Need advice on fence post spacing and board size

[highnote]

What is the recommended/normal spacing for equine board fencing?
How far apart should I put the posts?
What size (length, width, and thickness) should the boards be?
What height should each of the 3 boards be set at?
How far in the ground should I set the poles? (I will not be using concrete)

I know there might not be a "textbook" answer, but most pasture fencing looks pretty similar. Just want it to look right and function well.

 

[itsbob]

What is the recommended/normal spacing for equine board fencing?
How far apart should I put the posts?
What size (length, width, and thickness) should the boards be?
What height should each of the 3 boards be set at?
How far in the ground should I set the poles? (I will not be using concrete)

I know there might not be a "textbook" answer, but most pasture fencing looks pretty similar. Just want it to look right and function well.

It depends:

What breed of horse?

How tall is your tallest horse at the shoulders?

What's the dominant color of your biggest horse?

Will there be llamas?

What county will this be built in?

 

[campinmutt]

our fences are 3 board...the boards are oak 1X6s .our fence posts are pressure treated 4x4s.and they are placed 8 feet apart.the fence is 4'high...the boards are placed a hammer's width apart....makes measuring easy when nailing boards up!!

 

[itsbob]

our fences are 3 board...the boards are oak 1X6s .our fence posts are pressure treated 4x4s.and they are placed 8 feet apart.the fence is 4'high...the boards are placed a hammer's width apart....makes measuring easy when nailing boards up!!

What size hammer?

 

[SoMDGirl42]

glue or alpo?

bob, why are you always spinning people up?

 

[Robin]

Dont forget to stagger your 16 ft fence boards to add strength to your fence

 

[erinjograves]

Are you dead set on board fencing??

If not, take a look at Electrobraid. We decided to put that up instead of board fencing because the cost was so much better. We had a tree fall on our fencing. The fence stayed in tact. All we had to do was remove the tree and tighten the tension on the fence.

Its super safe, very easy to see and you can place the posts 20 - 50 feet apart, depending on the level of ground you are on.

Sorry I couldnt help in the board fencing part. I just love the electrobraid so much!

 

[Phyxius]

I have three different kinds of fencing.

Oak Board:
4x4s 8' apart with four 1x6 rough cut oak boards. 4x4 are 3' in the ground 5' above ground.

Agliner:
4x4s with holes drilled through, 5 strand fencing per specifications here:
Agliner - Finish Line Fencing, For the love of Horses

All of it has EnduraSoft along the top. This is the BEST eletric rope fencing and I'd say the best electric fencing at all. I've had it for years and love the stuff. Easy to install, effective, nice looking, and lasts! EnduraSoft® 6.0 - Premier1Supplies

 

[highnote]

Thanks for all the advice. It really helps.

Our pasture is currently all electric... we are putting the board fencing just in the entry area/ top of the pasture "for looks". I'll keep a hot wire behind the top two boards. The pasture is surrounded by trees, so the electric is very inconspicuous in most areas. But at the top of the pasture (no trees) I just think a few sections of board fence (on each side of the gate) would look really nice.

I do have another question... does anyone have one of those "gateless" entry ways in their board fence? I checked google for sample photos, but since I don't really know what they are called, I couldn't find anything. I've seen them at two places... woodbury/holly point (on the side of the outdoor riding arena that shares a fenceline with the adjacent pasture) and that nice farm at the end of willows road that was for sale.

They are basically just openings or breaks in the board fence that a person can get through, but a horse can't. There are posts and boards staggered at two separate levels.

Does anyone have a photo of this? I want to replicate it in my fence, but my husband needs a photo at minimum to work from (measurements would be nice too).

 

[spellbound]

I do have another question... does anyone have one of those "gateless" entry ways in their board fence? I checked google for sample photos, but since I don't really know what they are called, I couldn't find anything. I've seen them at two places... woodbury/holly point (on the side of the outdoor riding arena that shares a fenceline with the adjacent pasture) and that nice farm at the end of willows road that was for sale.

They are basically just openings or breaks in the board fence that a person can get through, but a horse can't. There are posts and boards staggered at two separate levels.

Does anyone have a photo of this? I want to replicate it in my fence, but my husband needs a photo at minimum to work from (measurements would be nice too).

Does Oakridge Park have this?

 

[BeenSpur'd]

Remember to put boards on the inside of the fence. When the horses rub against the fence they won't be able to pop off. I have both treated wood and oak, both last very long and I only put three up keeping the bottom one off the ground a foot or so, the horses can graze the grass and not much weed eating to do. I also use the hammer spacing method. It's taken me over 20 years to get all my fencing from electric to board. Boards are expensive and I had about 8 acres to fence in.

 

[BeenSpur'd]

A friend of mine bought a horse that got stuck in one of those walk thru gates. They had to cut the boards with a chain saw to get the horse out. The horse was tramutized for life from that. I wouldn't do it, only takes a second to go through a four foot gate and latch it.

 

[fredsaid2]

A friend of mine bought a horse that got stuck in one of those walk thru gates. They had to cut the boards with a chain saw to get the horse out. The horse was tramutized for life from that. I wouldn't do it, only takes a second to go through a four foot gate and latch it.

I've always liked the idea of the pass-through but was sure some horse would find a way to make it dangerous. For quick access I agree, the small gate is a good idea. I use the 2-way latches. Super easy to open, has a 'shelf' the gate rests on that takes some of the strain off and they're lockable for the Houdini’s. The Henyard carries them.

 

[heirofaragon]

is this kinda what you were looking for?
Stile - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[highnote]

Sellbound- I'm not sure if oak ridge has them, I haven't been there in years and I don't remember seeing them there.

heirofaragon- thanks for the article! But none of the photos match what I've seen at woodbury and the other farm. There aren't any ladders or steps.

fred- I have the two-way latches. But when I have my hands full, those walk through passages just seem so much easier.

My 2 way latch is on a metal tube gate- I wonder what the safety of those is compared to the walk through openings? The tube gates never seemed very safe to me. They aren't very asthetically pleasing, either.

 

[fredsaid2]

Sellbound- I'm not sure if oak ridge has them, I haven't been there in years and I don't remember seeing them there.

Oakridge does have them or did at one time, an opening in the fence line approx 2' with a second line of fence parallel to it wider than the opening.

________ _________
____________

The spacing was pretty tight. Unless you held items up over the fencing I don't see how you'd get through carrying things. Maybe a field trip to one of the places you know to see how it would work for your purpose?