With the continual advancement in fencing technology during the
last ten years electric fences now come in forms well suited for
horse properties. Modern electric fencing is the choice of a growing
number of horse owners, who find that many of the old opinions
that electric fencing is painful, unsafe, expensive, unreliable
and difficult to maintain no longer hold true.
Electric fences offer a barrier that horses respect, and the newer
materials and erecting techniques that are lighter in construction
and designed to flex and have a “rubber band” effect.
This ability to yield under pressure is less likely to injure
an escape artiste. Security is, of course, the foremost concern
in any fencing decision. But what exactly constitutes a secure
fence can become a complicated question. In some ways, horses
are among the easiest animals to keep secure: They are domesticated
and if they have all the food, water, shelter and friends they
want, most horses are unlikely to try to leave their familiar
surroundings. On the other hand, horses do pose a special challenge
if it is determined to escape. Short of a 3 metre concrete wall,
not much will hold in a 500 kilogram animal. You are after all
simply fencing in the desire, the stronger the desire to escape
- the more robust the barrier needs to be.
Touch an electric fence once and you'll know why it works; it's
not very painful -- about the equivalent of a sharp slap -- but
you'll remember the sensation, and you won't want to repeat it
anytime soon. Horses, too, learn quickly that they don't want
to bump, push through, rub against or chew on electric fences.
The energizer is designed to send out a high voltage (about 6000volts),
low amperage (about 100 milliamps) electrical charge for a very
limited time (about 1/300th. of a second.) every second. Compare
this with two other scenarios.
1/. Static Electricity when you touch a door, about 20000 volts
at 5 milliamps for 1/1000th. of a second, unpleasant but not lasting.
2/. Mains Electricity. 220volts at 13 Amps and constant, unpleasant
and regularly causes death.
This sting (similar to a "thwack" from a riding crop)
is what creates a psychological barrier within the horses' brain
and it is this that fences him in – not the construction
of the fence. A fence with a voltage as low as 2000v is able to
create an impression with a horse but this low voltage has other
problems. Horses' hooves and hair are insulators so 2000v will
be insufficient to bridge the insulated gap (particularly if they
are on dry ground). A more viable fence should run at 6000 volts
to be effective. Never a truer word may be spoken than “A
wimpy energizer gives you a wimpy fence. “ This higher voltage
will also help when the horse has a blanket (a very good insulator)
but a second line aimed at the horse’s knees will be as
effective. Utilizing bait on the line will also work.
Mud Fever is a perennial issue with horses in the winter months.
It is caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus congolensis found in
mud. Although deep mud is not a pre-requisite cause of the condition,
it does exacerbate the problem. Electric Fencing for horses is
great in preventing areas becoming poached by sectioning off the
grazing area and rotating that allowed to the horses. This then
allows the rest to recover. Gateways are a particular problem
as horses congregate at this point and pound up the mud. New gateways
may be created at will a few metres away so eliminating this issue
Animals are the intended targets of electric fences, but anything
else that comes in contact with both fence and ground will also
complete the circuit. Very small items, such as blades of grass,
allow a small amount of power to travel from the fence to the
ground rods, but not enough to drain the entire system. (It's
like a series of small holes in the fire hose, allowing some of
the water to dribble away, weakening the pressure in the hose.)
A short circuit occurs when an object, such as wire wrapped around
a tree, reroutes all of the power from the fence to the ground
system. Beyond the tree limb, the charge left in the fence is
reduced to zero.
There are a wide range of conductors available in the form of
standard wire, poly twine, tape or rope. The first consideration
should always be the conductivity. This is quoted in Ohms/meter.
The lower this figure is the better and should be linked to the
price of the material.
To illustrate this; an energiser capable of charging a fence 9
klm long with a conductor of 0.15 Ohms/meter will only be able
to charge a fence 1.5klm long when using a 10 Ohm/meter conductor.
The physical format of
the conductor you select is up to personal preference. There is
quantifiable research material available showing that horses see
different materials just as well as if not better than humans
and that visibility of the material is not as important as many
assume. In my experience horses are fenced in by plain wire just
as well as tape. Barbed wire should not be used with electricity.
Paul Savoy has been
involved in Electric fencing for 30+ years in Africa and recently
in the UK
For more information, see
Agrisellex Electric Fencing Supply
