When you’ve advised the likes of Kerry Packer on horse matters and you’re responsible for the wellbeing of multi-million dollar animals, it’s to be expected that you use only the safest and most reliable fencing system.
This is the case for Alan Simson of Carmyle Veterinary Services at Quirindi, in northern NSW, who works with clients’ performance campdrafting and Warmblood horses.
“I’ve got 30-40 paddocks I use to turn out the mares, and they can be on the property for up to eight weeks, so it’s important they’re kept in impeccable condition,” Dr Simson said.
“In recent years I’ve had several horses with the habit of chewing wood, plus post-and-rail fences are expensive, so they weren’t an option when I re-fenced the property last year.”
Mr Simson’s business involves Embryo Transplanting (ET), where performance mares are impregnated using artificial insemination (AI) and the resulting embryo is then transferred to a surrogate mare.
The advantage of this process is that horse owners can continue to work or exhibit valuable mares while the same animal’s progeny is being carried by a surrogate. “There are potentially millions of dollars at stake if a horse gets injured here,” Dr Simson said.
“I decided to go with a complete steel fencing system after seeing several other properties with Waratah’s Stocksafe-T® product, and talking to people in the horse industry happy with the way it works.
“The way it’s set up reduces the risk of injury which ensures the wellbeing of my stock. I don’t like using high tensile wire with horses as they can easily get their legs hooked and tangled in it, so we use soft wire.”
Mr Simson uses Jio® MaxY® posts, steel strainer assemblies and five Longlife® plain wires of 4mm thickness, well as the 13/122.5/5 Stocksafe-T prefabricated fence wire, with an electric wire on top.
“It’s a foolproof way to keep horses in, and we sleep well at night knowing they are safe. I couldn’t be happier with the fence.”