When you want to keep your horses safe, you need fencing you can trust. At 440 Fence Company, we offer the best maintenance-free horse fencing on the market. You can trust our fencing to last for years without needing repairs or to be repainted. It’s also easy to install and perfect for long-term use. Plus, our patent-pending hingeless gate makes it easier than ever for you and your horses to enter and exit the corral.

We offer white fencing that will look good on your property. It is minimally obstructive and will always look good. Your horses can easily look through it so they can see what’s going on around them and never be bored. Likewise, you can easily look in and check on your horses without having to go into the corra

Our fencing is made from galvanized steel. This makes it extremely durable and resistant to weather and other things that could damage it. The galvanization process also means that the fence will not rust, which is one less thing to worry about. We also powder coat the fence, which provides a finish seal that never needs to be painted and keeps rust out.

Our horse fencing rarely needs repairs. However, if you do need to repair it, then you don’t have to contact a welder. The repairs are easy enough that almost anyone can do them themselves. If you need a horse fence on your property, contact our office  to discuss your specific requirements.

In agriculture, fences are used to keep animals in or out of an area. They can be made from a wide variety of materials, depending on terrain, location and animals to be confined. Most agricultural fencing averages about 4 feet (1.2 m) high, and in some places, the height and construction of fences designed to hold livestock, such as horses and cattle, is mandated by law.

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

Horse fence can be one of the most attractive features of a horse  facility. But not all fence is suitable for horses. Fencing is a major  capital investment that should be carefully planned before construction.  A fence should keep horses on the property. Fences aid facility management by  allowing controlled grazing and segregating groups of horses according  to sex, age, value, or use. 

Well-constructed and maintained fences enhance the aesthetics and value  of a stable facility, which in turn complements marketing efforts.  Poorly planned, haphazard, unsafe, or unmaintained fences will detract  from a facility's value and reflect poor management. Good fences can be  formal or informal in appearance, yet all should be well built and  carefully planned. 

Many experienced horse owners will relay stories  about the savings for cheaper, but unsafe, horse fence (barbed wire, for  example) eventually being paid for in veterinary bills to treat injured  horses. 

Land topography influences  the look, effectiveness, and installation of fencing. Consider  different horse groups. Stallions, weanlings, mares, mares with foals,  and geldings all have different fencing requirements. Pasture use  may range from exercise paddocks (corrals) to grazing or hay production.  Paddock layout should allow for ease of management, including movement  of horses, removal of manure, and care of the footing surface. Pasture  design should allow field equipment, such as mowers, manure spreaders,  and baling equipment, to enter and maneuver easily. This will reduce  fence damage by machinery and the time needed to work in the field.

Understand the purpose of a fence. The true  test of a fence's worth is not when horses are peacefully grazing, but  when an excited horse contacts the fence in an attempt to escape or  because he never saw it during a playful romp. How will the fence and  horse hold up under these conditions? A horse's natural instinct to flee  from perceived danger has an effect on fence design. Like other  livestock, horses will bolt suddenly, but since they are larger and  faster, they hit the fence with more force. Also, horses fight harder  than other livestock to free themselves when trapped in a fence. A  "perfect" fence should be highly visible to horses. Horses are  far-sighted and look to the horizon as they scan their environment for  danger. Therefore, even when fencing is relatively close, it needs to be  substantial enough to be visible. A fence should be secure enough to  contain a horse that runs into it without causing injury or fence  damage. A perfect fence should have some "give" to it to minimize injury  upon impact. It should be high enough to discourage jumping and solid  enough to discourage testing its strength. It should have no openings  that could trap a head or hoof. The perfect fence should not have sharp  edges or projections that can injure a horse that is leaning,  scratching, or falling into it. It should be easy to maintain, and last 20 years or more. And finally, it should look  appealing.

Planning includes more than  selecting a fence type. It is best to develop an overall plan where the  aesthetics, chore efficiency, management practices, safety, and finances  are considered. The best planning involves a layout drawn to scale that  shows proposed gates, fence lines, where fences cross streams or other  obstacles, irregular paths along a stream or obstacle, traffic routes  for horses and handlers, routes for supplies and water, vehicle traffic  routes, and access for mowing equipment. All these should be in relation  to buildings and other farmstead features. Select and install  fencing that allows easy access to pastures and does not limit  performance of stable chores. Gates should be easy to operate with only  one hand so the other hand is free. Fencing should also allow easy  movement of groups of horses from pasture to housing facilities.  All-weather lanes should connect turnout areas to the stable. Lanes can  be grassed or graveled depending on the type and amount of traffic that  use them. Make sure they are wide enough to allow passage of mowing  equipment and vehicles. Vehicles such as cars, light trucks, and  tractors can be up to 8 feet wide. Farm equipment needs 12-to  16-foot-wide lanes to comfortably negotiate. Narrower lane widths are  acceptable for smaller tractors or mowing equipment. Remember to leave  room for snow storage or removal along the sides of lanes and roads. It  is best to eliminate fence corners and dead-end areas when enclosing a  pasture for more than one horse. By curving the corners, it is less  likely that a dominant horse will trap a subordinate.

Horse fences should be 54 to 60 inches  above ground level. A good rule for paddocks and pastures is to have the  top of the fence at wither height to ensure that horses will not flip  over the fence. Larger horses, stallions, or those adept at jumping may  require even taller fences. At the bottom, an 8-inch clearance will  leave enough room to avoid trapping a hoof yet will discourage a horse  from reaching under the fence for grass. A bottom rail with clearance no  higher than 12 inches will prevent foals from rolling under the fence.  

Fence openings should be either large enough to offer little chance  of foot, leg, and head entrapment or so small that hooves cannot get  through. Small, safe openings are less than 3-inches square, but can  depend on the size of the horse. Tension fences, such as the types that  use high-tensile wires, usually have diagonal cross-bracing on corner  assemblies. These diagonal wires or wood bracing provide triangular  spaces for foot and head entrapment. Good fence design denies horse  access to the braced area or at least minimizes hazards if entrapment  occurs. Horses will test fence strength deliberately and casually.  Horses often reach through or over fences for attractions on the other  side, thus, sturdy fences are essential. Fences that do not allow this  behavior are the safest. Keep open space between rails or strands to l2  inches or less.. The fence should be smooth on the horse side to prevent injury.  If a horse leans on the fence, its weight will not push out the fasteners.   Visible fences will prevent playful horses from accidentally running  into them. A frightened horse may still hit a visible fence while he is  blinded with fear. A forgiving fence that contains the horse without  injury is better than an unyielding brick wall. 

The fence post is the foundation of the fence, so its importance cannot be overemphasized.  Setting posts represents the hardest work and the most time-consuming  part of fence building and is absolutely the most critical to the  long-term success of the fence.  How deep to set the post for structural stability varies considerably  with soil conditions. Soil characteristics play a major role in  determining the longevity and maintenance requirements of a fence. Some  soils remain wet and can quickly rot untreated wooden posts. Posts in  sandy or chronically wet soil will need to be set deeper and perhaps  supported by a collar of concrete casing.   A typical line post depth is 36 inches. Gateposts are  required to handle greater loads and are about 25 percent larger in  diameter and are set deeper, often to 48 inches. 

Gates should have the same strength and safety as the fence.  Horse-safe tubular pipe steel gates have smooth corners and securely welded cross pipes to minimize  sharp-edged places for cuts and snags. By contrast, channel steel or  aluminum stock livestock gates are not recommended for horse use due to  their less-sturdy construction and numerous sharp edges.  Avoid gates with diagonal cross bracing. Although this strengthens some  gates, the narrow angles can trap legs, feet, and possibly heads.  Cable-supported gates offer a similar hazard to horses congregating  around the gate. If gate supports are needed, a wooden block called a  short post can be placed under the free hanging end of the gate to help  support its weight and extend hardware life. The use of a cattle guard  (rails set over a ditch) instead of a gate is not recommended since  horses do not consistently respect them. Horses have been known to jump  them or try to walk over them, which results in tangled and broken legs.  Gates should be as tall as the fence to discourage horses from reaching  over or attempting to jump over the gate. Gates Oenings can be up to 20-feet  wide, with a minimum of 8-feet  to allow easy passage of vehicles and  tractors. Horse and handler gates should be no less than 4-feet wide. Human-only passages are useful for chore time  efficiency.  Fencing near gates needs to withstand the pressures of horses  congregating around the gate, which means it needs to be sturdy, highly  visible, and safe from trapping horse feet and heads. Some paddock gates  are positioned to swing into the pressure of the horse to prevent  horses from pushing the gate open and breaking latches. On the other  hand, gates that are capable of swinging both into and out of the  enclosure are helpful when moving horses. Additional latches are  recommended to secure the gate in an open position, fully swung against  the fence, not projecting into the enclosure.  Gates are hung to swing freely and not sag over time. The post holding  the swinging gate maintains this free-swinging action, necessitating a  deeply set post with a larger diameter than fence line posts. Gate  hardware must withstand the challenges of leaning horses and years of  use. A person should be able to unlock, swing open, shut, and lock a  properly designed gate with only one hand so that the other hand is free  to lead a horse or carry a bucket, for example. 

Summary

The most time-intensive part of fence building takes place before any  ground is broken. Thoughtful fence planning and layout will help make  daily chores and routines more efficient. The best fence differs from  facility to facility and even within a horse property; different fence  types are used to meet the objectives of the enclosure. Good fence  design emphasizes a proper foundation, or post integrity. By taking the  time to understand a facility's fencing needs and expectations, you can  provide a safe, functional fence that will provide years of service and  enhance the property's value.