Hazards
Any areas of the property that may be unsuitable should be fenced off for possible tree planting. Such areas include very wet, stony or unstable land including very steep areas that may end up close to the fence or gateway.

Slope
Due to its construction Horserail is not well suited to uneven land due to the bonded wire at the edge of the rail giving minimal vertical movement. Experience installers believe that the limit of line change is 3 degrees per post without the need of a change of angle. To minimise this problem, you should consider:

1. Trying to follow the lay of the land with rail fence. It will happily bend around corners following the contour.
2. Use a fence constructed of Horsecote coated wires over the most uneven areas.
3. Bulldoze the fence line prior to construction to flatten and minimise the number of dips and rises and place an end assembly or strainer (Tie off post) at the point of top or bottom of a hill or hollow in the land.
4. Adjust post height: Placing them deeper in the ground on a rise and shallower in hollows. This can be extended to skipping over a small gully and later building a fill in under section.
5. Cut the rail and Use two flat 'attachment' Buckles to change angle at the post.

Number of Paddocks
The main considerations include economics, the number of incompatible animals, plus rotational or spell grazing. The latter needs a little more explanation. Where grass is an important part of the animal's diet, it is highly desirable to graze and then spell the pasture as many of the most nutritious plants are deep rooted and will only thrive if allowed to recover between grazing. Further, intestinal parasitic worms can only survive for a relatively short time on the pasture. By grazing and spelling, many of them will die prior to be ingested by the animal, hence minimizing the need for chemical worm remedies.

Existing Fencing
Depending on how "safe" you plan to make your property, existing fences can be used to varying degrees. From placing a Horserail or Hottop rail at the top of the fence for improved visibility to adding a Hotcote electric coated wire as an outrigger on each side of the fence to keep horses and ponies well away from the danger posed by the plain unprotected wires (plain woven or barbed) to removing all the unprotected wire and using only the posts with Horserail coated rail and wire. One of the strengths of Horserail is that it is able to be place over existing posts as the post spacing is not critical as it is for timber rails.

Design of Fence

Lay of Land

As discussed above, the lay of the land will often influence whether to use Horserail or Horsecote. However the lay of the land can influence such things as the positioning of gateways, fences and access tracks.   Avoid the following situations if possible:

Fences at the foot of steep slopes especially on the feed/people side of the property. Horses tend to rush to this area and may end up crashing the fence.

Gateways in areas where the ground is often wet.

While our fence products were conceived to over-come the problem of providing a safe and low maintenance solution for horses and ponies, we are finding that they are also well adapted to the unique requirements of diverse range of situations, including:

·         Deer (low maintenance sighting panel as an overlay on deer netting fences etc)

·         Ecology demarcation fencing. Because of its corrosion resistance, high visibility and low maintenance, it is ideal as a way of marking areas that are environmentally sensitive. Used in conjunction with clear signs describing the nature of the resource and the restricted activities, a single rail is an effective solution for area such as estuary and wetland sanctuaries.

·         Alpaca’s, Emus and Ostrich’s (a safe long lasting solution for owners)

·         Motorway fencing.

·         Lifestyle and Show Homes: Driveway fencing.

·         Subdivisions, where maintenance may be a problem

Expenditure on fencing must be viewed not only as a method of restraining animals, but is also a means of ‘adding value’ to your property. The decisions will always be based on your own situation this is why it is wise to plan the layout and the type of fence that you will install. Fencing with Horserail (as apposed to wire or even coated wire,) tends to look more substantial and therefore adds value to your property.