Hello boys and girls!

Just wanted to come by and wish you all a Merry Christmas! (and probably a Happy New Year!)

Cheers!

I believe that many people around the world love horses. I can understand why – horses are magnificent creatures that can very easily become a loyal friend. But I also know that not many people can actually breed and live with horses. First of all, you would need to live outside the city, on a property with grasslands which should be big enough to provide the horse “breathing space”. Then you would have to make sure that the area you provide for the horses is properly fenced. A properly fenced horse property will keep the animals safe because they can sustain many injuries otherwise.

A picture of a galloping horse

One of the main things to keep in mind when building a fence to contain horses is the visibility of the fence. For example, if you have a wire fence, there is a possibility that the horse might get entangled in it if it sees it too late when galloping. That is why wired fences and not really a good idea for containing horses, especially a barbed wire fence because if the horse entangles in a barbed wire fence, it can sustain permanent damage from injuries. If you do go for a wired fence, then it should be meshed and dense enough not to allow the animal to put it’s leg through the mesh hole. It should also be made from heavy-gauge wire. Electric fence is an option, but keep in mind that the shock should be carefully adjusted so it doesn’t cause permanent damage to the horses. Most often in movies we see horses being fenced with white wooden fences. It is an option, yes, but keep in mind that wood is a high-maintenance material when used, especially if you use more – as you would for a pasture. You could use a synthetic fence that resembles a wooden one – it is lower maintenance, but it costs more to construct. The two best options are metal (pipes) or concrete. Both are pretty expensive to construct, but are very low maintenance; pretty visible so the horse couldn’t run into one accidentally; prevent the horse entangling his legs into one. They can even be used as a combination: first you build a concrete wall, about a meter high and drive pipes into it – use it like a base. This would totally eliminate the possibility of leg entanglement and it would be more than visible enough to prevent the horses from accidentally running into it.

Wood

Apart from your regular garden / home / property fences, there are situations when you only need a fence for a short period of time (temporary fence). It would be very unwise to go and purchase / construct a fence for a very short period only and that is why there are lots of companies out there that will rent you a fence. That’s right – there are companies that will hire you a temporary fence for lots of purposes: construction sites, concerts, temporary parking lots, people gatherings that require crowd control etc.

Here’s an example of how a heras fence panel looks like. You have probably seen these around construction sites:

And here is an example of a crowd control barrier, used for people gatherings:

Here is a nice video that might give you an idea of the garden fence type you would want to build for your garden. Bonus – nice music

Wooden fences are the type of fences that require a bit more maintenance than other types of fences because of the materials used (wood). The wooden panels used for fences are susceptible to termites and rotting for example, unlike other fence types. First of all, you must make sure that you perform often inspections. The sooner you spot a problem needs fixing, the smaller the amount of effort, time and resources. Make sure your wooden fence is properly stained to give it a proper protection from the elements. Also, you must remember that you need to re-stain your fence panels once every few years because the layer falls of under the influence of the weather conditions (rain, snow, sunlight). If you have broken / rotting panels, you can just replace those panels (that’s one of the perks of using a wooden fence).

Another thing to look out for are termites – it is very important to spot them early on because they might go for your house after the fence. There are different pesticide solutions available for that purpose. If you spot mold or dirt on your wooden fence panels, a simple hosing / scrubbing will do the trick.

1. Purpose – Choosing the correct fence type is mostly influenced by it’s purpose. You wouldn’t use the same fence for decorating and security purposes. A chain link fence might be a good barrier to contain chicken, but it sure is a very ugly decorative fence.
2. Location – Certain terrain types might be quite limiting for certain types of fences. Make sure you take the location into consideration and choose the appropriate fence type for the terrain
3. Local regulations – In most parts of the world, there are certain regulations you must follow when building a fence, like height for example.
4. Neighbor relations – I would advise it to be smart to show your concerning neighbors where your fence would exactly pass through so you don’t get into trouble with them later on when your fence will be already built. Some neighbors also offer to share the costs of building the fence of it does them good as much as it do you
5. Take measurements – Take precise measurements of your property before going on buying materials – it might save you a couple of extra trips to the warehouse

Ah, back from vacation. Had an amazing time in Croatia. The sun, the sea, the fruits in the fenced yard Also, I moved the blog on a faster hosting, works perfectly now.

Today, I will share with you a video on how to install a wooden fence. I actually used this tutorial when helping a friend building a fence in his back yard.

Cheers!

I promised a friend that in my next article I will talk about chicken fencing. So basically, when building a fence around a chicken coop, it is more important for the fence to keep the predators going in than keeping the chickens from going out. Depending on your living location, there are quite a few possible predators to watch out for such as foxes, raccoons, snakes, dogs, predator birds (hawks, owls, eagles etc). The most common chicken fence I’ve encountered is the chicken wire (quite innovative!).

It is a meshed , thin galvanized wire forming hexagonal holes. The diameter of the hexagon shapes can vary from 5 to 1.2 centimeters and it can be found in various gauges (19 – 22gauge). This wire is known for it’s excellent anti-corrosive capabilities, but when it comes to physical durability, it comes on the short end. Considering the size and strength of the chicken predators tho, this fence is sufficient. A couple of tips when fencing a chicken coop:

- You could bury the fence about half a meter in the ground so it would discourage the predators trying to dig under it.

- You could cover the floor around the coop with it if you want to make sure there won’t be predators trying to dig under the outer fence and enter the coop.

The chicken wire is attached to posts which are driven in the ground before. Posts can be wooden, metal or concrete – it comes down to preference. As always, just make sure that you pay a bit more attention to the corner posts.

A “How it’s Made” episode on Metal Fences. Enjoy

Now we will learn how to install a barbed wire fence