Fencing ideas for the serial offender

[LHIS]

I have just moved my two horses onto the winter field, but in a bid to restrict their intake and that the field has to last all winter, have sectioned them off into a plot of about 1.5 acres with plenty of grass.
One of them is a pig with fencing, and keeps getting out. I have 3 strands of electrified 40mm tape fencing at 1.5m high at the tallest point, and lowest about 2ft from the ground. It’s run off a 12v battery with energiser.
Clearly it isn’t enough, and I am sick of retrieving this greedy horse from the wrong side of the fence.
Does anyone have any pearls of wisdom for a serial escape artist, or can advise on whether I can use a higher voltage battery to give the little sod a stronger thwack?
In terms of getting out - it varies, he either just runs through it, or commando crawls underneath.

 

[Antw23uk]

Lol sorry I had to laugh at that last bit, I now have this vision of a horse commando crawling under electric fencing, lol I would up the anti and stick on a stronger battery. If he's rugged tie a bit of electric tape to the front of his rug (so it hangs down in front of his chest) so when he touches the fence its more likely to give him a boot!

 

[Polos Mum]

If they have learned that the reward is worth the short term pain it's really difficult to train them out of this !

Is wooden fence posts that don't lift an option?
I'm against using rope not tape - in case they get stuck if they are used to it snapping - but it is much stronger
Does he snap it when he runs through or just posts come out of the ground?

If you can a mains energiser will be stronger and more consistent - mine has a 'pig' setting that is quite a whack - sadly my too clever horse I think listened to it clicking and used to push through between pulses - winter rugs also insulate them from it.

You can get electric fence friendly rugs or run some tape around the front so the pulse gets fro outside the rug to inside !!

 

[LHIS]

He’s not rugged, for maximum effect of the fencing. When he pushes through it the posts just give way, but my other horse bless him doesn’t dare stray and is very respectful of the fence, whether it’s up or not.
Long term I think I will divide the field up with some wooden fencing, but that will be a while off I think having recently had a quote for re-fencing my fields (ouch!).
He’s just a sod and it’s really peeing me off, he’s not an easy horse at the best of times and this is just another thing that annoys me about him! Doesn’t help of course that my other one is angelic in all ways and you can’t help but compare them. I find myself thinking ‘I wish you could be more like M’. Bad horse Mum.

 

[LHIS]

Lol sorry I had to laugh at that last bit, I now have this vision of a horse commando crawling under electric fencing, lol I would up the anti and stick on a stronger battery. If he's rugged tie a bit of electric tape to the front of his rug (so it hangs down in front of his chest) so when he touches the fence its more likely to give him a boot!

Honestly he does! Lol. Front legs out in front of him, pulling him forwards, belly on tv ground, hind legs either out behind him almost like a frog, or at the side, and he shimmies underneath it!

 

[chaps89]

I'd love to see a photo of that! In the meantime how about heras(?) Fencing - the metal fencing used on building sites? I'm not sure how much it costs but I believe you can rent it. Have you tried zig-zagging the tape - Ie rather than run straight lines of tape, move it up and down between the posts (not sure I've explained that very well, sorry)

 

[LHIS]

I'd love to see a photo of that! In the meantime how about heras(?) Fencing - the metal fencing used on building sites? I'm not sure how much it costs but I believe you can rent it. Have you tried zig-zagging the tape - Ie rather than run straight lines of tape, move it up and down between the posts (not sure I've explained that very well, sorry)

Thank you - yes I know what you mean, I’ll try that as no doubt I will be rebuilding the fencing later! My neighbour has just text me, she’s driven past my fields and has reported ‘fat pig is out again’.

 

[JJS]

I have nothing helpful to suggest, but have a sizeable ISH who also crawls under electric fencing, so can definitely sympathise. We now rely on wooden post and rail alone because that's the only thing that will keep him in, but T ended up being the bane of our old YO's life, and I lived to dread the repeated texts at work reporting that he'd swapped fields again!

 

[LaurenBay]

Lol sorry I had to laugh at that last bit, I now have this vision of a horse commando crawling under electric fencing, lol I would up the anti and stick on a stronger battery. If he's rugged tie a bit of electric tape to the front of his rug (so it hangs down in front of his chest) so when he touches the fence its more likely to give him a boot!

this! stronger battery that will pack a punch when he touches it.

 

[Annagain]

Can you run it off the mains?
Failing that, wrap him in tin foil

 

[Hallo2012]

our old boy will roll under too despite being 16.1h.....lowest strand is now about 6 inches off the floor so it gets the soft sensitive nose as he tries to go under it, if its any higher they can put head under sideways then quick shove up with crest (so most of zap hits mane or neck cover) and under they go!

 

[meleeka]

How about a double fence?

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Hook it up to the mains and add in a lower strand. Also, try adding more posts at shorter intervals to help with the tensioning. Pray he doesn't figure out how to use the gate handles to let himself out!

 

[Leo Walker]

a line of 4foot fencing, then about 6 feet behind a line of 5 or even 6foot fencing. Criss cross tape between the too as well as on the fencing. mow the grass underneath the fence so you can get the tape low to the ground without it shorting out. Get a mains energiser and hook it up. Clip his neck and wet it then stand back while he gets the whack of his life. I doubt once will be enough for him to learn. I'd fully expect him to keep doing it everytime he thinks he can get away with it, so dont let your guard down. Treat it like a hostile situation in a war!

Or give up, muzzle them and give them access to the whole field. This will be better for your sanity

 

[ester]

What are people meaning when they say put a stronger battery on? 12V is the most energisers are designed to.

OP have you tested the fence?
you clip his neck, throw a bucket of water over him then walk him into the fence.

However, I do think once they have worked out that it really isn't a physical barrier you won't stop them if they really want to, however big/high/complicated you make it I'm afraid (and those can make it more likely they get tangled up).

Does he push at posts or not?

 

[cobgoblin]

I feel your pain...my last cob would jump anything. When the electric fence was 5' with multiple strands and he still jumped it without any damage to the fence...I gave up. I didn't dare put another fence behind it in case he got tangled and it brought him down badly. So he was put in the stable all day to control his eating.
Funny how they never jump back so that they're not caught....bit of a disconnect there.

 

[DabDab]

I have nothing helpful to suggest, but have a sizeable ISH who also crawls under electric fencing, so can definitely sympathise. We now rely on wooden post and rail alone because that's the only thing that will keep him in, but T ended up being the bane of our old YO's life, and I lived to dread the repeated texts at work reporting that he'd swapped fields again!

I have one that will dismantle post and rail....if I tried to keep her in with only electric on plastic posts she'd run around laughing at me, probably with one of the posts in her mouth, electric trailing behind. My post and rail that doesn't have hedge behind is now reinforced with baling twine on the joints. Horses eh

 

[rowan666]

I'd usually suggest heras (sp?) Security fencing which was the ONLY thing that kept my old shire x in when even mains electric and brick walls couldn't hold him but my daughters 12.2 pony has discovered how to get through it by backing her huge arse into it till it gives then she continues to walk backwards through it so as not to damage her pretty little head! Anybody after a completely fearless, overweight houdini?
No? Didn't think so! Fkn cobs! Never again!

 

[windand rain]

Double fencing 5ft high with 5 or 6 strands on each fence although the old girl has been known to jump a single fence up to 7ft she cant seem to judge the best way to jump both without landing in between and there isnt room to land and take off again

 

[Shoei]

I have inherited a asbo bulldozer who has in her time been known to push over post and rail, squeeze through barb wire and ninja jump through electric fence.

Mains electric that keeps the bull in is the only thing that keeps her in!!!!

 

[LHIS]

Thanks All! Hooking it up to the mains is on my to do list but I am going to have to get an electrician in to do that as the field is about 100m from the stables where I have electricity. Re, trying Heras fencing - I don’t think this would be possible because the field is a hill and I very much doubt the fencing would stand up, it is getting towards steep in places. Re a muzzle - this is something I am going to try - any recommendations please for something they can’t get off? He is also a master of undressing himself and can get out of rugs and headcollars.
For those who asked - no he doesn’t lean on the posts, or at least I haven’t seen him lean on the posts. He patrols the fence line listening to the electricity, then shimmies underneath.
Re. Clipping his neck - will also try this, I am having someone come to take the feathers off my other lad soon so I will see if they can do him, though I fully expect him to be a prat about that so will probably have to sedate him for that.

He’s such hard work! He’s a companion at the moment following hurting his back in a fall (being a prat!). Ridden he’s not easy and having bought another not long ago who is an angel in comparison I do wish he could be more like him. He’s 7 and I was hoping might mellow soon, but no signs yet. He’s got a clever Welsh brain, which probably explains all of the above!

 

[LovesCobs]

I had this issue and the 2 suggestions on here that worked were: double fence, just one strand on the second fence a foot from the main fence. Also I clipped his hair at his withers. He looked like Friar Tuck but it worked

 

[_HP_]

Tension the wire/tape so there is no give in it and use as many posts as you can so the gap between each is small. If there is no give when they push then they'll Stop trying.
I keep two Shetland escape artists in on one strand of wire this way.

 

[crabbymare]

you could try adding another long earth spike about 6ft fron the one you have, and if your energiser does the outside of the field and the dividing part, is it possible to bowewow another higher amp energiser to just power the stretch of fence he is going through? That way you can disconnect the dividing strip from the fence that does the outside of the field, and have a "nice" high amp fence for the sweetheart to try out

 

[SEL]

I feel your pain - my mare pulls up the plastic electric fence posts with her teeth. My other horse (who isn't bright enough to work it out himself) then hops into the long grass once a line of fence is down. I tried wooden 4ft posts, but they just provided slightly longer lasting entertainment.

Then we moved to a yard where the fencing was connected to the mains. Ha! Problem solved!!

 

[rachk89]

Mains electric and really good strong proper fencing, not the electric tape. Sorry I have one of these too, does the same thing, crawls under or through the fencing. Only thing that stops him is really good fencing and mains electric. Electric tape is a joke to him, he just destroys it. He still walks around the field testing the fencing for weaknesses though, but he's yet to get out.

 

[rachk89]

Just saw he gets out of rugs too. Mine does this, he actually gets the other horses to help him too if he can't undo it. Buy rugs with the buckles on the front only. He couldn't get that undone and nor could any of his accomplices.

 

[JillA]

I did the double strand with a strand about half a metre in front of the main one at about 2ft high. Means they can't get away with a quick zap, but a bit of a pain if you are moving it to strip graze. Worked well with mine.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It'll be well worth the hassle of setting up a mains energiser.

These are the Rutland energisers, to give you an idea. The mains ones do have to be housed away from the elements.

You can get insulated lead out cable to run it out to the fence line, and also sturdier under gate cable. We run our gate cable through blue plastic water piping which is buried under the gateway. The lead out cable (not pictured) is cable tied to the side of the field shelter and a wooden fence til it reaches the electric fencing.

Also get a decent digital voltmeter, so you can check everything is working as it should. You need a minimum of 3000v for horses.

 

[cobsarefab]

Anybody after a completely fearless, overweight houdini?
No? Didn't think so! Fkn cobs! Never again!

Ive got one of my own thanks! She'll jump or plié through fences and the only thing that stopped her was 4 strands of electric fencing and her getting a big shock after a bath one day.