Do any of you use Pigtail posts for electric fencing with your horses?

[Tarragon]

I have about 160m of electric fencing in a 10 acre field to split off a rectangular section for my summer grazing, then have a shorter length running across this rectangle that I can move up and down to make the patch smaller according to what the grazing is like.
I have to have fencing high enough to let sheep have access underneath, but low enough to keep my 13hh ponies in, and have a wooden post in about every 5 meters. I rent the field from a farmer so cannot make any permanent changes to it.
As it is an exposed field, I use electric rope, rather than tape, as it withstands the wind better.
I need to replace a few of my electric fencing posts, and wondered it I would do better to invest in a few of these pigtail metal posts as I don't need to have multiple strands of wire, but have only ever seen them advertised for strip grazing dairy cattle.
What do you think?

 

[milliepops]

As a kid at PC etc they were always made out to be horrendously dangerous so i've always steered clear
ex YO used to use them for her horses and they appeared to be fine. Mine are all idiots and I get several broken posts each season where i've been glad that the post has given way so personally they are not for me.

 

[Steerpike]

Yes I use them, my electric runs off the mains and my horses do respect the fence so have yet to have a problem with them.

 

[Zuzan]

The trick with temporary electric fencing is not to have corners ... round off the corners and this makes the fencing far more robust.

 

[[153312]]

The trick with temporary electric fencing is not to have corners ... round off the corners and this makes the fencing far more robust.

out of interest why?

 

[windand rain]

less pressure on the turning posts corners with plastic posts tend to bend in so better on a curve as it evens the pull

 

[Tarragon]

I don't have any corners as the long length just goes from one side of the field to the other. It is up all the year, except for a little bit by the gate, so that in the winter the summer grazing gets rested and in the summer they use the summer strip.

 

[BeansNsausages]

I always have corners. I just knock in some wooden posts to act as strainers on the corners.

 

[windand rain]

We have metal posts for corners they are designed as reel holders too but do use curves when we dont need a tight corner

 

[Zuzan]

out of interest why?

It means you don't have a corner post that requires extra support.

 

[milliepops]

I also have wooden posts for corners and generally dotted around the fencelines that i use all the time, it definitely helps.

 

[Sprig]

I think you will find the pig tail posts are as expensive, if not more than plastic. We have sheep too and just run a strand of poly wire clipped in to the top slot of plastic posts. I prefer poly wire over rope as it will break in an accident rather than tangle around the horse like rope. I have it on geared reels so it is really easy to wind in and move. For those talking about corners, we either use wooden posts for permanent corners or metal corner posts (that just knock in) for temporary corners.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

As it is an exposed field, I use electric rope, rather than tape, as it withstands the wind better.
?

Please be very wary about using electric rope around your field. True it does stand up to the wind better than electric tape but it can be very dangerous. I used it a few years ago and one of my horses decided to role near to the fence. He went on his back & right over landing his legs across the electric rope. This startled him & he jumped up with the rope caught around his feet/legs. He galloped off, ripping the rope off the insulated hooks. My wife was in the field & he ran past her and the ripped the rope caught around the back of her legs. As a result I took her to the hospital to be treated for serious rope burns around the backs of both legs. She had the dressings changed daily & eventually she healed. That was over 10 years ago & the scars still remain. Tape will flap in the wind but it has a fairly low breaking strain. we have all seen tape breaking when horses have broken into another paddock but the rope has a very high breaking strain & can cause serious injury. My horse was not seriously injured but my wife was. I have never used rope since then. I always use green tape now & had no issues since changing over. Please take this message serious, be very careful using electric rope.

 

[ycbm]

I have 40 4ft plastic posts going begging if anyone wants to pick them up before we move. I like them because they are easy to stamp in, do the pigtail ones have a foot part?
.

 

[milliepops]

Yeah usually have a robust footplate

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I wont use the pigtail metal posts, my pony yrs ago sat on one and impaled it in his upper thigh which needed stitches.
Probably would never happen again, but I just wont take a chance.

 

[silv]

Have used them for many years, for temporary fencing, would want something more robust for a permanent boundry.

 

[Nasicus]

The trick with temporary electric fencing is not to have corners ... round off the corners and this makes the fencing far more robust.

Depends on the posts used. Plastic posts then to bend into the curve if you have any sensible tension on the line.

Best solution imo are these metal reel posts:
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/voss-farming-allround-metal-post-galvanised-167cm.html

With these screw on insulators:
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/25...tdetailseite&emcs2=44387;0&emcs3=44327;0&gq=1

And if you want to use two metal posts to set up a gateway:
https://www.electric-fence.co.uk/3x...etailseite&emcs2=44327;0&emcs3=44370.3;0&gq=1

Other brands and sizes available of course! But these are great! Either stomp them in place or drop a sledgehammer on the legs to really drive them in, but easy to move when needed.

@Tarragon these metal posts are great for stripgrazing/moving up and down as they will act as your strainers. If you use in conjunction with a reel and reel bracket, you can then let out and bring in the tape/rope as the field requires it, say if it goes a bit skinny in the middle and then wider a bit further on, you've got the reel there to store excess conductor. It's how I move my stripgrazing along the track in the summer. Just use a few plastic posts in-between to keep the conductor up, and you're golden!

 

[Melody Grey]

I’ve used metal pigtail posts for corners, they’re a useful thing. I also make tripods out of plastic posts lashed with bale twine which stabilise corners.
The only downside with the pig tail posts I found was that they’re really difficult to drive into baked Earth....though I’m sure no one in the northern hemisphere is having that problem at the moment!

 

[Mule]

I use them all the time. They are more durable than the plastic ones.

 

[Tarragon]

Nasicus - thank you for all the details. I shall investigate further. i am luck that I have two ponies that are very suspicious of anyth that ticks! It is the sheep rubbing or knocking the flimsy plastic posts that cause me the biggest problems!

 

[Tarragon]

That is what I hoped.

I use them all the time. They are more durable than the plastic ones.

 

[Tarragon]

I do take on board the fact that they can cause severe damage as they are not as forgiving - thinking it through

 

[Tarragon]

I have 40 4ft plastic posts going begging if anyone wants to pick them up before we move. I like them because they are easy to stamp in, do the pigtail ones have a foot part?
.

I think you are quite local to me? I am quite interested in this? I am near Buxton

 

[ycbm]

I think you are quite local to me? I am quite interested in this? I am near Buxton

Yes very close PM me, I need them rehomed. Good home essential

 

[Snow Falcon]

I did for a brief time. Fairly useless in containing escape artist or anything that has little respect. Impossible to get in hard ground. 5ft posts quickly replaced them (along with 5 strands of tape!)

 

[The Bouncing Bog Trotter]

We use plastic posts with a wooden post as every 4th one as it acts as a boundary fence for sheep. I would only use pigtails fence posts to divid a bigger field for strip grazing.

 

[Steerpike]

I have 40 4ft plastic posts going begging if anyone wants to pick them up before we move. I like them because they are easy to stamp in, do the pigtail ones have a foot part?
.

Yes my pigtail ones have a metal foot on.

 

[Reacher]

I have both pigtail elec fencing and the plastic type.
As you can only have a single height fence a determined escape artist might jump it. Mine has been known to barge under the rope. I do find the plastic bit of the pigtails eventually cracks and when water gets into it the current arcs.

The metal feet are better than the plastic fence ones (well I’ve broken some of the plastic ones when trying to stamp into hard ground ?)

 

[Auslander]

I have pigtail posts, and find them much better than standard plastic posts, although only having one run of tape isn't for everyone.
Mine are the bendy type with thickly coated plastic tops, so they're as safe as they can be. I wouldn't want to use old fashioned metal ones with horses
https://www.electricfence-online.co...uSS4wwnkSfSm9rqxHJzN0FjgUkwHriJBoCBl4QAvD_BwE