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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
 Posted - 01 May 2007 : 4:15:50 PM
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I'm hoping to get one of my mares, Rasheeka, in foal using AI next year, and am planning ahead already for getting the fields ready! It'll be my first foal in 8 years if all goes according to plan.
Soooo, I need to do some fencing. The fields aren't mine but it's pretty likely I'll still be there when the foal is born so I'm going to upgrade the fencing gradually. What fencing do you all use for your mares and very young foals? And at what age do you introduce them to electric fencing? One of the fields would be easiest done using electric tape if that's safe for a foal from a couple of weeks old but the other one can be done with a permanent fence easily enough.
The fencing round both the fields is sheep netting, with rails on the top, so I want to avoid the foal being able to get into the netting obviously. I've managed well with plain wire in the past - what do people think of that? Post and rail is probably out of the question because of the cost as it's not my land, but there would be the possibility of the mare foaling in a P&R'd field then moving to one of the other fields after a week (or longer). The problem with that is, the P&Rd field is quite large and Rash would have to go in with another of my mares for company - and all my horses live on air!
Oh, and to complicate matters mum to be is always up to no good so, if anything, the fencing needs to be mum-proof as well as foal proof! I'm hoping with a foal to look after she'll be a bit less inclined to amuse herself  She's just as likely to lead the foal astray though 
I'm worrying already and I haven't even thought about the AI process - and it's going to be 2009 before the foal is born anyway 
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 11:16:43 AM
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| Up - please, any ideas?! I'd like to add ideally I'd post and rail at least one of the fields (both are about an acre) - I'm only mentioning the cost as it's not my field as I'd happily pay out for P&R otherwise. |
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mouse
Silver Member
United Kingdom
309 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 11:40:44 AM
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Hi Karon
I'm no help to you I'm afraid but I'm looking forward to some answers to your thread as it would help me too. My fields are permanent wooden posts with two strands of thick electric fencing. I do not need the electric on however as it is all fairly sturdy. I was thinking of using another strand low enough so that a foal couldn't get under. Does this sound acceptable for mare and foal? |
    
South Norfolk/Suffolk border |
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Wurzel
Bronze Member
Germany
68 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 12:17:19 PM
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Hi Karon,
I have used sheep netting with electric on top. The problem with foals is that they tend not to see the fencing, I attach the red and white tape that cordons things off. The sort used for accidents ect. I cut a piece off and tie it on various spots on the fencing. I do this with all my horses so they see the tape fluttering and know the fence is there.
Of course the best is post and rail, but the cost is a great factor.
I had a mare run through a post and rail fence, so it does not always stop them. |
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angel2002
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2502 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 1:09:53 PM
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Hi Karon, my fields are post and rail with electric tape of the top and middle rails. I also have just electric tape (40mm wide white) with polyposts along the hedge and to split the paddocks.
I find that you need to put the tape on by the time the baby is about a week old as by then they are usually into everything. My filly is already sticking her head between the rails and chewing the tape so needless to say the electric will be going on so she learns not to touch it.
Any fencing will be trial and error, I have had one foal run straight through the electric tape and one foal climb between the middle and top rails!! They can be little houdini's at times :))
Personally I would never use sheep netting for horses let alone foals. I have seen too many serious accidents in the past from horses getting legs caught, one was that bad it virtually severed a limb! This netting should really only be used for what it was intended, keeping sheep in a field. |
Angel
Passion Arabians
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Nuttybabez
Gold Member
England
522 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 7:21:10 PM
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I use hedging (already in existance) and electric tape. My mare respects the tape and stays well away and baby soon learns.
Make sure if you do use electric fencing though, it is nice and tight and use tape not wire. I have seen many accidents with that cheesewire *shudder* |
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natntaz
Platinum Member
England
2919 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 9:35:06 PM
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| I had post a rail and electric tape in middle of top rail and middle of the bottom to. Luckily this seemed to do the job. She did roll underneath it once and found her waiting to get back in with mum but with not a mark on her so it must of been o.k |
   
Natalie Pix. Essex. Tariq ibn Radfan and Taroub |
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georgiauk
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2605 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2007 : 9:55:33 PM
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| Do be careful with electric tape. A friends foal managed to get his legs wrapped in it, he's okay but scared for life. Poor little mite was stuck there for gaud knows how long before he was found, the tape had tightened on his leg and caused lots of odema above and below the tape line and horrible rubbing from the tape. |
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MinHe
Platinum Member
England
2927 Posts |
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 09:50:58 AM
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Great, thanks for the ideas. I can afford to do some post and rail and leave it up (when I do eventually move, I don't want the hassle of taking a load of fencing down) and I now remember using orange tape on some less than ideal fencing in the past - I'd forgotten about that!
Rasheeka didn't have electric fence near her until she was a yearling, but she used to grab hold of it and chew it - even when it was on. She's very strange.... If I do use electric, it'll definitely be the widest tape - would it be sensible to try to get some break points built in, somehow, with tape joiners? Rash was born in a field that was all plain wire on two sides, with an electrified strand in the middle, and hedges on the other 2 sides, which worked well for her. However this is a horse who managed to climb between the rails of a post and railed section by a tree when she was about 2 months old, and get stuck - I couldn't get between the rails so I don't know how she did it!
The problem with the sheep netting is the field is grazed by sheep part of the time so they need to be secure too (sheep aren't grazed with the horses though). The orange plastic sounds like that might be a safe way of stopping the foal getting right near the netting?
The good thing is I've got 2 years to do this so can do any permanent fencing in short lengths, rather than having to do it all in one go which I've had to in the past! |
Edited by - Karon on 03 May 2007 09:52:13 AM |
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angel2002
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2502 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 12:37:27 PM
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Hi Karon
Orange plastic is great for visability but no good for foals that are too nosy!:) My 1 week old filly is into everything at the moment and would chew it until she pulls it down so I would definately recommend electric tape as well, perhaps putting the orange plastic between the main fencing and the electric fence.
If I were you I would make sure that your horses and foal can not get anywhere near the sheep netting by using what ever method you can. Too dangerous in my opinion to leave as just sheep netting.
Good luck :) |
Angel
Passion Arabians
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karitaz
Gold Member
England
622 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 12:56:33 PM
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Hi,
We have wooden posts with the thick green electric tape fencing round our fields and we have put additional stock fencing around the mare and foal paddock so he cannot get through. They do like to get up and investigate and our little boy has already had a zap off the electric and just jumped away and looked a little put out. The electric helps to get them to respect the fences but strips alone aren't enough in my opinion. |
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Sasha Melia
Gold Member
England
1333 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 1:50:45 PM
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| Hi Karon I agree with Angel, sheep wire is potentially dangerous to older horses too as well as foals, have seen some bad injuries in the past. Also a lot of foals would prob just run into the orange plastic and get tangled, once foals are a bit older they are a bit more sensible, but baby foals like to run into things and test them out! Post and rail is the best (although I too have had a foal gallop into it, and go through the top and middle rail, but was completely unharmed!), and it is good combined with electric tape. With the electric you need to be around when the foal is first introduced to it and make sure that you see them getting a few shocks as some foals react from a shock by not doing the sensible thing of reversing or turning away, but by actually trying to run through the electric tape in sheer panic, have seen this a few times! Beware of temporary electric fence posts too, the ones with the metal stake in the bottom as they are lethal if a horse runs through the electric tape, taking the stakes up with it and then you have metal stakes lying about on the ground! I was once at a livery yard where they used to fence the gateway off with electric tape and temp posts and one day the horses decided to run through it for fun and one mare got an electric fence post pierced right through the hock joint! 3 months box rest and £2.5k vet bill, not nice! |
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Edited by - Sasha Melia on 03 May 2007 1:53:29 PM |
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 1:53:23 PM
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Well, if the foal is half as nosey as mum I can see I'm going to have some fun
Any other ideas to keep him/her away from the sheep netting? Is there a smaller meshed netting that's safe for foals and affordable (in my dreams, I should think!)? One field has less sheep netting than the other so I think that'll be the main one used as it's going to be easier to sort out. |
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max
Silver Member
England
376 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 4:12:29 PM
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| Hi karon we have used the "ORANGE TAPE" but we got it in blue much nicer to look at and they can see it from a mile away hope that helps, if you go to new arrivals on the "SHE HERE" thread im going to post some more pics of our new filly and you can see the tape in the background. |
Sam Clyma
WKD Arabians
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 4:29:06 PM
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Thanks for that, I'll have a look when you've had a chance to get the photos up.
I should add, I'm happy to put new posts in if needed, all the way round, as I'd rather avoid the portable plastic posts (Rasheeka has managed to break enough of them in the past) so it's going to be more permanent fencing anyway rather than something I can uproot and move. My first post made it sound like I'm going to use temporary fencing - I haven't really put it very well! Fortunately, on the one field (Field A) only two sides need doing in full so the (tentative) plan is for her to foal field A. Or, foal inside in the stable then be moved onto Field A. Electric fencing could then be used on Field B when the foal is a bit older but it'll still be put onto permanent posts rather than the plastic ones. |
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Sue J
Gold Member
Wales
914 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2007 : 7:11:19 PM
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| What about the rope type electric fencing. I have it fencing off one of my fields. 2 deep fastened to round posts I find this very effective except the lambs at this time of year to tend to pull the bottom line down occassionaly. I think this may be safer for a foal than the tape. It does need to be kept taught. |
Welshpool
Welsh/Shrops border
   
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2007 : 11:41:13 AM
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Thanks for all that info (I've had a look at your photos, Max - gorgeous mare and foal, too!) - I've got a lot more to work on now and think my next step is actually to see what needs doing with the fencing, and how long the perimeter of the fields works out at. Once length, between me and next door, will definitely have to be electrified but that's on the second field I'll use anyway.
Does anyone think I'd be best having Rash foaling in the post and railed field? It's over the lane from my other fields and although it has a shelter, doesn't have a stable in it. Fencing is all sound, reinforced by electric wire (not on very often) and has had mares foaling on it before but that was Welsh pony mares which probably have a bit more sense than Rasheeka!! It's about 4 acres so I wouldn't be able to turn all the rest of mine out on it as they'd all get too fat in seconds. But for the foal's first few days would this be a better option, before moving to the other fields? Unfortunately I don't think I can use the bigger field for the entire summer unless I swap with my yard owner's ponies.
If I'm this concerned before she's even gone for the AI, imagine what I'm going to be like when she's due to foal |
Edited by - Karon on 04 May 2007 11:42:00 AM |
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MinHe
Platinum Member
England
2927 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2007 : 12:56:36 PM
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Originally posted by KaronDoes anyone think I'd be best having Rash foaling in the post and railed field? It's over the lane from my other fields and although it has a shelter, doesn't have a stable in it. Fencing is all sound, reinforced by electric wire (not on very often) and has had mares foaling on it before but that was Welsh pony mares which probably have a bit more sense than Rasheeka!! It's about 4 acres so I wouldn't be able to turn all the rest of mine out on it as they'd all get too fat in seconds. But for the foal's first few days would this be a better option, before moving to the other fields? Unfortunately I don't think I can use the bigger field for the entire summer unless I swap with my yard owner's ponies.
In some respects, post & rail is MORE dangerous than sheep netting, since it is easy for a new-born or young foal to roll/slip under the bottom rail (have heard of several sad instances). I used to have stock netting (the one with small holes at the bottom, large ones at the top - don't know if this is the same as what you call sheep nettting) and never had any problems with foals with it.
The orange plastic perforated sheeting is perfectly safe for foals - it is high visibility, the holes are only 2-3" max and because it is quite strong and fairly rigid, even if a foal did not see it (which is unlikely, as visually it looks almost solid) it would not be possible to get tangled to any significant degree. In fact, it would only come down if you had either not bothered to secure it to the fence stakes properly, or if the fence stakes were those awful cheap plastic ones that snap under the least pressure (I use Rutland Electric fencing, some of my stakes are over 20yo & they are still as good as new). My last foal was out in fields fenced with this from a few days old, 24/7 for most of the time, and never had any problems with it.
Keren |
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Karon
Gold Member
England
1411 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2007 : 1:32:15 PM
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Keren - yes, that's the same netting I've got. I call it sheep netting, suppose stock netting is the correct term. I'd thought the same about P&R, although the bottom rail is close to the ground - far closer than usual, again probably to help keep sheep in part of the time. I'll look into getting the plastic sheeting, for part of the fence I think this would work out a very good option. I'm going to renew the fence posts or put extra ones in rather than use plastic ones.
Most of mine were born in fields with stock netting round them, and the only accidents involved Ash who used to roll into it while I was watching and calmly wait for me to release her, and Rash who managed to clear one fence of it and land on another fence. Idiot horse.... Fancy clearing one 4' fence only to land on another! But of course I don't want to risk any more accidents, especially if foalie is as nosy as mum! |
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