# Electric Fence



## SammyL (Dec 27, 2009)

My pasture is electric. It works beautifully in every other season, except winter.

Despite all the snow we have gotten, I keep the snow packed down so nothing touches the ribbon.

Yet, with all my efforts to make sure it is working my horses still keep getting out.

I think it may be due to their winter coat. It is so thick that they can't feel the zap...so hence they get out.

So far, each time they have gotten out they are safe, but I am worried they will get hurt at some point.

Does anyone else have this problem? And if so, is there a way to correct it?

Thank you for the help!


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## sedeh (Dec 27, 2009)

I wouldn't trust electric fence to keep my mini's secure. Too many things can happen to short it out and mini's are smart. You're right about their winter coats.....nicely insulates them against the shock. I don't have an answer for you except to replace your fencing.


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## rabbitsfizz (Dec 27, 2009)

Some of my internal fence is electric but I would never trust it for external fencing.

I always have two strands, too, one high enough that they have to approach it with their noses- that tends to be the end of any escape attempts!!!

Since mine is battery powered I am also careful to keep the battery charged.

I would look seriously at putting up a permanent fence with electric inside it, for your perimeter fence, and just use the electric for internal, in future.

You should also be aware that, on top of the heartache of losing one of your animals, if they cause an accident, you are liable!!


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## bevann (Dec 27, 2009)

I am another one who would not trust Minis in exterior electric fencing.Minis are just too smart for their own good and safety.I have seen a Mini go over board fencing, under board fencing and even through the rails I thought were close enough together to keep them in. I have seen them open gates, latches, untie knots and even go inside my kennel through the doggie door to get at dog food inside.I have seen them do a u turn in a space I could barely fit in.The little rascals are escape artists so I would suggest another kind of fencing. Since winter is the problem they may not feel the zap from the fence or they may be looking for greener pastures.Good luck with the little Houdinis.


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## Minimor (Dec 27, 2009)

Minis or big horses, electric fences just don't work well in winter--not here in Manitoba anyway, where we get lots of snow and lots of cold, and very frozen ground. It's nothing to do with the fence shorting out from snow, it's because the fencer becomes poorly grounded once the ground is frozen. My fencer was working good when it first turned cold and we had our first snow, but that was because the ground wasn't yet frozen. Now that it IS frozen, my fencer isn't working worth a darn--if I turn it on it gives a very feeble click--which means it's not well grounded (or is shorted out, which I know it isn't). I've only got hot wire around the top of one corral now & don't need to use it--I sure couldn't count on it to keep anyone in if it were my perimeter fencing.

I do have one pasture that is fenced only with hotwire, but I don't use it in winter. During the rest of the year we use it only when someone is home to keep an eye on the horses--if for any reason the power was off, we would have the horses moved to a more secure paddock. For the Minis I just don't trust electric wire as a perimeter fence, especially if the power is off or there's a bad ground, making the fence have little bite to it.

This time of year in Minnesota--like here--if you don't have somewhere with a secure fence you're kind of out of luck, because you won't be able to put posts in now. You might check around & see if you can buy a better fencer--seems to me that someone has told me they had one that worked better in winter. I'm sure they even told me what kind they had but I don't remember what it was, and I don't know how much better it really worked. You might check with the stores that sell fencers & find out if anyone has a different fencer that is recommended for winter use--and before putting money out on one ask just how much better it actually does work.


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## ruffian (Dec 27, 2009)

Not to hijack another thread, but this would be a case of shaving off whiskers! Horses can feel the current through their whiskers without being zapped, so they can tell when it's off. I had one mare that used to get out every time the current went out. I have 3 strands electric/2 strands heavy wire. When I kept her nose shaved she never got out. She wouldn't get close enough to touch it with her nose, so she couldn't tell when it went out.


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## ~Dan (Dec 27, 2009)

At this time of year, depending on where your located, I imagine its to late to pound in posts, so if I were you, I would purchase some horse panels, depending on how many you have, If you get enough of the metal sheep/goat panels that are mini/pony height the metal tubular ones, not the welded fencing panels, and put them say in a semi circle around your barn, can make a very effective and sturdy fence, heres a picture of them I have them in front of the barn just in case the horses slip by me out of their stalls during feeding, best of luck


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## ohmt (Dec 27, 2009)

I used help out at a farm that had a young mare that was incredibly intelligent. Watched her get out of the electric fence a hundred times before the owners decided to finally get some fencing.

She would step on the bottom strand with her front feet and slide the top strand down her mane and then quickly shoot out. Such a smart little booger-didn't get zapped because the current wasn't going through her hoof walls and she obviously couldn't feel it through her mane


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## Windhaven (Dec 27, 2009)

Well I guess I am one of the few who doesn't have problems with electric fence. I do know that winter or even very dry summer weather can make the fence not as hot as it should be.

You must keep all weeds off and strands out of the snow. I have used it with minis for 14 years and big horse longer than that. I do know that all horses must be introduced to it (must have at least one poke from it) for it to be effective. I have had some horses that know as soon as I shut it off but most horses it takes at least a couple of days before they start testing it. And some of my horses never test it. I have had electricity out for a week and not one horse got loose.

Now I do not keep stallions or weanlings in just electric, but all my other horses are.

It must be put up right to be effective and the sandier your soil is the more ground rods you need. I also use a hot fencer.


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## SammyL (Dec 28, 2009)

Thank you for the replies.

I am looking into buying a better fencer.





And as of right now, replacing fencing is not an option with snow that reaches past my calf muscle.





Thanks again for all the help.


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## mizbeth (Dec 28, 2009)

I have used electric fencing for several years now. While the perimeter is not electric fencing the interior fence lines are. The fence runs along a long driveway on both sides and down to the barn. My horses have not gotten out in all this time, even if the fence is down for a short period of time. "KNOCK ON WOOD" of course.

If you are having a problem with your fencing, make sure it is up and running and lead your horse up to it, and touch their nose, chest to the wire-some part of them that will feel the shock, even if you have to clip them in that area. They will learn to respect the wire then and pass the information along to the others



I hang long strips of duct tape off the top, middle, bottom of the wire in various areas on the fencing. I make the strips long enough that the wind/sun catches it - makes it move so that the horses can see it and know the wire is there. Perhaps they cannot see the wire?

When I test my fence with wire tester, it tests 2000-2500 volts. Do not know if this is high or low but it keeps them in.

I used the leading up to the wire fence - for dogs that do not realize the fence is on or that their coat is too long for it to shock them. Make them touch the wire and they will go into the pastures anymore - and they don't. We are not in the same kind of weather as you and do not have snow on the ground like you do. I have had my fence quit during the summer months due to the ground being so dry, even with 7' of ground rod buried into the ground. I just run a hose down next to it and run the water slowly and the fence will begin to work again.

Do you run at least two wires of fencing? I was in sand and had to use two wires to get a ground on the fence for it to work. I also used the colored wire at one time, yellow and black twisted wire. That wire requires a pulsating charger and mine was not. It eventually burned the wires so the fence would not work - in several places and not all at the same time either. It was hard to detect where the problem was, so I replaced it all with 17 guage wire and the ribbons of duct tape I am telling you about and have had no problems since. Only the typical upkeep of the fence to make sure the horses or dogs have not knocked the bottom wire loose for whatever reason and have grounded it out.

Good luck, hope this helps.


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## Minimor (Dec 28, 2009)

If you haven't tried to use an electric fencer in weather that is 30 below with anywhere from several inches to several feet of snow on the ground I don't think you can fully appreciate the difficulty it presents. A bit of snow and cold has little effect on the fencer, but I doubt that Georgia or Texas ever has the temperatures dropping down to 20 or 30 or 40 below and staying there for days or weeks at a time--and I'm guessing that you never have the ground freeze to a depth of several feet. When the ground freezes deeper than the ground rod goes there isn't much you can do about it. Soaking the ground around the ground rod works in dry summer weather. In our winter weather it is totally ineffective!

If a better/stronger fencer doesn't do it for SammyL then there isn't really any other option to try.


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## WhiteTailsMinis (Dec 28, 2009)

We use high tinsel electric fencing everywhere - 5 strands with every other one "hot". Top wire, middle and bottom are hot. With 50 horses and multiple pastures we've never had one escape and often times it's turned off and they don't dare test it - ever.

The 5 strands are close enough together that they could not easily step through it. We even have mares & foals in it - never an issue here even with babies.

This past week we had 20" of snow - it is just now melting a week later - the entire time we had the fences unplugged since the two bottom rows of wires were in the snow ........ never a horse not in its place. LOL

I've never used the ribbon electric fence - not sure if that's what makes the difference or not. I know ours works. It's not on a solar battery either - plugged right in to power.


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## rabbitsfizz (Dec 28, 2009)

There is a WORLD of difference between mains and battery fencing.

I have battery fencing and mine test it day by day as they have learned that the battery dies down, day by day!

I sent a mare away some years ago, to a place that had mains fencing and she was jolted ONCE and once only and nearly went six foot vertical, honestly they could have used her to power a space shuttle!

I do not believe I ever saw this mare test a fence again in her life.

If you do not have access to mains electricity, as I do not, there is nothing you can do, however.

Thus, I would never use an electric fence as an external fence.

Basically, if you have no experience of hotwire in severe freezing weather, or battery fencing, then your replies are not going to be relevant to this particular poster's problems.....

And, White Tails, high tensile fencing wire, on it's own, would probably keep them in for quite a while, even without the electricity, so it sounds as if you have the fencing problem sewn up every way you look!


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## susanne (Dec 28, 2009)

I've read on other forums (COTH?) that bipolar electric fencing works much better in snow and cold climates than the traditional sort.

I don't speak from experience -- other than isolated cold snaps, our winters are typically wet and only moderately cold. However, I cannot let my mare out to graze on the area fenced by electric tape -- she either doesn't feel a thing through her winter coat or it's not enough to bother her.

I would call the various electric fencing companies to pick their brains -- I'm sure many are in your situation, and they would have ideas to at least get you through winter.


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## Little Wolf Ranch (Dec 29, 2009)

Personally, I think it's a matter of respect for the fencing. What I always do is make them touch the fence and they never do it again. The only fencing I have is electric and most of it is only 3 strand, some is 5 strand where mares and foals are at. I used to have a couple of escapees but once I made them touch the fence for a good few pops, they never did it again. Tough Love.

I can leave my fencing off for a week and they never test it or get out. It's called respect for the wire. If they know it hurts when they touch it, they'll never touch it again. Mine don't even get within 1 foot of the fence because they don't want to risk it.

EDITED TO ADD:

You may want to get a fence charger that is for higher mile radius - I have a 15 mile radius for maybe 2 miles worth of fencing. When they touch it - they know it.


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## rabbitsfizz (Dec 29, 2009)

I have one of the most powerful battery energisers that you can have.

This does _not_ prevent my horses form testing it almost daily, and they have ALL been "pranged" by it at one time or another!

They will not go near it when the battery is new, but, as soon as it starts to run down a bit I have at least two who can be guaranteed to be on the other side of the tape, even when they have perfectly good grazing on their own side, darn them!!!

Battery fencing, even backed up with solar chargers, which are brilliant, just is never going to be as good as mains, there is no comparison, I am afraid.

(and I cannot use the solar chargers as they would be stolen almost immediately. As it is I lose at least two energisers a year! I am looking at a way of "energising" a metal box that can only be opened with an insulated key. It is illegal, but, hey, who is going to complain??



)


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## SammyL (Dec 29, 2009)

As of right now, I have a 15 mile fencer.

The horses have respect for the fence. They have been shocked by it. It is just in winter, they can't feel it for some reason. Whether it be the long hair, or the frozen ground or both.

And since I can't replace the fencing this time of year...I am still on the hunt for a better/stronger fencer!





Thank you for your replies.


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## rabbitsfizz (Dec 29, 2009)

A couple of things that might help are:-

1) break the fencing down into two or three units of shorter distances, and use two or three, as strong as you can get them, energisers.

2) invest in a really, REALLY long earth pole!!(If a kangaroo starts oozing up out of the hole you have gone to far....)


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## ~Dan (Dec 29, 2009)

Hmmmm, if you use t-posts, i would use, if you can, integrate four wires, using two stand off insulators and two standard insulators, putting them 12, 24, 36, 48 inches in length in between I think the stand offs may make them feel it before they go through, as well as possibly get caps and more wire to make the fence higher, I would not trim the wiskers if you feel they get out because they can not feel it through their winter jammies, so I imagine wiskers will allow them to feel it before they get trough as well. Hope you find the solution soon

Dan


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## Peggy Hogan (Dec 29, 2009)

This might be a long shot but what the heck. I know my fence becomes ineffective when it's dry. Is it possible the cold has made the ground drier than normal? I wonder if your ground poles would need to have water poured near the base. That's what I have to do for mine. I also use more than one ground rod, each connected by wire.

Finally, I know the thickness of the ground wire definitely makes a difference.

Just thinking out loud....


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## Peggy Hogan (Dec 29, 2009)

(If a kangaroo starts oozing up out of the hole you have gone to far....)

LOL Jane....I'll remember that one....


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## Minimor (Dec 29, 2009)

> Is it possible the cold has made the ground drier than normal? I wonder if your ground poles would need to have water poured near the base.


Peggy, the thing is, when the ground is frozen, you can't pour water down along the ground rod--it won't soak down to the base of the rod, all it will do is run along the surface of the frozen ground and make a nice skating rink around the ground rod!


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## LittleLottie (Dec 30, 2009)

I now use mains powered electric fencing and never have a problem. I also have an extremly good energiser which will do miles of fencing.

One of the things I've always been told is that the earth plays a very important role and if you don't look after it then don't bother. If you run a good distance of fencing then you'll need to add extra earths. This ensures a good and balanced voltage all round. This should be done with battery electrics as well as mains.

With battery fencing the batteries go pretty poor when out in very cold conditions and should really be stood on a thick piece of rubber as well as having some kind of covering. Normal car batteries shouldn't really be used as the energisers put a pulse pattern into them meaning they never take a full charge thereafter. Leisure batteries are far better, but more expensive.

Here in the UK we constantly seem to get people stealing the energisers, hence my move to mains.

My little ones have a huge respect for the fence.


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## Peggy Hogan (Dec 31, 2009)

Minimor said:


> > Is it possible the cold has made the ground drier than normal? I wonder if your ground poles would need to have water poured near the base.
> 
> 
> Peggy, the thing is, when the ground is frozen, you can't pour water down along the ground rod--it won't soak down to the base of the rod, all it will do is run along the surface of the frozen ground and make a nice skating rink around the ground rod!


OK...I know I'm ignorant about living in snow climates....LOL....still...a skating rink might be entertaining!


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## mylilgirls (Dec 31, 2009)

I have a zebra 3 mile solar fence charge with 3 - 3 foot ground rods I am in Tn so we only have a little frozen ground. If the ground is frozen that is why they are not getting a good zap. Depending on how deep your ground is frozen, you might want to go with deeper ground rods or even more rods. My 2 wont even test it they went from a wood & wire fenced pasture to a solar 1.5 polytape 3 strands, the colt touched it before I had the ground hooked up & thats all it took, the 1st time I tried to walk him through the gate he had a fit, They stay at least a foot from it at all times, So I love the solar fence, I have 2 others in the wood & wire and one got out - Dont know how, so the I ran a strand of barb wire around the out side incase she was pushing the wire down, she got out again I still dont know how she got out... So I have a solar charger on its way, I am going to run 1 strand around the top, & remove the barb wire. Oh & I love Ebay you can get the best deals..

Good luck & hope it gets worked out for you


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