Meet the Winner of Gallagher's Fence Makeover Sweepstakes

Route 151 in Virginia is a popular travel destination with plenty of stops for fine wine, craft beer and recreational activities like trail riding. This highway, designated a scenic byway in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has seven wineries and at least three popular breweries along the way. It also takes you by Afton, Virginia the town the recent winner of Gallagher's Fence Makeover Sweepstakes, Mimi Paixao calls home.

Mimi provides horseback riding lessons at her ranch that she has affectionately named Rebel's Run in honor of a much loved horse. Quality, safety and skill building are emphasized in all aspects of her riding lessons. Whether you are a timid beginner or a seasoned pro, Rebel's Run has something for everyone. The horseback riding lessons (offered in both English and Western) are custom tailored to each rider and are perfect for both someone who simply wants to enjoy an occasional ride or someone who is ready to compete in the show ring.

Rebel's Run also offers trail rides that take beginners through advanced riders on trails with beautiful, scenic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One trail ride even stops by a local winery for refreshments! Mimi commented that next to the scenery, it's her seven horses themselves that keep the same visitors returning. Official trail guide "Jax", a large Mastidane (Bull Mastiff/Great Dane Mix), followed by an assistant guide led the horses and riders creating a unique experience that is hard to beat.

When Mimi took the call informing her that she had won the sweepstakes, she was thrilled. "I was so excited! I had done some research on this woven wire fence and realized it was perfect for my current and future needs. My first priority is in keeping my horses safe and healthy. This fence helps me do this".

The electric fence that Gallagher installed on Mimi's property is a woven high-tensile electric wire perimeter fence (Electra-Lock) that is designed to improve livestock containment at a fraction of the cost of traditional fencing methods. This electrifiable woven wire fencing system works on the same concept as traditional woven wire fencing with an added bonus – the fence can be electrified by simply connecting a Gallagher fence charger. This electrifiable woven wire system is a perfect solution for producers or horse owners like Mimi who want the peace of mind from a permanent fence with the added security of an energized fence.

For horses and cattle, the mental barrier is greater than a physical one. What Electra-Lock has done is taken the best of the physical barrier with the woven wire and the best of the mental barrier with the electric wire and combined them.

One of the features of this electric fence that really excites Mimi is its versatility for rotational grazing - something Mimi plans to start doing this fall to better manage her pastures. When you construct a traditional temporary fence for grazing, you want to try and hook it to the perimeter fencing on or near a post for stability. Sometimes as land owners are constructing the fencing, a wire can pull out and make the temporary fence slide.

With Electra-Lock woven wire, as the perimeter, you can hook your temporary wire anywhere along the fence and configure your grazing paddocks as you need them because the wire is all tied together. Using electrifiable woven wire also negates the need for additional energizers, insulation and earth ground systems to power the paddocks because the perimeter is already electrified.

Additionally, Electra-Lock gives the temporary fence stability and makes it safer and easier to move paddocks and livestock. Electra-Lock comes in four or five strands of 12.5 gauge high-tensile, class 3 galvanized wire, set on 10 inch spacing with a vertical stay spaced every 24 inches. Mimi selected the 5-strand for her pasture and a B-100 Solar Powered Energizer to power the fence. Each roll of is 660 feet. Woven wire is typically on 330 feet rolls, so you're getting twice the length and twice the coverage for about 2/3 of the cost of traditional woven wire fencing.

It's also easy to install. This electrifiable woven wire fencing system installs with the same corner and gate braces as any standard barbed wire construction or any good quality fence would require. The strength of the high-tensile wire coupled with vertical stays every 24 inches makes installation faster and easier because you're setting posts 50 feet apart, instead of every 10 or 20 feet like traditional post fencing.

This also greatly reduces the number of posts needed as well as decreases time and labor. Gallagher also carry s a wire dispenser that fits on the receiver hitch of a pickup or UTV. Once you place the roll of wire into the holder, you can drive down the fence line as the dispenser unrolls the wire – saving you a lot of time and a whole lot of backache.

Again, congratulations to Mimi Paxai at Rebel's Run for winning Gallagher's Fence Makeover Sweepstakes with over 130 Facebook votes!

We also want to acknowledge the tremendous amount of time and effort all of the contestants put into their entries. Thank you for participating in the 2013 Gallagher Fence Makeover Sweepstakes.

To learn more about the electrifiable woven wire fencing system installed at Rebel's Run, please visit:www.gallagherusa.com/electra-lock

To learn more about the services available at Rebel's Run or to schedule a trail ride or riding lesson, visit:www.rebelsrunaftonmountain.com