| Electric Fencing was once snubbed in equestrian | | | | This sting (similar to a "thwack" from a riding |
| circles, everyone who owned livestock knew the | | | | crop) is what creates a psychological barrier within |
| basic rules: cattle and sheep needed to be | | | | the horses' brain and it is this that fences him in. |
| enclosed with electric wire, but horses were best | | | | A fence with a voltage as low as 2000v is able to |
| off behind wood planks, poles or hedges. | | | | create an impression with a horse but this low |
| With the advancements and improvement in | | | | voltage has other problems. Horses' hooves and |
| fencing technology in the last ten years that has | | | | hair are insulators so 2000v will be insufficient to |
| outstripped the advances made in the previous | | | | bridge the insulated gap (particularly if they are on |
| sixty years and electric fences now come in | | | | dry ground). A more viable fence should run at |
| forms well suited for horse properties. Modern | | | | 6000 volts to be effective. Never a truer word |
| electric fencing is the choice of a growing number | | | | may be spoken than "A wimpy energizer gives |
| of horse owners, who find that many of the old | | | | you a wimpy fence. " This higher voltage will also |
| opinions that electric fencing is painful, unsafe, | | | | help when the horse has a blanket (a very good |
| expensive, unreliable and difficult to maintain no | | | | insulator) but a second line aimed at the horse's |
| longer hold true. | | | | knees will be as effective. Utilizing bait on the line |
| Safety is, of course, the foremost concern in any | | | | will also work. |
| fencing decision. But what exactly constitutes a | | | | Animals are the intended targets of electric |
| safe fence can become a complicated question. In | | | | fences, but anything else that comes in contact |
| some ways, horses are among the easiest | | | | with both fence and ground will also complete the |
| animals to keep secure: They are domesticated | | | | circuit. Very small items, such as blades of grass, |
| and if they have all the food, water, shelter and | | | | allow a small amount of power to travel from the |
| friends they want, most horses aren't likely to try | | | | fence to the ground rods, but not enough to drain |
| to leave their familiar surroundings. On the other | | | | the entire system. (It's like a series of small holes |
| hand, horses do pose a special challenge if it is | | | | in the fire hose, allowing some of the water to |
| determined to escape. Short of a 3 metre | | | | dribble away, weakening the pressure in the |
| concrete wall, not much will hold in a 500 kilogram | | | | hose.) A short circuit occurs when an object, such |
| animal. You are after all simply fencing in the | | | | as wire wrapped around a tree, reroutes all of |
| desire, the stronger the desire to escape - the | | | | the power from the fence to the ground system. |
| more robust the fence needs to be. | | | | Beyond the tree limb, the charge left in the fence |
| Electric fences offer a barrier that horses | | | | is reduced to zero. |
| respect, and the newer materials and erecting | | | | There are a wide range of conductors available in |
| techniques that are lighter in construction and | | | | the form of standard wire, poly twine, tape or |
| designed to flex and have a "rubber band" effect. | | | | rope. The first consideration should always be the |
| This ability to yield under pressure is less likely to | | | | conductivity. This is quoted in Ohms/meter (or O |
| injure a kamikaze pilot or aspiring Houdini. | | | | m). The lower this figure is the better and should |
| Touch an electric fence once and you'll know why | | | | be linked to the price of the material. |
| it works; it's not very painful -- about the | | | | To illustrate this; an energiser capable of charging |
| equivalent of a sharp slap -- but you'll remember | | | | a fence 9 klm long with a conductor of 0.15 |
| the sensation, and you won't want to repeat it | | | | Ohms/meter will only be able to charge a fence |
| anytime soon. Horses, too, learn quickly that they | | | | 1.5klm long when using a 10 Ohm/meter |
| don't want to bump, push through, rub against or | | | | conductor. |
| chew on electric fences. | | | | The physical format of the conductor you select |
| The energizer is designed to send out a high | | | | is up to personal preference. There is a lot of |
| voltage (about 6000volts), low amperage (about | | | | research results available showing that horses see |
| 100 milliamps) electrical charge for a very limited | | | | different materials just as well as if not better |
| time (about 1/300th. of a second.) every second. | | | | than humans. In my experience they are fenced |
| Compare this with two other scenarios. | | | | in by plain wire just as well as tape and although |
| 1. Static Electricity when you touch a door, about | | | | there are reports of horses getting torn to |
| 20000 volts at 5 milliamps for 1/1000th. of a | | | | shreds by wire these are more likely to be with |
| second, unpleasant but not lasting. | | | | barbed wire. (Barbed wire should not be used with |
| 2. Mains Electricity. 220volts at 13 Amps and | | | | electricity. |
| constant, unpleasant and regularly causes death. | | | | |