Tips for Installing an Electric Fence for your Horse

Tips for Installing an Electric Fence for your Horse

Electric fences work very well. However, they need to be installed the right way. You also need to maintain them.

When installing electric fencing for horses there are a few things to bear in mind.

Installation

When installing your fence, make sure the electric net or line doesn’t touch anything. This includes vegetation. The exception is it can touch the insulated posts or insulators.

Make sure you check that you have enough tape/wire. While you’re at it, check that you have an energizer. It needs to be strong enough to cope with rabbits, sheet, goats and other types of well-insulated animals. There will also need to be a bit of room for the earth stakes.

Maintenance

Check the voltage regularly. It’s a good idea to do it daily. Use an electric fence tester for this, and if the reading is 3000v or higher, then that’s good. If it’s not, then check the power supply and the batteries.

Also check the fence line to see if it’s earthing. You might hear clicking sounds if the line is touching vegetation or touching metal posts. The clicking might also be caused by poor joints.

If the reading shows a reading that is 500v or higher, then you might have a poor connection. It might also mean you should place another earth stake to the first earth stake. After doing this, the problem should be fixed.

Dampness around the earth stake could be an issue too. In fact, it can cause the fence to diminish. Drought conditions can pose a problem too, so water the dirt around the fence. This should allow the grass to grow and your fence will improve.

Your reading should be over 6000 voltages. If it’s not, then you might have an issue with the energizer. If you check the live output of the lead-out cable, then the reading should be over 500 voltages. If it isn’t, then check the connections.

Temporary Fences & Electric Netting

In wet weather or windy weather, temporary electric fences can become loose. When this happens, re-position the posts. Do this daily.

As for electric netting, it can cause earthing because it often comes in contact with vegetation. Re-position the posts if you want to minimize the effects of earthing. You can also minimize earthing by installing more struts or posts.

Your energizer should be strong. Make sure you mow too because this will keep any vegetation away from your netting. Alternatively, you can use weed killer.

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.