Worst day ever. I hate horses. I hate horse people.

What about looking at deer fencing and then tie rags on the bit he jumps out at so he can really see it and how big it is so he doesn't try to jump the 7-8' high fence - otherwise hugs
 
I am seriously pondering hobbling him...I feel terrible, but he crossed a road. If he was hit by a car, it's not just him in danger...

I will have a look around for a good battery. I don't want to hurt him, but honestly, I would punch him in the face if I thought it would help get it into his thick skull that it's so dangerous :(
 
Also, fence is about 7ft at the moment, with 2 layers of wire mesh and one layer of plastic mesh. It's attached with metal posts.
The fence he broke through was a layer of plastic mesh and wooden posts. He had snapped them like matchsticks! I hope that the metal holds him, but knowing him, he'll find SOME way around it :(
 
When he gets his first good zap just think "Right you blighter, that's just about as bad as I felt when I got here and found you gone - serve you right". He's a clever lad, he's not likely to risk a second one. And it is designed as a deterrent, not an instrument of torture:)
 
You could get cow hobbles in an agri shop tomorrow. Would it stop him trying tho :-/

I don't know about horses but with rescue dogs we always told the new owner to take the dog out for four short walks on its first day because the going in and coming back triggered something in their brain that this is now home and familiar.
 
FfionWinnie said:
You could get cow hobbles in an agri shop tomorrow. Would it stop him trying tho :-/

I don't know about horses but with rescue dogs we always told the new owner to take the dog out for four short walks on its first day because the going in and coming back triggered something in their brain that this is now home and familiar.
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That's a good idea actually, if I could get someone to walk Cookie with me, we could take them out for a few walks over the weekend. Worth a try! I will honestly try anything, bar tethering. Purely because of him being deathly afraid of rope on the ground.
 
jemima*askin said:
When he gets his first good zap just think "Right you blighter, that's just about as bad as I felt when I got here and found you gone - serve you right". He's a clever lad, he's not likely to risk a second one. And it is designed as a deterrent, not an instrument of torture:)
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Spray him with the hose before you put him out with the fence on. If he's wet he'll get more of a clout!

Cruel to be kind and all that
 
What about tethering? (Correctly, not like we see on DD) ;) Is he in the field on his own with the shettie? Could that be an option?
I don't know much about ned, only read a few of your threads, so this is a suggestion, but whether he would be suitable to be tethered I don't know? :)
Hope you get it sorted though!
 
TheTrotter. said:
What about tethering? (Correctly, not like we see on DD) ;) Is he in the field on his own with the shettie? Could that be an option?
I don't know much about ned, only read a few of your threads, so this is a suggestion, but whether he would be suitable to be tethered I don't know? :)
Hope you get it sorted though!
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I think tethering is about the only thing I wouldn't try, he's deathly afraid of ropes on the ground and it's one of the only things that sends him into a blind panic :( If he was ok with it, I think I'd be off to buy stuff to tether now XD
 
If he doesn't like rope on the ground couldn't you just lie some rope on the ground near where he is getting out?

You don't have to go far, literally two minutes out and back its the fact they start to recognise it as home that's the key.
 
Chan said:
I think tethering is about the only thing I wouldn't try, he's deathly afraid of ropes on the ground and it's one of the only things that sends him into a blind panic :( If he was ok with it, I think I'd be off to buy stuff to tether now XD
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Ohh. I see, then maybe FW's advice above would work? :) x
 
FfionWinnie said:
If he doesn't like rope on the ground couldn't you just lie some rope on the ground near where he is getting out?

You don't have to go far, literally two minutes out and back its the fact they start to recognise it as home that's the key.
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I wonder if I could buy something that would twitch the rope every now and then. He's ok with rope eventually so long as it doesn't move, but as soon as it even wiggles a bit, he's off!
 
I know how you feel, we have been away for two weeks and on Monday I had a phone call from my parents who had come to check on my animals and they told me one of the minis was missing and the other two were calling and distressed. My parents looked everywhere and walked all the farm land around our fields thinking she had pushed her way through the fencing. No luck. I contacted my MIL who is more used to handling the horses and she arrived at our house to help with the pony hunt. They eventually found her in the fields across a river from mine in with a herd of sect A's. My MIL hadn't taken a headcollar with her in her rush to start hunting and the only thing she could think of using was her bra!!! She then had to lead my pony down the road back to our fields with a bra, wish I had seen that.:biggrin3:
 
Chan said:
I wonder if I could buy something that would twitch the rope every now and then. He's ok with rope eventually so long as it doesn't move, but as soon as it even wiggles a bit, he's off!
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If you purposefully scared him a few times when you were there it would keep the suspicion of it up, ie hold the end and if he approaches it just move it a bit. First thing is to keep him in, you can worry about fixing the rope on the ground phobia you may have made worse, some other time.
 
I have got a dartmoor mare that lost her worry of fencing and just ran through it. i put up "pony prison " which was a triple taped area about 10 by 10 (she is only 11hh) with high posts and put a strong charger on and fresh battery. She must have got quite a belt the first time and after that was much more respectful. I hted doing it and left her in there for about 4 days, only taking her out for a leg stretch once a day. She had plenty of hay and water and now she is as good as gold with electric and easy to keep in.
Neighbours were going to sneak over and let her out because they thought I was cruel but it taught her a lesson and stopped her getting out and having laminitis so job done . Good luck
 
Take it he has got lots of food? Not running out?

Id be giving him some rescue rememedy for a few weeks to help him adjust. Another cheap option is to cable tie short electric fence posts to the posts in the ground and run a piece of tape around the top! Stopped my friends showjumper popping out for a stroll lol

I second the electric - and you must make sure you get very conductive tape/ rope ie it must have lots of metal strands in it not the budget crap. You need a BIG earth stake and wet the area you stick it in.
 
I can't envisage what the plastic mesh would look like but wanted to say if you do go the electric route it is best done properly depending on type if fencing/total length etc. it's not that cheap but equally not that bad if it works ! Feel free to ask for advice on here re a suitable set up (especially as you don't want cookie + balls getting out either!)
 
DabDab said:
Oh poor you - your horse really is a twit isn't he. You need the kind of perimeter fencing they used in Jurassic Park :p
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Ditto this ^ Jurassic Park style fencing all the way!

Can't believe the naughty boy did it again, he's like a bloody homing pigeon! Hope you can get this sorted ASAP, must be a total nightmare for you- good luck! :)
 
Would you be able to get some Heras panels to put across the gate/area where he is escaping? They are the metal panels builders use to secure a building site. You may be able to attach one to the gate securely enough to keep him in.

Good luck.
 
Agree with jemima*askin. If you get an energiser, get a good one. I bought a cheap one and then spent a fortune on posts and tape because my mare kept charging through them. Since I switched to a Hotline Buzzard which packs a punch she's not gone near the fence.
 
If you can't tether to a ground stake what about tethering overhead? I remember Papafrita posting some pictures of horses in Argentina tethered to a sort of washing line between two trees overhead. It gave them plenty of movement and reduced the risk of entanglement.
 
jemima*askin said:
Chan, if the fences and hedge are secure and it's only the gate area get yourself a battery energiser that really packs a punch, they are not cheap I'm afraid but you need him to get the message that it's really not nice getting zapped. Make a pen on the inside of the gate and then around the edge of the pen run three further lines of fencing about six feet apart. Get the tall posts, and 20mm tape. It's unlikely he will try to jump the first fence as he can see that the way is not clear after that. If he tries to barge he needs (I was going to say "you want" but I know that you don't want) him to get a big belt that really makes him think twice about it.You might find that penning him in a small area with a high fence is a good way to start so that he learns quickly that the fence bites hard. I know you won't want him to be hurt but you can't cope with him continually escaping.

The pen on the inside of the gate also means that the gate are won't get poached in the winter and gives you chance to unload "stuff" without horsey assistance.

Finally, remember that if you do end up attaching posts with electric tape to the top of the fence to make an eight foot barrier you will need warning signs wherever the public could come into contact with it.

Not sugar-coated I'm afraid, just practical

edited to add: don't waste your money on a little energiser with torch batteries, you need a serious jobby that uses a proper leisure battery. Leisure batteries are designed to be drained then recharged, don't listen to suggestions of using car batteries which are cheaper but intended to be constantly trickle charged.
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This^^ Slumdog used to walk through the fencing (he only got his hour a week turn out before I had him so he had no respect for it) and my old YO put a nice big energiser on the fencing, took his rug off and let him get a belt off it. He never walked through the fencing again! Not nice, but better than breaking a leg in the fence or being hit by a car. Plus they learn quick that it hurts so after the first good zap they're unlikely to do it again.
 
You have my sympathy. My horses have been called all sorts this week! The mare is a ****** once she realises she can get out and will just hop over the fence, which then upsets the gelding, who will trash the place. Electric is the only option I'm afraid. We just have a car battery set up, and it is enough, in fact I'm sure she doesn't even touch the fence, she just knows it's on. The problem was that all the horses were quite happy with new grass, so the electric wasn't attached (not my decision)
 
I can really feel for you, I had a Irish sports horse that never stayed where he was put, he once shot off over 5 ft hedge onto a bridle path following a woman on a cob heading for the village!!! Nothing I did then kept him in, he was often confined to stable with grill on door for being naughty and jumping out. YO was not happy!! I couldn't rest for worry about leaving him in field, then a mates hubby got me some tall 8 ft lightweight posts, we spent a week attaching them to all the low spots, onto gate post( with hinges on one side) at low bits of hedge, then we attached heavy duty close mesh green wire, like tennis court wire, but it was safe. Also above the gate that Mede the gate 8 ft high !! It didn't look pretty but it worked. He was frustrated for a week or so, and we watched him trot up to the gate as if he was going to jump out, but he never did. He wasn't on his own either. It gave me peace, then I sold the sod!!!! We now have a field suitable for a jumper outer !!
I do hope you find similar solution, but it was not a cheep fix. Cost me nearly 500 , we also did elec tape at gateway 6 ft away from gate. With a powerful zap on it. I know from experience that it worked!!!!
 
I realise you don't want to hurt him, but put it into perspective. One electric zap, or getting smashed up by a car? Equally the cost of a decent electric fencer verses the cost of vet bills if he's in an accident? It doesn't sound like there's any other option. Shame your old YM is being such a moo
 
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