Ranch rail fencing in Chatsworth, California

Fence built for horses, not just for looks

A horse fence has one job the backyard fence does not: it has to be safe for a large, fast animal that will test it. That rules out anything a horse can run through, get a leg caught in, or get cut on. The proven answer, and the standard across the Chatsworth equestrian pockets, is a three-rail fence with no-climb wire. The rails give the horse a clear visible line it will respect and not charge, and the woven wire hung behind them closes the openings so a hoof cannot go through and a predator cannot come under. It is the fence you see along the bridle-trail properties north toward the equestrian park, and it is what we build most on these lots.

The look is part of the value too. A clean three-rail line across an open Chatsworth acreage reads as ranch country the way the town has always looked, from the movie-ranch history in these hills to the working horse properties still here. We build it to hold a straight line across ground that rolls and to keep the same rail height as it steps up the foothill grade.

What we build on a horse property

• Three-rail ranch fence. Wood or low-maintenance vinyl rail, the standard perimeter and paddock fence, sized for horses.
• No-climb horse wire. A tight two by four inch woven mesh on the inside of the rail so a hoof cannot get through and coyotes stay out. Far safer than barbed or field wire around horses.
• Pipe corral. Welded or bolted steel panels for pens, round pens, arenas, and the high-traffic corners where horses lean and crowd a wood rail apart.
• Cross fencing. Interior lines to split turnout, separate horses, or rotate grazing on a larger parcel.
• Driveway and entry gates. Wide swing or slide gates for the long rural driveways, manual or with an automatic operator.

The long driveway and the gate

The horse and foothill properties in Chatsworth tend to sit back from the road on long rural driveways, and the frontage is where the ranch fence makes its first impression. A ranch-rail frontage with a wide gate, swing where there is room to arc and slide where there is not, is one of the most common jobs we do here. The gate is also the part that carries the most load, so the gate posts get the deepest footings on the property. On these lots that almost always means drilling, because a gate post that heaves in the sandstone or leans in the wind turns a smooth-swinging gate into one that drags. We can add an automatic operator, a keypad, or an intercom so you open the entry from the house or the truck without leaving the seat.

Rock, wind, and the fire zone on acreage

Everything that makes fencing hard in Chatsworth is amplified on a big lot. The Chatsworth Formation sandstone runs under the foothill acreage, so a long rail line will hit rock on some of its post holes, and we come ready to drill rather than leaving posts shallow. The Santa Ana wind that funnels through Santa Susana Pass sweeps across open ground with nothing to break it, so corner and gate posts are set for gust load. And because the acreage sits in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, we keep any combustible fence and structures set back for defensible space and lean on steel pipe corral and metal near the barn and the house. A rail fence handles the open pasture; the metal handles the risk points.

Ranch rail pricing in Chatsworth

The total footage on an acreage lot is the main driver, along with wire, corral, and any rock drilling. See how rail compares with other materials on the Chatsworth fence cost guide, or read the chain link page for a lower-cost perimeter option.

Keep reading

fence contractors in Chatsworth sets out the order the work actually happens in.