I’m looking for opinions on horse containment methods when camping, I don’t want my made to stay tied all weekend. She did great in a single strand electric pen last summer but I’m looking at my options now that Im purchasing my own set up. Electric pen or affordable portable PVC corral? I know both have their downsides. I need to keep the cost low and anything needs to go in my dressing room or truck bed and be easy for one small person to set up. If you went electric did you make it yourself or buy a kit? What kit?
I bought an electric pen. I bought this kit http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B9SFP2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01 I like it and it is easy to set up. I originally looked at the PVC corrals but they take up so much packing room and were alot more expensive.
I saw that one but I am looking for one that has two strands maybe? More substantial.
I made my own set up. I got taller step in posts, some electric tape, and a gate handle. I also bought a canvas rent pile bag and a nylon drawstring bag. Everything goes in the two bags and dogs easily in trailer without taking up too much room.
i don’t know where you are planning to camp, but horses will break through electric fences if they are panicked enough. where i am we have moose and bear and wolves, and horses do break out of electric fences on a regular basis. if you picket, they can pull the picket pin and a horse running with a picket pin behind it is very dangerous. i feel the safest is to tie them to a highline with a swivel. but they can break away from that, too, given enough inducement. make sure your horses have ID of some kind–a brand, a microchip, or a tag on their halter.
I made our electric pen set up. Used a solar charger, fiberglass step-in posts, tape on a home depot cord reel, and plastic electric gate handles. After setting the posts, we string the tape twice around so there are two strands with a gate at each pen. Our latest improvement is a corkscrew like ground tie used as a ground rod. It’s easy to screw into the ground and better… easy to unscrew rather than pulling a driven metal pin .
I also made my electric pen set up. I bought 5’ step in posts and I do 3 strands (I do not want to be THAT person whose horse escapes at rides). My guys definitely respect it- I did an endurance ride a couple of years ago where we camped in a big field over 4th of July weekend where they decided it was a good idea to set off fireworks over top of the horses. I was very glad for my tall set-up that night
Does anyone have pictures of their set up? I’ve been reading all these horror stories of big wrecks and horse injuries with horses in electric pens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbsqxA0WUb4
Anyone have experience with this system? It looks easy to set up and I like the 4 wires.
Second the idea of ID on your horse --but braid it into the mane instead of on a halter --EVERY time my boy escaped his highline, he lost his halter in the process --oh and neck straps, too. He just slips out regardless of how tight they are.
Foxglove
How many folks here use hobbles or sidelines with or without other containment systems?
G.
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8583339]
Does anyone have pictures of their set up? I’ve been reading all these horror stories of big wrecks and horse injuries with horses in electric pens.[/QUOTE]
I don’t have a pic of my set up that shows anything helpful but I will say that I’ve seen some pretty bad disasters with the electric tape BUT every time it’s been a pen with more than one horse in it. There are a couple of endurance rides now that won’t let people put more than one horse per pen because of this.
[QUOTE=enjoytheride;8583339]
Does anyone have pictures of their set up? I’ve been reading all these horror stories of big wrecks and horse injuries with horses in electric pens.[/QUOTE]
Don’t have a picture… All of the wrecks in electric pens have been multiple horses together or a single wire that a horse gets a head under… For my two horses, imagine a rectangle divided in half. The doors are at the center and that’s where I start the tape with an insulated handle. Make a loop around the first pen, down the center as a divider, then back to the perimeter, loop around the second pen to another insulated handle for the second gate. Then back at a lower level, around the perimeter to the first gate. This makes one continuous loop twice (two strands) with two gates. The tape reel is plastic so it sits on the ground and the electric connection to charger is made there.
PS … I use a metal ring to hook the handles on at the center. The metal ring makes the entire tape fence a loop circuit. Power can flow in all directions.
Thanks! I’m now also looking at Horseguard tape because it’s bipolar and doesn’t require a ground rod.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8583488]
How many folks here use hobbles or sidelines with or without other containment systems?
G.[/QUOTE]
i use hobbles, but only when i am watching her closely. i’ve seen horses run away in hobbles. my own horse has jumped logs wearing hobbles.
it makes a big difference how you trail them to hobble, also. if you start out by teaching them to walk by putting a lead rope around their legs, so they respond to the pull of the rope, and then graduate to hobbling them three ways, then move up to hobbling them two legs but up high on the cannon bones, then are less likely to have a wreck and less likely to walk off in their hobbles.
even then, you have to watch them.
I’ve used hobbles on my horse, but she still moves WAY TOO FAST in them if she feels like it. Some horses do really well in them, but it’s a long walk when you can’t find your horse in the morning! We mostly used hobbling for longer term camps (like a week or more) where the horses kind of get used to being in a certain area and you know where to look for them.
Oops, didn’t realize this thread was so old. I guess I thought it was still March 
No problem! I have not purchased anything yet so I’m still reading opinions!
I want to learn more about the highline set up - pictures?
I’ve highlined my horse before, you need two trees the right distance apart and a ladder to get the rope up high enough. It’s not a bad set up, doesn’t allow the same freedom as a corral, and most of the place I go don’t allow highlines because they can damage the trees if you don’t use tree savers.
