How to build simple wire fences for horses or pasture.

Put the two end posts up and then use the first(top) wire or a string to line up the holes of the rest of the posts. I put them 4 paces apart. Horses get horse fencing or barless wire. Cattle, goats, sheep get a barbed fort. Deer get horse or orchard fencing.

Ok, you want to build a fence to keep your horses, dogs, kids in. With horses the fence needs to be within a horse neck of the road. They have a tendency to lay the fence over if there's a lot of feed along the roadside and they can't reach it. You will not have to mow. People will not have room to park there and ignite the weeds with their exhaust. If you have dogs and kids you can pull it back a little but the parking in weeds is still a problem and you'll need to mow or weed eat along it so make it easy to access. Fence goes up once, mowing happens every year. Also every bend has to be braced, you have to build straight lines. If you have a map of the parcel or lot, the fence gets drawn in with a ruler, not free hand or with a compass.

Be careful not to move the string as you put your posts in. Height doesn't matter at first, I use chin height against the tamp. When you clip your top wire you can tamp down the ones that are way too high.

A tool you'll learn to hate. The fence post tamp.

Again, string the top wire first, use it to even the top of each post by clipping the wire on the low posts first then lowering the other posts and clipping the wire on them last.

Metal tee posts with the first strand of barbless wire. Bottom strand can be used to line up posts. - grid24_12

try to make your fence posts the same height and inline - grid24_12

looking down a fence line at 14 foot spacing - grid24_12

Dig your corner posts first and tamp in your post well. Either draw a tight string or your first wire from post to post so you can use the post tamp or water tool(described on first page) to put the posts in. I usually walk the line dropping posts every four paces next to the wire or string, then follow back and put them in.
This fence line is following a contour of the hill. That' ok, but straight lines allow you to tighten the fence more without pulling the posts over(like this one is showing the effects of).

This is close to bending the fence and not the post.

wire spindle to hold the wire while you attach the wire to your truck and drive - grid24_12

I made this wire dispenser. I've seen folks use a couple of c-clamps they clamped to the sides of the pickup bed and used a pipe through the roll to drive along and dispense the wire. We usually leave the homemade dispenser in one location and hand pull the wire. Beyond about 1000 ft. you have to be a mule though.

Ok, corners need bracing. Long runs(hundreds of feet) need bracing. On the corner braces I usually lay my boards next to the corner post to determine where to dig the second hole. If you only have 8 foot boards, one needs to be at an angle so the posts are only about 7 feet apart. The longer the run, the longer the braces.

before you dig your post hole for your fence brace, check with the boards you are going to use and make sure you do not dig beyond the length of your available boards. - grid24_12

Fence bracing for a long straight wire fence. The mind challenged horses ate one of these cross pieces and broke it. - grid24_12

A wire fence with orchard mesh, or non-climb mesh is done exactly the same way. On dog fences they push their way out unless you put a bottom board or bury the wire.

Stiles can be used instead of gates where you walk regularly. Basically build them so you can walk sideways through them, but a cow or horse can't. Ponies are a different story, they can get through stuff I had trouble getting through.

The wire clipped to a tee post - grid24_12

With wire fences the wire needs to be tight. There are wire pullers, hammer heads, pick bumpers. If you are pulling wire fencing a come-along works well. If you are pulling individual wires, set the wire roll past a tree, bumper or other solid object. Loop the wire a couple of times and pull sideways, you can generate a great deal of energy. You can make a wire fence better looking by sticking scraps of wood on the wire.

wire puller on left, and tee post puller - grid24_12

the deer broke the 2X4 at the top of this 8 foot fence and now it's a four foot fence - grid24_12

A fence made of scrap wood, unless it is your junk fence, then it is your creative 'free' expression. - grid24_12

How to build simple wire fences for horses or pasture.

To see more how to build stuff go to our How to build garden stuff or Wooden Fences GatesSimple Wire Gate.

To see more how to build stuff go to our
How to build garden stuff
or
Wooden Fences
Gates
Simple Wire Gate.