Houdini Pony & Electric Fencing

Fiona_C

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 August 2005
Messages
1,930
Location
Around here somewhere
Visit site
I'm sick to the back teeth of our pony houdini'ing his way out of the fields
mad.gif
just moved them both last weekend into a different field as they had eaten all the grass in the other one, plus wiz kept disappearing over/under/through the electric fencing without feeling the belt (I got one and didn't half shout
blush.gif
)

Anyway, got to the yard tonight and went to unlock the gate, pulled the gate back to be confronted with wiz making his way up the bank to me looking mightily pleased with himself, bud in the meantime had stayed in his field and was going absolutely doolally with stress
frown.gif


Herded wiz back up to the field, turned off the electric fencing so that I could go and repair his latest demolition course, caught the little sod and stuck him back in the field. Bud by this time started to calm down upon seeing his friend back on the right side of the fence.

How the hell can I stop him from doing this houdini act?
I have put the fencing up a rung, put it down a rung all in the act of trying to prevent him, and once he learns how to do it, he does it constantly
mad.gif


Short of backing him up into the electric fence so that he gets a belt from it (waits to be slated) I'm quickly running out of ideas.
frown.gif


Then to top it all off, hubby has been a complete tw@t towards me all night, winding me up and i've got really bad PMT
frown.gif
 
I have a shetland pony and when he gets his full winter coat, he doesn't feel the electric fence, so if he feels like sneaking under it, he will. His mane is also so thick it insulates his neck from getting a shock. He tends to test the fence with his whiskers. The TB is horrified and won't ever touch the fence.

I have found if I have two strands of fence, the top is tape and the lower is electric twine it deters him, he will slip under one strand, but won't risk pushing against two.
 
We had to resort to elec netting with our little sh*tland! Still got out on 1 or 2 ocassions over the past year but thats nothing compared to before when 4 strands of elec tape weren't stopping him. Yes I would give him a good belt with the fence too - its being cruel to be kind!
 
Should have added, it has 2 rungs of electrified tape on it, 1 around his knee level and the top one which would probably come up below his head
mad.gif
Just wish i could catch him in the act of doing it to see exactly how he does it
confused.gif


Think it will be a case of backing him into and wait for him to get a good zap
frown.gif


Wish I could sell the damn thing asap
grin.gif
I love my tb, but am rapidly starting to dislike the pony
crazy.gif
 
I have this problem with my mare, she'll even stand on it and it will be ticking away but she doesn't seem to care! She's jumped quite large hedges and everything to get out, touching lots of wood she's not done it in a few weeks but had a spell of getting her back from my next door neighbour quite often! MY gelding i sold this was quite clever too. I had a connector going from top row to bottom so both were electrified and i got there one day and it had been unclipped from the top one, top row was snapped and bottom was all intact, it was as if he'd done it himself and stepped over the live row!! Very naughty! lol
 
My companion does this. We have two rows of tape, one at knee and one at chest with stock wire along the top. I put an inner cordon of electric about 1/2 ft inside the fence with a tape just a little lower than knee level. It worked for a while until she worked out how to weave through. She puts her head under and just shoves. I think the speed at which she does it means she will only get a quick zap - and the thought of grass is worth it! We are hoping to move soon an when we do its going to have to be post and rail with an electric rope to discourage bum rubbing!.
 
Well got to the yard tonight to see both boys stood at the gate, so far so good I thought!! Not for bloody long it wasn't
mad.gif
went and swept up (YO had farrier out and left a mess in my stable), made up tea's, went round and here is wiz stood my side of the fence
frown.gif
electric fencing down everywhere, tb going "oh my god its going to eat me and snorting" pony doing the whole if you don't feed me now I'm going to kick you expression on his face
mad.gif


Once again, put it all back together, fed bud and spent the next 20 mins keeping wiz away, was very petty and wouldn't let him have his token feed, really really didn't feel he deserved it.

Am I wrong to admit defeat? I need to get rid of wiz, I am not enjoying owning him, I dread going up the yard daily as I know there will be a new demolition course to sort out.

Please if anyone can help me, I'd gratefully receive it. Pony has been up for sale for 2 months with no interest.
 
Top