# Setting up Temporary fencing



## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Either keep the fence charger on all the time or get more permanent fencing. Horses know EXACTLY when the fence is charged and when it's not. Getting zapped 2 or 3 times will not keep them from going through the fence when it's not charged. 
As to setting up your charger, follow the instructions that came with it. No shortcuts.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Yep. Ours know immediately whether it's on or not. They will walk right through it once they know it's off. I havent' had much luck with solar chargers. They seem to quit at inopportune times. If you don't have a power outlet nearby, get one that runs off a marine battery and always keep a spare. Otherwise one that plugs into an outlet tends to have more 'shock' to it than a battery or solar charger, and then you know it's on as long as the power is working. All chargers need a grounding rod/wire as well. Follow the directions.


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## Yesterday (Jul 28, 2018)

I found that all that is needed is a LOUD clicking sound. 

As long as they can hear the clicking, there's respect for the fence!


Added:
BTW, for a proper and successful electric fence one of the most crucial items is GOOD GROUNDING RODS. There should be multiple ones, appropriately spaced apart, and deeply embedded into the soil. Out of all of your electric fence components, this may well be the most important part (especially if you live in a dry soil area).


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Yes, as others have said, horses aren't silly & if you're going to rely on electric fencing and your horses have already learned to 'test' it, then you WILL need to keep it on all the time. 

I don't believe this is always necessary. Some horses are... superstitious and after being zapped a couple of times, will not contemplate going through. I have one of those. Many horses will continue to 'respect' electric fences, if they've known it to be on reliably, got in the habit... 

Many horses just don't test fences at all, electric or otherwise - this is irritating to me(cos I get jealous!), who's horses will mostly walk through anything that doesn't physically stop them. Esp when I've kept horses with others who a single rope would do the trick & they get grumpy with my horses for getting out(or in) because their fences are rubbish. My neighbour has a lonely STB(she was dumped on him by a 'friend of a friend') & she spends her whole time at the road fence, pacing it, wanting to talk to my guys over the road. Most of the fence is 3' high at most and some sections are broken & neighbour just has a single rope across. My buckskin(never buy a yellow horse - they're Houdinis!) had got out a few times & I've found him over in her paddock, but as desperate as she seems to be with my guys, she doesn't touch the fence. He borrowed my pony, as company for her. He did fix those parts of the fence that looked problematic, but he still couldn't keep my pony in. Every time my guy got out & came home to his other mates, she went ballistic. But still never contemplated the fences.

I had a pony once who would stand with her nose only a few mm away from the electric, wait for it to zap, then bolt under it, knowing full well she had 3 seconds 'grace' between zaps. I've had horses who wouldn't 'respect' a weak, battery powered fence & needed 'cow strength'... Right now, this plurry yellow fella is doing my head in - I have a track setup & all internal fences are electric(wouldn't rely on elec only for boundaries). At any time any section of the (mains power) electric is shorting so weaker, or if it's off, he goes straight through, wherever he likes. Then most of his mates, who don't otherwise do so, follow him! But he's also clever enough to have worked out the '3 second rule' & I've seen him standing, PLAYING with the electric fence between zaps, until he manages to short it, then he walks through! I wish there were a way to shorten the length of time between zaps! Hoping the drizzle stops so I can go put them back where they should be & fix the latest short!


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

^ We had neighbors with a donkey who did the same thing. The ended up string two strands of electric--- the top one off one charger, the lower strand off another charger. It took some tweaking to not get inteference between the two, but that way Mr. Houdini couldn't time the zaps and shimmy through the fence in between!


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

If you put your electric box far enough away that your horses can't hear it- your horses will always respect the fence. My electric fence box is at the barn- with the fence stretched across the field to the horse paddocks. The horses in their paddocks cannot hear the "popping" of the box, and think the fence is "always on". Even when it is not. 

But if your fence wire has broken wires, sometimes those will pop or where the fencing has been spliced together. So keep that in mind. I like to check my fencing at night in the dark. You can see the sparks where you have a broken wire- or where wires are touching something.

I tend to be the one to shock myself on the fences more than the horses. You would think I would have learned better by now!


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

And of course it depends on the horse. My 2 younger geldings know where to get out and how to get out and WILL get out. My older gelding couldn't care less and my mares never test the fence line. I could string their fence up with bailing twine and they would stay in. The boys on the other hand - there is NO tricking them.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

I have a plug in fencer that shocks through wet weeds so doesn't short out. My one horse knows when fencer isn't on and will go through it. Other horse goes through it when on...he thinks he starving to death.

Had a solar fencer horse's had no respect for fence..wasn't hot enough. Spent more time chasing down loose horse's. Battery operated fencers same deal not hot enough so horse's walk right through fence.

My palomino horse won't stay behind the electric fence that keeps him in barn yard. Must have figured out timing between zaps. Every morning he's out on pasture and hot fence is down.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

@4horses I wish it were that easy! I have a longish, thinnish 10 acre property, the box being near my house(& in a brick shed), at closest probably 60m from the fence & the furthest section of fence is probably something like 1km away. Them hearing the box is not necessary. Animals sense electricity a lot better than us, and they only have to sense the 'clicks' going through the fence.

@rambo99 what sort of fence unit have you got that it works even when shorted?? I want one of those!


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I agree with others who say it's best to leave it on 24/7. I am a huge fan of good fences! Far too many horses escaping because of bad fencing which is a big risk for everyone involved, including the driver and their family who might hit them on the road. 

I know it's a steep learning curve. I got horses on my property three years ago and did all the fencing myself (hubby didn't even help) so it can be done! You just need to take some time to read all about it and do it properly. I have not heard good things about solar powered chargers so I personally would not rely on one. I also am not a fan of the plastic step-ins (too easy to rip out, and too short), but for ponies, they might be ok as long as you have a big charge running through the wire! I ran three wires with the top one being eye-level (which for me, is just short of 5 ft). Top and bottom are hot, middle is the ground wire. I pounded a ground rod 6 feet into the ground!!! Oh yes, that was hard. But if you do it right the first time, you won't have to keep fixing it. We put cedar posts in about 2-3 feet in the ground, but were able to space them out pretty generously over flat areas. It was done in the course of about two days for about 4 acres of pasture. 

I think you should set up a plug-in charger and run at least two wires. Keep it on at all times or they will test it, especially now that they've successfully run through it. You've just taught them not to be afraid of an electric fence so you will need to be doubly vigilant.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Step-in posts are really only suitable for the weeniest of horses and areas with no wind, or for cross-fencing. We have step-ins right now across part of the pasture to keep the horses off of it until it can be hayed, but the perimeter fence is permanent fencing. Step-ins tend to blow over and fall over if a horse or deer bumps it, or if it goes around a curve, or around a corner. Another option is to do permanent posts every 24 feet or so, and use two step-ins between, then replace those with permanent posts as time and money allows. 



I've also used step-ins for temporary enclosures when horse camping or at multi-day shows, but the horses were only out in them when we were around and we checked them throughout the night. My escape artist mare was tied overnight so she didn't mess with the fence and let out her buddies...


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

@loosie here's the fencer i got doesn't short out even when fence is down,had a stretch that was down from tree falling on it. Tester lights were lighting up as normal,only fencer that keeps my yellow horse behind hot wire. Set him back real fast when he thought he was going through it today,literally sat him on his butt. He won't get within 2 feet of it now. If left unplugged he knows it and he goes through it he's gone through it a few times last week or so...i forgot to plug it in.

I use T post for the hot fence makes a sturdier fence.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

i would just run a hard wire perimeter fence then use the polywire for interior lines. then just unplug the fencer in the barn move the posts & polywire, tie the polywire back to the main hard wire and plug it back in


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

^or if you include cut off switches like I have, don't need to turn the whole thing off(& let Houdini out!) When moving/changing bits, but just switch off the bits you're working on.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Premier1 is a good site to read about what horses need in the way of electric fencing. They know what they are talking about. I buy from them -- horse, chicken, sheep, and goat fencing, and have never been disappointed.


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