Most of us dream of beautiful post and rail fencing around our paddocks. For various reasons this is not always possible, so knowing about energisers and electric fences for horses is a must.
Energisers and electric fences go hand in hand with owning and caring for horses. Electric fences can be permanent, or temporary to allow strip grazing, or sectioning off a paddock for multiple reasons. Knowing how to choose and set up your electric fencing, and which is the best energiser for your circumstances can help avoid costly mistakes.
With so many energisers of different amps, prices, inputs, and outputs, buying a suitable energiser is full of pitfalls. Read on to help you know exactly what you need for your field and set-up.
Why Use An Electric Fence For Horses
There are many reasons that you may need to use an electric fence on your property, even if you already have wooden fences separating your paddocks:
- Strip grazing – If your grazing is too lush for your horse, or your horse is prone to eating more than is healthy for them, then you may decide to strip graze your paddock. Using a moveable electric fence makes keeping them where they’re supposed to be far easier. Without the electric the grass is very often greener on the other side!
- New horse – Introducing a new horse is always a stressful time, both for you and the horse. Keeping the new horse apart from the established horse/s using a removable electric fence, but still in close proximity for a few days can make everything go more smoothly
- Rubbing – Some horses are itchy, especially when moulting. Others have conditions such as sweet-itch. Rubbing against a wooden fence is extremely satisfying for the horse, but can damage the fencing which can be costly, especially if needing regular replacement. More importantly it can lead to cuts and abrasions on your horse which can impact on their quality of life and ultimately land you with vet bills and an unhappy horse. Either a strand of electric tape along the top of the existing fence, or a whole new electric fence will remove the temptation.
- Cribbing/windsucking – Vices are difficult to manage. In this instance, cribbing and windsucking can be greatly reduced by using a strand of electric fencing along the top rail which will dissuade the horse from going near.
- Chewing – Some horses develop the habit, or taste, for chewing wood. If you’ve checked that they are receiving all the necessary vitamins and minerals, then using an electric fence will help save them from future dental problems.
- Maintenance – If you need to top, harrow, weed-spray, or in any other way maintain your paddock but don’t have anywhere else to put your horses, then using a temporary electric fence can be an absolute life-saver.
- Illness – Horses that are recovering from illness and need to rest can be kept in a small area with an electric fence. Some horses don’t do well on box rest, so being able to give them a small area can be beneficial during their recuperation. As they’re recovering you can always extend the electric fenced area as appropriate until they’re ready to go back out into a full paddock.
- Escapees – Some horses are the Houdini’s of the horse world. They can escape from whichever paddock you put them in as if by magic. With an electric fence you have the ability to easily make if taller, wider, or even both, so that your horse stays where you think it ought.
Wooden Or Plastic Posts For Electric Fencing
The choice of whether to use wooden, plastic, or metal posts, is entirely up to you. There are however positives and negatives to all.
- Wooden – Pros – Sturdier and longer lasting that plastic if the wood is treated. Arguably more appealing to the eye.
- Cons – You need to be certain about where you’re placing them as once they’re in they’re more difficult to move. This means that they’re not appropriate for strip grazing or very temporary enclosures. They’re more expensive than plastic.
- Plastic – Pros – Cheap and widely available. Can be bought in short or tall versions. Great to use for temporary enclosure, or strip grazing where the fence line is to be moved frequently. If you change your mind about the shape of your paddock, or design of your track, moving them is a simple and easy task. Great if you have a horse that like to jump or barge through fencing as you can easily make them taller, or place two or even three rows of fencing to deter jumping out.
- Cons – Horses can realise that they’re easy to snap and break through. They also perish in the sun, becoming brittle. If you live in an area with clay soil, then the metal spike can sometimes remain in the ground when you try to move them and be difficult to remove without back-breaking digging. Plastic posts can bend under pressure and even under strong winds.
- Metal – Pros – More solid than plastic, but easier than wooden posts to move and change paddock design. They don’t bend or go brittle like plastic posts, and the sliders can be adjusted to suit the height of any animal.
- Cons – They are expensive to buy, and often the plastic spacers are sold separately which just adds to the cost. Like plastic, some would argue that they don’t look as appealing as wood.
Ultimately, your preference and budget will play a big role in the choice you make. If your horse is a good doer, and respectful of electric fencing then plastic posts that are easy to move for strip-grazing are probably sufficient. If you’re looking for a permanent solution, then wooden posts along a track system could be the best option if you don’t like the look of plastic posts.
Tape Or Rope For Electric Fencing
Deciding upon electric fence rope or tape is a hotly disputed topic. I’ve listed the pros and cons of each below to help you make the right choice for you and your horse.
- Tape Benefits
- Tape comes in a variety of colours
- Variable widths available
- Brands for all budgets
- More visible
- Lower breaking point so less likely to cause injury
- Tape Disadvantages
- Can sag with age, especially in the wind
- Less durable than rope
- Rope Benefits
- Strong and durable
- Less likely to sag with age and wind
- Higher breaking point
- Rope Disadvantages
- It’s higher breaking point can be dangerous to animals, especially if breakers are not used
- Less visible to the eye
Another option is to electrify a single wire. This is normally used on top of a post and mesh fence as it has limited visibility on it’s own.
Source 1
The best tape will have multiple strands of electric wire running through it. This will give the greatest ‘zing’ to your horse. Therefore buying the tape with the most wire running through will be the most expensive option initially, but will probably save you money in the longer term.
Connecting Tape – knotting your tape is not recommended, using a metal connector will result in a far better transfer of electric along your fence:
Whichever you choose, break points are always advisable just in case your horse breaks through for whatever reason. These are simply clips that connect tape or rope. Designed to break under pressure rather than getting wrapped around your horse which could cause panic and injury.
Regular maintenance and tightening/tensioning is recommended regardless of the type you choose.
Relatively new to the market is a fence that looks very similar to post and rail, but with the advantage that the top rail can be electrified. Visually appealing, and by all accounts very durable, it does come at a premium price.
How To Build Electric Fence For Horses
Read on to see a bullet point list outlining electric fencing for horses instructions:
- Decide where you want to electrify and whether it is to be static or moveable – remember gateways!
- Measure the longest area that you’ll need so you know how much tape or rope to buy.
- Choose electric fence posts for horses; wooden or plastic, or decide on a combination of both.
- Electric fence post spacing for horses. Up to 5m is normal, but you may want to reduce this if your horse is smaller, or has a history of being disrespectful of electric fencing.
- Choose how to electrify a fence; mains or battery.
- Decide how to wire an electric fence, whether it be with tape or rope.
- Buy your supplies.
- Place your posts securely along your chosen fence line.
- Screw in your chosen fence insulators and fasten tape/rope
- Add handles
- Attach energiser and earth (and battery if required), connecting an electric fence clip positive red to the tape or rope you want to be energised.
- Turn on fence and use fence checker all the way around to make sure that the whole fence is suitably electrified.
Electric Fence Energiser For Horses
Choosing between mains and battery energisers will narrow down your search. Most of the time the choice will be out of your hands as your yard will either have mains electricity or not.
Using a battery can be more hard work than mains, but it has the advantage of being portable, so easy to move between paddocks relatively simply.
There are so many horse electric fence energisers that the choice can be rather overwhelming. Therefore I’ve put below the things I think are the most important things to look for. I’ve erred towards battery energisers as mains versions tend to be more simple and powerful. It’s reliability and output in battery horse fence energisers that make the difference to your horse staying where you put him…..
Best Electric Fence Energiser For Horses
- energiser for horse electric fencing checklist
- Output – Get the highest output you can – at least 3 Joules
- Power – Look for one that has an indicator to show when your battery is running low
- Earth – Many energisers don’t come with an earth pole included – check before purchase
- Length of cables – Check the distance between where you intend to put the energiser and how far the cable needs to be to reach the fence. Remember when siting your energiser, you don’t want to be traipsing half way across a muddy field. If budget allows, some of the more expensive energisers actually have remote controls!
The most important thing in my mind is the output. There are many energisers on the market which have an output so low you may as well simply tickle your horse and hope that he stays in… Choosing an energiser that packs a punch the first time will both stop your horse escaping, and save you money in the long run as you won’t have to buy twice. The two energisers shown above are in my opinion two of the best on the market.
Battery For Electric Fencing Horses
You can use most batteries to power your electric fence. Leisure batteries will last longer than car batteries as they are designed to withstand frequent discharge and recharge cycles.
Choosing a battery that can also be charged by solar in the field is a very good idea. This can often mean that you don’t have to lug an extremely heavy battery all the way home and back several times a year. Make sure that the solar panel you choose is of sufficient power to charge your battery and has in-build protection to avoid the battery discharging through it, or too much power being sent through to the battery.
Solar Electric Fencing For Horses
There are several energisers on the market that use solar as their only power supply. These are brilliant to pick up and move easily around fields and temporary areas. However, in my opinion, they don’t give out a sufficient kick to be relied upon as a permanent measure. Using a free-standing solar panel though may mean you never have to worry about topping up your battery. I think this one has meant I’ve only charged the battery once in 5 years.
Electrifying Inside Track Line
When I started out building a track for Fatty I only electrified the perimeter fence. Unfortunately it didn’t take Fatty long to realise that she was on the diet side of the fence, and the yummy grass was on the other side.
I first linked the exterior and interior fences by tying tape across. However, this meant that there were dead-ends on the track which meant restricting movement and not allowing a natural ‘foraging’ approach that I intended. As the track idea is there to promote movement this was not a long term fix.
I tried a simple method of putting electric tape through a water pipe and burying underground. This actually worked well, although keeping the rain out of the tube was a challenge.
Therefore I decided to do things properly and use a lead-out wire through the trench in a blue water pipe and add connector clips to move the electricity from the outside track to multiple inside paddocks. It has worked amazingly well and Fatty now has access to the whole track without needing to turn round and back-track. It also keeps SFB safer as she can’t trap him in a dead end and bully him.
Conclusion
With so many available options you should be able to find a fencing, or combination of fencing that works for your set-up and horse. Wooden posts will give strength, whilst plastic posts will give flexibility. Choosing the right energiser that gives enough of a punch is the main issue with electric fencing not working as desired, so always go with the highest Joule output you can afford. The ones with lower Joules are not that much less in cost, so it’s worth buying right the first time. Using solar to top up your leisure battery will also pay dividends over the lifetime of your battery. Remember to keep on top of maintenance to prolong the lifetime of your fence-line.
