Horses.Fencing in a feeder

[Uncle Saggy]

Need advice. Wanting to fence in a feeder on my own property. Here's the question. have 2 quarterhorses and 1 draft horse, will they be harder to keep away from the feeder than cows? Have not had a problem with them but the wife has raised a bunch of valid questions about fencing a feeder in the horse pasture. What have you all experienced with horse pastures???

[Archery1st]

Horses are flat out stupid animals when it comes to fence. Be very careful I have seen horses rip themselves to pieces on barbed wire and get some serious gashes from T-Post.

My recommendation would be to go with tall cattle panels and 1 or 2 strand of smooth wire on top. Make sure your T-post have caps on them and make the pen big enough no feed throws out of the pen. Then cut the panel in a few places to allow deer to go under the wire so as not to risk a deer getting hung on the top strand / panel.

[Uncle Saggy]

Thanks. Sort of what the wife said...She is more concerned with the 2000#+ draft knocking the pen down and eating the 300#s of corn. Yes, horses are fence stupid!!!! seems my weekends are revolved around fixing fences!!!

[Montec man]

Horses are a lot more difficult to keep away from feeders than cattle. I hunted a place near Red Rock about ten years ago and the guy raised horses for bucking broncs. They DESTROYED feeders. You need a very stout feed pen with them around.

[txfireguy2003]

Wow, I'm amazed everyone has that much trouble with horses! I have three and have NEVER had one go through, over or under a fence. They do push on the fences to eat grass from the other side, but so do cattle. Our fences are nothing special, 4X4 landscape timbers every 50 feet and t-posts every 10 feet in between. Either ranch wire (6" squares) or 5 strands of barbed wire. Our horses don't get out, but I've never had a fence without electricity that would keep cattle in.

[Coon]

I had a single strand of barbed wire around a feeder and hog trap that kept my horses out. The only problem I had was if I left the trap too close to the fence, the horsers would turn it over.
Dave

[bowhntrmatt]

Horses are flat out stupid animals when it comes to fence. Be very careful I have seen horses rip themselves to pieces on barbed wire and get some serious gashes from T-Post.

My recommendation would be to go with tall cattle panels and 1 or 2 strand of smooth wire on top. Make sure your T-post have caps on them and make the pen big enough no feed throws out of the pen. Then cut the panel in a few places to allow deer to go under the wire so as not to risk a deer getting hung on the top strand / panel.

X2. I grew up on a horse farm, and I remember more than once cutting the fence around our hay to pieces to free a stuck horse. We finally replaced with cattle panels and one strand of wire up top. Problem Solved.

[skyhawk]

t-posts and hog panels worked for me just fine. I think it has something to do with availability of feed/grass away from the feeder. If they have none, they will do what it takes to get to it. Mine had plenty of grass, so wasn't an issue.

[supertrooperl14]

Good thread. I have a similar question. If you have limited cattle on your lease will two strands of barbed wire at the right heights be enough to keep cattle only out? About to build some feed pens and was just wondering what you guys thought.

[william]

Well I am going to be different then other folks and say horses may not be that stupid but they are very curious and this is where the problems come I think. Horses don’t do well to fences and I agree with that. I owned horses for a long time and you and the vet will know each other well because if there is something sharp on that fence. The horses will find it. But I really think it’s the curiosity of the horse that get them in a bind. I don’t like horses around feeders but sometimes that’s what happened. The thing I use for a fence a lot is hot wire. Horses don’t like getting shocked. It’s a fence that easy to put up and fix and has very little sharp edges. Hot wire to me is a lot more to maintain though. But if you put a feeder in the pasture with a horse they will come visit it. They just cannot stand not to see what’s new and what is making noise.

[Graybow]

I have horses. I only have 2 strands of barbed wire around my feeders. One about 1 1/2 feet high and the other about 4 feet high. They have never been in the feeders. But my horses are smart. They don't like gettin cut!

[cheez]

I have no idea if this would work or not, I've never had horses around a feeder so I've never tried it. What if you built the pen first, let it sit for a month or so for the horses to learn it is kind of a "no go" area, then put up the feeder?

Another option is use a hanging tripod feeder. On our hill country place we used to have heck with the cows messing with the feeders. We have gone to nearly all hanging feeders high enough that the cows can't reach the barrel and have had very few problems. Build it tall enough to where they can't reach it and I doubt the horses would do any damage.

Of course, with a draft horse it will have to be pretty high

[Uncle Saggy]

Well I am going to be different then other folks and say horses may not be that stupid but they are very curious and this is where the problems come I think. Horses don’t do well to fences and I agree with that. I owned horses for a long time and you and the vet will know each other well because if there is something sharp on that fence. The horses will find it. But I really think it’s the curiosity of the horse that get them in a bind. I don’t like horses around feeders but sometimes that’s what happened. The thing I use for a fence a lot is hot wire. Horses don’t like getting shocked. It’s a fence that easy to put up and fix and has very little sharp edges. Hot wire to me is a lot more to maintain though. But if you put a feeder in the pasture with a horse they will come visit it. They just cannot stand not to see what’s new and what is making noise.

Good point about the hot wire. For the most part our horses cause no stupid trouble with the fences, the damage is a result of the draft leaning over to eat the same grass that is on his side of the fence or Ringo the qtr horse pawing the gate for sugar. In cojunction with a later post this sounds like a good plan. Thanks

[Uncle Saggy]

I have no idea if this would work or not, I've never had horses around a feeder so I've never tried it. What if you built the pen first, let it sit for a month or so for the horses to learn it is kind of a "no go" area, then put up the feeder?

Another option is use a hanging tripod feeder. On our hill country place we used to have heck with the cows messing with the feeders. We have gone to nearly all hanging feeders high enough that the cows can't reach the barrel and have had very few problems. Build it tall enough to where they can't reach it and I doubt the horses would do any damage.

Of course, with a draft horse it will have to be pretty high

Funny you wrote that. I just got off the phone with a friend that called about getting us permission on another local farm to shoot pigs and I told him we will feed and not hunt for 2 weeks to get them at ease. The same holds true for your suggestion, but in reverse....let them get accustomed to "no man's land", forget about it and then start feeding the deer. That's a good idea.

[Uncle Saggy]

BTW, our draft is a Suffolk Punch, bout 6' at the shoulder (not that tall) but wide as my truck. His name is El Gordo, The Fat One