Adding electric to board fencing

[starhorse]

We are planning to bring horses home to our 4 acre property this spring. The property already has 3 board post and board fencing and we’re planning to add an electric rope strand to the top or inside to avoid the “mmm tasty grass on the other side” leaning. Would you:

1. Put strands between the 3 boards? (so 2 strands, filling the space between the boards)
2. Put a strand on top of the top board?
3. Put a strand inside the top board? As in, on the inside part of the pasture, with an attachment to the posts so an inch or so off the wood itself? (this was recommended by the electric fencing guy we spoke to at Equine Affair)
4. Put a strand inside top and middle boards?

Or something else?

Also, I’ve never set this up myself - is it fairly straight forward to buy a box and get it hooked up? Worth having an electrician come and make sure it’s safe/set up correctly? Is there someone else you’d want to do it? We’re happy to pay a bit more to ensure that it’s done correctly and safely.

[lorilu]

It’s easy. Buy the plastic holders that are meant for either tape or wire (whichever you choose to use). They hammer in. Most folks run it on top of the top board but I ran mine between the top two boards because my guy used to sit on the middle board…

You will need grounding poles and a small sledge hammer to drive them in. You will need something to support the controller - mine is on a t-post. You will need grounding wire - insulated heavy copper wire - mine is red. If you choose to electrify the gate, you’ll need the stuff for that (I didn’t. I ran insulated wire down the hinge side post, through a lenght of garden hose burried under the gate then up the post to continue the electrified tape. It required an insulated connector at each side.). You will need a connector for when you connect two runs if you have more than one roll of tape/wire.

Go to TS and ask for help. They will help you get what you need.

[Hopeless]

It is super easy to do. You can do it, follow that lorilu said.

The big decision for me was to put it on the top or inside of the top board. I finally decided to put it inside the top board. If I had to reach over the top, I wouldn’t shock myself.

[lifeishorsesarelove]

Depending on your board spacing, you may want a top line and a mid or bottom line. If you’re just concerned about leaning over for grass, they’re going to put more strain on the middle and bottom boards this way, reaching through/under the fence. If you have side by side paddocks, or have even the slightest potential for a cribber ever being on the property (and even if not, we’ve all seen some pretty chewed up fences in our lives I’m sure), I would also do a top strand running inside the top board.This will discourage fenceline play and also keep them from eating your precious board fence!!

One suggestion - Do not buy the “one nail” style insulators! Buy the screw in ones with the donut shaped insulation plastic. The one nail ones pop out easily and the part that holds the electric rope is much more flimsy, you will end up breaking many and replacing them over time. The screw in ones have an adapter you can buy for your cordless drill to install them.

We installed ours ourselves. It was not terribly difficult. Make sure you buy a fence tester, and make sure you set up your ground rods properly. Zareba’s installation guide, while basic, is very helpful even if you use different products.

http://www.zarebasystems.com/learning-center/installation-guide

I also will always recommend electric braid/rope over tape. Tape catches in the wind and is harder to keep tensioned.

[ryansgirl]

Definitely buy the screw insulators and not the nail in type! Made that mistake at Tractor Supply. I didn’t even check the bag other than that it fit 2-inch tape so I returned them and bought the screw-in type. The screw type are much easier with a cordless drill - takes no time at all to get them in. I personally hate electric tape as it sags with snow and easily stretchers. I prefer to run the electric along the boards if you have horses who get bored and decide to chew fences.

[trubandloki]

We used These insulators. (that is a random link, not where we bought them)

We first put a strange at the top, above the top board. That worked great to keep them from leaning on the fence. What it did not prevent was the yoga type grazing under the bottom board, or threading their head thru the boards. We added a second strand just above the bottom board which seems to have taken care of that.

[hosspuller]

The hardest part will be driving the (3) three ground rods. Skimping on the ground rods is just asking for trouble later… when the ground dries in Summer. Then use #8 bare, solid copper wire and use UL rated direct burial ground rod clamps. A single length of wire daisy chained between the rods and the charger. No splices on the wire. I drove three 8 foot long rods 10 feet apart in the drip line of shop roof. Any little rain will keep the ground rods in moist earth for conductivity. Start the rods in a hole large enough to get a wrench on the clamp. This allows you to drive the rod below the ground level and bury the whole thing. The wire is buried by cutting the ground with a shovel. Bare wire helps with grounding and is less expensive. This has lasted for 22 years without any problem.

Start the rod with a 6 foot length of 3/4 pipe over the rod. The pipe keeps the rod from whipping while you drive it. Change to a shorter pipe length when needed.

[hosspuller]

If your ground is too rocky to drive a ground rod 8 feet down… angle it or bury the rod in a trench. Straight down is best though.

[NoDQhere]

We drive ground rods in with a T post driver. You have to stand on a tailgate or step ladder to start and you will have to drive the last couple of feet in with a sledge hammer. It is much easier if the ground is wet. I would use Horse Guard Tape at the top and in the middle of your board fence. This will help prevent chewing. I’m not a fan of the braided ropes, just because of the risk of injury. The Horse Guard Tape is safe and will last. My last tip is to put your insulators on with screws rather than nails. Running screws in with a small drill or battery operated screw driver will save your hands and wrists.

[JB]

Horseguard makes a nice tape extender, which attaches to the wood post and holds the tape off it, to the inside. But you could also use regular insulators on the posts, which would have the tape closer to the fence.

You can also use low tensile wire, and most any store which carries fencing supplies would have the materials for that. TSC for sure, for example.

The only reason you’d need an electrician is if you need to get any electrical outlet close enough to the fence. You can use a solar charger (ie a Parmak 12v) and eliminate the need for a plug-ing. If you use an electric charger, they are not supposed to be out in the elements, so you may need to get electricity run from wherever the charger is set up, to the fence. But a 12v solar charger may do the job just fine for what you’re doing.

and absolutely, use screws for whatever is holding your wire/tape up.

Where you put the strands depends on the setup and the horses. If the bottom board is low enough, there may not be an issue of them trying to reach under the bottom board, so maybe they just need to be kept off the area between the bottom and middle boards. It’s nice to have a strand along the top board to eliminate chewing and leaning.

[NoDQhere]

Patriot also makes great fencers that you hook to a car battery. We’ve found them to work better than the solar chargers. The down side is that you will need to be able to charge the batteries. We use deep cycle marine batteries and have a charger in our shop.