# Electric Fencing questions



## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Hello guys, new to the forum and I am wanting to get a horse by next year summer at the latest. I want to start working on my property in next coming months and first doing a stable then working on the pasture. I saw some white tape electric fence and they have the 1/2 inch one and the 1 and 1/2 inch. I have to double check as to the cost and footage of each but was wondering if I could possibly use the 1/2 inch and just use maybe 2 strands? 

Once again I have to see how much is on the roll and the cost. I do know that the pasture for the horse is going to be about 150 ft long by about 75 ft wide. The stable is going to be about 10 x 16 and the fencing around the stable about 20 ft by 10. I might put electric tape along the extension to the stable but as for the front portion of the extension, most likely wood. 


Thanks in advance for your feedback.


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## Lenuccia (Oct 3, 2009)

Hi there, 
I have a pasture with electric fence made of the tape that you are mentioning. I have two strands, and my horses have never escaped (in 5 years). I would advice you to choose the smallest tape as the wider one tends to catch the wind a lot and also, if you live in an area with snowy winters, it can carry a surprising amount of snow!
Best of luck withe the work - and the horse!


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Lenuccia said:


> Hi there,
> I have a pasture with electric fence made of the tape that you are mentioning. I have two strands, and my horses have never escaped (in 5 years). I would advice you to choose the smallest tape as the wider one tends to catch the wind a lot and also, if you live in an area with snowy winters, it can carry a surprising amount of snow!
> Best of luck withe the work - and the horse!


thanks. it seems like the smaller one would be more susceptible to the wind lol? But I was thinking of using the smaller one anyway. Can you possibly post pics for me if you get time? 

If you want I can pm you my email? Let me know. 

Thanks, 
charles


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_You could put the top strand as the white tape and use regular wire fencing as the second strand. We've never had a problem with horses escaping. Make sure when you are putting up the fence that you use insulators....otherwise you will be potentially be grounding the fence and not making it work._

_Some places also run a bit of the wire across the top of a wooden fence so that the horses wont chew on it._


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

We did two strands of the wide tape. We think it is more visible. But we made 3 different spots to tighten if needed. We were going to do the top strand wide and two strands thin under. But it worked out with two wide strands. I guess we will find out how this all will pan out when we go thru our winter but we are new to fencing. At least electric. I added a pic but not sure if you can see much.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

mbender said:


> We did two strands of the wide tape. We think it is more visible. But we made 3 different spots to tighten if needed. We were going to do the top strand wide and two strands thin under. But it worked out with two wide strands. I guess we will find out how this all will pan out when we go thru our winter but we are new to fencing. At least electric. I added a pic but not sure if you can see much.


Looks good and thanks for the reply and pics. Thanks to all who replied


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## Maxify (Oct 18, 2010)

I use Centaur HTP Fencing (4 Strand) over 7 acres. It doesn't get any better. "0" maintenance in 4 years after the original tightening the first summer. It's truly amazing stuff.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have an area about the size you are wanting to enclose fenced with the 1 1/2 inch wide tape and I only use 1 strand of it. I have yet to have any of my horses even attempt to get out through it. It does catch more wind than the thinner ones but the basic rule of thumb is that the wider the tape, the closer you need to put your posts. Mine are around 10-12 feet apart. If you are likely going to have your posts 20 to 25 feet apart, you might look at electric rope fencing.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

smrobs said:


> If you are likely going to have your posts 20 to 25 feet apart, you might look at electric rope fencing.


I was skeptical at first, but I've really come to like the electric rope fencing. It's easy to put up, not expensive, and you can put the posts pretty far apart. 5+ years without any escapes.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

smrobs said:


> I have an area about the size you are wanting to enclose fenced with the 1 1/2 inch wide tape and I only use 1 strand of it. I have yet to have any of my horses even attempt to get out through it. It does catch more wind than the thinner ones but the basic rule of thumb is that the wider the tape, the closer you need to put your posts. Mine are around 10-12 feet apart. If you are likely going to have your posts 20 to 25 feet apart, you might look at electric rope fencing.


how close will they get to the fence? I ask cause if say u was showing someone the horses and wanted to bring the horse up close to the fence and let the person pet him, I was wondering if the horse would put its head over the tape?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Mine will come close enough to the fence where you can reach over and pet their head but the only one that will actually put his head over the fence is my Percheron.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

PaintHorseMares said:


> I was skeptical at first, but I've really come to like the electric rope fencing. It's easy to put up, not expensive, and you can put the posts pretty far apart. 5+ years without any escapes.


how far spart does it call for and how far apart do you have yours?

and how many strands? 

I might just do one but I guess the 2 strands just look more attractive lol


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

nyg052003 said:


> how far spart does it call for and how far apart do you have yours?
> 
> and how many strands?
> 
> I might just do one but I guess the 2 strands just look more attractive lol


We went 25 feet, but if you have flat land you're supposed to be able to go 50 feet without a problem. Also, we went with 2 strands only because a friend of ours had young horses that liked to roll near their fence and would actually wind up rolling under one strand (sigh).


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

PaintHorseMares said:


> We went 25 feet, but if you have flat land you're supposed to be able to go 50 feet without a problem. Also, we went with 2 strands only because a friend of ours had young horses that liked to roll near their fence and would actually wind up rolling under one strand (sigh).


do u have the electrobraid? I heard their's is supposed to be put at 50 ft apart. 

I saw some in the tractor supply place the other day, not electrobraid but a nice thick rope kind and it was 656 ft for about 39-49 bucks.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

nyg052003 said:


> do u have the electrobraid? I heard their's is supposed to be put at 50 ft apart.
> 
> I saw some in the tractor supply place the other day, not electrobraid but a nice thick rope kind and it was 656 ft for about 39-49 bucks.


We have 'generic electrobraid' from tractor supply, probably the same/similar to what you saw since that sounds about roughly the right price from what I remember.

How far you go really depends on the terrain and weather. As you said, they you are supposed to go 50' on flat land if snow/wind/etc is not a problem. We have some slightly rolling areas and to be honest, 50' seemed a long way to go, but it may just be me being conservative, more used to wire fencing, and not liking to seach for escapees ;-)


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I am going to go against the grain here. Since you have not bought your horse yet and you do not know what type of horse you will have, I suggest you make a more sturdy fence than one strand of tape.
This fits into the category of 'just because it worked does not mean it is what you should do'.

I would recommend three strands of electric. I think of what is offered, tape is probably the safest. 

You need one strand low enough to prevent those horses that like to reach under from just scooting under the fence. You need one strand high enough to discourage the thought that jumping out is an easy option. Then one strand in the middle to fill the large void.

If you are going to go with wire, coated wire, or electric rope be sure to install them properly. Improperly installed they can be very dangerous.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

PaintHorseMares said:


> We have 'generic electrobraid' from tractor supply, probably the same/similar to what you saw since that sounds about roughly the right price from what I remember.
> 
> How far you go really depends on the terrain and weather. As you said, they you are supposed to go 50' on flat land if snow/wind/etc is not a problem. We have some slightly rolling areas and to be honest, 50' seemed a long way to go, but it may just be me being conservative, more used to wire fencing, and not liking to seach for escapees ;-)


So about 3 ft high for one strand should be fine right?


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> I am going to go against the grain here. Since you have not bought your horse yet and you do not know what type of horse you will have, I suggest you make a more sturdy fence than one strand of tape.
> This fits into the category of 'just because it worked does not mean it is what you should do'.
> 
> I would recommend three strands of electric. I think of what is offered, tape is probably the safest.
> ...


I am going to keep him in the stall area for about a week to get him used to the area, then train him to the pasture so I was thinking 1 strand should suffice. I am going to look for a not too old horse, something nice and calm too.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Good luck with that.........

I tried one strand once in my life (many years ago).

Thankfully I had really nice neighbors who brought my horses back several mornings in a row when they got out and went for a walk during the night.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Good luck with that.........
> 
> I tried one strand once in my life (many years ago).
> 
> Thankfully I had really nice neighbors who brought my horses back several mornings in a row when they got out and went for a walk during the night.


Lol. Did they go under or over it? One of my friends I saw his setup the other day and he has one strand of the 2 inch tape and said only time his horses got out was if the wire was off and they knew it was off. I gues they can smell it.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Under it. I think. It was at night. But one of them was very old and had stayed inside that one strand for a very long time. Added second horse and they were getting out every night.

(And yes, fence was tested and working fine.)


I can see how going under could work easily. My mare can graze under the bottom strand of my fence. She gets down on one shoulder and reaches under.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Under it. I think. It was at night. But one of them was very old and had stayed inside that one strand for a very long time. Added second horse and they were getting out every night.
> 
> (And yes, fence was tested and working fine.)
> 
> ...


so if i did do one strand, 3 ft should be about right?


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Since you quoted me I will assume you are asking me.

I will say NO.

That is about where my one strand was.

It obviously did not work.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

nyg052003 said:


> how close will they get to the fence? I ask cause if say u was showing someone the horses and wanted to bring the horse up close to the fence and let the person pet him, I was wondering if the horse would put its head over the tape?


 
Word of advice - DO NOT pet horses over the fence if there is a chance the fence may not be 'hot' at any point in time. Horses will think it's ok for them to reach over the fence too.


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## nyg052003 (Oct 11, 2010)

mls said:


> Word of advice - DO NOT pet horses over the fence if there is a chance the fence may not be 'hot' at any point in time. Horses will think it's ok for them to reach over the fence too.


I'm thinking about maybe having an area to the end of the pasture , near my yard maybe about 25 feet long with 1x6's or 2x6's and post just so if i wanted to bring him up to the fence and let people see him closer I can.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

nyg052003 said:


> so if i did do one strand, 3 ft should be about right?


Why would you only want to do one strand? For good fencing, you need at _least_ 3 strands, but I recommend 4 or even 5. 

I'll be using field fencing with a strand of hot at the top to keep the horses off the fence. Using one strand ONLY is ludicrous. Your horse will constantly be getting out and roaming the neighborhood. He could also be hit by a vehicle, which will be on you.

Better safe than sorry, because if you cheap out on your fencing you'll be paying damage and perhaps injury and death to someone's family.


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## rum4 (Feb 28, 2010)

I use electro braid and love it. It has been up for 4 yrs and no maintenance to it. Put it up walk away, well unless you have the cheap insulators that break. I have had to replace them but if you get the ones that electro braid has that are rollers, then you can forget doing maintenance on those cause they last.


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## Robinson46176 (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi:
I'm new here but hardly new to electric fence. I have been working with one type or the other of electric fence since the mid 1950's. Over the years we have fenced beef cattle, dairy cattle, hogs, sheep and for several years now, horses with electric fences. Sheep are the toughest, too much insulation. Still with some planning and training (things like aluminum foil pie pans wired to the wire to be curiously sniffed with a wet nose) it works fine. BTW, strips of cheap raw bacon hung over the bottom line is a good way to train neighborhood dogs and critters like coyotes. The longer it hangs and spoils the more they want to get at it. ZAP!!! 
The scheme I have currently settled on and works well for us is a strand of "Equi-rope" at 42" from the ground and a second conductor of white "poly-wire" 12 inches below that. The poly wire is "a whole lot" cheaper. Especially when you have as many fences as we have. For one pen I would just use all Equi-rope. The horses can eat just enough below that bottom line so that I don't have to mow under it much.
Use a good hot charger (but it does not have to be silly hot), right now I am using two 50 mile chargers. One would do the job especially a 100 mile one but I am fencing 5 horses on one side of the road and 11 (at the moment) across the road and it is just easier to use two units. I have 8 pasture lots so far ranging from 1 to 5 acres. The 11 horses across the road are all client horses and as each of them came to the farm I put them in a cattle panel pen or a round pen with a hot rope across one side for them to get acquainted with it. About 2 zaps is about all it ever takes to convince them on a permanent basis to give it a lot of respect. Actually it seems that almost all horses of any years at all have been exposed at some time in their lives to electric fence and it shows up quickly when you put them near one. I do like to walk them around the perimeter of a new pasture so they see just where the fence is. After that they just know. You can see them checking the perimeter as I walk them.
Yes, all 16 here will reach across the fence to be petted or to visit with horses on the other side. They will often reach over and nuzzle necks with each other. They NEVER try to challenge the fence even reaching over like that. They will often get within an inch of the rope with their necks but magically do not touch it. They know exactly where each fence is at and do not challenge it even if it is completely under drifted snow. I have had a fence knocked down by a deer a few times but still they don't walk out over the downed line. We did have one where a deer being chased by a dog ripped a spot completely away and a new horse wandered out and was grazing in a neighbors yard but her pasture mate stayed in the pen.
When I am working on a fence or moving one it not uncommon to have it off for a half day and they never challenge it. I do have an old (maybe 25) quarter horse mare that likes to know if the fence is hot or not. She frequently "checks" the fence by lightly touching it with a single whisker. Apparently she can feel it without actually getting zapped. It does not seem to matter to her if it is on or off since she never challenges it, she just "likes to know". :smile:
One thing that I have done that works well is that I use a section of cattle-panel about 4 to 8 feet long on each side of all of the gates. By doing that they can walk through the gateway with out becoming nervous about maybe being too close to the electric fence or any risk of them getting their butt over against it and bolting as they pass through.
One of my next projects is to put an extra perimeter white polywire around the entire perimeter of the horse areas. That line will stop a wandering horse if it happens to get out. Sometimes clients forget to fasten gates... I have 24 foot wide grass lanes around each field (total of a little over 4 miles) that we all use for riding. This farm is a little over 100 acres.
Pick a good charger and supplies. After that the most important thing you need to do is provide an excellent ground. Put down several ground rods as you will be advised by the maker of your charger in the instructions but don't stop there. I have one grounded to a complete but abandoned galvanized pipe water system. It is also grounded to an underground tank that has drain-back water from a frost-proof hydrant flowing near it daily so that even in the drought we have been having in Central Indiana it sits in wet soil. The other is not only hooked to ground rods but to a metal fence with steel post and a power pole soil anchor (Not the power company ground). If you have a steel culvert handy, ground to it. If your mother-in-law will stand still, run a wire to her... Get the picture? :smile: 
Also use lightning protectors and a lightning choke coil (Google it) in the hot line feed near the charger.
Now I am probably going to tick some folks off here but I will tell you that what I am telling you is first hand experience, long experience... It is not something I read. it is not something I heard about from my wife's second cousin's car mechanic's granddaughter... It is not stuff I dreamed or imagined. It works.
You will also get all manner of silly dire warnings from those that are afraid of "everything". Read and research such warning but take most of them with a grain of salt and temper them with common sense. You do have to be careful. I often say that the horse is the only creature that can injure itself playing with a nerf-ball. :smile: We have been lucky, the only injury on the farm over the last several years has been one smallish cut on a right front leg from a kick with a sharp hoof this summer. Then again we don't have pastures full of junk. I use a lot of steel "T" post but never without a top safety cap. I don't allow barbed wire on the farm.
My wife and I have traveled around the eastern half of the US a good bit over the last few years and we see an awful lot of those 3 errors. We started making sort of a game as we traveled of keeping track of what kind of fencing we saw and we were both amazed at how many horses we saw fenced with barbed wire. :sad: Maybe 60% in some areas. I found a roll of new barbed wire in one barn left over from the old days and the scrap collector got that.
Good Luck.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

nyg052003 said:


> So about 3 ft high for one strand should be fine right?


That's another thing I was skeptical about at first (I thought they may try and jump it), but yes, we did ours the way our friend did and it is at 3 feet.


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

I would never dream of keeping a horse, any horse in a paddock with only one strand of anything. One lady around here had 2 strands and was told by her insurance carriers she must have at least 3 strands. Starlite and her pasture mates used to be kept in with one strand and from what I hear, got out quite a bit - one day after we bought her she did but she was caught before we found out about it. Thank god because I would have been a mess! I just don't think it's worth it to only use one strand when you never know IF your horse gets out, if they will go anywhere and if they do - you never know where they could end up...


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## back in the crosby again (Feb 4, 2009)

I have two pastures with one top strand of 1.5 tape and 2 strands of polywire under that. I have never had an escape through the electric. (I did have a mare that learned to open the gate but that has nothing to do with the electric part) I used 5 1/2 foot t-posts for both, but I wish I had done 6 foot. I would also add that you should use the t-post toppers that are designed to hold the tape, like the first picture not the second.


The new pasture that I am about to do will have 6 foot posts and all 3 strands in the wide tape. I am doing the strands of tape different for asthetic reasons. Also I have sections wooden board fence around the gates. This avoids having the horses hit the electric when being lead in and out of the gate, then associating you with the shock. (I have had this problem at other places)

I have seen 2 strands of the 1/2 inch used, but they did have escape problems. I would advise against using just one strand. This is a very cheap fencing method already and adding another couple strands would not raise the price too much for the amount of fence you are doing. I would play it safe with at least 3 strands.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I would never use a permanent pasture that didn't have a secure perimeter fence - For me that is at least a wire fence with 4 strands and I prefer a strand of barb or hotwire on top.

I would only use tape inside the secure perimeter to rotate and cut up the paddock - Which is what we do now.

It depends on the horse - All our horses but one stay inside one strand of electric rope stuff.

However Latte just lines it up and bolts out underneath it. She only stays in as long as she wants - But because we have a secure perimeter, it isn't a safety issue.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

We just built a horse fence on our acreage using 6 ft posts pounded in to 4 feet and 4 strands of electric rope spaced about 8-10" apart. The rope is very much like the electrobraid, but a little more durable for our dramatic changes in seasonal temperature. It is also quite visible. I have the top and third strand electrified with the second and bottom strand grounded. After only a couple of weeks, the horses know exactly where the fence is. They will reach across to be petted, but are very careful of the top strand. I don't know if this is true or not, but someone told me they can sense the fence is on through their whiskers. At any rate, the fence looks good, was inexpensive to put up, is as safe as any and the horses respect it well.


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