Electric pasture fencing is a quick, inexpensive way to contain horses and to make existing fences safer and longer lasting. A mild shock of the electric pasture fence provides an effective deterrent to keep horses from chewing on, rubbing against, or pushing through pasture fencing.
Auxiliary "Hot" Set-ups
As an auxiliary pasture fence, an electric barrier works well with most other types of fencing. A visible pasture fence helps your horse define his boundaries. An electric wire or tape added along the top or to the side makes it much more foolproof.
The "hot" wire or tape will help prevent over-the-fence battles, as well as discourage horses from reaching through or jumping over the pasture fence. It will also save a lot of wear and tear, reducing maintenance costs. This is especially true when horses are confined in small areas or sharing a fence line with horses in adjacent pastures.
If the existing fence is metal (metal posts, mesh wire, or some other type of wire), make sure the auxiliary hot wire is far enough away from it to avoid a short circuit. Electricity flows along a path of least resistance. Any chance it gets, electricity will go into the ground. This happens whenever the wire touches a metal object or something wet, such as tall grass or bushes after a rain.
When you or your horse touch the fence, you provide the temporary route to the ground, creating the short circuit and getting a shock. As long as the fence wire is insulated (not able to touch a metal post, for instance), with no detour to the ground, the electrical pulse will continue to the end of the wire.
Horses and Hot Wires
- Adding electric wires to fence lines will help horses respect their boundaries.
- Electric fencing works psychologically, not physically, so don't use it as the sole fence next to a highway or as a property line.
- Choose the type of electric wire that suits your climate and the amount of horse traffic.
- To prevent injury, be sure that the wire is visible and that it will break if hit hard enough.
- Educate your horse about a new electric fence in a controlled setting.
Electrified Primary Fencing
Electric fence can also function as a primary fence, but you should understand its limitations. Yes, electric fence can be used by itself to cross-fence a pasture, enclose temporary turnout areas, or even enclose pastures. However, if your electric fence is to be used as the primary fence, it must be as much of an actual physical barrier as a psychological barrier.
Many electric fencing systems do not provide a true and effective physical barrier. Rather, they are designed to be merely a psychological deterrent.
Most electric fences won't stop a determined horse or one that's being chased and trying to find a way out. Most electric fencing will break or stretch if a horse hits it at full speed or tries to jump it. Moreover, plastic tapes that don't break can be a hazard if a horse paws it or gets a loop of it around a leg.
Electric fencing is therefore not completely dependable as a boundary fence. You should not use it as the sole fence between your pasture and a busy highway, or as a property line between neighbors.
Fence Components
Wire: Traditional electric fence wire comes in a small diameter, conducts electricity well, but is also hard to see. It is long-lasting, but breaks more easily than larger diameter, stiffer, high-tensile wire. Small-diameter wire is safer in some instances, however, because it's better to have the horse break through it in the event of a tangle than risk more significant injury.
The larger the wire, the more electricity it will carry. If your fence will cover several miles, 12.5-gauge smooth wire is better than a smaller-diameter wire.
Black, polyethylene-coated wire is thick and elastic, and it is less apt to injure a horse. The wire coating is infused with carbon, which conducts electricity to the outer surface. Polyester-covered wire has a soft, braided fabric cover over copper wire and is flexible enough to bend if a horse runs into it. It resists expanding and contracting with temperature changes, which may be an advantage in colder climates.
Polymer-conductive coated galvanized-steel wire (which usually comes with an outside diameter of three-sixteenths inch) is safer and more durable than traditional wire. Tin, copper and aluminum wire will oxidize over time, inhibiting current, becoming brittle, and breaking more easily. Stainless-steel wire lasts the longest since it resists corrosion, but it is also less conductive, making it less suitable for large acreages. Turbo wire (developed by Gallagher) combines high performance with longevity by mixing strands of several metals.
