Comments on The 7MSN Ranch: Ranch Tour - The Fence

How did I miss it? That's waaay too much snake for...

2008-10-10T13:07:00.000-06:00

How did I miss it? That's waaay too much snake for a person like me with snake issues.

Of course, I have horse issues, too. I used to want to be a cowgirl until I realized how high up I would have to be. Not a fan of extreme sports.

Love your blog, especially where you say something like "if you don't blog it, it never happened."

Clair, don't worry, the snake is dead...and hangin...

2008-10-10T09:16:00.000-06:00

Clair, don't worry, the snake is dead...and hanging just to the left of the on/off switch.

Oh, please put me out of my misery. I can't find t...

2008-10-10T08:59:00.000-06:00

Oh, please put me out of my misery. I can't find the snake and have been cruising all over your blog looking for it. Hard to explain, because I don't really want to look at any snake.

By the way, I love spending time wandering through your blog but, hey, I'm a retired lady! I've got a schedule here! Must...close...blog...

I live in OK and also have fencing similar to Hors...

2008-10-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

I live in OK and also have fencing similar to Horseguard. I've had it up probably 3 years now and it's falling apart. The wind here is really an issue--if you don't twist the fencing (it's not as pretty as when it's nice and straight!)the wind will whip it so hard it snaps. Even at that, time, wind, and sun has just worn it out. This winter I'll be replacing it with regular hot wire...I've already got the T-post caps in place.

Thanks Linda,
I'll go see.

I also want t...

2008-10-08T20:18:00.000-06:00

Thanks Linda,
I'll go see.

I also want to make rotational pastures next summer, so they don't raze the grass down to dirt.

I really liked how nice your Horse Guard looked while I was there, and it definetly keeps out all those cattle that walk past your property. :)

~Lisa

Lisa, my guess is that it would work, since they'd...

2008-10-08T16:58:00.000-06:00

Lisa, my guess is that it would work, since they'd probably touch it first with their nose, if they touched it at all. If you go to their website, you might find a testimonial or two from folks who've used it with llamas.

Hey Linda,

Do you think this fence would be...

2008-10-08T12:32:00.000-06:00

Hey Linda,

Do you think this fence would be effective for llamas?

My llamas paddock has 5' horse fence and the llamas are standing on it to reach over and eat the tall grass on the other side. This is causing the fence to bend and stretch.

I wonder if the electric tape will still zap through a llama's thick wool?

~Lisa

Wow... what a job it must've been putting up the f...

2008-10-08T10:58:00.000-06:00

Wow... what a job it must've been putting up the fence. And it's so straight! ;)

When I was a kid, my Dad had an electric fence for the sheep. All the kids in the neighborhood would try to touch the fence REAL FAST, thinking that if we touched it fast enough we wouldn't get shocked!

We were shocked to learn that it didn't work! LOL

Love your blog!

ok, now I see it. i think i've willed myself not ...

2008-10-08T06:16:00.000-06:00

ok, now I see it. i think i've willed myself not to ever see a shake since that time at our fish camp...I love your posts about the animals!

You've so educational! I'd have never kno...

2008-10-07T19:23:00.000-06:00

You've so educational! I'd have never known horses got into so much trouble! Nice to know there are products out there other than that dreded barbed wire.

Nice to know my favorite burros are secure safely.

George & Alan Fan

Good primer on electric fences. I particularly li...

2008-10-07T17:33:00.000-06:00

Good primer on electric fences. I particularly like the t-post toppers. My cousin used to be a vet tech and she would tell horror stories of horses impaled on the bare tops of t-posts. I've been reluctant to use them with ours for that reason, but the topper may make me change my mind.

Dan

Add me to the list of those who have Horseguard fe...

2008-10-07T12:24:00.000-06:00

Add me to the list of those who have Horseguard fencing. We use a different company for the covers on our t-posts and corner posts.

Thing that sold me on Horseguard was about a week or so after we put it in (when we lived in Jersey), one of the geldings chased a mare into it. The fence stretched and stretched but kept shocking as it stretched. When the drama was over, the fence was stretched quite a bit, but the mare didn't have so much as a scratch on her.

If the fence had been split rail (like all the boarding places had when we lived and boarded in PA), the mare would have been impaled something terrible. Probably would have killed her.

Safety and ease of installation are what make Horseguard so great!

I think that the Horseguard is a good choice too.T...

2008-10-07T09:25:00.000-06:00

I think that the Horseguard is a good choice too.Thats what we use with the same t-posts and it works really well.We like it too because we can always throw up another emergency paddock quickly when we need one. I'd recommend this fencing in a minute and would never ever consider using barbed wire anywhere near horses.

There is really nothing that adds the finisheing t...

2008-10-07T09:05:00.000-06:00

There is really nothing that adds the finisheing touches to a place, like a nice, well-built, and safe fence, and you, Rancher Woman, have just shown us an excellent example of that!

PS-I totally thought of Young Frankenstein when I saw that switch...lol!!!

That electric fence is cool. I have never seen one...

2008-10-07T07:40:00.000-06:00

That electric fence is cool. I have never seen one like that! Is that snake dead?

Your fence looks awesome! I love that you have top...

2008-10-07T06:59:00.000-06:00

Your fence looks awesome! I love that you have toppers on each of the posts. I've never seen a little tester like you have- nice that it shows the charge level. And I agree about the On/Off switch. It made me laugh!

You see more and more electric fence like yours ar...

2008-10-07T06:48:00.000-06:00

You see more and more electric fence like yours around here now to contain all kinds of farm animals ... smart idea and good looking too.

Your fencing looks very SAFE and secure! And, lik...

2008-10-07T06:47:00.000-06:00

Your fencing looks very SAFE and secure! And, like other families, we are cutting back where we can.

We have the Horse Guard tape as well, although our...

2008-10-07T06:08:00.000-06:00

We have the Horse Guard tape as well, although our posts are the solid wood kind. The previous owner installed the Horse Guard here, and she had a breeding stallion on the property, so I trusted her judgment re: containment AND safety. I agree with you totally - it's great fencing and so easily maintained. In our back and around the arena we have a different kind, and it's been far more problematic.

That said, I am considering split rail and no-climb fencing on the outer perimeter of our property in the near future, primarily because of dogs (ours) and donkeys.

Re: electric costs - we have a solar charger and love it!

I'm sure that if I had the amount of land you do, ...

2008-10-07T03:39:00.000-06:00

I'm sure that if I had the amount of land you do, I'd make the same choice. We got hit by lightning too when we first moved here and it fried my computer and lots of other things - We have flexible fencing, which has a very thin wire that runs inside the vinyl. That's what caught the lightning. Good thing that you can turn yours off so easily. Every thunderstorm - and we have many - I have to run around and pull out the plugs. Our surge protectors didn't do their job because the hit was so close and big.

That is ONE awesome fence! It looks clean & t...

2008-10-06T22:42:00.000-06:00

That is ONE awesome fence! It looks clean & tidy and I love that it's safe AND effective. I can't imagine that the barbed wire fences are any kind of treat to put up.

And, THANK YOU!!! for not posting a picture of the poor horse that got tangled up in some of that wicked stuff. It was bad enough just reading about it.

I really like that fence. My father used an old fa...

2008-10-06T22:16:00.000-06:00

I really like that fence. My father used an old fashioned electric fence with the top wire hot. I was zapped more than a few times. Might explain my thought processes.

I have seen this type of fence before but didn't know much about it. Thanks for the tutorial.

Great fencing, Linda. I really like the safety fac...

2008-10-06T22:10:00.000-06:00

Great fencing, Linda. I really like the safety factor over barbed wire. I can appreciate that, being terrified of barbed wire for horses, myself. The "chest impaling steel" posts kind of freak me out, I like those protective tops. My sister has those posts for the horse's pastures, they have a wire fencing w/a strand of electric wire along the top to prevent them from leaning over, except near the horse/human contact areas, such as near the gate, water troughs, grain buckets. The grain bucket hangs on a post but there is a protective cover on the post there. My sister's horses have figured out were there is no hot wire and have bent the fence over, but I think My Boy thinks the whole thing is electric! He's so sensitive, it terrifies him.

Love the fence!
We're hoping to buy a place (ho...

2008-10-06T21:57:00.000-06:00

Love the fence!
We're hoping to buy a place (hopefully next year this year it didn't pan out) :( and when we do I'm fairly sure it will have barbed wire (most places here do) but thankfully Pie agrees with me that we will need to change that ASAP.
My dream fence is one that is visible in snow or grass, safe, affordable and fairly easy to maintain.

Good question, Maybelline. The cost to operate an...

2008-10-06T21:52:00.000-06:00

Good question, Maybelline. The cost to operate an electric fence charger is only a few cents per day. The electricity pulses through the tape every couple of seconds - it's not a steady charge.

As far as feeling the sting of the economy, I heat my house with wood, only leave the ranch about once a week, and don't have to feed my horses hay for 3- 5 months out of the year, so I consider myself very fortunate. I think most other rural folks, especially those who have a daily commute, are going to be hit harder than most.