How much lower would a sheep be expected to jump if on a steep upward slope?

[questions8938]

TL;DR

Jumping sheep

I mean jumping upwards - ran out of characters in the title.

I am wanting to make a barrier out of natural materials to keep sheep off my property.

The wood material for a barrier at the top of the bank is limited which is why I want to use the least wood I can get away with, so lowest fence at the top which would stop them, while having the soil bank do most of the work as I have no limit of soil, within reason.

I tried looking up searches like 'jumping uphill' and got absolutely no useful information, just generic jumping articles.

If a sheep is said to jump on average about 90cm, with 120cm being the recommended minimum height for official wire fencing, then how much would that be expected to be impeded if they were inclined on a 1M steep bank? The 1M height is arbitrary but that is about the height I have done so far and seems a good round height to choose. That height is a good amount as well in terms of work vs result as I have to think of how long it will take and how much effort will be involved.

Thinking about it, despite their formidable jumping capabilities, I could not imagine them being about to jump uphill much if at all if their hooves are already up the slope? Any guesses on this for how low I could put the fence at the top? No fence would not work because I know they are good climbers and scramble around steep hills so they could just walk up and over. The bank will not be totally sheer, due to dirt falling back down; I would guess about a 60 degree slope.

I would just have to make sure there is not a platform up the top so they could right themselves again shouldn't I but even if there was they would still be disadvantaged so long as it wasn't a big enough shelf that they could get a normal footing again to be square on to the fence, right? So perhaps as low as them not just able to step over, perhaps even just above the legs? If I prevented a shelf or even put the fence jutting out at 45 degrees to the slope it could be even lower couldn't it? Like how they do with spikes on buildings to stop birds landing on them.

So any scientific guesses and what forces are at play acting on the sheep on a slope?

Personally I know from when going on walks if I am on a slope I could not imagine jumping up the hill more than a couple of paltry cms but not sure how much better a four legged creature would do.

 

[A.T.]

.. 1M steep bank? The 1M height...

What is a "1M steep bank"? 1m height difference (rise) over which horizontal distance (run)?

So any scientific guesses ...

Let me tell you right away: As soon as living organisms are involved, rough scientific guesses and estimates (based on spherical sheep) will spread so wide, that they are practically useless for your real world application. Aside from the complex bio-mechanics of jumping, you have the whole animal psychology issue.

 

[questions8938]

What is a "1M steep bank"? 1m height difference (rise) over which horizontal distance (run)?

I guess you are american and bank is an english term? Bank just means slope. What difference does the run make if it is 1 meter or 100? The facing that the sheep would confront would be the same no matter the distance, they can only walk up one section at a time. It is a ditch dug into the ground with the soil dug flung into a pile to form a 'bank'/slope.

Let me tell you right away: As soon as living organisms are involved, rough scientific guesses and estimates (based on spherical sheep) will spread so wide, that they are practically useless for your real world application. Aside from the complex bio-mechanics of jumping, you have the whole animal psychology issue.

So I should just give up? You don't think humans have been doing this for hundreds if not thousands of years already to stay alive? These are traditional techniques.

 

[mjc123]

I guess you are american and bank is an english term? Bank just means slope.

You misunderstand the question. 1 m is a measure of height, not steepness. The question is, over what horizontal distance does the height change by 1 m?

 

[DaveC426913]

I guess you are american and bank is an english term? Bank just means slope.

It means the same.

What difference does the run make if it is 1 meter or 100? The facing that the sheep would confront would be the same no matter the distance,

A 1:100 slope would be a lot easier to scale than a 2:1 slope.

 

[DaveC426913]

So I should just give up?

He specifically said "scientific guesses" are useless.
Learning from experts is a better way.
Trial and error is another way.

 

[DaveC426913]

Is there some reason why you can't dig a ring ditch? You could double its effective height (or halve the work) if you pile the excavated dirt on the high side.

Apparently sheep don't like to go into ditches - even small ones.

 

[A.T.]

Bank just means slope.

I know what "bank" means, but not what "1M steep" means.

You don't think humans have been doing this for hundreds if not thousands of years already to stay alive?

Predicting how high exactly sheep can jump on a slope using physics? No, I don't think humans have been doing this for hundreds or thousands of years already.

They rather used trial and error, or experience of others, which is your best option. There should be many people in the world building sheep fences on a slope.

 

[Baluncore]

questions8938, welcome to PF.

So I should just give up? You don't think humans have been doing this for hundreds if not thousands of years already to stay alive? These are traditional techniques.

You say they will jump, then you ask "how high"?

Don't give up.
It will depend on the type of sheep, where the feed is, and how well self-trained they are. One old and clever sheep, will teach all the others, and then the next generation.

The old agricultural technology, a dry moat, is called an "haha".
Slope is downwards, to a vertical wall up. The field beyond the garden appears to be joined, because there is no fence or wall visible in the landscape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ha-ha

I have 50 sheep here this month, and they will "parkour" their way up concave bends in walls.

 

[A.T.]

One old and clever sheep, will teach all the others, and then the next generation.

It's not always an old one!

 

[PeroK]

It depends whether the sheep have perfected the Fosbury Flop.

 

[Frabjous]

The simplest calculation would be to add to 1.2m the change in height of the center of mass of the sheep (a negative number). I have no idea how accurate it would be.