Paddock safety begins with the fencing materials used. Barbed wire and metal T-posts are not good choices for horse fencing, especially in a small enclosure. The preferred choices are wood posts with "no-climb" horse wire or wooden rails. If woven wire fencing is used, it should be twisted, not welded, and it should have a top and bottom wooden 2x6 or equivalent rail to keep the horses safe from sharp edges and to keep the fence tight to the ground. Electric hot tape or wire can be mounted on the top rail of the fence to keep horses from leaning over the fence or chewing. 

If your budget is limited and a large number of wood posts might break the bank, consider the many new alternatives to metal T-posts and hot wire. Many farm supply stores now carry wooden "insulated" timbers, which you can drive in just like the metal posts, or plastic sleeves to fit over metal T-posts. There are now a variety of highly visible electric fencing materials that are far superior to single strand wire in safety and ease of installation. We do not recommend PVC or plastic (vinyl) fencing for small enclosures, as the plastic tends to break easily with heavy use and leaves sharp edges when it fractures. This type of fencing is an excellent choice for larger pastures.

Gates can be made of metal or wood. If you choose metal, we prefer aluminum or light duty galvanized steel to heavy steel. If a horse gets caught in an aluminum or light duty galvanized steel tube gate, it will tend to bend before your horse gets seriously hurt. This may mean replacing gates more often, but horse safety outweighs human convenience. Wood gates require a bit more maintenance, as they tend to sag over time due to their increased weight.

Be sure there are no foreign (meaning mostly metal) objects in your paddocks. Roof gutters on an adjacent barn or run-in shed should be high enough that a horse can’t get at them. Downspouts should be PVC schedule 40 or ABS plumbing pipe instead of metal, and you can also put them inside another piece of flexible PVC for added safety.

Lastly, in small enclosures horses do better when separated in adjacent paddocks. Even pasture buddies can injure each other when confined to a small area. Be sure there is always a supply of fresh, clean water, and try to feed horses up off of the ground, such as in a wooden box, plastic tub or the like. This will limit parasites, bacteria and the ingestion of sand or dirt, which can cause colic.

Paddocks...