Horse Fence Height Requirements by Breed

Fences are used to keep horses from getting lost or hurt. Fences are made from a variety of materials and can be custom built to meet the needs of whichever breed of horse for which the fence is being built. Horse size and temperament affect fencing needs.

  1. Average Size Horse Breeds

    • Most standard horse fences are typically 4 feet tall, approximately the height of the horse's withers, with three or four horizontal boards or wires. Four-foot fences are adequate for containing the vast majority of average size horse breeds, including Arabians, American Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, Tennessee Walking Horses, Morgans and any horse between 14 and 17 hands tall.

    Miniature Horses and Small Ponies

    • The standard 4-foot fence is more than tall enough to hold in miniature horses and small ponies. In the case of smaller ponies, a 3- or 3 1/2-foot fence is sufficient. However, the boards or wires on a fence used for miniature horses or small breed ponies, such as Welsh and Shetlands, need to be closer together, typically no further than 6 inches apart, in order to prevent small ponies from climbing between the boards and escaping.

    Draft Horses

    • In order to contain draft horses, such as Belgians, Clydesdales or Percherons, the fence needs to be a minimum of 4 feet tall and extremely sturdy. Draft horses have a tendency to use their bulk to overpower fences and will walk right through a poorly built or flimsy fence.