As a horse or livestock owner, keeping animals safe and secure is priority one — and corrals and fences are the infrastructure that does it. Good ones contain animals, prevent injuries, and keep predators out. Here’s how to think through the key decisions.
Choose the Right Material
Wood — the classic: board fence and rail corrals look right and work well, with modest maintenance. Horses chew wood, so design accounts for it.
Steel — continuous panel and welded pipe are the gold standard for working pens: no splinters, no chewing, no give when a thousand-pound animal hits it. Costs more up front; lasts effectively forever.
Wire mesh — no-climb fence is the safe wire for horse pasture: 2×4 mesh too tight for a hoof to pass through.
Design for the Animal, Not the Catalog
Corral height, rail spacing, and gate placement should match your animals and your handling routine. Smooth interior faces, no protruding hardware, and radiused corners prevent the injuries that happen when stock gets pushed. Loading areas, alleys, and sorting gates should follow how animals actually move — that’s design experience, and it’s what a crew that builds working pens brings.
Maintenance Is Part of Safety
A broken rail or loose wire is an injury (and an escape) waiting for its moment. Walk your lines seasonally, and fix small problems while they’re small. We repair as well as build — welding steel and replacing wood on systems we did and didn’t build.
Planning a corral or horse fencing? Tell us about your animals — free estimates, (406) 551-6772.
