Virtual Electric Fencing

[WrongLeg]

Does anyone have experience of using virtual electric fencing with ponies or horses?

 

[WrongLeg]

Obviously there are welfare concerns if the animals don’t work out how to avoid a shock.
Cattle learn how to avoid getting a shock quickly: this would be a great way to get a Highland Ponies off the rich spring grass and onto the unfenced heather moorland.

https://community.rspb.org.uk/place...le-blog/posts/nofence-invisible-fencing-trial

 

[KittenInTheTree]

And then one or other of the ponies somehow manages to get their jaw stuck through their companion's collar, panics, pulls back, and dies horribly from the resultant injury.

 

[Widgeon]

And then one or other of the ponies somehow manages to get their jaw stuck through their companion's collar, panics, pulls back, and dies horribly from the resultant injury.

But surely this is one of those things where horse will always find a way to horribly injure themselves? I agree that sounds awful and I'm sorry if you had to deal with that, but horses can find a way to catastrophically injure themselves in a fully bedded stable. Obviously we should try to avoid additional risk where possible but I'm not sure that one awful incident is a good reason to write off an idea for ever and always.

 

[lizziebell]

A friend of ours had the dog version and one on their dogs quickly worked out it could run through the “invisible” fence and once far enough the other side the collar stops “shocking”. So short term shock for the reward of getting to the other side and the excitement of what lay beyond. I can image those horses who already push through normal electric fences would work this out too.

 

[Widgeon]

I can image those horses who already push through normal electric fences would work this out too.

Yes I was thinking the same!

 

[WrongLeg]

I agree, I don’t think it would work for strip grazing, when the grass is greener on the other side, especially if you are moving the boundary.

But maybe it would work for keeping ponies on 5000 acres of moorland/ hill grazing.

I think testing the boundary and barging straight through it would probably be my wee mare’s response if the grass was greener on the other side - but maybe not if there was just more bog and heather, and she has to walk ten miles down a glen to get back to the yard.