Regarding the accident with the horse - the first vinyl fence products put out were brittle and tended to be moreso with age and UV exposure - the ones put out now are much better about shattering. Bulldinkie, I don't doubt your story, but I think the story is over 10-15 years old. Any fencing, if hit by a large horse running at full speed (for whatever reason) can break and splinter. I have heard of horses running through wooden post and rail or post and board fences and being staked like that. The light-weight stuff could probably eventually be damaged by a weed whacker, but the heavy duty stuff, no. Vancleaveterry, many people here use white vinyl fencing for horses. I would run a hot-wire along it, but then, I would do the same for almost all horse fencing - it saves on breakage and escapes. And for horses, you NEED the heavy duty, purpose made weight of vinyl, which you probably won't get at a big-box store - you need to go to a fencing company. If you look in most of the horse magazines, they will feature ads from fencing companies - I know EQUUS does. Personally, I happen to like the look of weathered wooden fencing, but do admit that the posts will rot and will have to be replaced after 10-20 years, as will the boards and rails, depending on soil conditions and the wood used and how hard the horses are on fencing ( which is why I like a hot wire or even 2 strands of wire, one at the top to limit chewing and one halfway down to limit rubbing). Mostly, the vinyl fencing is maintenance free, BUT, it will grow algae/mildew, and can turn greenish. A scrubbing or pressure spraying with a bleach solution will turn it back to white, but it is ongoing in humid climates - you either learn to live with it or deal with it. If you want white fences and don't want to paint them every few years, then vinyl is the way to go, although you may have to deal with green algae. Vinyl is also, I think, a bit less expensive, over the long run, than wood.

For gas- a basic Echo or Stihl. Some of the new battery powered will easily do that much trimming. Less power true, but it starts and runs -doesn't smell.

I'm very pleased with my Echo. Fairly light weight, reliable. No problems after 2 1/2 years.

The hedge trimmer will have a max diameter cutting ability. As long as the diameter of the weeds does not exceed the specifications, a hedge trimmer will cut tall weed stems. Grass blades, I do not know.