Horse and Pipe Rail Fence Types for Large Lots
Steel Pipe Rail Fences
A pipe fence is horizontal steel pipe welded or bracketed to steel posts. Horses can see it, it doesn't rot, and a galvanized or powder-coated finish holds off rust. It is rigid, though, and a horse that runs into it takes the hit, which is why some owners pair it with a softer infill.
- Rail size: typically 1.5 to 2 inch pipe
- Standard two-rail galvanized: about $15 to $25 a foot installed
- Heavy-duty (thicker pipe, closer and taller posts): $25 to $35 or more a foot
- Lifespan: 20 to 30 years or more when it's kept up
Pipe Corrals and Round Pens
Corrals and round pens take more abuse than a pasture line, since horses lean, rub and kick at them every day. Ask for the heavy-duty build here: thicker pipe and tighter post spacing. Keep the posts 8 to 10 feet apart so a horse can't wedge a leg between rails.
No-Climb and Welded Wire on Pipe
No-climb mesh has small rectangular openings that a hoof can't go through. Stretched between pipe posts with a pipe top rail, it keeps foals, dogs and goats in as well as horses.
- No-climb mesh alone: about $3 to $5 a foot installed
- Pipe frame with wire mesh infill: about $25 to $40 a foot
Vinyl Ranch Rail for Horses
Vinyl rail gives the clean white-board look without paint, and it doesn't splinter. It costs less than heavy pipe, but guides warn that a damaged section may have to be replaced whole.
- Vinyl split rail for horses: about $15 to $30 a foot installed
Ranch and Pasture Gates
Plan one gate wide enough for a trailer or tractor, plus a walk gate near the barn.
- Simple farm gate: about $200 to $500 per opening
For powered gates on a long drive, see automatic gate openers.
Why Hesperia homeowners call Hesperia Expert Fencing
- Calling or using the form doesn't cost you anything
- We send your job to one contractor, so your phone isn't ringing all week
- Ask for posts, footings, gates and haul-away priced line by line
- Look up the C-13 (fence) or C-29 (block wall) license at cslb.ca.gov
Horse Fence Cost on a Hesperia Acreage
National guides price installed pipe fencing at $15 to $40 a linear foot. Level, soft ground keeps it near the bottom of that range. Rocky soil, hardpan and steep slopes push it up because they add labor and bracing.
| Fence type | Installed, per linear foot |
|---|---|
| No-climb mesh | $3-$5 |
| Vinyl ranch rail | $15-$30 |
| Standard pipe rail | $15-$25 |
| Heavy-duty pipe | $25-$35+ |
| Pipe with mesh infill | $25-$40 |
A rectangular one-acre lot has roughly 850 to 900 feet of boundary. Fencing 880 feet of it in pipe at $15 to $40 a foot comes to about $13,200 to $35,200 (our arithmetic), before gates and any permit. HomeGuide lists permits for pipe fencing at $50 to $200 nationally. Straight runs with few corners and gates also keep the hardware bill down.
Planning the Fence Line
- 1
Decide what it has to hold
A stallion paddock, a mare-and-foal pen and a goat pasture each call for different heights and infill. - 2
Mark utilities
Pipe fences put a lot of holes in the ground, so the line has to be marked first. The notice rules are on our chain link fence page. - 3
Set the posts
Posts go in concrete, which needs one to four days to cure before rails are welded or bolted on. - 4
Hang the rails, mesh and gates
Check that gates swing level and latch before the final payment.
Desert Ground, Wind and Hesperia's Rules
Hesperia's Development Code, as we read it through a third-party copy, says animal enclosures must be built of materials "treated and installed to withstand the environment" and kept in good repair. Bare steel rusts at the base, so ask for galvanized or powder-coated pipe. Wood board fencing faces the city's heavy termite hazard, covered on our wood fence page.
Wind is the other factor. HomeGuide notes that sites with high wind exposure may benefit from closer post spacing. Hesperia's design wind figures are on the wind-damaged fence repair page. Height limits for fences near the street are on our wrought iron fence page.