Tuesday, March 14, 2017

New Fence Line

Last year when we did that overnight backpacking trip with the boys, a big storm blew in and blew a fuse in our electric fence.  The horses got out and were running all over, and no one could reach us because we were in a region where there was no cell phone service.  Once we found out, we drove the two hours home, and I was terrified for the horses the whole way.  I already knew that Phoenix was limping.  Luckily, I was able to get them home (they were about a mile away from our house, up a mountain) and Phoenix's injury, while painful, was treatable.  I NEVER want that to happen again.  So I've been saving every cent I get from Christmas or selling stuff online towards building at least one very secure pasture.  With no electric!  That means three board fencing for most of it.  With the cost of wood right now, it's a pricy endeavor.

We've been working on this stretch since Christmas.  We hit a number of obstacles, including a broken nail gun, a post hole digger that didn't want to run, and post holes that dipped into an underground stream and were filling with water.  Not to mention all the rocks we had to dig through!  Happily, we now have a big stretch done.


This pasture already has wood fencing on two other sides.  So now three sides are fenced with wood.  We only have the back stretch left.  Because the final side is by a river (and may need adjustments as a result), and cannot be seen from the road, I will probably try to use high tensile fence wire with a mixture of wood posts and t-posts.  It should go in easier than the wood (with having to dig less holes) and hopefully will be cheaper.  After that's done, I will start saving again - I still have a couple of other stretches of wood fencing I want to do.  I do love seeing the fence lines once they're done!

23 comments:

Nancy Chan said...

Your place looks beautiful. It is worth all the hard work done. Looking forward to see the finished project.

Vicki said...

That is a beautiful fence. Hopefully it will solve the wandering horse problem.

I have to add that I am impressed with the fact that you are saving for the fencing as opposed to just whipping out a credit card. Aside from the prepping/homesteading community, there are few who understand the benefits of staying out of debt. Good on you!

Sunnybrook Farm said...

That is a really nice fence. I have a patchwork of electric and different wire that somehow has held together. The deer keep breaking my electric wire so I have learned not to count on it working. A fence like you guys built is the solution but costs so much.

Tom said...

...fencing isn't cheap!

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Beautiful land, Lisa! Nice fencework - for sure a tough job anywhere, and here in the land of rocks, oh boy.

An Apel a Day said...

That does look great. A lot of hard work for sure. At least you can now see some end to the project with another side completed.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Big job for you all ---but it's important to secure the horses, so that you can get out and go hiking at times.

We are below freezing here today with rain/snow/fog... The weather app said that it feels like 17 outside right now... Think I'll stay inside today AND tomorrow.... GOSH--we had almost NO WINTER until now... Crazy.

Hugs,
Betsy

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

The fence looks beautiful! And I know that was a lot of hard work.

Monkeywrangler said...

Looks very nice! Way cheaper to do it yourself, than to hire it done.

Ginny Hartzler said...

It is a beautiful fence, and perfectly made. Amazing, all the crazy things that went wrong! But now you won't have to rely on electricity. I cannot imagine how long it took, or how hard it was to do this, especially with all the setbacks. You would make an amazing pioneer woman! No, you ARE an amazing pioneer woman!

Sally said...

So glad you were able to save the money, and the fence looks beautiful. I just love where y'all live; so pretty.

You're amazing in all aspects, Lisa!

xoxo

21 Wits said...

Once they're done, but oh my lots of work involved! It looks beautiful!

Michelle said...

It looks great!

Lin said...

Beauty AND function. Can't beat it. It looks great and I appreciate the amount of work that went into that!

Linda said...

That's a big project, but worth it.

Linda said...

Oh, wow, you have been busy! But your fence looks great and will keep your animals safe and sound. Linda@Wetcreek Blog

Crystal Collier said...

Beautiful job! Nothing like looking at a job well done and being able to enjoy the satisfaction. I think a project like that would bury me right now, but you've done a beautiful job--rocks, water, and all.

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Olá Lisa, belo trabalho...Espectacular....
Cumprimentos

Indah Nuria Savitri said...

I just notice how expensive fences can be! But you're doing a great job indeed, Lisa..

Unknown said...

love your nice post!!! Your fence looks beautiful. You did such a great job!!!Jessi

mail4rosey said...

It looks great. How's come they don't just jump the fence if there's no electric? Just curious. :)

Marie said...

gotta keep your horses safe. :) looks good.

Annette said...

Your fence is beautiful. I'm sure you had to teach a number of courses to save for it. Congrats on doing the project yourself--your hard work is really admirable.