Q&A    Questions and Answers:

Where can I find plans for different types of hitching posts that I can build myself?

Before you begin your building project, there are a couple of questions you need to answer:

1. Do you want a hitching post... or a hitching rail? Most folks -- yours truly included -- use the term "hitching post" to refer to both, but when it comes to construction there's a significant difference between a post and a rail. A hitching post is a vertical column with one or more rings for tying a horse. Some are simple posts with the rings bolted securely through them; others are rather fancy, with concrete or cast iron designs. A hitching rail, on the other hand, features a horizontal rail to which several horses can be tied.

2. What material do you want to use for your post or rail? Posts are generally constructed of wood, concrete or metal, depending on how ornate you want it to be and how much you're fixin' to spend. The classic Western hitching rail is built with round posts, usually about eight feet long. Some heavy-duty hitching rails are made of metal -- often heavy steel pipes welded together, with the uprights set in concrete footings.

I'm going to suggest a design that has worked very well for a friend of mine. You shouldn't have any trouble figuring out how to build it by just looking at the accompanying photos. The posts are brown (not green) pressure-treated wood with the uprights set about five feet in the ground. The horizontal piece is notched to fit the uprights, then secured by a piece of heavy steel strap held in place by lag bolts. The top lag bolt is long enough to penetrate six or seven inches into the upright. As I recall, my friend said the hardware for two rails didn't cost him more than ten dollars.

As for height, You'll want the horizontal rail to be about chest high for the average horse at your place (which can vary quite a bit from ponies to thoroughbreds or Belgians).

I hope this works for you. Please keep me "posted" on how your project turns out.

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