Electric fencing for horses is typically used as temporary fencing, for strip-grazing or to protect existing fencing, which is a more permanent fixture. If you’re setting up horse electric fencing for the first time, read on to find out what you’ll need…
How does electric fencing work?
Essential parts of temporary electric fencing
An electric fence is made up of four essential components…
- An energiser converts power from the mains or a battery into high voltage pulses that are emitted once every one or two seconds.
- The conducting tape makes up the actual barrier and carries the current along the fence. If your horse touches the the wire that carries the pulse, the current will pass through him to the ground and he’ll receive a shock.
- Insulation stops the the power being lost to the earth – if your tape is touching anything other than the posts or insulators, such as a tree, the fence will lose power.
- An earth stake that takes the current back to the energiser.
What you need for temporary electric fencing
Electric fence starter kits
If you’re setting up your fencing from scratch, an electric fencing starter kit (like this one on Viovet) could be just what you need. They usually include an energiser, batteries, fence posts and tape, but may also include conductors, ring insulators, a gate handle or a warning sign.
Fenceman Horse Starter Kit | Viovet
This kit includes a DP350B battery energiser, four D cell back-up batteries, 10 90cm poly posts, one 200m roll of tape, two end strainers, one gate handle and one warning sign.
Energiser
The electric fence energiser is the heart of the fencing system and the best option for you depends on the power supply, output required and fence length. If you’re looking for a new energiser and the options below don’t fulfil your needs, we’ve written a specific guide to the best electric fence energisers, too.
Nine-volt battery energisers (like this one on Viovet) are a popular choice for strip-grazing and temporary fencing as they are very portable. They are powered by dry-cell 9v disposable batteries (like this one), so you will need to consider the cost of replacing them as they run out.
12v battery energisers are ideal for semi-permanent electric fences or where no mains power is available. These are powered by a rechargeable 12v battery and are able to power longer fences at a higher voltage. You could use a car battery, but a purpose-designed leisure battery is designed to give a steady output over time, while a car battery will dwindle quite quickly. The higher the Ah of the battery, the longer you can leave it between recharges.
Solar-powered energisers use energy from the sun to power your fencing setup. They tend to have a higher initial cost but are cheaper in the long run.
Fenceman Energiser B430 9V | Viovet
This 9v battery-powered energiser has high and low settings for battery conservation. It’s recommended for up to 3km of horse electric fencing.
X-Stop 12V Energiser | Amazon
This can power up to 10km of electric fencing and features an LED that flashes green to show the unit is operating correctly or red when the battery is running low.
X-Stop Solar Energiser | Amazon
This solar-powered energiser is suitable for powering up to 2km of fencing.
Posts
Plastic posts are the most popular for temporary horse electric fencing – especially for strip grazing – because they’re cheap, lightweight and easy to set up and move. But choosing the right type for you could save you money and hassle in the future. You should consider the…
- height – for some horses, the visual effect of a 3ft post with a couple of lines of tape is enough to command their respect. However, in general, the taller your fence the better – especially if you’re enclosing larger or more determined horses – so 4ft6in fence posts or 5ft fence posts are likely to be a better choice.
- footplate – some posts have a single footplate and if this snaps, it can be hard to replant the post again, while others have a double footplate and some have a stirrup, which is typically more sturdy.
- colour – posts come in a variety of colours (most commonly white, green or black, but you can also get pink fence posts on Amazon). Green is the least lurid and can blend into the surroundings more easily, while some people believe that horses are most respectful of a white fence. Ultimately it’s down to your preference or that of the landowner.
Rutland 3ft Poly Posts | Amazon
These three-foot posts come in packs of 10. They have a double footplate and can be used with either rope or tape.
Doblit 5ft Poly Posts | Amazon
These taller posts (5ft total length) have an extra-long spike for secure placement. Can be purchased in packs of 20, 40, 60 or 80.
Electric fence tape/rope
Horses need to be able to see your fence for it to act as a deterrent, so the thinnest twines are not suitable. The most popular options are tape and rope.
Electric fence tape is a great choice for plastic posts. It is subject to increased wear in windy conditions, so it’s best not to choose a tape that’s too wide – 20mm tape is suitable for most situations and the most common choice with plastic posts.
Electric fencing rope is visible, very strong and less prone to becoming caught in the wind. It comes in a variety of specifications and strengths – polyropes with stainless steel conductors are ideal for short/medium fence lines, while ropes containing tinned copper conducting lines are better for longer fencing and higher powered energisers. Rope is most commonly used in conjunction with wooden posts.
Rutland Essentials Polytape | Amazon
This 200m roll of tape is 20mm wide and is good value.
Ivisions Electric Fencing Rope | Amazon
This roll holds 200m of 6mm rope, which is stronger than tape and recommended in windy areas.
Farmcare Shock Green Poly Tape | Amazon
This twin pack (2 x 200m) of green tape blends in with the surroundings and looks good with green posts.
Connectors
It’s best to avoid cutting your tape where possible. If you need to connect two lines of fencing tape together, you should use tape connectors to ensure good conduction rather than tying the tapes together.
Suregreen Fence Connectors | Amazon
Use these instead of tying tape and rope together to ensure a better connection. Fits tape up to 40mm wide.
Insulators
Insulators direct your conducting tape or rope and are vital to an efficient electric fence. They’re essential if you have wooden posts as, unlike plastic, wood is a poor insulator. If your fence isn’t insulated properly, the power will leak into the earth and your horse will learn there is no need to respect the fence.
Ring insulators are the best option if you’re using polyrope (but can be used effectively with tape, too). They can be used to direct the rope to run above the fence, which prevents cribbing and chewing, or just inside the fence to prevent horses from scratching or leaning on the fencing.
You can also get distance/offset insulators, which are longer, that keep your horses further away from the fencing. Tape insulators are flatter to accommodate the shape of the tape, while combination insulators (like these available on Viovet) can be used for rope or tape.
Ring Insulators | Amazon
You can never have too many ring insulators – they can be used with rope or tape. This pack also comes with a tool to help you drill them in.
Rutland Offset Ring Insulators | Amazon
These are great if you need to keep your horse away from an existing perimeter fence, stables or other buildings in the field.
Rutland Offset Tape Insulators | Amazon
Like the offset ring insulators, these can be used to keep horses away from a perimeter fence.
Handles
Handles are essential for creating safe gateways to the field. They allow the current to pass through and complete the circuit while the gateway is closed, while giving you something safe to hold when you need access.
Heavy Duty Fencing Handles | Amazon
This pack contains four handles, all with an internal spring to maintain fence tension.
Warning signs
If your field has a public footpath running through it or alongside, it’s worth hanging some warning signs on your fencing.
Fence testers
Fence testers allow you to check the voltage of your fence to make sure everything is working correctly.
Rutland Voltage Tester | Amazon
Consider this an essential – it’s the easiest way to work out how well your fence is working and where you might have a problem.
You might also like:
Electric fence energisers for every setup
Grazing muzzles – what are your options?
The 10 commandments of electric fencing
Do electric fences make horses stressed?
A Swiss study has looked at the effects of electric fencing on horses
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