Electric Fence Advice

[Misog2000]

Can someone please give me some advice regarding electric fence posts. The standard ones look very small (horse is 15.2hh) or am I overestimating how likely she is to decide to pop over the fence? I need to strip graze my field, not used electric fence before so a bit unsure what to buy for the best...thanks

 

[Bertolie]

Depends on the horse. Some of the bigger horses at my yard are fine with the standard 3' posts but my houdini has to have posts that are at least 4' 6" tall or he will go over the fence.

 

[appylass]

If the horse respects electric fences the small ones will do the job. If you are not sure and you can afford the extra, I'd buy the taller ones. I have a mixture of both sizes and almost invariably end up using the taller ones these days.

 

[Stacey6897]

I use the 4 foot ones with two lines of tape, when Mike was younger and cheekier I'd have 4 lines of tape, the lowest being around 6 inches off the ground, which means keeping the grass down, it shouldn't touch overhanging hedge or long grass

I don't bother with the stirrup type ones as the little spikes snap off easily, I like the standard 4' green ones now, they look much better, was worried the horses wouldn't see green tape and green posts but they're fine

Got a second hand battery from a battery shop, ideal!

 

[smellsofhorse]

totally depends on the horse!

I had a welsh section a and would continuosly break the fence down, we had the taller posts.

Other times ive used the smaller 3ft posts and my 17.2hh warmblood totally respects it to the point i dont always turn it on!

 

[Cocorules]

Would just say with green tape and posts horses will be fine but my neighbour has a problem with deer getting tangled in it whereas another neighbour with white tape and posts does not get this. May just be unlucky but a deer caught in electric tape is horrible. Sorry this is at a tangent to original post.

 

[Misog2000]

thanks everyone, gonna go with the taller ones to be sure - feel I can justify extra cash to OH now

 

[muff747]

Of course it all depends on how sensitive your horse is and if it's shod or bare.
I find barefooters do not feel it as much, (the steel shoes make a good earth contact)
When I first bought my elec fence, the instruction book said it would be best to get the horse to touch it on the nose when you first let them in the field because then they will always respect it. This sounds cruel but if you don't, your life will be made so difficult if they are constantly breaking out, and there is a risk of injury if the fence gets wrapped around a leg.
If they don't get that first shock, and just lean against it with their rug on so they don't feel it, they would just push through it, after all it just looks like a piece of ribbon to them. Once they get to know they can get through, they will always try. Some even get to know when it is not switched on! We even have a horse that watches people at the stables to see if someone switches it off!
If you introduce the fence properly and gain that respect, you would be fine with 3' posts. My horse is sensitive and wouldn't even step over a line if it was on the floor, but then the last time he touched one by accident, it really made him jump so he totally respects it now.