mild, any additional electrical shock can create nerve problems and other health problems that veterinarians and doctors know very little about.

Which brings us to the ideal horse fencing material. The ideal horse fence material is by far vinyl fencing. Not only is vinyl more aesthetically pleasing and safe for the animal, it can also save the horse owner a substantial sum of money in the long run.

Because vinyl horse fencing requires very little upkeep and more durable and stronger than the other standard fencing material, it is considered an ideal investment in terms of pasture fencing.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

You’ve probably heard the old adage that good fences make good neighbors. This adage was originally derived from a poem by Robert Frost. This adage is particularly sound for someone who is raising horses or other livestock. Maintaining a good fence will help to keep your livestock safe, keep stray animals and other visitors out of your pasture or field, and can help to reduce your liability in the event of an unlikely occurrence. You may also find that maintaining a sound pasture fence will help you keep a good rapport with neighbors whose property borders your own.

Over the past several years, the options available to horse owners, in terms of fencing, have expanded extensively. Today, there are hybrid versions of fencing material, as well as entirely new types of fence. With so many options to choose from, you may find it difficult to decide on an adequate fence. As such, it's important that you do your homework prior to building your pasture fence.

Two of the major concerns prior to the construction of a pasture fence are typically budget and maintenance. Finding a fence that fits your budget is imperative. However, you should know that you will get what you pay for. For this reason, most horse owners find it beneficial to invest a little more in a fence now to save money later.

One of the most premier fencing materials that adequately meet the budget concern and a maintenance level concern is vinyl horse fencing material. Vinyl horse fencing is an economical choice because of the low maintenance level required for upkeep. Not only that, vinyl materials have been proven safer than most traditional fencing types.

Vinyl horse fencing gives adequately upon impact should one of your horses or other livestock make impact with the fence itself. You'll also note that vinyl horse fencing is more valuable than standard barbed wire. This means, that your horses will likely avoid running into the fence all together. High visibility is important for safety.

This type of fencing is safe for livestock because it's very unlikely that animal can become tangled up in a vinyl fence. Because there's no dangerous wire or sharp edges, vinyl horse fencing can help you to avoid injuries to your animals.

One bonus tip before constructing your horse fence is to construct rounded corners. Round corners make for safe pastures. They are more difficult to install, unless, you are utilizing the services of a high quality vinyl fence installer, in which case rounded corners should be a snap. Horses and livestock are a major investment. It's important to protect that investment.