More Fencing Help Please

TheresaW

TheresaW

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I posted over the weekend about Mac who lives out breaking out of the field. He has been kept in until fence is repaired. Just had a call that 2 other horses have broken into the field from the daily turnout fields. (Much further along from where Mac has been causing trouble). One idea we have come up with is to run an electric fence around the perimeter of the field to keep them in. However, the field is used by walkers as a cut through (by law I think), so how would we stand legally?
 
Re the electric fencing, I believe (but don't mind being corrected) that if the electric fencing tape & posts is temporary it is allowed accross public footpaths. You would need to put in a gate handle where the tape crosses the footpath and also display yellow electric fence signs every 30m.

I would speak to your Rights of Way dept at the local council - they will also be able to tell you if it is a legal footpath. If it isn't then just put the fencing up with the yellow signs displayed
 
You can still electrify it but by, law walkers etc, must have easy access at all times if it is a registered path. You can either install a gate hook but then run the risk of it being left open unless you plaster it with signs for them; or you could run a tube of alkathene piping over the piece they would normally use which will insulate it for them. If you do that, it needs to be long enough that if necessary they can grab hold of a fencing stake to help with their balance as they climb over. Also, if you do that, you need to be careful that if disabled people use the track, they still have easy access else you could be in trouble. If in doubt, get hold of your council's Right of Way officer and they can advise better. Also, if it isn't a registered path, you could ask them to keep inside the electric fence (between that and field boundary as long as you left enough room that they didn't get zapped!) until they got to their exit. Are you sure it's not walkers weakening the fence as well by climbing over anyway?
 
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