Build a Corral

By Jocelyn Frohwein

As you venture into a horse buying experience one thing becomes crystal clear as soon as you decide to purchase the horse, you must have a corral and fence to keep that horse protected from the dangers of outside, the temptations that could make them sick. There are many options when it comes to building your corral. Some things you need to consider when you decide to build your corral is your budget, what will blend on your property with existing buildings, how many horses you plan to have and the personality of your horse.

  There are also many different types of material that you can use to build your corral. The different materials must be thought of in correlation to the temperament of your horse. A simple electrical wire might work for one while metal poles or solid walls may be needed for others. You must look at the horse’s disposition and come to the realization that the fence must be sturdy and capable of containing your horse under any circumstance or desire to tempt fate.   Planning First things first when beginning to build your corral, you must select the area in which your corral will be located. Ideally you should designate and area that can drain easily, be accessible for large vehicles like a pickup or tractor and be able to allow your horse the room needed to trot around.   Next you will need to decide at which point within your area will there be an opening. The gate opening should be a minimum of 10 feet wide and be able to get your tractor or truck through. You should also consider the location of the gate in comparison to your access road and barn. You will want to be able to access both of these structures when feeding your horses, or you might want to consider building the corral with connection access directly from the barn to the stall.   There are different types of gates out there so you will want to find one that will match up with the overall look of your corral and affordability. Depending on where the gatepost is set, you may also need a brace post for it. Wooden gates can be heavy, so be cautious. The wider the gate of any type, the more prone it will be to sag and become difficult to open and close. Many people prefer to set a very tall gatepost so that they can run a support wire from an eyebolt toward the top of the post to the latch end of the gate. This will help to secure it and prevent sagging. You can also set two tall posts (10 feet or taller) and brace them across the top with a crosspiece. This type of gatepost should be tall enough to ride or drive under. Any gatepost should be of at least 6-by-6 inch construction.   When you are shopping for gates make sure you incorporate the size of you design to the design of the manufacturer. Most manufacturers produce gates in standard sizes. 4,6,8 10 feet and so on, so keep this in mind and plan accordingly.   After deciding where your gate will be you must think about where you will place your water for your horse. You will want to designate an easily accessible place that will have good drainage. This will make it easier in the long run for you, because you will be the one to refill and clean the tank for your horse.   Sketch it out! Factor in your gateposts, corner and brace posts, and regular posts, if you are not planning to set corner posts in concrete, you will need two additional brace posts at each corner. Refine your sketch and determine exact numbers of posts after you have marked out the site. Carry the sketch with you and jot down your measurements as you work to help you determine the exact materials you will need.   At this point it is a good idea to level at least one end or your corral. You want to give your horse a soft and comfortable place to stand. Clear rocks and other debris out at this time so that you’re limiting the possibility of future accidents for your four-legged friend.   Materials You are all prepped and ready to go! Now you need to buy the materials for your project. You have thought long and hard about what will fit not only with your existing property but also what will fit with your horse’s personality and temperament. You must plan out your needs for a fence that fits your area and is at least 4’ to 6’ tall and for at least three boards or wire tall. Maintaining an escape proof fence is ideal.   Ideal material is: • Tubular steel or wooden gate • 2-by-6 inch treated wooden rails • Posts of at least 6-by-6 inch size, or 4-by-4 inch set in concrete • Heavy-gauge tubular fencing panels • Field fence or twisted smooth wire (NOT barbed wire as you do not want to injury an escape artist) • 4-inch round wooden posts • 6-foot heavy-duty T-posts • Electric wire or tape   After you have decided on what type of material you will be using you will want to purchase the correlating materials such as:   • 4-by-4 inch treated timber for cross-bracing • 3/8-inch lag screws for fastening wooden rails to posts • Fencing staples for attaching wire to wooden posts • Clips for attaching wire to metal • T-posts (these should come with the posts) • Nails for cross-braces (20d 4-inch common or better) • Concrete mix for setting corner posts • Insulators for electrical fence wire or tape • Post Hole Digger • Level • Shovel • String • Post Driver   Also you will need to make sure to purchase your gate and any other accessories that you will need to go with it!   Building The opening is always the best place to start. The barn or the side closest to where you want the gate to be is the first maker stake you want to set. This will be the first corner post. Drive it into the ground and move on to the next.   Measure across the barn end to where the opposite post will be set and drive a second stake. Measure down the long side to the far corner and drive a third stake, then measure across the same width as at the upper end and drive the fourth stake.   Square up your rectangle by measuring from one post at the barn end to the corner post at the other end on the opposite side. Write down the result, and then do the same for the other pair of opposite posts. If your distances are uneven, move one of the corner stakes in or out until your diagonal measurements are even. You want to make sure that you have all your measurements well before you start to cut and then possibly have to redo the process.   Before digging post holes, choose the type of post you will use for your corner posts and dig the hole accordingly. Railroad ties, 6x6” treated posts, or 4x4” treated posts set in concrete can all be used for corner posts. Keep in mind that since you are using concrete you need to allow for adequate dying times that are on the packaging instructions. If you cannot dig a hole at least 40 inches deep for an 8-foot post you will need to set the post in concrete or cross-brace it.   Use your posthole diggers to dig your first corner posthole, making sure you dig about two inches larger on each side of the post or with 6” space around the post for concrete mixture. Make sure you save the dirt you pulled out in a pile once you set the concrete you may want to use the dirt to place back around the post so that it fills in the hole for the safety of the horse. Pour the posthole full, use your level to make sure the post is perfectly vertical, and brace it lightly with T-posts or 2-by-4 inch timbers until the concrete sets.   Bracing Use a treated 4-by-4 inch timber cut to the length of the inside distance between the corner post and the brace post. Use large nails or 3/8-inch lag screws to secure it about two-thirds of the way up from the ground. Drill screw holes with a 1/4-inch drill first to make it easier to secure the crosspiece in place. Measure between a spot about two-thirds of the way up the corner post and a spot about 6 inches from the ground on the brace post. Cut a treated 4-by-4 inch timber to length, and cut its ends at 45-degree angles (one with the long end on the top, one with the long end on the bottom). Set the lower end against the brace post and the upper end against the corner post and secure it with nails or screws.   Cut a notch on the outside upper end of the corner post and the outside lower end of the brace post. Braid multiple strands of fencing wire (not electric fence wire) together long enough to reach around both notches and secure in the center. Use a post or bar to twist them tight to keep the posts from sagging outward.   Setting it Up Tie a rope or string at the first corner post and run it the length of the side you are working on. Pull it tight and secure it to the next corner post to give you a straight line for setting posts. Make sure that if the string is on the outside edge of the first post.   Next measure the distance between the brace or corner posts and dividing by the distance between posts. This will differ depending on whether you are building a post-and-rail or post-and-wire fence. T-posts or 4-inch round wooden posts for wire are usually set 12 to 16 feet apart. Wooden posts for wood rails are set 10 feet apart on-center. If you want the posts to be set evenly between the brace posts, run a long measuring tape first, marking where each should be set, and adjusting slightly if the distance does not come out perfectly even. Before setting your gateposts, measure your gate, latch hardware and hinges. Carefully measure the distance between the hinge post and the latch post. You want the gate to swing freely without rubbing the latch post, yet not leave a gap big enough that a horse could get its head or a leg through the opening. A shocking thing for most that don’t measure is that a 10-foot gate is more likely to be close to 10 feet 6 inches.   Set your gateposts before setting other posts in that line, as other posts can be adjusted for distance, but not those. You may even want to hang your gate before putting in any other posts to make sure your gateposts are set correctly.   Hang Your Gate You can build your own wooden gate out of 2-by-6 inch treated lumber, or buy a pre-made gate of tubular steel or steel panels. Pre-made gates come with their own mounting hardware; if you build your own, you will need a latch, hinges, and two 1/2-inch screw eyes and two 1/2-inch pintel screws to hang it.   Measure the height of the top rail to either side of your gate and mark the gate post where the top of your gate should be with a nail or carpenter's pencil. If your pre-made gate is taller than this, raise it so it has at least 10 inches clearance above the ground to accommodate snow and mud.   Hang your pre-made gate by following the instructions that come with it, using a wrench to turn the mounting bolts and a plumb line or weighted string to align them vertically on the post.   Measure the height of the gate latch from the ground and mark the latch post. Mount your latch hardware and verify that your gate latches easily and can swing past the latch post without striking it.   The Rest of the Fence Dig a hole for wooden posts at each mark down your string line, not less than 36 inches deep for 8-foot posts, and set your wooden posts in the same manner that you set your corner posts. Use your string guide to keep the posts even, with the face of the post just touching the string when the post is vertically level. If you are going to hang wooden rails on these posts, ensure that the posts measure 10 feet apart on-center, not 10 feet between posts. You will need to be able to secure your boards onto the posts.   Drive in T-posts using a post driver. Make sure all the T-posts face the same way, either to the inside of the corral or the outside. The flat side of the T-post is the "face." Once this is complete you can play the waiting game for a few days to ensure that the concrete dries and sets completely.   Secure one end of your roll of barbless fence wire to the first corner post (either staple it or wrap the end around itself until you are ready to secure it permanently). If you are running four wires, start about 12 inches above the ground and run one wire every 12 inches above that. If you are running three wires, space them a little wider and start about 14 inches above the ground.   Roll the wire out the length of the side. Cut it about 4 feet past the second corner post. Using a fence staple, secure the wire loosely, don't staple all the way in to the corner post at the same height that you started with at the first post. Tighten the wire gently. You can "hand tighten" wire by pulling it as tight as you can and having a helper pound in the staple to secure it. You can also secure the four-foot "tail" to your tractor or car hitch and slowly pull the wire tight through the staple. Be careful to not over tighten. If it seems a little loose that will be ok, because the fact is, it will be surprisingly tight when you pick it up level and start fastening it to posts.   Secure the free end of the stretched wire by stapling it down tight to the corner post. Make sure not to sink the staples in all the way because you may have to remove them if the wire breaks and it is a lot easier to hammer them in then to take them out and start again.   Fasten the rest of the wire to individual posts. For metal T-posts, clip the wire against the flat side of the post at the same height as at the corner, using the special wire clips that came with the posts. Crimp down the ends of the clips with your fence pliers so they don't pop off the post. If using wooden posts, staple the wire to each post at the same height. Drive the staples in flat, again being careful not to break the wire.   Secure the long end of wire at the corners by wrapping it around the post and stapling it down. Remember to cut or staple down any sharp ends of wire to avoid injury to your horse.   Hang wooden rails, if used, consistently on the inside or the outside of the posts, whichever is easiest to maintain. Many people prefer to hang rails on the inside so horses push them against the posts. Set your fence rails 12 to 14 inches apart to prevent horses from reaching through, starting about 14 inches from the ground. Tack" the first rail to the fence with a nail loosely driven in, allowing the board to rotate so you can level it. You will need to measure between rails to maintain an even distance between them at each post.   Hang your fence rails in a way that creates as sturdy a fence as possible. If you are using wooden rails, use at least 2-by-6 inch treated boards, not 1 inch or 2-by-4 inch. While you can use boards that are all 10 feet in length, you can achieve a "woven" effect that serves to stiffen the fence by alternating 10-foot and 20-foot boards. Start with a 10-foot top rail, a 20-foot middle rail, and a 10-foot bottom rail at the corner, then work down the fence, alternating lengths. The second section will have 20-foot rails top and bottom with a 10-foot middle rail, and so on.   Lightly tack your fence rails in place until you are satisfied with their placement, then use 3/8-inch lag screws to secure them permanently. Screws or bolts are preferred over nails because nails tend to back out under the effects of weather, and horses can more easily push the boards off the fence. To save time and muscle power, drill the bolt holes first with a 1/4-inch drill or use the drill to drive the screws.   Protect your investment against horses pushing on it, fighting over it, or chewing on it. There are a variety of ways to keep horses away from the fence, including electric ("hot") wire, and paint-on or spray-on chemicals to stop them chewing on the boards. Rolls of electric wire or tape as well as chew-stop can be obtained at your local feed or farm supply store. Adding a single strand of hot wire along the top of your wire fence or down the middle rail of your wooden corral will discourage horses from challenging the fence. Often times the electrical tape is more expensive in the initial purchase but overall it might save you a bundle because the horses can see it.   Obtain the correct insulators for your chosen fence material. Wire and tape use different insulators, and T-posts use different insulators than wooden posts. If your posts are wood, you will also need lightweight 3-inch nails to fasten the insulators to the posts. T-post insulators clip onto the post.   Buy and mount a fence charger suitable for the length of your fence. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for mounting the charger. Ground accordingly to the manufacturer’s directions. Snap or nail an insulator to each post in your corral, on the inside.   Run the end of your hot wire through one of the studs on the charger, then run it through each insulator and secure the end to the other stud on the charger. To keep wire from sagging, wrap it around every third or fourth insulator, making sure it does not touch the post and ground itself out.   To run your hot wire across the gate, you will need to buy an insulated handle to attach to the end of your hot wire. Secure it by a loop of hot wire mounted on insulators at the gate post. Remember that for the fence to work, it needs a continuous loop of current. You can't just tack an end of electric wire to the gate post for your gate handle to hang on; it must be part of the entire wire run.   Turn on your fence charger and see if it works. Most chargers have an indicator that tells you if the wire is grounded out anywhere. If there is a problem, walk your entire fence line to make sure your hot wire does not touch either wood or metal anywhere in its run. Also make sure that there is nothing else that will obstruct the current.   A good idea from Farm Bureau Insurance Agency is to mark your fence with a sign to keep your horse or the neighborhood dogs and deer from crashing into it at first.   Take a breather you are finished. You will want to lead your horse around its new set up to make sure it becomes familiar with the lay of the land in its new area. Let the horse play and make the corral its own home.