Homesteaders

[NorthTexasWink]

Down here we say " Any fence that won't hold water won't hold a goat." Had goats for years and learned they can all but fly. Electric fence, properly spaced, was all that ever worked for me. Turned out it also decreased our predator woes a good bit too. Worth the cost back then. Now you can go solar on some and it works in places you cant get power to.

 

[Bantambird]

Down here we say " Any fence that won't hold water won't hold a goat." Had goats for years and learned they can all but fly. Electric fence, properly spaced, was all that ever worked for me. Turned out it also decreased our predator woes a good bit too. Worth the cost back then. Now you can go solar on some and it works in places you cant get power to.

I'd venture mini horses are also pretty slippery when they really want something on the other side of the fence.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I'd venture mini horses are also pretty slippery when they really want something on the other side of the fence.

If they're anything like ponies, then yes! I used to "rescue" mildly foundered or unwanted ponies from the meat packers bidding on them at auctions (back then anything much over $35-55 would do it), rehab and train them as dependable rides/cart/liberty trick ponies. I had to put new latches on everything to keep them where they were supposed to be. I swear they could almost pick a lock! Had one figure how to unlatch the gate to our "backyard" area (just a wooden peg into a block), climb on top of a dog house, jump over a wire fence to a rabbit hutch, down to the ground to trot across the lot, climb on top of a flatbed trailer, over another wire fence to unlatch the home gate made of a simple hook-into-loop, over the picket fence to go up on the front deck of the house. All just to be near my daughter, who was known by all the stock as a soft touch for treats and scratches. I watched that little dappled pony mare for hours before I caught the whole thing. Named her Danielle, and she was one of the best liberty horses I ever trained. All the ponies were more clever than most horses I've known.

 

[Bantambird]

We have this little old mini named Tony the Pony. He's an ornery old fart, we don't know exactly how old he is, other than probably over 15 years... He's gone from family to family to help teach kids horse manners. Because a 400lb horse can still hurt you pretty bad, but they probably won't kill you, is what my mom was saying. Also, it doesn't hurt as bad when they step on you or when you fall off since they are itty bitty. I can't keep him out of one of my chicken houses, because I open the door to let out the birds during the day and he will go in there and retrieve their feeders from underneath the chicken coop. I find the feeder halfway across the pasture.... The stinker! So he is now banished to a better fenced area. I'm not exactly sure how he reached all the way under there either.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Once had to remove part of the lower floor and a wall on a two story storage shed to get a pony out from under it. That shed had been moved to the site and placed on beams stretched between cinderblock foundation stones. I have no idea why that pony wanted under there, but ended up legs facing towards the center of the building lying on his side and couldn't get out. Found him by following the screams and seeing the rest of the herd milling about.

 

[CLSranch]

I got 3 strands of hot wire up around the goats inside the other fence. They back up and hit it hard and fast enough to break it or wrap the wire around something to ground it out. Which then lets the mini Zebu lean over the fence to get a bite furthering the amount of work needed.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I got 3 strands of hot wire up around the goats inside the other fence. They back up and hit it hard and fast enough to break it or wrap the wire around something to ground it out. Which then lets the mini Zebu lean over the fence to get a bite furthering the amount of work needed.

Good grief! Those are some stout goats! Mine only needed to hit the hot fence once and that was it, never again. I did have troubles if it lost power, as they could hear/smell/sense when it wasn't powered. This was before the age of easy solar so . . .

 

[CLSranch]

Mine is Solar. I really really need to sell them and start with a few new kids that will respect the electric. 1 old nanny has taught the rest of them. I have her and another nanny penned up to keep the others close. Yet the still eat my strawberries out of the front yard and have got the neighbors flowers once.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

And we come back to "fences holding water".

 

[CLSranch]

Yes. I very much liked that saying and WHOLE HEARTEDLY agree. I'll use that line from now on.
It cost too much for that kind of fence. That's why I just need to sell'em until then.