# Strip Grazing Qs!



## secuono (Dec 13, 2012)

We live on a little mountain as I call it, there's lots of hidden rocks and kind of steep hills. I can't mow it all, nor regularly with my tiny riding mower.
I put up 2 hot wire fence for my pony and he did a wonderful job of eating it nice and short!
But my mare has the rest of the 4 acres to herself and the 4 sheep to help eat it up. It's still fairly thick over there. I was hanging streamers on the pony's fence so he will remember the fence likes to bite him. And I stopped and started up the fence line. One side was neatly trimmed up and lovely and the other 'hairy', made me think of putting up another fence and toss my mare in there and have her 'mow it down' for me.

What I'm wondering is how steep of a hill can a horse stand and graze on?
How wide should these strips be? I was going to do at least 10ft wide and up to 40ft, depending on how long they will be.
My mare respects hot wire, should I go with one wire or two like the pony has?
I use bare 14ga wire with white step-in posts. I don't use the black ones because they are less visible for the horses. Are there any cheaper easy posts out there?
Can insulated wire be left on the ground and stepped on or will I need to attach it up to the barn?
I don't think my mare will attempt to jump the fence, so what height should the wire be at? Her chest, lower or higher?
Pics of the land and some lines where the fencing would generally be.
New Q! Should I use some kind of electrified rope so I can easily pick up the fence on post and move it over? That way, I won't have to buy a million posts and keep wire on each strip. Or is that actually better, to always have them up?
Would I be able to connect poly rope or the such to 14ga wire??


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## sawfish99 (Dec 14, 2012)

I like your thought process.  You have an excellent opportunity to develop what is called a "Paddock Paradise".  There is a book by that name written by Jamie Jackson that explains it all and there are a number of websites you can find.  The basic premise is: build a track around a paddock.  Instead of making strips on the hill, make a track around the perimeter.  Then, use the center area as a grazing area.  I would make the track 8-10' wide.  Make sure you have enough space to drive your tractor around and make the turns in corners.



			
				secuono said:
			
		

> But my mare has the rest of the 4 acres to herself and the 4 sheep to help eat it up. It's still fairly thick over there. I was hanging streamers on the pony's fence so he will remember the fence likes to bite him. And I stopped and started up the fence line. One side was neatly trimmed up and lovely and the other 'hairy', made me think of putting up another fence and toss my mare in there and have her 'mow it down' for me.


Is there a reason the mare and pony aren't turned out together?



			
				secuono said:
			
		

> What I'm wondering is how steep of a hill can a horse stand and graze on?
> How wide should these strips be? I was going to do at least 10ft wide and up to 40ft, depending on how long they will be.
> My mare respects hot wire, should I go with one wire or two like the pony has?
> I use bare 14ga wire with white step-in posts. I don't use the black ones because they are less visible for the horses. Are there any cheaper easy posts out there?
> ...


From your pictures the horses will be fine.  I have watched horses freely climb a 50 degree slope.  If it is too steep to comfortably stand and graze, they won't.
If you do go with strips, I would do 20-30' wide.  The wider you go, the more the horse will be able to run and exercise.  However, a track will encourage this more than a strip.
Go with 2 wires.
I buy the grey fiberglass step in posts at Tractor Supply for about $1.50 each.  I think they are 40" high and I haven't had any horses jump it (even though some can).
If you run insulated wire back to the barn, you need to NOT have it where the horses will step on it. The problem is, it can break the wire inside the insulation, break through the insulation and short the fence, or break the wire and insulation both.  
Most of my fence is at about 40" for the top line and maybe 18" on the bottom.
Yes, the electric rope is much nicer and easier to re-use.  It's also a LOT more expensive.  I run a narrow electric tape for the top line and steel for the bottom line.  Having fences always up means you are more likely to actually rotate the grazing.  However, it also means grass grows directly under the fence and needs trimming to prevent shorting the fence.  Also, the more fences you have, the stronger the charger needs to be to always have the fences energized.  A compromise would be to have cutout switches at the top of each line so you only energize the areas in use at the time.  It also make it easier to do repairs without having to go back and forth from the barn.
Yes, poly rope and 14ga wire can be spliced together.


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## secuono (Dec 14, 2012)

Pony is a pony, aka obese, so he has his own little pasture, the last picture with the two mature trees in it. 

I thought of a track, but I want to limit my need to mow and a 'pasture paradise' won't help me any. Mare is 18 and only time she runs or goes faster than a trot is when I let the pony out once a month and they race around the property for a little while. I can see nearly my whole property from my windows, never seen her run for her own solo fun. =/

We don't have a tractor, if we did, I would be able to mow easily and often. We have an old, tiny 45[?]in riding mower. 

These posts? 
They aren't step in, break and I over all hate them. They also have nothing to hold the wire.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/sun-guard-ii-fiberglass-post-3600980

My TSC or any store here, has gray step-ins. They have white and black, cheapest at $1.99.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/step-in-poly-fence-post-48-in--3600956

I also have sheep and a LGD, so the bottom wire is never lower than 2ft and about 5in. They have free range of the property.


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## Oakroot (Dec 14, 2012)

Instead of strip I would look into mob grazing. You use a smallish portable pen (normally electric) and just move it every few days instead of having a permanent field division. Your property gets grazed much more efficiently and evenly that way. It also is a good deal cheaper to set up.


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## secuono (Dec 14, 2012)

Mob grazing with one horse...I don't think that works.


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## Oakroot (Dec 14, 2012)

Lol ya I know. But gets the same job done just fine. Just slower.


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## secuono (Dec 14, 2012)

That's more work than just setting up a straight line of wire...
My rabbits are in large fence pens and that's a huge pain, horse size would be awful.


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