Setting up electric fencing

[Grumpy Jewel]

Hi, a friend and i have just managed to secure a perfect 5 acre field. We want to divide it so theres a summer 1/2 and a winter 1/2. Having always had post rail fencing which has been maintained by yard owners i am a bit out of my depth with what we need, so am appealing for help, tips and advice please.

 

[CPayne]

Hi, exciting to have a nice big field. I have set up a lot of electric fencing over the years of various types depending on what we needed. For more permanent style fencing, which it sounds as though yours is planned to be, I would use wooden stakes with plastic insulators and some good quality tape or wooden posts interspersed with tall plastic posts. You will need to buy or borrow a post knocker, I think they're about £60 to buy new for reasonable diameter posts and are incredibly useful if you ever need to fence any temporary areas, strip graze etc as you can just pop a wooden post in at each end/corner to keep the whole thing sturdy with tall plastic post in between. You will also need some gate handles, an earthing spike and an energiser of some description. Assuming that you don't have mains electric you can get solar ones or leisure battery powered, which you usually have to buy separately. I have always had the latter as the solar are more expensive and I'm on my third due to the previous ones being stolen, a consideration if you're next to a footpath or road. You just need to ensure that it is powerful enough for the length you need to electrify and that you keep plants away from it as the battery will drain quickly if the plants are earthing it. I would recommend buying good quality new tape assuming this is a long term arrangement, as the wires in the tape to break over time, reducing the effectiveness of the tape at carrying the electricity. You can get green and white tape, I've had both and the horses have been able to see both fine. I think that the green looks nicer personally but that's your choice. I would also recommend the little plastic clips for re-closing food bags etc that you can buy at the pound store as they are useful for clipping the little bits of tape at the ends back. All of this has been used to keep in two reasonable size warmbloods for about 12 years now but I do know people with ponies and lighter horses who have manger to get away with less, shorter posts etc, however I have also seen cobs go through my set up as though it wasn't even on! So will depend a little on your horses I'm afraid. Good luck with your set up, I remember renting our first big field and it was very exciting, hope it all goes well.

 

[Grumpy Jewel]

Thank you for that great reply. Fingers crossed it will be a long term rent. There is 6 foot stock fencing on 2 sides, and post and rail on the other 2, although most of the p&r is covered by rhododendrons. We plan to run a line down the middle to create 2 halves, then possibly half again to start then increase as needed. Theres a 14.2 and a 13 ish in there so lots of space. We have had a nose at some starter packs as we have about 30 4 foot plastic posts but could do with some more plus the extra bits. I really appreciate your reply thanks x

 

[mandwhy]

Definitely look at solar energisers or a solar panel to connect to the existing one, they work really well. Basically you need an energiser, a leisure or car battery and some tape or I also like the twine.

Wooden posts is better, looks smarter and tends to be higher for naughty ponies but plastic ones give more flexibility. It depends if you wanted to do strip grazing etc or just divide it into paddocks. I wouldn't bother with short posts anymore. I have naughty ponies!

Make sure your fence is a simple circuit e.g run it straight along the top rungs and back along the bottom and join again. Make sure long grass etc isnt touching the fence too much and leeching the charge out.

We have our 4 acre paddock split into 3 crossways with a corridor up the side to where the water is, and we have a sort of corale area for tacking up etc.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

mandwhy Quote "Make sure your fence is a simple circuit e.g run it straight along the top rungs and back along the bottom and join again." Actually you don't need for the tape to join again, that isn't how the circuit is made with electric fencing.

Below is a link to Rutland Electric Fence site. it should tell you everything you need to know. There are many different companies making energisers so you don't need to buy Rutland but their site is informative.

http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/PageFencingSemiPermanent.aspx

There are good sellers on ebay for electric fencing so have a look there. Good Luck