I'm hoping this will be the only grazing season I'm here. Lot of variables- an estate to settle, finding a new place to go, how quickly mine sells... but I am anxious to get somewhere warmer asap! :-D I have a 13 year old QH gelding and a mini donkey that are very easy to keep in. I'm shopping for a game horse, so before long I should have a mare or gelding with a little more zip- hopefully still not too hard on fencing! :-) The sagging problem definitely isn't due to shifting posts. I really do think it's the wind. I put up a 100' X 100' paddock a week ago with 1 1/2" white tape and t-posts in firm ground. It's already sagging badly. In the past, I've had to tighten on about a weekly basis. I can't imagine it can be good for the wires in the tape to be continually stretched like that?

First, I can't say enough good about the service I have received from the Canadian company that makes Electro Braid. Whenever I have called with questions about electric chargers, parts and pieces, techniques, recommendations, I have been respectfully and satisfactorily helped by Crystal in the office there. Also, when I was putting up one of the paddocks, I found a "catch" or "loop" in the braid. I followed their instructions about cutting the piece from the braid and sending it in, called to let them know what I found, received numerous apologies, and was sent a new 1/2 roll of ElectroBraid as compensation. I really do try to keep my business local, but good customer service is only as good as the people offering it, and sometimes one can get better and more prompt service from distant manufacturers than one can from a local store. Dannalee: How long are you going to be where you are? What horses do you have in your pasture? (mares? geldings? foals? studs?) I have used temporary electric string and tape for the past two years, with fiberglass posts. It's not ideal, but is easy to fix and has been economical. For many years, I used small cedar posts, ceramic or plastic insulators and aluminum wire . . . just two strands . . . and it worked for 20+ years. I did have to check it occasionally as the deer would take it down a few times a year, but it was easy to fix and to tighten when necessary. I tied surveyors' tape on the wire to make it more visible. I think that with any nylon electric fencing, you are going to have some sagging over time because the ground heaves and the posts move and the nylon stretches. Just tie an extra knot in the length of fence or wrap it around an insulator a couple of times, and that usually tightens it up enough. I found that if I twist the tape a couple of times between posts, that it doesn't flap in the wind as much and stays in better condition. If you want temporary, I would use small cedar posts, insulators, and white 1/2 inch tape . . . but it depends on how long you want it to last, and what horses you want to contain. I don't like the step in posts, but admit to using them as they were easy and quick . . . and that's what I had to have here when we first moved here.

I'm going to use some type of electric rope/tape to enclose a new pasture area. I've used tape of varying widths and brands in the past, and have so much trouble with sagging. I've tried spacing the posts at different distances, but it really doesn't seem to make much difference. I crank the stuff tight as it will go, but it's not long before it's all saggy and baggy again. Doesn't help that I've lived in two pretty windy states. Can anyone recommend a type/brand that's not going to stretch and loosen up so quickly? Will braid or roping be better than tape? I want to stick with this type rather than put up permanent fencing- I don't want to put too much into this place. Hope to move on before long! :-) Thanks! Danalee

Call Southwest Equine in Marietta OK.. www.swequine.com ....you can buy steel fence for about or below the price of wire from them... Tell Lonnie that Randy at NWequine sent you. Randy

I had to jump in on this one since it's the business I'm in. When you consider fencing for your equine buddies, how many acres you want to enclose or what materials you want to use, there's one aspect of the whole thing that nobody really ever thinks about. Service after the sale. Buying online is great, but try to get your local Farm and Ranch store to help you with performance issues or warranties farther down the road. Keep your money in your local economy by spending it locally. There is not one retail store in the country that I know of that sells ElectroBraid or HorseGuard. There are other products and companies that are in your local stores that will provide better service after the sale. Here's a website that is a one stop shop, with product information, videos, how to's with the names and contact numbers of 24 sales reps across the country plus dealers in your area. There's also a fence planner tab that will calculate your fence for you. If you still think you want that free CD...I'll send one to who ever needs one. www.gallagherusa.com If you have any questions, drop me some mail. Power fence is what I do. Paul

Almost 10 years ago I put up over 10,000 feet of Horse Guard electric fence tape. Looks as good today as when it was installed. Repairs are easy and we've never had a fence-related injury. They now have a version that doesn't have to be grounded in the traditional way. Sure wish I'd had that during the drought! Otherwise, it's been the ideal horse fence. The cost was very reasonable. Hope this helps. Here's the web site - www.horseguardfence.com

Have you heard of EQIP? I will attach a link for you. It is a cost-share program. It will not cover the cost for perimeter fencing, but may help with the cross fencing. Women and minorities may receive up to 90% return. I believe each state is involved as it is a program of the USDA. Here is the link for Texas. http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/EQIP/eqipworks.html By the way, high tensile wire is not recommended for horses as a frightened horse can run right through it and slice themselves as with a knife. firstappylady

thats what i had done leave it up a halffoot so critters dont get trapped either. mine have to much grass to worry about the other side but hot wire works wonders. but the electro braid.. my nieghbors use it and its great and looks good to. i just like the looks of the other though..if your short on funds u can use hot tape on temp poles all around inside the barb wire bout 5 ft in...unless theres babies and minis. until u can fence it.

If you get no climb fencing just don't put it clear to the ground (leave it a few inches above the ground at least)for if the horses are motivated they can still pull it down by stepping on the lower end and leaning on it.

After a lot of research, we bought Electro Braid, because we wanted SAFE, low-maintenance, and long-lasting fence. The Electro Braid folks will provide you with a pricing guide and will also send you a free DVD upon request. The folks we have spoken with on the phone and through e-mail have been a marvelous help. The corner posts are the most important because it is high tensile fence. We got telephone poles for free and cut them to size for the corners. The line posts can be 50 feet or more apart (depending on the slope of the land) which saves oodles on the cost of fencing as the treated posts cost around 8 dollars a piece here at Tractor Supply. We put up three strands (five strands are recommended for foals and stallions), and it is manageable for one person to do alone. I have 2" pipe panel gates. It is electric, and presently, I am running it off of a deep cycle marine battery with a Zareba fence charger. Go to their web site and check it out. They can give you an estimate of the cost if you let them know the size of your pasture or pastures. The fence has a 25 year guarantee, and it is wonderful. The other fenceing I've used is Horse Guard which is a wide web electric. It is wonderful and safe, but the cost of the total fence was comparable because even though the Horse Guard webbing is less expensive, the posts have to be closer together . . . and the web doesn't last as long as the Electro Braid rope. I've used woven wire before, and my complaint with that is that if you have noxious weeds on your property, they will grow up through the fencing, and it isn't easy to use a weed eater along the woven fence without getting the string caught in the fence . . . and that means that I have to spray Round-Up or another weed killer to keep it looking neat. The horses will "nose it out" on the bottom, too, to reach the grass on the other side, so it is best to drive stakes in the ground at the bottom of the spans between the posts. If you decide to go with woven wire, the Diamond V is the safest to use, especially if you will have any foals or minis or ponies that may get a foot caught through the squares of the fencing. Enjoy desiging your new place.