From: Stephanie
Dear Jessica, thank you for all of this great information. My trainer has been telling people for years that they need to take the time to train their horses and not just automatically put a chain over their noses for control, and it was so great to show her your article and let her see that she had some backup on this. Now I have a question that my trainer doesn't know the answer to, but I hope you will. I have wanted to have my horses at home my whole life, it's been my dream and my sister's dream too (she is another horse nut). Now I am about to retire next year, and it is finally happening. My sister is one year older than me and we always planned to retire together, she is already retired and we have bought a small house on six acres of land for the horses. We have everything all planned out, and we are going to put the fences in next spring.
My question is about fence posts. I have been collecting photos of fences from different farms, and driving by different farms in our county just to look at the fences and decide what I want. We are going to go with a five foot woven wire fence (diamond mesh) on round posts with a top board, because everyone including you seems to think that this is the best and safest fencing for horses. Sis and I have a lot of good years left but we're trying to organize our place so that we won't be doing maintenance all the time and can enjoy riding and working with the horses. Okay, my question! Why is it that at so many farms, the tops of the fence posts are all cut on an angle? I know that T-posts are too dangerous for horse fencing because a horse could get impaled on a post. But doesn't cutting round or square posts into a pointy angle make them dangerous too? It seems to me like a horse could get hurt on a post top like this, so I'm thinking that we should just leave ours flat. Would this be a problem, and why do people cut them on angles anyway?
Sis and I have a lot of good years left like I said, but we don't have so many years left that we can afford to make stupid mistakes. We want to get things right the first time! Could you please explain how we should cut the post tops and why? Thank you! Stephanie
Horses do not generally challenge the kind of fence you've described. Because you are (very wisely) installing a top board as a sight line, horses will SEE the fence easily and turn when they reach it instead of hitting it. And if a horse should happen to be running so fast that it's unable to stop or turn in time to avoid the fence, it's not likely to cause an injury. A horse that hits a properly-installed diamond-mesh fence may lose a bit of hair, but that's generally the worst that happens, as these fences are not only strong, but also have enough "give" to let a horse bounce off.
There's actually a good reason for cutting the tops of those posts at an angle. If the post tops are cut straight across, they are more likely to hold and soak up rain; angled posts shed the rain, and so are much less susceptible to rot. You did say that you and your sister are trying to set up your place for maximum enjoyment and minimum maintenance? Angling the post tops will help your fenceposts last longer. The posts shouldn't present a threat to your horses - for one thing, they will be on the outside, with the wire fence and the top boards on the inside; for another, the highest part of the post won't be higher than the top board.
Congratulations on your upcoming retirement and on your plans to live your dream. If every choice you make is as wise as your fence selection, you'll do very well. I hope that you and your sister will enjoy many, many safe, happy years with your horses!
Jessica
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