Why you should consider Plastic Posts

Plastic Posts are not a new concept. They have been around for many years. However, only recently have they viewed as a superior alternative to timber. As we experienced horse owners know, horses love chewing timber. Some years they don’t seem to touch it, but other years they can turn a pine post into a matchstick inside a week! Don’t we just love horses!

Treated pine posts are also becoming a problem for racehorse trainers and are a prohibited substance for Olympic disciplines too. When horses chew the treated pine posts, they are found to have higher than acceptable levels in urine tests in racing—something to keep in mind when planning your horse fencing.

Of course, we know plastic can be a problem for our environment with its longevity and slow decomposition, however, this is also a great benefit, especially when it comes to equine fencing. Over the years, we have trialled several different types of plastic posts on our farm. Here’s what we found.

Recycled plastic, although suitable, in theory, is not as long-lasting or durable as virgin plastic. We tested recycled posts for our own horse paddocks on our farm. They are often solid looking but have a honeycombed core. When you look at the middle, it has lots of tiny holes. This causes them to hold some water as well as the air inside them which heats up and expands, causing them to bend severely. They also faded.

We decided to move towards ASA-PVC posts to ensure the integrity and quality of the posts. ASA is Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate and was developed for improved weather resistance. With its high outdoor weatherability it means it retains its gloss, can be exposed to heat and chemicals, as well as remaining tough and ridged—the perfect material for long-lasting fence posts. The ASA is the place part of the posts. The inner white core is PVC.

PVC has gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years, especially with other lesser quality fencing products available. However, there were reasons for this, mainly it’s quality and the thickness of the actual products used.

Our posts are 9mm thick as opposed to 2.5mm (this is around 280% thicker) and the quality of the PVC used in Duncan Equine posts is superior as it has been UV stabilized and contain Titanium dioxide which also adds strength and outdoor durability.

As the posts are hollow, the feedback from contractors has been positive. The posts are extremely easy to drive into the ground, making installation time usually quicker, and they can be used in rocky or hard areas, though drilling first is always recommended. Having a cap on top means fixing top brackets isn’t a problem.

Our Duncan Equine Posts are available in two lengths, 2.1m and 2.4m and either black or white. We offer these lengths as they are perfect for horse fencing with the optimal height of 1.2m to 1.5m. Of course, we can cater for any preferred length in special orders.

We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality products and felt this was the only way to go to ensure that you, as the end user could rest assured your money is going to be well spent. We want the ultimate in safety and longevity and the plastic posts we now stock and use on our farm are proving to be very popular with horse owners around Australia.