Help! I need to add a single strand of electricity to an existing fence. Total fence line is under 300’. Purpose is to keep a horse off the fenceline.
what do I need to do this?? I went to the local farm store and got totally confused.:no:
is it easier to get the bipolar horse guard fencing so I don’t have to put in a grounding pole? I board, so the simpler we can keep this the better…
Is it safe to assume that the remainder of the fence is not electric?
We mostly use solar fencers. One is plug in, but as you board, I would go Solar so you don’t have to worry about power. You will need a post that is a safe distance from the horses to mount the fencer (solar panels facing south).
I have not used the bi-polar, but a grounding pole isn’t that complicated…unless you have rocky soil in which case it might be tricky to get it sunk deep enough.
If you want to keep the horse well back from the fence line, get the insulators that are on little arms to hold the fencing off the fence a bit.
If your horse is an obnoxious turd like some of mine, they will still manage to break insulators, so buy extra. Mine discovered that if they use the jolly ball to hit the insulators they won’t get zapped.
A grounding rod is basically a piece of rebar you pound into the ground and tie a piece of wire to it.
There are different insulators for different applications. You can get them to put on just about any fence type.
One pointer though: The chargers are rated by how much wire they can support. I forgot how much mine was (for dogs, it wasn’t much) toward the end I had maybe 100’ on there, in a low lying area that stayed wet a lot of times. What can I say, it packed a good wallop! 
My leg twitched for a while after I carelessly step into it (it was low, just above ground, because the dogs slipped through the rotten fence there).
So you don’t have to get a super big one, unless you are planning on keeping elephants in ;):lol: But you can put more than one strand on the machine should you need it.
300’ of a single strand should carry a pretty good zap with a ~$100 6v solar charger. You have to keep in mind that the quality of your ground rod set-up will determine how good your shock is. You want to sink the rod deep, and hook your wire to it securely - I prefer to use the rods & connectors sold at the farm supply stores. You might need more than 1 rod, but you won’t know that until you hook it up.
For 300’ of fencing, I would just use extended insulators and polywire, which is cheaper and easier to work with. If you have wood posts, I would recommend mounting the insulators with SCREWS, not the nails they come with. The insulators w/nails are a MAJOR PITA to remove, but the screws are easy-peesy.
As for direction the solar charger faces, I have found it really doesn’t matter much. I have had them mounted in every direction possible, and all have performed fine. Same as the solar panels on local roofs that face every imaginable direction. I haven’t seen anyone move their house yet so that the panels can face a certain way. Don’t sweat it.
I have mounted my chargers in with the horses (up high on the lean-to wall), or just on the opposite side of the fence from them. Once they know the fence hurts, they generally don’t try to lean on it to mess with anything.
If you’re going to use solar then plan on grounding rods IAW the manual directions. A proper rod will be of a galvanized steel and be 6’ long or so. If your ground is wet year round (ensuring a good electrical ground) then one driven 5’ down will do the job. If you’re in a very dry area then you might need up to three and would be wise to “water” them periodically to preserve their effect.
If you can use a plug-in charger then you might get away with the “bi-polar” wire. I’ve never used it and don’t know what it’s requirements are.
As Alagirl notes wet ground works much better than dry ground, in that the critter being “shocked” is well grounded if the soil is damp (or even wet).
For what you have described, a basic shopping list could be:
(1) Solar charger like this http://www.zarebasystems.com/store/electric-fence-chargers/esp3m-z Zareba is good brand and should do 300’ without difficulty. Note the type of fence post you’ll be using for mounting and obtain proper hardware if not included in the box.
(2) Grounding rods per the charger manual. When setting grounding rods put them in an “out of the way” location where they will not be tripping hazard for horses or people.
(3) Clamp(s) to attach grounding wire(s) from charger to rod.
(4) Fence wire, rope, or tape. All generally excite some sort of “safety” discussion revolving around equine injuries. Any time you restrain a horse it has the chance to injure itself. Aluminum wire is soft and breaks easily; that’s Good News and Bad News. From what you describe it might work well as you don’t have much to run. It’s easy to work with and delivers a good charge. It’s pretty much impervious to weather.
(5) Insulators appropriate in number and type. The type of fence material, post, and placement on the post will determine the type of insulator you buy. Count your fence posts and act accordingly. Get appropriate insulators for the corners. If you’re setting insulators on wood posts you’ll need screws. They are much easier to use than nails.
(6) From the OP it does not seem you’ll need a “gate.” Unless, of course, the horse leaning on the gate is a problem. In that case buy a standard gate handle. When you get to the last insulator “finish” the fence. Then make a gate by cutting an appropriate length of fence material. Attach it permanently at one end and make a “loop” on the other to receive the “hook” on the end of the handle. One thing you can do is hook the “fixed” end of the gate to it’s own insulator, but do not electrify the gate from the fence. Instead, at the “hook” end wire your loop into the “hot” fence. This means that when you open the gate that wire is “cold” and your risk of shocking yourself or the horse is reduced. You also don’t have a hot ware laying on the ground going “snap…snap…snap…”. That will bother some horses.
The tools you’ll need are likely a set of fence pliers (not absolutely necessary but very convenient and long lasting). Drill, auger bit (to make holes), and driver bit (to set screws) if the posts are wood. Battery powered drill is best but you can haul a generator and regular drill if you want to! 
Wrench and/or pliers to attach grounding clamp(s) to grounding rod(s). A “driver” to set the grounding rod. A post driver will do; the “hard way” is to use a sledge hammer.
This should do you for a basic list. It looks daunting but is really pretty simple. Fence building is not “rocket science”!!! 
Good luck in your project.
G.
Everyone has good info but I’ll put some learned the hard way tips for you:
Don’t mix metals: Do not use copper wire with steel cables or grounding rods. Metals corrode each other. Pick one metal and stick with it.
Gates: Don’t ever waste your time burying insulated wire. It’s a PITA if you ever need to find if something is wrong. If you want to go past a gate without creating an electric gate get two long boards to attach to each gate post. Run the insulated cable up one, across to the other side and back down. This is fantastic.
More grounding rods: Many people only use one, our fence was weaker than it should have been and someone told us to add more. We went to 3 grounding rods (all connected to each other). Our horses pushed on it and ran for their lives.
Protect the charger: Even if you have a solar charger, think about housing it with a removable lid. In bad storms you can cover it up and protect it.
Hydrate: In dry weather water those grounding rods. Consider seeing if you can have them near a garden or plants you water. Make sure to have them within hose reach or bucket carrying distance.
Don’t loop back: Don’t connect the fence to itself. Each strand should be a dead end.
I put my insulated wire in a 1.5" black tube that I dug a trench for. It didn’t take me long to do this by hand. I picked it up for like $20 at Home Depot. I’m not even really sure what it is for, but I got way more than I needed. I prefer the “buried look” (just my preference) and if I have an issue I just pull the wire out. No big deal. It’s easy to feed an insulated wire through.
I use Horse Guard bi-polar with a solar charger (Gallagher S17 thanks to COTH advice) and it works fine. However one thing that I learned the hard way is that if you want to make a “gate” out of the bi-polar strands you cannot use the standard cheapie electric fence gate handles you can find at Tractor Supply Company etc. Since bi-polar strands contain both the live wire and the ground wire, which the standard gate handles aren’t designed for, they will short out the fencing and it won’t work. You’ll need to buy the special Bi-Polar gate handles and stretchy wire for the gate area from Horse Guard. Not a big expense and it works well. You may not need “gating” since you’re just adding to a rail but just in case, save yourself some “why won’t the darn thing work?” diagnostics.
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