Electric fencing

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I have got to fence a paddock to stop the horses rubbing on the post and rail fencing. at the moment we have an internal fence using tape and posts but they keep breaking it or just jumping over it. am thinking of using the screw in rings straight into the wooden post and rail and maybe rope instead of tape as it's stronger.

any experiences?

also, best energiser/battery to buy and where from?
 
I think the rope is much better and we now use that on all our fences bar one. Stronger and I think if you buy the 'turbo' rope (or something like that) it has more of the metal fibres running through so they get more of a shock. Mean I know but mine likes to escape either under or over - once she's had a shock from the rope she won't go near it. Also has the added benefit of not catching the wind to quite the same degree so fewer snapped fences and bent posts compared to other winters (we are in a place that's name means the edge of hell though so the weather is a little harsh).

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i'm wondering if a double row of tight rope and the distance insulators might be enough to keep them off the fence without needing to run charge through it - i just cant afford an energiser, battery, battery charger etc at the moment. i wasn't expecting the girl i share with to be upping and leaving at such short notice (due to a disagreement with someone else at the yard, not me i hasten to add!) my youngster isn't interested in the fence anyway, only the grass he can reach, but the old boy likes to rub his arse on fenceposts!
 
I use one of the little energiser/battery things. It wasn't terribly expensive and just uses two D cell batteries. Haven't used it religiously all year (mostly just last summer and then for a few weeks this winter) but only just changed the batteries I put in at the beginning of last summer. Will try to find a link for you.

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We found the rope better than the tape too - although we had to move to cattle wire with tape for visibility
 
Please be really careful using rope electric fence, I have seen two horses with the most appaling injuries from rope electric fence, it does not break and one of the two never recovered and had to be PTS.

If you are using it with an existing fence use stand off screw in insulators (They are about 6" long) and 5 strand wire, it is much more effective at carrying the charge, is cheaper, lasts donkeys years and breaks easily in an emergency. The only drawback is that it is not high vis but if you already have a barrier that's not necessary. I use it on all my post and rail, some of mine is 20 years old!
 
i would only use rope for boundary fencing as i realise it doesn't break. i wouldn't have thought there's any way of them getting tangled up in it if it's just going round the edge of the field through those screw in insulators? wire sounds a possibility though - where do i find it?
 
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i would only use rope for boundary fencing as i realise it doesn't break. i wouldn't have thought there's any way of them getting tangled up in it if it's just going round the edge of the field through those screw in insulators?

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Never say never, it was a boundary fence for the one that died! You can never tell with horses they seem to have a built in self distruct mechanism! trouble with the rope is that it has a huge breaking strain, if they are mucking about rear up and get their legs behind it it is big trouble, where the wire will break, but with the wire it is very easy to join back together.

I get mine off ebay and like above if I need visibility I'll put some small guage tape along with it. It's very windy where i am so those little metal filaments in the tape and rope break really quickly and the tape is then useless.
 
it is very dangerous using any of the electric fences if they dont respect it and they wont if you dont make sure there is a decent charge running through the fence almost all the time. if you cant afford a fencer to be honest it would be safer not to use an electric fence and very soon they will ignore it anyway.
 
On a safety point I would thoroughly recommend the use of the wire (the thinner stuff), and the thin tape. I have used it for over 20 years and my horses have regularly gone through it when the battery gets to low! To date I have never had an injury from using this method even with youngstock. I use the wire alone on the post and rail to keep them off it and it works a treat but I know it will always break in an emergency.

My fencer units come from RAPPA fencing, they do a mail order and have a big choice at very reasonable prices.
 
thanks for the help guys - i will bash the credit card and probably go for wire with the insulators and a decent energiser. poos credit card - i'd just paid a load off but seems am destined to be in debt forever as horse has gone lame now as well
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The electric rope is much more visible than the wire (and much smarter, longer lasting and easier to work with than the elctric tape). I have never seen the wire used in an equine situation, surely it is what dairy farmers use when strip grazing in the summer, and it is VERY hard to see.

Re an energizer, if you want to save money initially buy a decent energizer which can run off an internal battery as well as a car battery. Short term run it off the internal battery (which are either included in the price or v cheap), and longer term buy a car battery which gives a heftier 'kick' and can e recharged.

We have had horses at home now for 7 years, and the above is the result of our experiences. Hope it helps.

Fiona
 
thanks - the fencing is just for getting them off the post and rail so wouldn't have thought it needed to be that visible? my friend's where Dan used to be had the wire for their stud just to keep the horses off the P&R and it seemed to work fine - they all knew it was electrified and stayed well away.
 
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