Horse Fence

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Gustavo did show up yesterday and repaired one of my two most flimsy, frightening sections of horse fencing. He’s a concrete expert with notably different ways of post-setting. First, he dislikes the popular style of QuikCrete that will set in 10-20 minutes; says it doesn’t hold up long and why my fence posts loosened and broke. Second, he prefers wire-tying fence fabric to posts over using U-nails as it’s stronger and lasts longer.

Several times yesterday, I hurried to and from Home Depot for supplies. He needed bags of old-style concrete, rebar-style wire ties, and cardboard tubular sleeves. This morning, Gustavo is returning, and my errand will be to find the 6″ screws he prefers over nails to connect top rails to posts.

His perception of what works best isn’t what fencers usually say. They prefer the fastest-setting concrete and also hammer-in U-nails. Gustavo, a believable perfectionist, yesterday reset a trio of broken posts into 21″ deep, wheelbarrow-mixed concrete. To my touch, the posts seemed rock solid, but wheelbarrow mixed concrete needs overnight to harden.

Today, he will repair the flimsy posts on a boundary with my neighbor. My horses lean into the fence and drool at the adjoining grassy property. They boom both posts and rails.

Dear Friends: This experience is making me better educated and more capable. Diana