We are fixing to start fencing and have decided to do the Hotcote coated wire from Kencove. We are doing approximately 50 ft turnouts for runs off stalls in addition to larger pastures. The guy that is going to install it for us is hesitant to use it for the small runs since it is small broke up distances.. he is afraid it’s going to be hard to keep tight and will look terrible in a few years. What’s everyone’s thoughts? What other fence options have you used for runs off stalls? Thanks! 

He’s right.

My husband builds fence for a living and small runs of wire arena PITA to keep tight.  Any wire - High tensile, barb, woven, doesn’t matter.

We recommend pipe.  More money up front, zero maintenance.

I tried coated wire in out runs, with strainers to keep it tight. Runs were 50’ x 12’. Even with the strainers they’d rub on them, stick their heads thru, etc.  NO BUENO .

2 3/4” pipeline rails I didn’t do well. 

2 x 4 welded wire on a pipe top rail, center and bottom rail held up the best and was the safest. 

We recently covered the 2 x 4 welded wire with telephone pole quarter rounds which is by far THE BEST. 

If I was doing it over again I would go with a top, middle and bottom rail (pipe) and lash quarter rounds to it. Low maintenance and very safe, not too expensive.

I’m not sure where you’re located, but S&R Custom Panels out of Ephrata, Washington makes some really nice, high quality (and reasonably priced) panels and shelters. We’ve purchased a few different sets of panels from them (mare and foal pens, 4 rail panels, various sized shelters, etc), and we have been more than pleased with their products. We have made a few different configurations with the mare and foal panels to accommodate client horses (picture attached), and Shawn is VERY easy to work with. I believe they have a Facebook page, but no website. I heard about them via word of mouth, since I don’t do Facebook.

ETA: here’s another picture of one of their shelters with what we called our “foaling suite” using the mare and foal panels attached to it, sorry the main focus is our 2mo Fiestas Gotta Gun filly like I said, we tried many different configurations with the panels, so each of them had nicknames for us to remember. This one was in our pasture for daytime turnout and nighttime use, and the open side of the shelter was for all the horses in the pasture to use.

Thanks everyone! I am in western Kentucky and pipe is hard to come by. I checked into doing pipe for the whole area but the few installers in the area did not get back to me so I moved on and thought I’d go with the coated wire. I may check into some type of panel.