Gateless "drive thru" for horse pasture ???

mgtd · May 9, 2008

I need some ideas for a gateless opening in pasture fencing that will keep horses in the pasture. What works and what doesn't work?? I rent out the majority of my 30 acres to a nieghbor who keeps 2-4 horses on my property, but I'm getting tired of opening gates when I want to cruise the back acreage in my ATV or golfcart, or just go back in my compact tractor to get wood, move soil et cetera. I don't want to have to mortgage the farm by installing solar powered remote control gates--and I don't particularly like the "bump gate" concept--I'm thinking of a simple grate system (maybe over a shallow ditch)--or a short "stile/ramp up" considting of narrowly spaced tube/timbers. I've heard this idea works quite well for cattle--but may not be as effective with horses (are they smarter than cattle)? Thanks for any input--Curt on 30 Acres of "Mud-R-Dust" in Missouri

tallyho8 · May 9, 2008

These cattle guards can be quite dangerous to horses. The owner of my horse's dam (a valuable horse) put her on a pasture with a cattle guard and a dog chased her through it. It broke her legs and they had to shoot her.

mark.r · May 9, 2008

We board horses and let's just say if we had something like that installed at our facility, our customers (or potential customers) would look at us like we had three eyes or two heads and just get back in their cars and drive to the next potential boarder.

You know sometimes you have to inconvenience yourself in order to do things right. I can't tell you how many gates I have on just 5 acres of pasture and paddocks and how many I go through a day. Furthermore, I won't even park certain pieces of equipment in paddocks (i.e. 5 bar harrow) because horse can step in it. It may sound **** but if you don't want to be held accountable, don't take a chance. Just a thought . . .

WTA · May 9, 2008

I've only got ride through gates all over my pastures. I board horses too. When I need to get a tractor from field to field I get the kids to go unhook the wires and stand on them for me to go over. My horses are too smart for gates and can open anything I don't put a padlock on. I'm going to be putting up double 16 foot gates to all of the fields probably this year but I will still have to lock them for the horses.

Also for the idiots that think they can try to steal my horses. Horse theiving is a big deal in Texas no matter where you live. I am very conscious of security. Not only for the horses but for our own safety. Right now we are gating the end of the driveway after a recent incident at the neighbors house where someone tried to kill her or rob her. Bad guy had a big knife. She had a small pistol. Neighbor was lucky it was in her pocket when the bad guy showed up. It just doesn't matter how far out in the sticks you live anymore, the criminals are everywhere. I and most of my neighbors now days are walking around with pistol belts on all the time after some of the things we have seen in the last few years.

Volunteer fireman torching houses for kicks and armed robberies are not my idea of country living.

Anyway, for the horses sake just use regular horse gates and either put on solar powered openers or get off and open them. Also use padlocks. I saw a dead horse stuck in a cattle guard a few months ago on atrip I was taking and it was something I'll never forget.

Z-Michigan · May 9, 2008

There are electrical fence/gates that are basically flexible pieces of electric fence that you can drive through but are "hot" for any horse (person, etc.) that touches them. I haven't used them personally, but it might be a safe option. Like most good horse fences, it won't stop a horse that REALLY wants to run through the fence.

riptides · May 12, 2008

My horses open gates if they are not chained or electified.

Interesting behavior.

-Mike Z.

mark.r · May 12, 2008

riptides said:
My horses open gates if they are not chained or electified.

Interesting behavior.

-Mike Z.

Ditto. All of our gates are chain and either pad locked or fastened with spring loaded clips of some sort.

JRobyn · May 12, 2008

Sorta off topic, but my wife did the semi-annual spring "fence walk" down through the woods two weeks ago and found two places where our fence was completely down. Horses apparently like to stay home, 'cause they were still there! (Geldings).

mark.r · May 12, 2008

JRobyn said:
Sorta off topic, but my wife did the semi-annual spring "fence walk" down through the woods two weeks ago and found two places where our fence was completely down. Horses apparently like to stay home, 'cause they were still there! (Geldings).

Wow! How much fence line do you have? That's pretty amazing. I can see ours going through it but only to get to more grass.

Western · May 12, 2008

Theres been a couple of times I'd swear my 19 yoa quarter H had the keys to the gate. It wouldn't surprise me if he lets himself in and out, judging by the way he looks at me sometimes.