Horse with no respect for electric fencing - any cure

[luie123]

Hi, My horse has no respect for electric fencing and tends to run through it. This is worse in winter when he has a rug on. Does any one have any suggestions as to what to do. Is there some kind of super charge battery I can by and give him a proper shock!? I think that the little click just isnt enough to frighten him.
Thanks!

 

[*hic*]

Take him over to stay with someone who has a mains unit. They can deliver much more of a sting. Then hope and pray that your horse will assume you have upgraded your fencing accordingly. One of my cobs is well aware that if he's at home with us the fencing needs respect - but out on the field he just walks straight through it.

The other thing you could do is to pen him up in a small pen with the minimum amount of fencing in it - then when he gets a shock he will get as strong a shock as the unit is capable of. Again he will hopefully think that all fencing is as nasty as this.

Also get a tester to check that yours is working strongly enough. If you have too much fencing tape on it then it will give a reduced shock, or if it's earthing somewhere that will reduce the belt.

 

[jumpthemoon]

Are you using a normal transformer and leisure/car battery or do you have one of the little shrike things? I used to have a shrike and even though it is meant to be as powerful as the leisure battery, I found that the horses didn't respect it at all. Also, using as short a length of fence as possible will really help as will making sure its not earthing anywhere along the way. Makes a big difference. If non of that works I'd get a mains unit if you can...

 

[luie123]

Its using a leisure battery, but I think he has learnt that its not always on. I dont think I can mains because of the distance from the yard.
I might try putting him a small paddock and shocking him. Its just worrying that he thinks he can do what he wants and get out

 

[darksecret99]

If you tip a bucket of water on the ground where you stick your fencers earth spike in, that should help boost the power of your fencer by improving the earthing....

A loop of electric fencing that runs round the chest straps and inside the front of his rug may help too...

Or try the fencing at different heights - having a strand at nose height might put him off running through!

 

[druid]

Upgrade to mains! Mine won't cross the wire lying on the gorund now never mind touching the fence!

A loop of tape around his rug straps which touches his chest can be effetcive too

 

[luie123]

I could do with an electric fencing covered rug! Do you think its possible to teach them to respect it, or is it a case of once they think they can do it they will? Also would thicker tape help, because at the moment he runs and the thin tape snaps....

 

[luie123]

How do you upgrade to mains? What is the accociated costs. I'm on a livery yard so its not really up to me

 

[druid]

Our mains unit was €125 but it paid for itself in the time we would have needed to do 3 battery changes. It can run up to 25km of fencing too

 

[luie123]

May sound like a silly question, but can you expain it. You plug it into a socket, and then how do you gett he charge to the fence? Do you know how much electric they use as well?

 

[najat]

Would wider tape help? My boy respects the wider tape then the narrower tape for some reason.

It does sound like mains electricity may help give him a stronger zap!

 

[SpruceRI]

Clip his chest and neck out so he feels the shock better. Wet the front of him and his rug when you first put him out, if he then touches the fence he'll create sparks!

Buy a fence tester. They're about £10. You test it all round the length of the fence. Electric tape/rope needs to be 4000v + for the horse to get a good enough shock.

I use electric rope as I find that gives a stronger pulse than the tape.

Mains electricity is better than battery as you get the same strength pulse all the time the unit is on, whereas batteries generally fade and need to be recharged, but you've got to be fairly near a plug otherwise you've got to have wire trailing on the ground for miles.

My Shettie used to walk through my fence because either the pulse was too weak or I didn't have it on enough! I've just bought a leisure battery, earth stake and tester. He touched the rope with a wet nose the other day. It created a spark as he got zapped - poor little boy. But he hasn't bulldozed into it since!!