Fence & gate services
Horse Fencing
Horse fence is a safety system before it is a boundary. Visibility, give and the absence of anything that can catch a leg matter more than how it looks from the road.
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Horse Fencing in Chester & Delaware County
This is Brandywine horse country — Unionville, Chadds Ford, West Marlborough, the ground around the Devon show grounds — and horse fencing is a genuinely distinct specification, not a ranch fence with a different label.
Three properties determine whether a fence is safe for horses. It has to be visible, because a horse will run through a fence it cannot see. It has to have give, because a horse that hits a rigid fence at speed injures itself on the fence rather than being stopped by it. And it must present nothing that can catch a hoof or a leg — which rules out standard field wire with wide rectangular openings, barbed wire, and anything with protruding hardware at leg height.
The specifications that work are woven no-climb mesh with openings too small to admit a hoof, usually topped with a board or a rail for visibility; board fence at a height and rail spacing appropriate to the animals; and flexible vinyl or polymer rail that is designed to deflect and release under impact rather than shatter or hold rigid. An electric top rail is frequently added, not to contain but to stop horses leaning on and cribbing the fence.
Height and spacing follow the animals. Ponies, full-size horses and stallions carry different requirements, and a paddock holding young stock is fenced differently from a turnout for a quiet older horse. We ask what the field is for before specifying it.
Options
Styles & Configurations
No-climb woven mesh
Openings too small for a hoof to pass, typically topped with a board or rail for visibility. The safest general-purpose horse fence.
Board fence
Three or four board at horse height. Highly visible, traditional, and the county's standard look — with more maintenance than mesh.
Flexible rail
Polymer or coated-wire rail that deflects and releases under impact rather than shattering. Safe and highly visible.
Electric top rail
Added to any of the above to stop leaning, cribbing and reaching over. A deterrent, not a barrier.
What to expect
How the Installation Runs
- Discussion of use — what animals, what age, turnout or paddock, and whether the field adjoins a road.
- Line walk including gate positions, water access and any corner a horse could be trapped in.
- Specification of mesh, board or rail with height and spacing suited to the animals.
- PA One Call utility mark-out.
- Post setting with braced corners and gate posts.
- Mesh, board or rail installation, gate hanging, and electric top rail where specified.
Where we install it
Horse Fencing By Town
Common questions
Horse Fencing Questions
What is the safest fence for horses?
Woven no-climb mesh with openings too small to admit a hoof, topped with a board or rail so the fence is clearly visible, is the safest general-purpose choice. It cannot trap a leg, it has some give, and the top board stops horses from leaning on the mesh. Flexible polymer rail is the other strong option where visibility is the priority.
Why is barbed wire unsuitable for horses?
Because horses run into fences. Barbed wire does not give, and a horse that hits it or gets a leg over it sustains serious lacerations. The same reasoning rules out standard field wire with large rectangular openings, which can trap a hoof and hold it.
How tall should a horse fence be?
It depends on the animals. A common range for general turnout is roughly four and a half to five feet, higher for stallions or where the fence adjoins a road and the consequence of a horse getting out is severe. Ponies can be contained lower but need tighter spacing near the ground. We specify height and spacing after asking what the field holds.
Do I need an electric top rail?
Not for containment, but it is genuinely useful. Horses lean on fences, reach over them for grass and crib on wooden rails, and all three shorten the fence's life considerably. A single electric strand at the top stops the behaviour without being the thing that holds the horse in.
Is board fence or mesh better for a paddock?
Mesh is safer and needs less maintenance; board is more visible, more traditional and looks like Chester County. The common answer is both — no-climb mesh for safety with a top board for visibility and to stop leaning. Board alone works well for larger fields with quiet stock; mesh matters most where there are foals or where a horse could otherwise get a leg through.
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