Electrobraid vs Horseguard

[longlanefarm]

Step #157 in our farm/barn project is fencing off pastures. The first to be fenced off is a 3-4 acre gentle hillside right off the sacrifice paddock and arena area. We’re having wooden corners and line posts driven but will be installing the line ourselves. There will be a max of 3 horses using the area. All respect electric, not hard on fences, youngest is 6yr OTTB, plus mid teen and 20+ yr QHs.

I have used Electrobraid in the past and was generally happy with it. It was easy to install and looked very nice + minimal maintenance. However, I used black (don’t ask me why) and will definitely not use it again (white or checkered instead) due to the visibility issue (though I haven’t had any issues with that, it just made me nervous after it was all installed and very hard to see). I also had a handful of areas on the bottom line that appeared to have been chewed by something after a year of use? And either snapped or stopped the flow of the charge because they were only holding on by a few threads. Now, it certainly could have been a careless weedwacker but they were in areas that aren’t usually weed wacked.

Since I’ve used Electrobraid in the past I have all the gadgets to install it and feel confident in how to do it properly.
I have been eyeing Horseguard too. I like the look and it has better visibility. My husband sees tape as saggy (I tell him that wasn’t properly installed) and an eye sore. I think it looks better than rope if tightened correctly. He also thinks white tape will eventually look dirtier than white rope. I have thought about the brown color but wonder if it’s like the black rope situation? How much more do I need to buy, gadget wise, to install the Horseguard? How much different is the tightening system? Major cost difference?

Anyone with experience with both, I’d love your feedback and input!

[Guilherme]

I’ve yet to see a tape that was the same quality as Electrobraid. Tape has another annoying quality, it can “vibrate” in high wind conditions. If it’s really tight and the wind is just right it sounds like a swarm of locusts. Never had any braided product to that.

I agree on the black. I’ve used some but redid a couple of lines where the black is the middle strand and the lighter is the top and bottom strand.

Stick with Electrobraid!

G.

[Lolliver]

I live in a flat, open area. The strong winds here wreak havoc on tape fencing. I went with 5 strand coated (white) wire, the white for visibility, and I’m very happy with it.

[NoDQhere]

We have miles of Horse Guard tape and love it. It is NOT like the other tapes. We have winds up to 80MPH and the HG has been fine. We get heavy snow and the HG has been fine. We have horses of all ages, including stallions and have never had a fence injury with HG. One look at some of the gruesome injuries from Electrobraid was enough to convince us to stick with Horse Guard.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I also experience incredible winds. The Horseguard tape doesn’t flap. I think it looks nice:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g3pyRZ40R6…619_085232.jpg

FYI, I did brace my corners.

That said, of all my fencing (no climb, wood board, horseguard, etc.) my favorite is my Kencove coated wire (Ramm and Centaur make a similar product) with two strands of Horseguard for visibility. But I use Horseguard in my high-pressure areas (dry lots) because it is very safe and I have foals who do dumb things and donkeys who are very motivated to get to grass.

When researching I saw some degloving accidents with electrobraid that steered me away. I know other people have had it for years and are happy.

[BasqueMom]

Although we’re a Centaur dealer, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend horseguard for the folks who want tape. Have read nothing but rave reviews here on Coth. Have read and had customers have some horrific injuries with electrobraid. And I’d recommend bracing any corners and end posts if you are going to put any pull on it to keep the fence tight.

[Long_amp_Short_Ears]

I agree with your husband and I will take a pic of out 7 year old tape it is kinda grey-ish. I prefer the white rope, I do not like the Zebra brand though the white rope is not cotton and it splinters eventually. I like the white with poly rope, have to see what brand is out favorite I have the a few brands. I also do not like having to get the insulators even though you said you already have them not a fan of them or having to get them only one farm store has them but the the other does not, and they are seldom in stock.

[horsepoor]

I will not use electrobraid. I have Horseguard tape as cross fencing within my Centaur perimeter fencing. Some has been up for over 10 years. We get some extreme wind here and it has not been a problem. Heavy snow or ice will make it sag a bit, but that just means I go pull it tight again after things melt - not a big deal. We have a mix of braced and not braced ends and the unbraced haven’t been a problem (treated posts set in concrete). I’ve had a horse get caught in it and he came away fine, although he did pull off an entire line of insulators that I had to fix.

Other than my SO setting the posts for me, I installed the Horseguard by myself and do all the maintenance. It is easy to work with, even for someone like me that didn’t know much about electric fencing before installing it. The tape and hardware is so much better quality than the stuff at the local farm store.

I used the brown. We have brown Centaur around the perimeter, and our house/barn is kind of a NW craftsman style, so brown was a better fit. White would have looked silly plus I didn’t want to have to keep it clean. I’ve never had an issue with visibility. If I can find a picture to post, I will add it later.

[Jarpur]

The Horseguard has been very durable for us. It does not flap in high winds. Major difference between our Horseguard and a neighbor’s farm store tape installation – no comparison in appearance or longevity.

We installed the green - it doesn’t show dirt as white would, the horses see it fine yet any slightly out-of-levelness doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb (as it would with white), and it blends a bit into the landscape.

[longlanefarm]

@horsepoor

I used the brown. We have brown Centaur around the perimeter, and our house/barn is kind of a NW craftsman style, so brown was a better fit. White would have looked silly plus I didn’t want to have to keep it clean. I’ve never had an issue with visibility. If I can find a picture to post, I will add it later.

Per the HorseGuard website, research found that the brown and green colors are actually more visible to horses than the white or even a bright color. Hmm interesting. Never knew that.

Do you need any special tightening device for the Horseguard? It doesn’t seem so but how do you get it really nice and tight?
I feel like any horse can probably hurt themselves on any fence but now you’re all scaring me about the Electrobraid…

[horsepoor]

@longlanefarm

Do you need any special tightening device for the Horseguard? It doesn’t seem so but how do you get it really nice and tight?

No you just pull it by hand. It isn’t difficult. The tension is just enough to have it snug, not super duper type like the high tension wire type fences.

[Quelah]

I have had brown horse guard here for 15 years. Love love love it. Easy to tighten, stays tight.

[Kodidog763]

We have Horseguard, our neighbors have white tape from Tractor Supply or Fleet Farm, etc. Our tape does not flap or sag NEARLY the amount the neighbor’s fence does. I was a little worried about the quality, but after 3 (or is it 4?) years, our tape has held up really well. We tighten ours every few months - they tighten theirs at least every week, sometimes more than once per week.

We live in a snow state, so for visibility I went with bi-polar green/brown tape, as the white can be difficult to see against snow.

[Miss-O]

Horseguard all the way. The stuff does not flap in wind and really doesn’t sag. Plus it is so much more visible then electrobraid and less likely to injur the horse in scary ways. I installed it myself with a drill and their insulators. I had to tighten it about once per year and it wasn’t even that saggy. I tightened it with my fingers and it took about 1 minute to do so. This was in an area with heavy snow and wind.

We went with the color brown so that the horses could see it better, so I wouldn’t have to wash it and so that the dips in it due to hilly terrain weren’t quite as obvious. The only downside was that it was harder for me to see in the sections of the pasture that were wooded but I would still get that color again. It was still easier to see then the electrobraid that I have used in the past.

[Unfforgettable]

I have Equibraid and am very happy with it. Properly tensioned, it’s as safe as any fence can be.

[Sing_Mia_Song]

I have had Horsegard in the green tape for, oh, 15 years. There’s some upkeep as far as replacing insulators and tightening it up, but overall it has been great.