Posted 2006-04-22 9:41 AM (#40818) Subject: Round Pen Suggestions
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Beaver, PA
We are putting in a 56' round pen. My husband is drilling the holes at the moment for the posts. He is making them 3' deep. However, we are having difficulty finding 1" vinyl (w/wire on top and bottom) to use in place of rails. My husband suggested just using the high tensil wire we have and putting 4 strands for the rails. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be used in place of this? We're trying to do it economically, but don't want the horses to get hurt on it. The round pen is inside their pasture, so they will be in contact with it daily. Any suggestions?
Posted 2006-04-24 2:12 PM (#40879 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Elite Veteran
Posts: 824 Location: Kansas
I got a brochure from HorseGuard fencing that looked pretty interesting. I think their name is also their website address, but it's the wide white woven electrical fencing tape. You wouldn't have to charge it if all you were after is the visibility.
Posted 2006-04-24 3:01 PM (#40882 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Member
Posts: 20
Location: Michigan
Quite a few of the horse catalogs I use have fencing in them. I can't say I've looked closely, but you might try Jeffers Equine and Country Supply on line. I've had very good luck with them over the years.
I've always had concerns with high tensil wire. My fear is a bucking horse in the round pen flying into it, or a rider getting their leg pushed into it. I'm sure other folks use it just fine.
Hope you find something quickly that works for you.
Posted 2006-04-30 4:16 PM (#41106 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
I USED WOODEN POST,S PUT A 2BY 6 TOP RAIL TO KEEP POSTS FROM PULLING IN THEN I DRILLED 3/4 IN. HOLES EVERY 12 IN, DOWN EACH POST AND USED THE PLASTIC COATED HI TENSEL WIRE WITH RATACH TIGHTNERS ON EACH LINE. ITS 5/6IN HEIGHT AND WORKS VERY WELL AND IS SAFE.
Posted 2006-05-01 7:06 AM (#41133 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
I strongly dislike high tensile. I have read too many incidents of horses
"cut as if with a cheese slicer to the bone." Furthermore, in a round pen,
you may be training young horses who will turn quickly, possibly kick out,
etc., lending themselves to a nasty accident with wire. If the pen is in the pasture, horses may stick a head through for grass, get caught, and in trouble. We use ours, also in the pasture, to put a new horse in, so it can aquaint itself with the other horses via the fence. High tensile could spell trouble with any kicking, squealing, striking out with a front leg, etc. We constructed our round pen by cutting down young locust trees, stripping the bark, etc., and using them for posts. 3' is the depth we dug for the posts. We went to a local saw mill and got 16' boards for the
sides. Worked great!
Just my 2 cents!
Brenda
Posted 2006-05-01 9:38 AM (#41142 - in reply to #41133) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 303 Location: Grapeland, Texas
I would also say a big no to the high tensil wire in a round pen. We used it on our fences with the top and middle wire hot. That worked good, but accidents do happen with that even. Had one paw, I guess, and it broke and wrapped around the leg. Luckily he just stood there, could have been bad. In a round pen...NO, NO, NO!!! Used wood or pipe, sheets of plywood even work.
Posted 2006-05-02 8:52 AM (#41192 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Member
Posts: 27 Location: Pink, Oklahoma
check out www.rammfence.com We are in the process of refencing our 20 acres and are using their flex rail fence. I think it would work great for a round pen. It is PVC with high tension wire inside it.
Posted 2006-05-04 11:23 AM (#41300 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309 Location: MO
Check out Horse gard and Premier 1 Fencing. One of them has a round pen kit using electric fence tape. We are going to set up a round pen using tape on regular steel T posts. Should be cheap and effective and no worries like with hi tensile wire.
Posted 2006-05-06 7:43 AM (#41356 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
Member
Posts: 9
Location: Beaver, PA
Thank you so much, everyone for your suggestions. I too don't really like the high tensil wire for the round pen. However, that's what we had on hand and when my husband went to the local feed store, they were having trouble getting the plastic 1" fencing he had requested. For now, we have the high tensil, but I am looking into replacing it with either the tape or rail. I'll check out the websites you all suggested. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, we've been working on fixing our fences and I've been helping every night after work. I haven't had time to get on the computer.
Posted 2006-05-11 12:35 PM (#41611 - in reply to #40818) Subject: RE: Round Pen Suggestions
New User
Posts: 2
Location: Stevensville Montana
I've been using Horse Guard fencing for over 2 years. It's a temporary fence (still haven't got my pasture fenced off yet but I'm getting there ). Anyway I was very skeptical about it, but it has held up extremely well. Though my horses aren't young, they are very respectful of it. I only have 2 strands which are electrified around my 2 acre field because it IS (supposed to be) temporary and I have never had any problems at all. It holds up during super cold weather, snow, wind, rain, heat, etc. Since we are also in the process of building our barn and don't have the stall area completed yet, for a temporary stall area I took the left over tape and used it to define the stall areas but did not electrify it - again it's just "temporary" but they really respect this also. I was very pleasantly surprised as when I was growing up we had 3 board fence with electric wire on top and even with that we'd have the occasional "difugulty".
I'm going to be building a round pen and will in all probability be using the same materials as in the pasture area.
Haven't decided exactly what to make my fence out of but I'm thinking the RAMM fence 4 wire rail on top with the Horse Guard tape 3-4 strands underneath that with the 2nd and bottom strands electrified. (The bottom one would be for things like the neighbors' stupid dogs and coyotes).
Round Pen Suggestions
). Anyway I was very skeptical about it, but it has held up extremely well. Though my horses aren't young, they are very respectful of it. I only have 2 strands which are electrified around my 2 acre field because it IS (supposed to be) temporary and I have never had any problems at all. It holds up during super cold weather, snow, wind, rain, heat, etc. Since we are also in the process of building our barn and don't have the stall area completed yet, for a temporary stall area I took the left over tape and used it to define the stall areas but did not electrify it - again it's just "temporary" 
but they really respect this also. I was very pleasantly surprised as when I was growing up we had 3 board fence with electric wire on top and even with that we'd have the occasional "difugulty".