I use the electric fence. Even when we pack in.  We take a 1/4 mile spool (sometime two) and string it up around the meadow.  If I have 2-3 horse I will use only part of the spool, 15-20 horses we use both spools.

We let the horses graze all day and highline them at dark. If you make the electric paddock large enough, even horses that don't get along have room to get away from each other. Deer & elk in the mountains have no idea what an electric fence is and will go through it. When it shocks them, they take off running, usually dragging the wire with them.

Several times I have put up a small 3 sided corral (20 x 30)  using the trailer as the 4th side when I've been in camp grounds where I couldn't put up larger area. it gives the horses  more room to move around than tying them to the trailer, plus I sleep better with out them tugging on the leads. At night I put a glow stick on their halters so I can look out the window and count lights and know if they are all present.

Ditto MartyG....we live along a river with many deer moving through daily.. I was always fixing the wire or string when they went through it at night. We switched to 1/2" tape and that was the end of it! Only time it needed fixing is where it burnt trough at a bad connection. Time to replace it...! Sold on the tape!

Hello ride or bust and welcome to the site. If you are looking for another alternative for temporary fencing while camping, try the site below. I just found out they are not doing any trailer work right now, but maybe they still have their portable corrals available? I got interested in their trailers a couple of years ago, haven't bought one yet. I thought their approach to portable pens was unique. They are horse people, do endurance riding and a lot of trail riding. They started building their own trailers and portable pens was another invention of their own to suit their needs. Happy trails.

http://www.ciwtrailers.com/index.html

Portable panels, without question! Going camping over the 4th of July....fireworks unexpectedly erupt near camp ground, or deer run through scaring horses not accustom to them, or lightning strikes nearby, terrified horse goes through electric fence. Even if yours do not, there is nothing keeping scared horses from demonlishing your fence, allowing your horses to escape. Been there, seen that, would not use electric.

Just my 2 cents!

Brenda

If you lived closer to Texas, I would suggest going to Bonded Trailers in Denton: www.bondedtrailers.com

They sell 6 foot lightweight panels for around $25 each.  I have 16 of them which makes 2 12'X12' sized pens (actually14 can make 2 pens if you connect them together).  What's great about them is that I can haul all 16 in my front stall of my 3 horse slant.

I will send another vote to martyg. I would take hot tape over panels any day of the week. Yeah, I have had horses that have run though it. I was usually because I either 1) have a horse that doesn't know about hot wire ot the were testing it, or 2) I have put a couple horses in that were fighting. No big deal, I just put it back up and get the charger out. I have seen horses get tangled up in panels, especially when the get down to roll. Luckily, it was just bad scrapes and not a broken leg. One horse actually just laid there patiently until we got him untangled.

I personally think hot tape is easier and faster to put up, takes up less space when packed up, and its easier to take downand pack up. I have never had a problem with deer or elk running thru it. We live and camp in the middle of several herds. Could be the people/dog/horse population we have or maybe the campfire. IF we use the hot tape, we use the "turnouts" during the day and highline at night, usually we just highline. Highlining is even easier that the hot tape.