help! electric fence problem!!!

[LuandLu24]

Hello, My yearling filly keeps barging through the electric fencing, she's had at least 20 shocks off it and just isn't afraid! The problem is that she gets out and gets tangled, luckily she does not panic but just untangles herself or just waits for help. I have had shocks off the fence and it is quite powerful so I don't know why she does it. There are also 5 other horses in with her so when she barges through the fence the other people's horses (who I share the yard with) get out too! But my worst fear is that shes gonna seriously injure herself which would break my heart. Its a nightmare! Has anyone had this problem? How did you solve it? If I can't solve it I will have to move yards which would be a shame. Thanks in advance!

 

[Holzdweaver]

Hows the fencing set out? how many strands? does it have wooden posts or supports on the corners and tensioned? I had a pony who would just walk over any electric tape if it looked loose or sagged anywhere, but after i offered to take over the fence maintence totally (it was a new yard and they hated fencing lol) tensioned it, and sorted out where it was touching everywhere and wrapped round posts (sigh), it gave a much better kick, i once touched it with my back ducking under it and i thought id been kicked by a horse!! she soon respected it and kept away from it. id check its not earthing on anything and hook it up to a mains energizer if you can rather than battery.

 

[be positive]

I think youngsters and electric fencing, if it is used as the dividing fence rather than as an extra precaution to keep them away from the main fence, should be avoided she just doesn't understand that it is a barrier to keep her in, at her age she is inquisitive and spends time exploring her environment, if she can see others or what appears to be a more interesting place to be that is her focus, a flimsy fence that bites her is not enough of a deterrent. As she gets older she will probably become more settled and have respect.
I would look for somewhere to turn her away with other youngsters in a more suitable field and introduce her to electric fencing later once she has grown up a little, ideally where it is backed up by proper fencing and less inviting to walk through. Otherwise you need to get the current fence to look much more solid, use several rows and the higher stakes so she cannot get her head over the top, put the power on high and make sure it is really working, take her up to it in hand, a wet day will give more of a shock, let her touch it and whatever you do do not tell her to relax or praise her if she just takes the shock, someone else to make a loud bang as she touches it may help her connect the shock with the fence and start to treat it as a barrier.
Whatever you do with her it needs to be sorted before she gets seriously injured or causes another one to be injured when they get out, a fence trasher is a nuisance, I have several that need inventive methods to keep them in at times, I move mine around until I find where they are best suited and have some fields that do not get divided by temporary fencing for this reason and certainly would not keep a yearling at livery if I could not accommodate it safely.

 

[Dry Rot]

My foals learn about electric fencing from day one. They get no special treatment, get a shock, and don't go near it again. Maybe Highlands are super intelligent? I don't know. These are foals running with their mothers from birth until weaning at 5 - 6 months.

I'd suggest a livery ought to have a training paddock. That will be a paddock with permanent electric steel wire fences which can have a lot of power put through them. The wire needs to have old white electric tape cable tied to it to make it visible. The shock should be supplied from a mains or at least powerful energiser. Plenty of information on the main electric fence supplier's pages.

If people had this sort of set up, they would not have trouble with horses breaking through temporary fencing. My fences are often turned off for maintenance but the ponies (13 on 30 acres) still respect them.

 

[_HP_]

Whatever type of electric fencing you use, it has to be tensioned properly or those that want to, will get through.
Make sure you use plenty of posts and that you have a fixed point at each end/corner. I use a wooden post for this.
Most horses that escape electric fenced paddocks with either step over or flip it over their backs but neither of these can be done if the wire is well tensioned.
I have 2 Shetlands at home behind one strand of electric at chest height, on a bald track with knee deep grass on the other side, with no problems. I have the same with my cob in another field....one strand, chest height, well tensioned....him on a track and hay waiting to be cut on the other side.

 

[_HP_]

HAve they got enough to eat/occupy themselves ..especially a youngster. Or is she getting bullied?

 

[LuandLu24]

HAve they got enough to eat/occupy themselves ..especially a youngster. Or is she getting bullied?

Yes, she has two buckets of feed a day and there's plenty of grass on the field and when she comes in a night she gets a huge haynet. No she's not being bullied, all the horses love her if anything and protect her from danger, I just don't understand why she does it. PS our electric fencing is on plastic posts with two strands on the electric fence going across.

 

[Dry Rot]

Have you tested the tape along its entire length? White tape does not last forever. Due to moving in the wind, the steel conductors become metal fatigued and break.

_HP_ is right. Electric fencing needs to be properly tensioned. Permanent stock fencing is meant to be a solid barrier. But not electric fencing. Electric fencing should give a little so it remains firmly in contact with the animal long enough to give a good shock.

 

[StormyMoments]

What height is the fencing? Even my fence wrecker wont go through 3 strands of correctly tensioned electric fencing on 5 ft posts. I wouldn't expect 2 strands on 3ft posts to keep him in at all. Most of the time I don't even have the electric on as they don't bother testing it anymore.

 

[LuandLu24]

What height is the fencing? Even my fence wrecker wont go through 3 strands of correctly tensioned electric fencing on 5 ft posts. I wouldn't expect 2 strands on 3ft posts to keep him in at all. Most of the time I don't even have the electric on as they don't bother testing it anymore.

Yeah mine is on the 5ft posts too but she's just not scared of it. When I first got her and she first did it I put a feed bucket on the other side of the fence so she put her head though and got a big shock but she still doesn't care, I think I will have to move yards

 

[Fides]

Have you taught her what to do when she gets a shock? It could be that she doesn't realise that she is supposed to back away from it. When introducing youngsters to electric fence it's always a good idea to back them into it so they get a back on their bum and rush forwards away from it. Once you have one that will go through it you are a bit stuck - they learns it hurts so just rush through it harder the next time.

The way I got round it was to get a mains energiser, 7000v on the mains, 3 strand thick tape and a couple of buckets of water poured over the earth for maximum effect. Reversed boy into it and he got a major clout! Never went near it again. Once they have been through a battery one it can be hard as sometimes the belt is just an inconvenience.

If you don't have access to the mains, you could try making a small area to maximise the punch you get from what you have.

Eta - they do grow out of it, eventually...

 

[windand rain]

Where I am pleased to hear they grow out of it can you please tell me when mine is 5 now and still does it if the grass is longer the other side. Sometimes even if its not if she fancies being out. The best way to stop mine was a proper cattle fence with electric from the main energiser running through plain wire on insulator on wooden posts with strainers at every corner she has had a few cracks off it and has respect now for that and in fact seems to be accepting the tape better now. I won't keep her anywhere without a solid ring fence of post and rail or stock fencing though as I know she will go adventuring if there is just tape or rope not too worried although I get annoyed about her getting out into our rested land but don't want her out onto the road