Corral

[Marsha Cassada]

You may remember we tore down our old corral in the spring. Finally, we are getting it back together. It's amazing how much I miss it. The hardest part was leveling the area. Box blade with teeth, then the Land Leveler to contour the area so the runoff from the mountain will go around instead of through the corral area. We got two corner posts set. Figuring out the dimensions to match the cattle panels and runway panels and gate was tricky. I want to use the old runway panels for part of the east section, as they are good wind baffles and good to hang buckets/hay bags on. The rest will be cattle panels. We have a big pile of utility poles to use for corners and gate posts. I'm still running the magnet over the area constantly and still picking up corroded nails and metal bits. I'd like to know what in the world was in the area originally to generate so much metal debris.

In a perfect world, I would have electricity there, but that isn't going to happen for now.

So, which of your areas would you have the most trouble doing without for nearly a year?

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Im the same, I have a little yard with an open stable that I would be at a loss without. Its critical that I am able to use it during spring and autumn when One of my little ones is prone to laminitis.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yes, I have missed my corral as I use as a dry lot. I've had to keep mine confined in the horse motel. It's roomy, but not as nice as the corral because it is so enclosed. They don't get to watch everything going on. We must get the corral finished before the auodad rutting season. I don't think an auodad can get into the corral, so my horses should be safe there.

 

[Cayuse]

I would miss my small paddock. It has just barely enough grass to keep them nibbling and browisng but not enough to make them fat. It's almost a dry lot but not quite.

 

[candycar]

I couldn't live without any of it! But think I would miss the pasture the most. Without it I would have to hand graze three horses and pick grass for the mule.

 

[Miniv]

I agree that losing ANY would be rough...... We have lots of pasture and paddocks with grass which cuts down on how much hay they get. But dry lots are ESSENTIAL too!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The corral is basically finished. Just have to finish the partition in the middle and cut the tall posts to the correct size. They are original posts and were salvageable in position; just need cosmetic treatment. The bare earth around the perimeter is where he graded for water runoff. You can see it's a problem because of the mountain. We feel it is successful because while digging the new holes for the posts, the dirt was dry all the way down. Normally, it would have been saturated. Grass should fill in there. Posts are surplus utility poles set 16' apart, 2' in the ground, with two T posts between each for the cattle panels.

We were used to the tin wind break across the side and back, so it feels weird and exposed now, but we'll all get used to it.

There never was a home at this site, just the old corral. It was easy to know why it was chosen as a site for the animals, as it is a naturally protected area. The wind was blowing all around us, but the corral area was calm. (Not the best on a 100 degree day while setting posts!)

 

[Cayuse]

DD looks happy and snug in his spiffed up home.

 

[KLJcowgirl]

I love it! Very nice work. Now you can breathe a nice relaxed breath haha

 

[Marsha Cassada]

We don't think auodads can get into it, unless they go under the gates. Hopefully, they won't be that anxious to get into a confined space to try it.

I think there is risk with the runway panels and cattle panels, but there is risk with everything, and both have worked for us for more than 15 years, so we will continue to use them.

So glad we got it finished as the mesquites are now dropping seed pods. They are full of sugar and horses love them. Even more important to have a dry lot now.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

What closures do your have on your gates? Jim welded a chain to the original gate. The ring can snap onto the cattle panel if we want to keep the gate open.

Sometimes it's a little inconvenient to hook the chain while inside the corral, but it's doable. I've never had a horse that could open a gate hooked this way.

 

[chandab]

All my gates have chains, many wrap all the way around the post and back to the gate which has a slot for the chain.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

All my gates have chains, many wrap all the way around the post and back to the gate which has a slot for the chain.

I have those, too, but Rowdy could get them off. I had to put an extra snap on the chain.

 

[Miniv]

We use chains that wrap all the way around, like Chanda's. But we also use a clip because we have a couple of savvy escape artists who figured out how to unravel the chain!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Cut off the long posts today and hooked up a new water hose. Officially finished today. Our little rat terrier had trouble crawling under the gate, so I think the corral will be more secure from wild animals than before. On to the next project!

Animal enclosures are called different things in different parts of the country. I grew up on the western prairies and animal enclosures are always called corrals. Or sometimes just a "lot".

 

[Ryan Johnson]

It has turned out well Marsha , I also wrap my chains right the way round the post, I also have one Houdini mini

 

[amysue]

The corral looks great! Today while cleaning the steers yard we had 3 seperate escape attempts! Clover, Homer and Murphy, my big holstein steers hate being locked in the barn while we scrape the yard, so they kept unchaining the gates with their tongues. I got so mad that I put a bolt with nuts and washers on every gate chain to keep them locked in. Snaps, hooks, and clips are no match for these guys so I resorted to bolts. Hopefully, none of them will play with it enough to be able to swallow the hardware, I did tighten with a wrench.

 

[Cayuse]

I have a chain that wraps around and snaps onto itself. On my wooden gate lined with "no climb" I have a slide bolt and then tie it with baling twine around the middle for that "added security" that only baling twine can give. We keep meaning to upgrade to a chain on that gate but never get a round to it.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My old corral gate had a slide bolt. I had a horse that could open it. I had to put a chain around it. I can see a steer's tongue opening pretty near any fastener if he made up his mind!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yay! Our very own hay! Jim shredded the front yard, raked it with his "new" auction rake, and our neighbor has a small baler. We got 17 bales of native grass hay! No fertilizer, no herbicide. It was interesting the watch the baler at work, and Jim learned how to make the adjustments. It's complicated. We can better appreciate now when bales are uniform in length and compactness! He'll know better next time, also, how to rake it up for the baler.