Fencing is one of the essential must-haves to offer quality care to your equine companions. It ensures their safety, makes them feel secure, and boosts their overall well-being.
The right fencing is more than just a simple pasture boundary. It serves as a line of defense against dangers from injury escapes and intrusion of predators.
So, if you’re wondering how fencing protects your horses, let’s get right into it!
1. Prevents escaping and keeps horses safe
One of the most important ways fencing protects horses is by containing them within a safe zone. Since horses are energetic, curious, and strong, they often break through poor or weak fencing to explore the outsides.
However, this puts them at an elevated risk of injuries from traffic. Reports cite that 29.4% of accident-related injuries in horses are because they escaped from their paddock and a motorized vehicle collided with them.
They might also get hurt from entering dangerous terrain or get lost while wandering. Further, they might also be scared and stressed from being separated from the rest, which can lead to more harm.
Properly installed, strong, and tall fencing creates a safe physical boundary for horses and secures them within their dedicated space. It prevents them from jumping over or breaking through the fence.
Adequate fencing offers horse owners peace of mind that their beloved companions are safe and secure.
2. Reduces injury risks
Horses don’t just get injured from collisions with moving vehicles. Even the very act of breaking or jumping over the fence can injure them and lead to serious hazards.
For instance, wire fences can cut your horse’s skin. They can cause abrasion and even entangle your beloved equine. This happens if they get too close or collide with the fences.
So, proper fencing also ensures that your horse doesn’t get hurt randomly just from playing around.
Usually, people pick smooth and large wooden rails as horse fences due to their durability and visibility. Unlike small and sharp wooden rails and wire fences, they don’t hurt your horses.
Some use PVC and vinyl as they won’t harm horses by splintering like wood. Others opt for electric fencing, which mildly shocks horses when touched. But it appears pretty cruel, so most skip out.
Instead, nowadays, people are switching to cost-effective, metal-free horse fence made up of a white monofilament nylon-based polymer.
These are strong, durable, smooth, and flexible. So, no matter how much your horse collides with it, the fence won’t break easily. Even if your horse manages to break it and get tangled, they can easily free themselves due to its elasticity.
As the fence is white, it is much more visible than other materials from a distance. Thus, most of the time, horses don’t run into it knowingly!
3. Shuts out intruders and predators
Good fencing doesn’t just contain your horses. It also acts as a barrier to protect your equine companions from external threats.
For instance, wild dogs, coyotes, and other wild animals pose a major threat to horses. Especially if you house small horse breeds or foals, there’s a higher chance of predators targeting them. With the right fencing, you can keep unwanted animals out of your pasture.
Sometimes, passersby who notice horses in your pasture may also want to interact with them. While trying to gain the horses’ attention, they might startle and harm your horses unintentionally.
The right kind of fencing also discourages trespassers and intruders from entering or coming near your horses’ space. In addition to fencing, proper signage can also discourage people from entering without authorization.
Generally, housekeepers consider tightly woven wire fencing and no-climb fencing on the exterior to prevent predators and trespassers from entering the pasture.
4. Prevents fights among horses
If you’re a seasoned housekeeper, you probably house several horses. Among the group, some are more dominant than others and can often provoke fights and aggression over food, water, and territory.
Further, if you’ve recently bought new horses, there’s a high chance of the new ones getting bullied.
Dividing the pastures and paddocks with sturdy and structured fencing can prevent aggression and injury.
You can create smaller individual paddocks with cross-fencing techniques. This way, each horse will have its own territory to exercise and graze. They won’t get in each other’s way and learn to get along eventually.
Conclusion
Proper fencing safeguards your horses from a number of hazards, as mentioned above. So, it’s time to install the appropriate fencing and enhance your equine companions’ well-being!