Tips on Putting Up Electric Fencing for Horses

Materials

• Perhaps the first step to ensure success in building an electric fence for your horse is to make sure you have the necessary materials. The amount and type of materials you will need depends on the type of electric fence you decide to install and the size of the area to be enclosed. In general, you will need some type of post, insulators, wire to create a complete circuit, and a charger. If you are just putting up a charged wire to keep horses from damaging a more permanent fence, you may not need the posts. When selecting the wire, never use barbed wire, as a horse could be seriously injured if it should somehow become tangled in it.

Post Placement

• If you are installing a perimeter fence, be sure that the posts are securely placed in the ground. If you are using the fence to divide a pasture that already has a secure perimeter fence, you may position the posts 15 to 30 feet apart; however, posts for a perimeter fence should be no more than 10 to 12 feet apart. It is usually easiest to tap them into the ground after a light shower. You may also want to consider concrete footings for the posts for perimeter fences.

Maintenance

• Tighten all wire or webbing to make sure there is no sag. After installation, check the fence often, especially after storms or inclement weather. Also make sure that no weeds, brush or shrubs have grown into the fence line. Fallen twigs, weeds or other materials that get into the fence line may short the wire out, making it ineffective.

Training the Horse

• Always watch your horse when you first put it into an area surrounded by electric fencing if the animal is unfamiliar with it. Since the wire or webbing for an electric fence is usually not strong enough to contain a horse without the electricity, be sure your horse respects the fence before you leave the animal unattended. This can be done by leading your horse up to the fence and letting it touch the fence, or turning your horse loose in a small area bounded by the fence where you can easily observe its reaction. Once your horse no longer tries to test the fence and seeks to avoid it, it should be safe to turn the horse loose with less supervision.