Who uses electric tape/wire?

[2boys]

Does anyone ever use it without it being *live*? Do you walk your horse around the fence line before turning them out? Any other pointers/tips/things to think about when using it?

[ManyDogs]

We have had electric tape for two years. Five strands from rolls that we bought at either the local feed store or Tractor Supply. We like the TSC better-I think it is 1/2 inch. The other is 1 inch.
The horses are used to it and respect it. I don't think we have it on now, but that is not really on purpose-it is just unplugged at the moment. I don't recall walking the horses up to it or around it, they found out about its "snap" on their own. :yes:
I've gotten zapped enough to know that it really doesn't hurt. But believe me, I wouldn't touch on purpose! :lol:
We tried the solar charger and it didn't work for us. The only problem with the electric charger is thunderstorms. We usually have to replace a fuse or two.

We used the metal posts with the covers over the tops. However, the plastic fasteners tend to break fairly easily. We've replaced the metal posts with wood and like the eye fasteners (?) much better.

I saw in one booklet sent to use via mail that a round pen was made of their electric tape. Uh, I don't think sooooo :eek:.

[Cielo Azure]

Some horses know the second it is off, some horses never figure it out. We leave ours on 24/7. Then they don't test it.

Yearlings/weanlings will run right through it, on or off. Don't bother trying to fence them with hot wire , if their moms have been removed. If still weanlings, they will do what mom does but once mom is gone...trouble.

The solar work great, as long as you don't get the nasty zaruba? brand from TSC and you get one with a BIG battery and solar panel (Southern states brand work well -with a hard metal container).

The TSC zaruba? brand comes with a plastic outer container, no matter what the size, it is s**t. They will eventually leak, with water ruining the interior electrical stuff, fuses or the solar panel. I have had it with that brand.

I like thiner tape too. The thicker stuff has too much wind resistance, stretches and sags.

[jherold]

My main pasture fence is hot, but I have sections were it's not. Those sections are on the board fencing to keep the cribber off. He thinks it's hot and won't go near it. Of course, it probably helps that my fencing runs under high tension wires and depending on the weather, I can still pull stray voltage in certain areas.

[Obi]

I have the horseguard fence tape and I love it. Currently, it is 'on' but not hot. Due to the incredible amount of rain, and the grass is growing like it is on crack, lol, I have not kept up with my weed eating. It is plugged in and I know that the horses can sense that there is a current going through it but not enough to shock. If I unplug it, they are literally walking over it to get to the grass. I have a dog lot fenced in with the tape too and my dogs stay in when its plugged in and not hot but sneak out when its unplugged. Works great for both dogs, and horses.

[NoDQhere]

We also have Horse Guard tape and every horse we have ever put in it RESPECTS it. We have not had weanlings/yearlings go through it. Our stallions won't even reach over it to tease. We have darn good ground rods and good fencers, the two "keys" to any electric fence.

[Kate66]

We use horseguard also. It hasn't sagged and we have had it up for 7 years. I would say that 95% of the time we don't even have it plugged in. We only have 2 strands and neither the horses NOR the cattle go through it. If we have new calves or bring in a new horse we have to go through it all and work out where it is shorting out, if it is, and plug it in for a few days for the newbie.

[shakeytails]

I use tape to fence off temporary areas. Most of the time I'm too lazy to run a hot wire to it. BUT, the old mares that I put behind it are very respectful of fence. My main fence is almost always hot and I wouldn't even think about expecting most of my gang to stay behind one or two strands of un-hot fence for very long.

[Seven-up]

I use wire along the inside of the top and middle boards of a PVC fence. To be honest, we just recently turned it back on after being off for a couple years. I can't even remember why we turned it back on. I think they were leaning on a part of the fence that was not electrified and we wanted to put the fear of the "zap" back into them. :lol: Sure does suck when you forget that you turned it back on, though!


If I had just the tape (no solid fence) I probably would walk the horse around the perimeter the first time, just so they could see where it is. If I were just electrifying an existing fence, I would probably just put the horse in there and let him find it on his own.

I feel like you can judge a horse's intelligence by how many times it takes them to learn the fence bites. One zap, they're smart. 2 zaps, well, they're a little slower. 3+ zaps, they're either "special" or that's how they get their thrills.:winkgrin: (If they give the fence the hairy eyeball just because they can hear the hum and don't even need to touch it, they should get an invite to join MENSA.)

[2boys]

Thanks, everyone! I am just stringing one up as a temporary grazing area. Sounds like, as with everything in horses, each situation is very different! :)

[manyspots]

Another Horseguard user/lover here! :lol:

Chances are if you are stringing a grazing area, you won't have any trouble... afterall... there will be grass! Why would they leave the yummy grass? Unless it is to get to more grass :cool:

I keep mine hot all the time, even though my geldings have never challenged it beyond the once or twice check when they moved in 5 months ago. They even know how close they can get their faces to sneak grass under the last strand without getting hit. Smart buggers.

[tabula rashah]

I only have tape fence and have only had one horse that was a problem. If she were scared/ chased by another horse, she would run right through it.

The others, however, have extreme respect for it whether its off or on. In fact, I can even leave the gate open and they won't cross the fence line even with very tempting grass on the other side.

Like someone else said the keys are a good ground rod (s) and a good fencer. Mine is so damn hot it'll almost knock you over when you touch it.

[092556]

My pony foals learn at a young age to respect a hot wire. Only my exterior fences are horse fence wire. I'm just starting to re-fence my whole farm with horse guard (3-4 strands) and will do it right this time. No more patching. My ponies don't through run the electric fences even when weaned but a few will duck under the bottom wire if it is not on. Only 4 out of my 24 ponies will duck under the fence when it is not on.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa170/hacooke/Puzzled2.jpg

[asb_own_me]

I feel like you can judge a horse's intelligence by how many times it takes them to learn the fence bites. One zap, they're smart. 2 zaps, well, they're a little slower. 3+ zaps, they're either "special" or that's how they get their thrills.:winkgrin: (If they give the fence the hairy eyeball just because they can hear the hum and don't even need to touch it, they should get an invite to join MENSA.)

Excellent - I've got three MENSA invitees and two smart boys!

[deltawave]

Not tape or wire, but I have electrobraid. The horses respect it utterly. The big pasture was only very recently electrified, but given the fact that the other two paddocks are fenced VERY hot, the horses never went near it anyhow. My young mare used to test fences at other places, but I've never seen her go near this one, going on 3 years. When I first juiced up the fence after we moved here, each horse got precisely ONE zap on the nose (ears in the case of the pony who liked to forage under the bottom strand) and that's was enough for each of them. :)

[KitKat987]

My boys respect the hot wire REALLY well. I took off a rubber boot and stepped on the grass one day just to see how strong it actually was. I know why the respect it so well now ;-). They do however know as soon as it is off and will not hesitate to challenge it.

I did unhook one little pasture over the winter one year because it wasn't being used. Come spring, our neighbourhood weasel, had chewed through it in about a dozen spots and left it hanging in pieces, grrr. Now it stays on year round regardless of whether they are in in it or not.

[theoldgreymare]

Another Horse Guard user here. All of our pasture fencing is the HG brown tape (that I love!) which matches the stain on our wood perimeter fencing. Ours is on 24/7 but they nobody ever really tests it anymore (not that they didn't try to initially!).

[dmalbone]

I took off a rubber boot and stepped on the grass one day just to see how strong it actually was. I know why the respect it so well now ;-).

Ok, I'm an idiot... (well, we've never had hot wire). Is it running through the ground too or something??? Or do you mean you touched it while you were standing on the bare ground? Forgive my stupidity lol! :D

[KitKat987]

Ok, I'm an idiot... (well, we've never had hot wire). Is it running through the ground too or something??? Or do you mean you touched it while you were standing on the bare ground? Forgive my stupidity lol! :D

Yes, I had to grab a hold of it to get the shock :winkgrin: Amazing how well the rubber shoes insulate you!