electric fencing

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DBrasnett

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www.brasnett-pratt.co.uk
I am new to electric fencing.

I am about to move my mare and put her in a large field, but sectioned of with electric fencing. Any advice for first time electric fence users and horses who haven't experienced electric fencing before?
 
my advice is from several years ago so may be outdated now.
just to check the fence regularly, and buy one of those thingymagigs, whatdoyoucallits, that tests the charge in the tape. you just touch it to the wire and it shows the charge in it, so thus if it is working.
i used to check mine was working by touching it as i was a poor student! after several painfull shocks by working tapes, my dad bought me a tester....without being asked once....just my hair standing on end worked a treat. quite a bit older now and wiser......
electric fencing is fab, but you have to maintain and keep checking it regularly. if there is a break in the wires in the tape the rest will stop working and if you have a cheeky smart horse, they will work this out!
have some tape joiner links ready in case of damaged wires...you just cut the damaged part out, then use the joiner to connect the two working parts. keep a few spare parts handy.
again, this was several years ago..... a distant memory. but i always remember my first damaged tape and thinking why wasn't i prepared for this........ as my cob charged through neighbouring fields!
re the horse, once shes had a shock that'll be enough to put her off for a while!
 
If you dont have a thingymagig, whatdoyacallit lol, if you get a blade of grass and hold it to the wire, you can feel a small trickle of the charge instead of the full charge,
 
Ensure that you have an earthing rod of at least 1 mtr long sunk into the ground.
Don't join electric tape or rope by knoting it, always use a proper joining clip to ensure a good connection.
Ideally use a 12v leisure battery to power the fence, they are designed to be run right down before recharging, car batteries are not.
Always use unsulators into wooden posts. I know wood doesn't conduct electricity but when it's wet it does & you'll esarth your fence & lose charge.
Finally, don't let grass/weeds/plants etc grow up around the fence, you'll lose the charge & it will not work.
Good Luck
smile.gif
 
oh quickfire, why didn't i know that back then!!!!!! it does smart a tad when working properly.
i also had two batteries, one charging, one working so straight swop.
 
we put our horses in a fenced area ....as said before keep checking it works..and all should be fine... ours is on mains electric and i tell you what that packs a punch...
 
Mains is best if you are within range, otherwise both 12v and 9v are very effective. Nice thing with 9v is the portability, they are only 5kg including the battery. They are just as powerful as the 12v without the huge battery. Get a tester as using a piece of grass is not accurate and a "tingle" could range from 2000v (no good) to 10000v.
 
I was told when I was having my first lot of electric fencing to lead the horse up to the fence zap them with it to teach them about the fence. I always thought this was awful - and wimped out of it. However, I wished that I had listened with my old mare - as she went up to it zapped her nose and promptly jumped over the bloody fence!! Then of course she would never stay behind it. I had to do quite a bit of fence training within a post and rail fenced area to train her out of jumping over the blinking stuff!
 
The best way to train a horse is to simply release the horse as far away from the fence as possible. Smear some treacle/molasses/syrup on the line and let the horse test the fence itself. Works a treat.
 
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