Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Panel connections can be loose or tight, depending on the design.
Some horse panels use the pin-and-bracket type of connectors. Steel pins drop into strap
or pipe brackets that are welded onto the panel ends. Such connectors are easy to set up,
and some are adaptable to uneven terrain. However, the gap between two panels can range
from ½ inch to 3 inches, depending on the type of strap bracket, the levelness of the terrain,
and the shape of the pen.
Panel Height
When choosing panel height, consider the height of the horses you have and the use of the
panels. You need to decide whether you want to prevent horses from putting their heads
over the top rail. Playing or fighting between horses over a top rail can be tough on both
the facilities and the horses. And if you have to lead horses past a short rail pen, you run
the risk of having the pen resident reach over and lunge at or bite the horse you are leading.
Pen rails that are too short can also be a hazard if a horse rears and bucks when playing.
When used for training pens, panels with low rails allow a horse to evade the trainer by
putting his head over the rail, and a short panel can seem like a viable escape route to a
horse that is pressured during ground training.
In general, the taller the panel, the better. Several 6-foot-tall panels and a few 74-inch
panels are on the market. Panels shorter than this would be more suitable for ponies and
horses under 14.2 hands.
Rails
The number of rails, the spacing between the rails, and the distance between the bottom rail
and the ground can make for a safer or more dangerous pen. Exactly what spacing is right
will depend on whether you are housing ponies, mares and foals, or large adult horses or
using the panels for training facilities.
Panels usually have five to seven rails (depending on the panel height), and the rails are
8 to 12 inches apart. An 8-inch space is ideal for housing adult horses, since a 1250-pound
horse would need at least a 10- or 11-inch space to put his head through. However, wean-
lings and yearlings can easily put their heads through an 8- or 9-inch space. Panels with
12-inch spacing between rails are more suitable for riding pens and arenas than for housing
horses.
