Horserail - FAQ

Are you looking at building your dream equine property with Horserail fencing? It’s a great choice! Safe for horses, stunning to look at and easy to maintain. Horserail is one of the most trusted flexible plastic rails available today and in fact, the name has now become generic to the entire category.   

At Stock & Noble, we are one of the only two suppliers of the original Horserail across Australia and New Zealand. Based on our in-depth knowledge of the product and experience in selling it to premium horse property owners, we will answer the most commonly asked questions about Horserail.  

Top 7 Questions customers like you ask: 

1. How do I electrify my Horserail?  

2. What type of energiser is compatible with Horserail?  

3. How to keep flexible rails straight between the posts?

4. How to set fencing up with Horserail?  

5. What should be the distance between the posts?  

6. Why my Flexible Plastic Rail is sagging?

7. Will plastic posts be able to bear the tension?  

At the end of this article, most of the doubts and queries you might have had about buying a Horserail will be cleared. You will be more knowledgeable about the product, its correct usage and implementation. You will also be much better prepared to assess whether Horserail is the right fencing for your property.    

Question 1: How do I electrify my Horserail?  

If you install a Horserail fence, we always recommend making it electrifiable. Depending on your needs, you can turn it on or off. Instead of retrofitting, it is more cost-effective to incorporate electricity at the beginning.  

Use the screw provided on the buckles to attach the electric lead-out wire. The metal buckle conducts electricity while the patented grommets stop leakage to the posts.  

There are insulated brackets, joining buckles, and tensioners at the ends of the lines that allow electricity to flow through without leaking.  

You can see in the attached picture where the Hottop/Hotcote gets its power, all you have to do is run a cable from your power source and wrap around the little screws in the buckle and you’re done. A fence line without a buckle can also be powered by removing the plastic and using an alligator clamp over the wire from your power source.  

Question 2: What types of energisers are compatible with Horserail?  

Any electric fence energiser can be used with a Horsrail that has a maximum voltage of 10000 volts. When in doubt buy a bigger energiser, this is a point where it pays to think ahead and invest in an energiser that can be used if you expand your fences in the future.   

Often, we recommend energisers from NemTek because their units are very powerful and reasonable.  

Please reference your energiser supplier for instructions on electrifying your fence. It’s best to refer to their guidelines for proper size, strength and placement and grounding of their equipment.   

Question 3: How to keep Horserail straight between the posts? 

In a high tensile fence system, the most important thing that will ensure a well-tensioned fencing line is your end and corner post assemblies. They have to be properly spaced, braced and concreted. If corner posts aren’t braced, your posts will not be able to bear the tension and will bend over. This will lead to sagging in the middle of your fencing lines.   

If you want to keep flexible rails straight, no matter which posts you choose, Timber, Steel or Plastic make sure your end and corner posts are strong and stable.   

Question 4: How to set up fencing with Horserail?  

It is good to plan the installation of underground cables and pipelines before you begin fencing. We suggest that you go out and mark up where you want fences and gateways. Using a string line assists in the visual placement of the fence. Measure up, draw a rough sketch and write down the measurements.   

You can learn in detail about how to plan for the materials and install Horserail.  Or speak to one of our fencing advisors to get answers to specific installation questions based on your property and location.   

Question 5: What should be the distance between the posts?  

This is a personal choice. Usually, our clients choose the spacing of 3 to 3 and a half metres between the posts. If you want to put your Horserail fencing in areas like yards where horses will be pushing against it, we recommend keeping the posts at a distance of 3 metres.   

Question 6: Why is my Flexible Plastic Rail sagging?  

Any tensioned fence system needs to be properly braced and concreted at your corner posts, end and gate posts as well as any post that’s not in a straight line. If bracing is avoided sagging will occur.  

Sometimes to cut costs, owners choose to increase the spacing between the fence posts. This results in compromising the tension of the flexible rails. They cannot be stretched and tensioned well if they are too far apart and hence cause the rails to sag.   

It might appear that you’re saving money by furthering post spacing, but the cost is minimal compared to the cost of an injury. When you look down the fence line, the posts should resemble a line of soldiers, standing straight and strong. No one is out of line.  

Question 7: Will plastic Horserail posts bear the tension?  

Plastic posts are a great option to use with Horserail. However, because this is a tensioned system you will need larger posts for your braced corner and end assemblies to withstand the tension of this fencing system. Line posts do not take any tension, so the standard size Plastic posts work fine here. But if you want to use plastic for your corner and end assemblies you must use a larger diameter post to withstand the tension. 

Ends and corner posts are a foundation of a well-built fence. A solid foundation means a safer, stronger, longer-lasting better-looking fence. Remember this when thinking about posts. They should be bigger, deeper, longer, and stronger so they can stand up to the tension.  

Is Horserail fencing best for your property?  

Horserail has been widely used as preferred fencing across properties for decades. In this article, you learnt the answers to the most common questions that come up when you think about buying and installing Horserail on your property.   

Now you know how to electrify Horserail, the information on the posts, and relevant details on energisers. You are prepared to assess whether Horserail is the right fencing for your horse property or not. If you are specifically looking to buy Horserail, please note a lot of other suppliers also refer to their flexible plastic rails as Horserail. To avoid this, make sure to choose a supplier who sells original Horserail.  

If you have more questions related to the cost, installation, maintenance, performance, safety or ordering Horserail for your property, feel free to book a one-on-one consultation with our fencing expert. We will guide you and make sure you make the best decision to build a beautiful equine property.