Will a Cable Gate Contain Horses?

[Argonne]

I have a cell tower on my property. The 5 acre pasture the tower is on is not completely fenced, and I am completing the fencing (barbed wire) now. It is my intent to graze horses in that pasture from time to time.

I need to gate the tower access road to prevent the horses from wandering out, and, to make it a little harder for copper thieves to access the tower. I have already had an incident where the police pursued copper thieves on my property who ended up cutting my fences and letting my livestock escape, so the gate is to keep unauthorized vehicles out, and my horses in.

This gate will be almost exclusively used by the tower owner's tenants and maintenance providers to get to the tower and guy wire enclosures. The tower owner, a huge company, is utterly unresponsive to any issues with the tower site, and not only will they not supply a gate, but they will do no repairs or maintenance if my gate is damaged. As a result, I need to make this gate as maintenance free and industructable as possible, while at the same time, keeping the installation cost very low.

I am tempted to install a single heavy cable stretched between 2 steel bollards about 3 feet high, and secured with a padlock chain on one side. I can sleeve the cable with something to enhance visability.

My question is, does anyone have experience confining horses with a simple cable gate?

 

[Redlands Okie]

Cattle guard along with the cable would help with that issue perhaps

 

[zzvyb6]

A single cable 'fence' will not contain horses. They will jump it or crowd under it.

And, barbed wire is not considered to be horse friendly either. An electric wire does a pretty good job of containing horses if they are only warm blooded.

 

[prichard]

A single cable 'fence' will not contain horses. They will jump it or crowd under it.

And, barbed wire is not considered to be horse friendly either. An electric wire does a pretty good job of containing horses if they are only warm blooded.

You have cold blooded horses? Are they reptilian?

 

[MF283]

I have 2 strands of barbwire on a wet weather creek, it stops mine & the mini donkey as well, if I went one lower, the high water from rains will take it out, hence only two strands.

Ronnie

 

[sseelhoff]

I have 2 strands of barbwire on a wet weather creek, it stops mine & the mini donkey as well, if I went one lower, the high water from rains will take it out, hence only two strands.

Ronnie

Barbed wire will keep them in, but can also cut them up pretty badly. We use Bayco fencing. Strong, no maintenance and won't hurt the horses.

As to a cable as a gate, I can't see that working. Too low and they will go over it. Too high and they will go under it.

 

[TheMan419]

I have a cell tower on my property. The 5 acre pasture the tower is on is not completely fenced, and I am completing the fencing (barbed wire) now. It is my intent to graze horses in that pasture from time to time.

I need to gate the tower access road to prevent the horses from wandering out, and, to make it a little harder for copper thieves to access the tower. I have already had an incident where the police pursued copper thieves on my property who ended up cutting my fences and letting my livestock escape, so the gate is to keep unauthorized vehicles out, and my horses in.

This gate will be almost exclusively used by the tower owner's tenants and maintenance providers to get to the tower and guy wire enclosures. The tower owner, a huge company, is utterly unresponsive to any issues with the tower site, and not only will they not supply a gate, but they will do no repairs or maintenance if my gate is damaged. As a result, I need to make this gate as maintenance free and industructable as possible, while at the same time, keeping the installation cost very low.

I am tempted to install a single heavy cable stretched between 2 steel bollards about 3 feet high, and secured with a padlock chain on one side. I can sleeve the cable with something to enhance visability.

My question is, does anyone have experience confining horses with a simple cable gate?

Single strand will not work. Usual is at least 3 (if not 4) strand starting off the ground going up to 4.5 foot or so. How wide is the opening? A VERY quick google search shows that TSC has a 12 foot gate for $109.00. Sure the chain will be way less expensive, but the actual gate will keep the horses in.

Also barb wire and horses are a no no. Good way to get them all manner of cut up.

Any chance you can add a hot wire rather than have barb?

 

[Streetcar]

I had a neighbors horse run through three strands of barb wire after it jumped the box fence boundary fence. There is no way I would trust single cable to contain a horse

 

[Argonne]

I have 2 strands of barbwire on a wet weather creek, it stops mine & the mini donkey as well, if I went one lower, the high water from rains will take it out, hence only two strands.

Ronnie

That's why I am considering this idea. We have miles of fencing, and the horses and donkeys never try to defeat a fence if they are penned together. Every incident I have had, and they are few, was when an isolated animal was trying to get back with the rest of the herd. One mild-mannered mare I have has a reputation for jumping 4 foot fences when nobody is watching, but only when she is isolated from her companions.

After a storm, it's not unusual for fence damage to occur in a stream bed between my neighbor and I. A single strand of remaining wire at least 2 feet high will prevent my equines from passing. My neighbor's cattle are more likely to pass that damaged section. Her bull will take advantage of any damage present...I think he can fly.

It's really about motivation. If horses are motivated to escape, there isn't much that anyone can afford that will reliably keep them in, but if I carefully manage when they are turned out in that pasture, my instinct is that a cable gate will work.

It's tempting to go to TSC and buy a gate, and that might be what I end up doing, but an economy gate WILL end up being damaged, either by authorized users or thieves, and I can't afford to be replacing gates. I am very near Priefert's "seconds" yard here, so one of their blemished heavy duty gates is more likely, but even those are subject to damage, and more expensive to replace.

The weight of the gate also affects how substantial the post structure needs to be. A heavy commercial gate will require very substantial structure on the hinge side. On the bright side, I get to choose which side of the access road the hinge will be on. I can either choose the side with buried power cables, or the side with buried fiber optics. A cable gate will allow me to use a shallow post in lots of concrete. Any big gate I put in will have me digging around buried utilities on both sides of the road, something I am very reluctant to tackle on a DIY job, and no way I can afford a daylighter to come in.

 

[Argonne]

Thought about a cattle guard, but this is a "work site" for prople that come to service the tower. Adding an ankle break danger might make me liable for injuries'

 

[Xfaxman]

Check out a concrete cattle guard: Farm Products - SI Precast Concrete

We used a 14', it was cheaper than pipe.

 

[tallyho8]

Cattle guard along with the cable would help with that issue perhaps

If you have ever had to put down your horse with a broken leg after a dog ran it through a cattle guard, you would never use a cattle guard for horses again.

 

[riptides]

You have cold blooded horses? Are they reptilian?

Temperament and work type.

 

[hosspuller]

Put a gate in, but don't lock it. Horses can't tell the difference. Thieves are lazy. can open the gate than destroy it. Any damage to the cell equipment is the company's problem, they don't care about your problem.

PS ... install the gate so the weight of the gate swings it closed. Thieves are not so considerate to close the gate after themselves.

 

[oosik]

In my experience, I would install a gate. A single cable might subject you to legal action. I was told by LEO and an attorney that I could be sued by anybody who got hurt riding into a single cable gate while on an ATV, motorcycle etc,etc. The single cable can be classified as an attractive nuisance and that's one of the reasons I abandoned my cable and installed a gate. Besides a horse or cow will soon figure it out...........

 

[WM75Guy]

You have cold blooded horses? Are they reptilian?

Cold bloods are draft horses. Hot bloods are the ones like Arabians. Warm bloods were bred to carry knights. They have the strength and temperament of the cold bloods and the agility and speed of the hot bloods. Ours are Holsteiners and Hanoverians, named after the region in Germany where they originated.

 

[Argonne]

In my experience, I would install a gate. A single cable might subject you to legal action. I was told by LEO and an attorney that I could be sued by anybody who got hurt riding into a single cable gate while on an ATV, motorcycle etc,etc. The single cable can be classified as an attractive nuisance and that's one of the reasons I abandoned my cable and installed a gate. Besides a horse or cow will soon figure it out...........

I thought of this issue, but in this case I don't think it would be an issue. Very rural area, few recreational ATVs, highly visable location, and it's Texas where humans are expected to be a little smarter

 

[Argonne]

If you have ever had to put down your horse with a broken leg after a dog ran it through a cattle guard, you would never use a cattle guard for horses again.

I can actually get a cattle guard for under a grand, but those things spook me way more than barbed wire as far as possible injury sources go.

 

[Argonne]

Cold bloods are draft horses. Hot bloods are the ones like Arabians. Warm bloods were bred to carry knights. They have the strength and temperament of the cold bloods and the agility and speed of the hot bloods. Ours are Holsteiners and Hanoverians, named after the region in Germany where they originated.

Ours are Tennessee Walkers. There, I hijacked my own thread posting a horse picture. :ashamed:

 

[Streetcar]

The horse that ran through the barb wire was a Tennessee walker