Coated High Tensile Wire Fencing

[Texarkana]

@EssexFells @Feliz thank you both! This has been extremely helpful.

It seems like Shockline is back ordered through October so I think instead of trying to find a different product, I’m going to attempt to get the existing top strand working on one paddock to get them moved in. Hopefully the donkey won’t get any wild ideas immediately. That will give me time to figure out how to tackle the rest. I originally thought it was all one big, interconnected circuit, but it seems they are electrified separately with not all fields having a hot coated wire.

[OTTBs]

@EssexFells

though stripping the coating in order to get to bare wire is a PITA.

I don’t find this to be a big problem. I just stripped a strand of my Ramm high tensile to tighten it up. I have wire cutters that don’t quite fit around the plastic, but I nip through just the coating, then rotate around the strand and repeat. 3-4 nips usually got through the whole coating, then grab the coating and pull it off. Though for this project, it dawned on me that I’d bought a bigger pair of wire cutters. They made it easier, just had to be careful not to cut the actual wire.

[HorseKrazy]

It’s a relatively inexpensive fencing, so that’s appealing. But, injuries can and do still happen even with it being “coated”. I have had my fences for 10 plus years - exact same brand you are looking at - and it’s great until it isn’t. I am currently replacing the coated wire with the 5” traditional centaur fencing and leaving a strand of the hot coated wire along the very top. I have had the same horse wrap a leg in it twice now. Once as a 3 month old foal, severing her extensor tendon, and just this last weekend she got it caught again (thankfully no injury) at the exact same spot in the fence line with the opposite leg. Apparently it’s her preferred place to roll and take naps .

Anyway, just popping on to say spend a bit more, find it in your budget to go with something else.

[HorseKrazy]

This is a plastic version of electro braid fencing. I have had it for about 12 years and I’m currently replacing it after a very bad injury. It may work for some horses just fine, but I have to fence my pastures for all types of horses, and it only takes one horse to have a significant injury to make a fence material unsuitable.

[HorseKrazy]

Completely agree. Pull the staples. Replace with the post insulators. Threading through a previously placed staple is going to be way more of a pita than you need

[BroncoMo]

Well that blows. I just might have to do all rails. Hopeful for a full and uneventful recovery.

[HorseKrazy]

Thank you, she did fully recover-just had a full work up by the clinic last week. But, for as gory as her injury was, we were really lucky that it was a non weight bearing tendon so that once it scarred over it is considered “healed”. But, it could’ve easily been so much worse than just severing the extensor.

[BroncoMo]

For what it’s worth, the nasty Electrobraid injury that did me in was a weanling filly that degloved a lower hind leg. Severed the extensor tendon, SDFT, and half way through the DDFT. It was a loooong recovery and the leg was ugly to look at, but she was sound and even had a light riding career. We had several other serious injuries from it, but that was the worst. I shutter when people call Electrobraid “safe”. I was hoping coated high tensile would be a cost-effective way to mix with flex boards.

[Texarkana]

@HorseKrazy Can I ask more about the injuries you experienced with coated high tensile?

I’m curious because you are the first person I’ve heard saying it is as bad as electrobraid, which has a terrible reputation for safety.

[HorseKrazy]

When you get the coated wire that has “Hotwire” capabilities then the wire is no longer smooth. It has metal at the surface that runs the current, and that’s what does the damage. Specifically, horses can (and do) get their legs wrapped in it. Mine severed her extensor tendon after getting her leg caught during a roll. I’m currently replacing it with 5” flex rail along the bottom and concentrating the “hot” wires at the top. I’ll how to add an image, but I’d show you the damage if I could

[Ponycatraz]

I think you might be talking about a different kind of wire. Mine has a carbon inlay with no external wire or metal. It is perfectly smooth.

[Texarkana]

@HorseKrazy thanks for sharing. Like @Ponycatraz, mine also has a smooth carbon inlay. I guess there are different types?

[HorseKrazy]

https://images.app.goo.gl/2i3WheHSGuU2zcJw8

This is what I have. Centaur brand “white lightening” They conduct electricity,

[HorseKrazy]

I might not be using the “right” descriptive words, but this is the product that did the damage and I’m currently replacing. I just hate seeing it toted as being this super safe product, when there are better options out there. I’m just one person, sharing her personal experience with it

[Ponycatraz]

I totally get that. I’m just trying to understand how the injury you describe could happen with what I have. It’s perfectly smooth with no exterior metal.

[HorseKrazy]

You’re guess is as good as mine. I had one horse that went through it and another that was caught in it. I was down at the barn right after it happened, but did not witness it. My best guess is the foal rolled and caught her leg in it. It was electrified, so she was shocked and then it became wrapped and panic ensued. I’m not certain how the other horse god through it. The wire was wrapped in such a way that the metal inside the coating became exposed. Let me see if I can figure out this photo thing

Again, it’s just my experience with this fencing-which I bought for the same reasons most people do. Because its “safe”, affordable, tidy and easy to maintain. I now feel like I have been lucky as most of my horses have never bothered to challenge the fence

[Texarkana]

I appreciate it @HorseKrazy. You have me reconsidering if I want to put a hot coated wire down low now. I will have to see how the donkey does with the fence.

[redheadthoroughbred]

In answer to your grounding question, if you will put your ground rods somewhere close to your water for the animals and let it overflow when you refill it will also help the fence maintain charge. Lack of moisture is a problem here too. (Also I work for a retail ag store and we sell and troubleshoot lots of fence issues)
Best,
SL

[Texarkana]

Updating because this was bumped up:

It’s not quite been 3 weeks with 5 strands of coated high tensile (top rail hot, the rest regular).

My observations so far:

It is pretty easy to repair and work with. I appreciate that, since the sellers left it in bad shape.

The first major safety test that I was present for was when my half blind mare ran full speed into it in the dark. While I didn’t actually see the collision, I certainly heard it. It sounded like she may have even gotten a leg through or over it from the amount of scuffling after impact. But she didn’t have a single mark on her and the fence had no damages.

I definitely need to add another hot strand lower. Not only is the donkey quickly realizing how easy it is to graze through the fence when the hot strand is taller than you, the horses are also putting their head/noses through the bottom despite the top being hot.

It is ironic @redheadthoroughbred bumped this up about grounding; it took me a second to realize the statement was about @BroncoMo’s issue. I’m having a major stray voltage problem of unknown origin. Obviously it’s not the fence alone, but the conductivity of the wire has it spreading everywhere (except to the horses when they graze through it because of the coating). We’ll keep trying to find the source but after eliminating several possibilities I think it may be some of the old insulator sleeves.

[BroncoMo]

That’s a great idea. While most of my set up would have the water overflowing into the paddocks, it should be easy enough to put troughs in areas where I could just trickle some water on the grounding rod each time the trough is filled. Or maybe a slow trickle cracked pot of water or something that would continuously keep a section of ground moist. Winter time wouldn’t be much fun for this task, but I wouldn’t expect horses to be testing the fence in the winter as they’ll usually be huddled around a round bale. Thanks again.