We also live in cougar country. We back up to 40 acres of wooded mountain and the land around that is not... home compressed shall I say. A neighbor lost a llama and a goat to a cat in two separate attacks, they live at the base of a rock formation that has LOTS of hiding places for predators. They got a Pyrenees guard dog and have not had much trouble since (and the cat was trapped and relocated as well). Some thoughts:
1) We ran a 6' electric fence composed of alternating equine rope (hot) and electric fence wire (ground). We ran equine rope over the gates and the gates themselves are wire mesh. It was not terribly expensive as fencing goes. Sometimes deer still find their way into the paddocks and I have had to repair the fence afterwards, but it seems to work well.
2) We always put up our horses at dark, and do not let them out until daylight. The most dangerous times are dusk and dawn, and especially in the fall and spring. Let's just say our social life has taken a hit in the winter. We do have a couple horse people we pay to put them up and feed them should circumstances dictate we cannot. Not too expensive.
3) I wired in LED spotlights (BRIGHT!! But not terribly expensive, and don't consume much amperage). They are photocell and motion controlled. Sometimes the chinook winds we get move the grass which trips the lights, sometimes one of the neighborhood foxes does. Or... the deer above do.
4) We have a guardian donkey (Sam). He is a very rare donkey, in that he is imprinted on mini horses and much prefers them to other donkeys. Probably a one in a thousand find. He is gentle and protective, another unusual trait for a gelded Jack.
5) The barn is not far from the house, nor the dog run.
Some or most of these ideas may help you. I also go packing when taking a horse through the woods, pepper spray would be a good idea if a firearm is not up your alley.
Your local Division of Wildlife is a good place to contact as well. They can update you on what they know from an impartial perspective.
