Teaching horse a lesson

[bwook5]

Hi all

I would like some opinions on teaching horses about electric fencing please.

I am at a yard where the summer grazing is the short posts with electric tape around the perimeter and occasionally higher fencing between the fields.

My horse has managed to get through to the neighbouring field a couple of times and out the front too as he has run out of grass. YO is fed up with it and told me he has had enough.

We have all tried getting the YO to put more substantial fencing up but he refuses.

As my horse has been out through the fencing YO basically said that in order to stay at the yard I need to teach him a lesson. I am to put him on the hard standing, wet him all over and put some hay near the electric fencing so he gets a huge shock. I said “totally unacceptable”. Am I being unreasonable?

 

[JBM]

Don’t do that
What is the current set up? How is he getting out? Tearing through it?

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

He won't get a huge shock, it will be more like a pinprick but the strategy won't work. It sounds as if the power to the electric fence isn't strong enough. Are you sure that the fence isn't shorting out on anything, nettles, bushes, etc.? Have you tested the fence? How many strands is the fence? Is the fence stretching too far for the energiser?

 

[bwook5]

Don’t do that
What is the current set up? How is he getting out? Tearing through it?

He is nibbling the grass underneath the fence and then (we think) getting a shock on his neck which causes him to shoot through to the other side

 

[bwook5]

Thank

He won't get a huge shock, it will be more like a pinprick but the strategy won't work. It sounds as if the power to the electric fence isn't strong enough. Are you sure that the fence isn't shorting out on anything, nettles, bushes, etc.? Have you tested the fence? How many strands is the fence? Is the fence stretching too far for the energiser?

it is about 4.5 according to YO. You aren’t allowed to test yourself or question anything he says unfortunately though. There is nothing to short it out I don’t think. There are two strands, YO didn’t know which one was on though. I think it’s pure cruelty to attempt to deal with it the way he is suggesting and it really upset me to hear him say that

 

[meleeka]

If the bottom strand is on then it’s unlikely they will just go through it, unless it’s too high, so do check if it’s actually on. I’ve tied a bit of tape to a shetlands forelock so that he can actually feel the zap, but purposely setting them up so they will touch it is cruel. If he’s darting under he’ll do the same whether he’s wet or not I would have thought.

It sounds like you’d be better looking for somewhere with a better YO anyway .

 

[dottylottie]

honestly, i don’t think it’s the cruelest thing in the world to “encourage” them to shock themselves on the fence if it stops them running through it - although you would think they’d learn once they’ve shocked themself once and ran through it!

if you get one of the little testers, it’ll be plenty easy enough to test it without the YO knowing. the hard part will be telling them if it’s not working, without telling them you tested it!

i will add that i’d never drench mine through and then give them no other option to get shocked! before anyone thinks my poor ponies are being abused thankfully mine both respect the fencing lmao

 

[9tails]

The best way to keep a horse in an area is to ensure there is enough to eat. If the horse is going through fencing because there's not enough to eat, add hay. It seems the YO is happy for you to do that, considering he'll condone adding hay to shock the horse and scare the shizzle out of him. Imagine what that'll do for your equine relationship before taking this idiot's advice.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Find a new yard ASAP. Your YO is a complete and utter pillock and doesn't have enough knowledge to run a hamster wheel, never mind a livery yard.

 

[bwook5]

The best way to keep a horse in an area is to ensure there is enough to eat. If the horse is going through fencing because there's not enough to eat, add hay. It seems the YO is happy for you to do that, considering he'll condone adding hay to shock the horse and scare the shizzle out of him. Imagine what that'll do for your equine relationship before taking this idiot's advice.

Hi, he won’t let us put hay in the fields only in the hard standing areas. It’s impossible there as there are rules upon rules and he is always looking to get on to us for something.

 

[HorsesRule2009]

Mine went through a phase of escaping through electric fencing (and thencwouldn't let anyone else catch him) the fencing was run of large lorry batteries regularly changed and recharged, so the YO connected it up to the mains 1 morning and did ramp up the current think poor boy tried and had a large shock, he has been VERY respectful of electric fencing ever since.

This style worked with him purely because he is slightly warey of life, but when escaping he was straight out onto a huge estate so couldn't risk it happening when nobody was around.
He had plenty of grass to eat in his current field

 

[JBM]

He is nibbling the grass underneath the fence and then (we think) getting a shock on his neck which causes him to shoot through to the other side

I had a horse that did this on accident be very careful he was nearly badly injured as the electric fence somehow got stuck on his foot after he ran threw it. If I wasn’t there I imagine he would’ve kept running and injured himself

There’s no way you’re going to keep him in a bare field with no food he’s getting too hungry. Horses will completely run out of food in their system after 4 hours and then they can colic or get ulcers

 

[little_critter]

If the bottom strand is on then it’s unlikely they will just go through it, unless it’s too high, so do check if it’s actually on. I’ve tied a bit of tape to a shetlands forelock so that he can actually feel the zap, but purposely setting them up so they will touch it is cruel. If he’s darting under he’ll do the same whether he’s wet or not I would have thought.

It sounds like you’d be better looking for somewhere with a better YO anyway .

My girl would. She knew that if she took a run at it that the worst she’d get was one shock before she broke the fence and was free to gorge on next doors grass. I had a battery fencer with a high and low setting, she would do this on the high setting.
Mains electric fencing might have stopped her but it wasn’t something the yard had so I’ll never know.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I would be looking to move to be honest. Living on a yard with someone who feels they need to ‘teach a horse a lesson’ would not be for me Im afraid

 

[scats]

Move to a yard with proper fencing.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I would be looking to move!! IF the fence is on you could sew/ attach some electric tape onto a fly rug, on the front buckles and a strip on top of the neck. In all my years with horses I have never seen a horse bolt forwards into the fence after getting shock. Usually backwards or a spin and bugger off.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Hi, he won’t let us put hay in the fields only in the hard standing areas. It’s impossible there as there are rules upon rules and he is always looking to get on to us for something.

Then you need to find a better yard.
It is very easy and quick to test a fence just buy a small hand-held tester.

 

[Prancerpoos]

As a lot of the other posters are saying, you really should try and find another livery yard. One with proper fencing and a humane YO.

 

[smolmaus]

I'm not normally a "Just leave!!" person because its never as easy doing as saying you're going to do it but in this case I would get gone. Nasty attitude on that YO.

 

[9tails]

I don't understand the "no hay in fields" rule - what are horses meant to eat if there's no grass? I'm with the general consensus, this isn't a good environment for horses and it's time to find him a new home.

 

[Lady Jane]

I would get a fence tester and check the fence. If its inadequate you coild talk again to the YO. My horses totally respect the electric fencing, they never intentially touch it even with rugs on and I would be surprised if he shoots forward if he touches the bottom strand. Moving yard sounds like your best option as many others have advised

 

[TPO]

This is a simple and obvious answer of leave.

You don't need hand held testers (at all, you can use a long grass stem), you already know that the fence isn't adequate because the horse is escaping.

You already know that it is not a good yard and isn't meeting the needs of horses.

You already know that the YO isn't great...

You already know that you aren't happy there.

Hooking a fence to the mains isn't going to change that.

Leave and move ASAP to a decent yard

 

[Merry neddy man]

You can buy a tester easily enough and check it while he is not there, ask him to put 3 strands of wire then the bottom one will be lower ALL strands should be live. As TPO says probably time to move. www.*******.co.uk and www.*******.com may help.

 

[honetpot]

I have had many years of electric fence experience, ATM I have 14 acres fenced with it and the paddocks sub divided with tape, and just about anything can be kept in if the voltage is high enough, provided they can not jump it, limbo underneath it or pull out the posts using their teeth. The voltage pulse needs to high enough to give them a good jolt, if they have a thick coat of mane they soon learn that it will insulate them,to a degree.
TBH I think I would try and move yards. The more your horse learns how to get out, the better it will get at it and then it will need a huge zap to respect it. I used to have a pony and the first thing he would do in a new paddock was check all the electric fencing, it seemed more of a challenge than a need for food.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

I don't nornally jump on the 'just leave' bandwagon either. It is not so easy and I have tolerated poor conditions occasionally in view of the challenge of 'just leaving'. But in this case it sounds like you are on the verge of being kicked out anyway if you won't 'teach your horse a lesson' which you are -quite rightly - refusing to do. Not just because it reveals a punitive mindset in your YO which would worry me. But because it won't work! So you have nothing to lose by leaving.

 

[ycbm]

My girl would. She knew that if she took a run at it that the worst she’d get was one shock before she broke the fence and was free to gorge on next doors grass. I had a battery fencer with a high and low setting, she would do this on the high setting.
Mains electric fencing might have stopped her but it wasn’t something the yard had so I’ll never know.

I've been on a thin coated horse on an arena with a mains electric fence around it to stop the horses going on it, giving a full belt. I put the fence "gate" up because the horse had a habit of leaving the arena if he wanted to stop work. He carted me to the "gate", stopped, quite clearly made a decision to take the shock and break the wire, and walked straight through it. You won't cure one who's learnt that kind of trick.
.

 

[paddy555]

do you have a rug and or fly net on?

I have a small pony (who needs grass restriction and who has sweet itch)
It is simply head down, ears back and where her nose goes the rest follows however many strands the fence has. One small belt from the fence for paradise on the other side.

 

[Peglo]

I also would use the long grass test to see if the wires are still intact. I find the electric tapes only definitely last a summer before the metal wires start snapping in places and the current will get cut off.

I think though that it sounds like you might need to start looking for a new yard. There’s no way I would do that to my horse and your YO has no intentions of helping you keep your horse in the paddock in a decent manner.

I feel very lucky all of mine will stay away from the electric fencing unless there’s no electric running through the tape. Then they might try their luck.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I don't understand the "no hay in fields" rule - what are horses meant to eat if there's no grass? I'm with the general consensus, this isn't a good environment for horses and it's time to find him a new home.

Most livery yards don't allow it especially if they are in large herds as it can cause the horses to fight, and you then get some liveries that won't pay for hay or don't want to put it in the field.

And then you get some yard owners that like the fields to look like lawns and it makes a mess

 

[Birker2020]

Hi all

I would like some opinions on teaching horses about electric fencing please.

I am at a yard where the summer grazing is the short posts with electric tape around the perimeter and occasionally higher fencing between the fields.

My horse has managed to get through to the neighbouring field a couple of times and out the front too as he has run out of grass. YO is fed up with it and told me he has had enough.

We have all tried getting the YO to put more substantial fencing up but he refuses.

As my horse has been out through the fencing YO basically said that in order to stay at the yard I need to teach him a lesson. I am to put him on the hard standing, wet him all over and put some hay near the electric fencing so he gets a huge shock. I said “totally unacceptable”. Am I being unreasonable?

There is no need to do that. If he has already caught the fence and received a shock I would periodically pretend I'd zapped myself touching the electric fence I'd just switched off and it reinforce the message. I did that with Lari and his eyes went wide in surprise and concern for me, but it reinforced the message to a degree but one of the staff said they had caught him zapping it at a later date with his tongue twice in a row so not sure it was that affective!

Electric fences when connected to mains can be quite dangerous, my last horse was zapped when I accidently touched the inside of my arm by the elbow (so painful) and it passed down the wet nylon lead rope and onto her headcollar. She actually ended up sitting like a dog on the grass because she was so shocked by it and the physio had to attend to her after.