4 Things to check after ordering your horse fencing. - Stock and Noble

After months of research, you have finally chosen the horse fencing that’s perfect for you and your property. You have spoken to your fencing supplier, paid your deposit and secured your fencing. Congratulations! You are done with the most critical part of ensuring your fencing project is a success.  

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But do you have enough space for the goods? Do you have the right transport? Have you spoken to your fencing contractor? If you aren’t clear about the logistical requirements of your fencing right at the start, it will affect the execution of your complete project, costing you more time, effort and money. If you still haven’t thought about these factors, then we’ve got you covered. 

At Stock & Noble, we provide our partners with the finest fencing solutions across Australia and New Zealand. We support them at every step of their journey – from finding the right fence to placing an order and from smooth delivery to perfect installation. Based on our rich experience and relationship with transport companies, delivery services, and fencing contractors we understand the logistical complications that could happen in a fencing project. 

In this article, we will guide you through the next steps after you order your horse fencing. The information will help you get your horse property ready for your fencing materials to arrive and for your fencing contractor to start the work efficiently. 

If you want your fencing project to go smoothly, then read on as we discuss the ultimate checklist to prepare your property for fencing: 

Step 1: Check what questions should you ask your fencing contractor. 

Step 2: Check do you have enough storage space for your fencing material.

Step 3: Check how will you unload your fencing material.

Step 4: Check if your property access is large enough for the delivery vehicle.

Follow these steps after placing your order and while you wait for the delivery of your fencing materials. They are specially laid out to make sure you have the critical information needed to avoid the most common logistical problems related to a fencing project. Read further for a smooth execution from beginning to end and have a beautiful horse fence just the way you imagined. 

Step 1. What questions should you ask your fencing contractor?

Once you’ve finalised your fencing, ask the fencing contractor you have onboarded to revisit the installation site.  It’s time to get some logistical questions answered before your project begins: 

1. When would they start and how long will it take for the project to finish?
2. How will he prepare the property for fencing?
3. What’s his preference for storing the fencing material? For example, some fencing contractors might prefer the fencing to be stored close to the install area, while others prefer to bring it to the install area dependent on the need. 
4. Confirm with your fencing contractor if the gate of your property is large enough for the truck to enter and unload the material.
5. Check if the contractor needs you to help with the preparation like mowing the grass or moving the rocks before he starts the actual work.
6. Lastly, check what impact would the installation have on your day-to-day work and access to the property. Would he block the driveway, some part or the whole area?

Step 2: Do you have enough storage space for your fencing material?

Before your fencing material is sent on its way check if you have enough room and the right kind of spot to store it. No matter which fencing you’ve picked, it’s important to protect your supplies from water. The post and rail fencing usually comes tightly wrapped together and any water that seeps in will get trapped and potentially lead to rot or rust. 

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The ideal storing place should be dry, clean, big enough to fit in all your fencing supplies and as close to your installation site as possible.  

Pick your storage space, clean it up, and make sure you have ample space for storage. If the storage space isn’t close to your installation site, you can also create a temporary spot using Tarps. This arrangement could work for a couple of weeks and keep water at bay. However, if your fencing has another few months to get installed you should find a better place to store it. 

If you need more time to find the perfect storage spot, you can also speak to the supplier and ask them to keep everything ready but ship it only when it’s convenient for you. Alternatively, you can also check with your fencing contractor if he or she will be able to store it and bring in the required materials as and when needed. 

Step 3: How will you unload your fencing material?

The posts and rails are usually quite heavy and need specific equipment to unload them safely on your property. Typically, a pallet that the goods are shipped in weighs between 200 and 750 kg. For example, a pallet with 28 posts of Buckley weighs around 350 kg.  

To be best prepared for your delivery, ask yourself the following questions: 

1. Do you have a forklift available on your property?
2. Do you have a tractor with a fork attachment?
3. What’s the lifting capacity of your forklift? 
4. Let the supplier know the capacity so they can tell you the weight of the pallet and confirm if your forklift will be able to lift it or not.
5. If you don’t have a forklift, check with the supplier if they can organise a fork or a crane along with the delivery of fencing materials. Please note this might change the overall cost of transport and the means of transport. 

Step 4: Is your property access large enough for the delivery vehicle?

Typically, horse fencing materials are delivered on a semi-trailer which is around 19 metres in length or a rigid truck which is approximately 12 metres long.  

For either of these to enter your property and deliver the products safely, the gate should be at least 3 metres wide.  Along with the width of the gate, access from the road also has to be considered. As you can appreciate the truck needs to enter the property by swinging off the road and through the gate which requires considerable room.  

What if your property access won’t fit the delivery vehicle?

1. Inform your fencing supplier and they can arrange for the delivery on a smaller truck without a trailer, if possible.
2. Explore the option of materials being delivered on a truck right outside the property and can then transfer fencing material inside using a forklift.
3. Consult with your fencing contractor and check if an arrangement can be made to get the materials delivered to a storage space outside the property and then transfer smaller quantities as needed for the project.

Are you prepared for your fencing delivery?

While choosing the right fencing is a great part of realising your dream of stunning horse property, the logistics that follow are equally important. In this article, you learnt the four most crucial things you need to check before the fencing materials are shipped by your supplier.  

Now you know the right questions to ask your fencing contractor, have a dry storage space in proximity, get the required equipment for unloading and check if there’s enough room for the delivery vehicle. If you want your fencing project to run smoothly and be a success, it’s critical to tick each of these points off your checklist. 

If you have purchased Buckley Steel Fencing System and want to know more about the installation and be all prepared for it Buckley – Installation FAQ, will be the right place to go to.  

How to Find the Best Horse Fencing

by Debbie Disbrow

Shopping for horse fencing can be a confusing venture. So many opinions and so many kinds of fence! How do you decide what is best? Let’s take a look at a few schools of thought so you can easily choose what fence will work  best for you and your horses. 

When it comes to horse fencing, most people start looking at fence systems and forget about the criteria of what they need to accomplish. For example, are your horses pushy and you need to be sure they stay off of the fence? To start, if you can build a list of what you need for your particular horse farm, you will have a better idea if you are making the right decision when you are ready to purchase. So first start with a very honest list of what your horses need. This is your first step.  Here is an idea of that list:

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1. Must be strong enough to hold Bob, our draft-cross that is very pushy.
2. Enough rails that the minis don’t reach through the rails.
3. Able to handle branches or wind well.
4. Something that is not palatable, to stop cribbing.
5. Stop broken and sharp edges from nails or rails.
6. Longer life!
7. Least amount of maintenance - so I can ride more.

Secondly, you need to decide what you want and need in the best horse fence that you can find. This list is secondary to your horse's needs. Because, the most important fence is a safer alternative to what you have had and to what is on the market. Your pastures are primarily your horse's home, where they live and it needs to be as safe as it can be. Your list can include any important needs and it will come in handy to have when you start looking at different horse fencing choices. Here is an example of that list:

1. Need to have cross fencing in the first pasture.
2. Move gates closer to the barn entrance.
3. Incorporate waterer between cross fenced pasture.
4. Be sure to have a large gate access in the back for big  equipment.
5. Create a ‘catch area’ closer to the barn to be able to bring horses out of the pasture easier.
6. Do we need a riding arena or make another pasture?

Once you have your lists with your horse's criteria and yours, you can use this as a checklist when you begin to look at options. If the fencing you are looking for does not fit your criteria, look for another kind of fence. There are many options - all made for each person's particular farm - but look for fences made specifically for horses. Why? Because these fences will give you more bang for the buck and longevity. 

Find a company that understands horses and is not just selling a product to sell it. If they ask  you many questions about your farm and your ‘want’ list you will know that they want a good picture of what you have and what you will need.  Also, the more information you provide, the more you will be able to narrow down a good fence for  your horses.

Wood vs. Flex Fence® is a place to start. Traditional board or split rail fences were a mainstay for years, until Flex Fence® came onto the market. The comparison is from one end of the spectrum to the other - and other fences fall somewhere in between.  Wood can last for approximately 12 years, with maintenance, a support electric fence rail and caution with horses that tend to walk, lean or run into the fence.  After a few seasons of heat and cold, which varies in great intensity across the United States, wood rails warp.  Expensive maintenance comes in with replacing rails that sag, wood that shrinks and exposes nails and jagged edges - not to mention vet bills.  Wood carries no warranty and its break strength also varies but is approximately 600 lbs of break strength per board.  An average lb horse can easily break wood at a strong trot or gallop.

Keeping your list in mind, Flex Fence® was produced with horses in mind. It lends  itself to the needs of horses because it flexes 6 -8 inches on impact and has up to 4,200 lbs of break strength per rail. The three 12.5-gauge mechanically-entrapped wires in the rail are the strongest made. A polymer rail offers a softer feel than wood and is very forgiving in comparison to ridged wood. Additionally, the Flex Fence® rail is available in white, black or brown and you never need to paint the rail. This saves hundreds of dollars that you would spend with a wood fence from paint, stain and the labor to paint.  Over a short period of time, Flex Fence®, hands down, is less expensive than wood fencing. 

With a price point comparable to wood, with the Flex Fence® being made specifically for horses, it's an easy choice. Flex Fence® also comes with a definitive warranty, from lifetime to 30 years... you cannot get that with wood or many of the other horse fence systems on the market.

The choice between wood and Flex Fence® boils down to this:

1.Comparable costs initially.
2.Over a short time, even 4 years, Flex Fence® pays for itself making wood the more costly option. As time goes on the cost of wood escalates from maintenance, paint stain and labor to paint or repair.
3.Break strengths are evident and Flex Fence® is superior - plus you get flexibility that wood does not have.
4.Flex Fence® is made for equine use, it is not considered a residential fencing product.
5.The Flex Fence® warranty outweighs wood hands down.

What is the best fencing for your horses? One that serves you and your horses well and long. Check out the advantages of Flex Fence®; you will be glad you do.

See Other Horse Fencing Options Here!