pen turnout at long last! electric fence advice needed…

[dottylottie]

i rang the vets today to speak to them about pen turnout and ask what size i can put her out in - im not putting her through the strict box rest anymore because it’s torture for both of us, and quite frankly with the way she’s taking it if she has to be kept in much longer she’s going to do far worse damage than she would kept in.

so, she’s allowed out in a 20x20 pen, presumably this is feet? i assumed as much until someone asked feet or metres lol, but waiting for a call to tell me how long for so will cross that bridge then!

now for the daft question…how the heck do i set up electric fencing?! i keep seeing extra little bits i can add, but i’ve no idea what any of them do! google confused me more. any places to get it cheap and soon would be appreciated too!

 

[Love]

Assume you are going to need to start from scratch? So posts (plastic if you want it temporary, wooden are more sturdy but obviously need bashing in and are not temporary) tape, a battery (unless you want it on mains?) and an energiser. Oh and gate handles! I actually use a Gallagher solar energiser which is fantastic - no battery to have to lug home and charge. You can get a fair amount of bits on eBay for a good price - not sure how fast they would get to you. I have collected all my stuff over various years from various sources. My local tack shops sell most bits but are pricey

 

[Love]

deleted - someone managed to post the same reply twice!

 

[dottylottie]

Assume you are going to need to start from scratch? So posts (plastic if you want it temporary, wooden are more sturdy but obviously need bashing in and are not temporary) tape, a battery (unless you want it on mains?) and an energiser. Oh and gate hooks! I actually use a Gallagher solar energiser which is fantastic - no battery to have to lug home and charge. You can get a fair amount of bits on eBay for a good price - not sure how fast they would get to you. I have collected all my stuff over various years from various sources. My local tack shops sell most bits but are pricey

thankyou, the field has 2 gates on because it’s previously been split into 2, so i’m going to set the pen up using one of the gates and the fence line on that side - i take it i need the little screw in things to put into the wood posts to make it actually electrified? obviously the fence itself is secure, but i’ll need one for the gate post - figured it’ll be more secure than sticking a plastic post next to it!

 

[Lady Jane]

I would check if feet or metres. I am with you on more damage on box rest than letting them out in an enclosed space

 

[Love]

Yes sounds right! There are a few different ones you can get. I like these ones to use with tape - they have little clips that you secure down to keep the tape from blowing out: (def shop around for prices, just using as an example)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doblit-Electric-Fence-Screw-Insulators/dp/B08K3M69YG/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?adgrpid=122511761692&hvadid=593711089849&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1007256&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15609952488426881477&hvtargid=kwd-366935240157&hydadcr=15479_2277393&keywords=electric+fence+clips&qid=1683237239&sr=8-9

Also make sure your tape doesn’t touch the wood directly anywhere as it will earth it

 

[Jellymoon]

Get the little screw in things so you can use whatever wooden posts you can, and plastic posts if you need them. Buy an energiser and a battery. I use the 12v leisure battery and appropriate energiser to go with that. You also need a metal stake for the earth bit - you push it into the ground, and attach the green crocodile clip. Then the black and red crocodile clips go on the + - bits on the battery.

It’s easier than you think!

 

[Barton Bounty]

If it was myself, I would keep the pen away from the gate a bit. Id use the electric fence posts to make a pen and a little gate on the front of it. I usually have my posts 3ft apart for a small pen. Two lines of electric fencing should be enough I would only electrify if she doesn’t respect fencing.

 

[dottylottie]

If it was myself, I would keep the pen away from the gate a bit. Id use the electric fence posts to make a pen and a little gate on the front of it. I usually have my posts 3ft apart for a small pen. Two lines of electric fencing should be enough I would only electrify if she doesn’t respect fencing.

oh how come? i was going to use the posts for the fence/gate for some of the edges to make it more secure! she’s very respectful of fencing, but diva has never seen electric fencing, and the pen is in her and her pals field! not worried about lily getting out, but a bit worried about diva getting in im going to do an outside perimeter anyway so we don’t have any kicks through the fence, so i’ll see how they get on before i spend all my money on making it zappy lol - she’ll have to be supervised at first anyway. i think after the first 2 minutes of her tail being over her back and her trotting round she’ll just put her head down and eat, fingers crossed anyway

 

[Barton Bounty]

oh how come? i was going to use the posts for the fence/gate for some of the edges to make it more secure! she’s very respectful of fencing, but diva has never seen electric fencing, and the pen is in her and her pals field! not worried about lily getting out, but a bit worried about diva getting in im going to do an outside perimeter anyway so we don’t have any kicks through the fence, so i’ll see how they get on before i spend all my money on making it zappy lol - she’ll have to be supervised at first anyway. i think after the first 2 minutes of her tail being over her back and her trotting round she’ll just put her head down and eat, fingers crossed anyway

I just like to keep away from the gate just personal preference lol, especially if the pen is within a field for easy of taking any out. She will be ecstatic to get out lol

 

[Alibear]

If you keep it away from the existing fence, it means you can move the pen around within the field to get fresh grass to keep her chilled out.

 

[dottylottie]

I just like to keep away from the gate just personal preference lol, especially if the pen is within a field for easy of taking any out. She will be ecstatic to get out lol

ah i’m following - this field has 2 gates on, purely for the purpose of splitting it, so it seems safer to do that for now so i can get her out quickly if i need to without having to take her through the field with the others! will need to put a gate on it eventually so i can move it around to give her more grass haha

 

[dottylottie]

If you keep it away from the existing fence, it means you can move the pen around within the field to get fresh grass to keep her chilled out.

definitely going to move it around so she doesn’t end up on mud! just for the first few days i think the easiest access route is probably safest for both of us lol - her new little sister is 4 and i don’t want to get trampled if lily’s antics are contagious (i think diva has more sense than that, but you never know lol)

 

[Pinkvboots]

I would always make sure it has a good zap to it they can get in all sorts of trouble if not, my Louis will literally destroy electric fencing if it's not on he has even been known to run through it even when it's on so maybe I am extra cautious about it which is why I connect mine to the main electric supply.

I would ask the yard if this is possible you won't need a battery then so easier to set up.

 

[Barton Bounty]

ah i’m following - this field has 2 gates on, purely for the purpose of splitting it, so it seems safer to do that for now so i can get her out quickly if i need to without having to take her through the field with the others! will need to put a gate on it eventually so i can move it around to give her more grass haha

Ahh ok that’s different then lol, yeah hopefully she will be nice and calm

 

[Gloi]

You need to make sure your unit is well earthed, with the earthing rod well into damp soil. If she's never been used to electric fencing don't leave her until you know she's been zapped and respects it.

 

[dottylottie]

You need to make sure your unit is well earthed, with the earthing rod well into damp soil. If she's never been used to electric fencing don't leave her until you know she's been zapped and respects it.

she was turned out in electric fence with her previous owner, so thankfully she definitely knows she’ll get zapped - wether or not she remembers is another matter!

ive gotten her a big tub version of her little garlic lick, and i’m going to give her her breakfast when i put her out too - hopefully it’ll distract her from too much “woo hoo i’m free”! she’s been rearing in the stable though and dancing round like a numpty when i’m walking her, so even if i carried on with the box rest she’s not exactly healing. before all of this, i’ve never seen her do more than trot turned out with the occasional buck and fart, so fingers crossed it doesn’t take her too long to calm down!

it’s breaking my heart to see her so stressed and anxious, at this point i just want her to be able to be a horse - i don’t care how long it is until i can ride her again, if it all.

 

[Gloi]

she was turned out in electric fence with her previous owner, so thankfully she definitely knows she’ll get zapped - wether or not she remembers is another matter!

ive gotten her a big tub version of her little garlic lick, and i’m going to give her her breakfast when i put her out too - hopefully it’ll distract her from too much “woo hoo i’m free”! she’s been rearing in the stable though and dancing round like a numpty when i’m walking her, so even if i carried on with the box rest she’s not exactly healing. before all of this, i’ve never seen her do more than trot turned out with the occasional buck and fart, so fingers crossed it doesn’t take her too long to calm down!

it’s breaking my heart to see her so stressed and anxious, at this point i just want her to be able to be a horse - i don’t care how long it is until i can ride her again, if it all.

I bet she'll be really happy just to get to eat some grass!

 

[dottylottie]

I bet she'll be really happy just to get to eat some grass!

definitely bless her! i’ve been trying to let her hand graze on the last bit of the walk back to her stable, but it just results in me being carted off to the grass first thing the next day

 

[supagran]

Make sure you get the very tall electric fence posts not the short ones is you have to buy posts- otherwise you might find your horse jumps out.

 

[dottylottie]

Make sure you get the very tall electric fence posts not the short ones is you have to buy posts- otherwise you might find your horse jumps out.

this was definitely a consideration haha, i’ve gone for 1.4 metres over the 90cm ones, i don’t think she’d jump out but i think she’ll have more respect for the taller ones in general! i’ll be gobsmacked if she goes over 140cm, she won’t even jump a cross pole

 

[suestowford]

If you are attaching any of it to a wooden fence you will need something non-conducting for an attachment. You can buy insulators and screw them in but I usually just use some baler string as that's all plastic, and easy to move if you need to.
Someone upthread mentioned Gallagher units - I had a Gallagher energiser (mains) that's only just given up the ghost this week. It has been in constant use for nearly 20 years so their products certainly last.