Portable Electric Corral

[Raleigh_s_Mom]

So, I did my second endurance ride this week (24th place out of 28, and that was leaving 10 minutes after everyone else left camp), and I am ready to ditch the picket line. Plus, I may not always have the option of having trees to put up the picket line. I originally was thinking I would get some sort of hi-tie arm system for the trailer, but I am getting more interested in an electric corral.

I have seen all sorts of electrical corrals, some more substantial looking than others. I liked the look of this one http://www.redsnapr.com/PRODUCTS/kits_equine.aspx . Does anyone have any opinions or preferences?

[birdsong]

That looks very nice…but…you can also go someplace like Tractor Supply and purchase the components and do it yourself…many around here have done that.

[Painted_Horse]

It just all depends on what features you want.

Poles that collapse into a smaller more compact size.
how much wire, what does it roll up onto
How big/compact is the charger

If you haul everything in the truck, Size isn’t as important as when you pack into the back country and everything has to go into the panniers.

The portable electric corrals are great for single horses. I’ve found when I put multipe horses into one they push and chase each other and somebody gets pushed through the hot wire. So I only use them during the day when I can watch. I always hi tie at night. We do sometimes put up a MUCH larger hot wire. Sometimes when we pack in we take two 1/4 mile spools and 40-50 fiberglas rods and put up 1/2 mile of wire around a mountain meadow. Then the horse have room to move around and not push each other through the hot wire, and they can graze for a couple of days with out us having to move the wire.

We’ve also had deer/elk run through the meadow at night and knock down the hot wire. Another reason we highline at night.

[Raleigh_s_Mom]

birdsong - Good idea, and a lot cheaper. But I wonder what kind of charger to buy?

Painted Horse - Good points to consider. I would just be using at endurance rides, so no worries about packing into the back country. My biggest concern is the horses pushing through it, though. Mine are in electric here at home and are respectful of the fence but it could be a different story with portable corral.

[Guilherme]

Most of the “electric corral kits” are very expensive. As noted you can do much better at TS or the Co-Op buying some fence posts, insulators, tape, gate handles, and a charger.

We carry such a set up (and add a t-post driver). The posts go on the hay rack on the top of the trailer and the rest goes into the tack area.

We use a standard, small solar fence charger we bought from Tractor Supply. It was about $75 IIRC. I store in on a table in the garage in front of a south facing window; it’s always “ready to go.”

G.

[pegasusmom]

Electric pens are status quo in polocrosse - and most all of us make our own. We use plastic step in posts, the wide electric tape and a 6 volt battery powered fencer. Those fencers can pack a wallop, btw. The nice thing about do it yourself is you can taylor the size of the pen(s) to fit your needs. We usually set up two to three large pens - 15 by 20 feet or so, run them off of one fencer and have never had any trouble. One thing we did learn is not to scrimp on the posts, the more posts you use, the sturdier your pen.

[Ajierene]

If your horse is already used to electric, he should be fine. The only problem I have ever seen with electric portables is a horse kept in a small paddock, high on alfalfa and beet pulp (“fancy show horse”) when the owner decided she wanted to give her mare some grass. She put her in the portable electric fencing in the back of the facility, at the front of a twenty acre field that was usually hayed. Well, without walking that horse around the electric, the horse apparently only saw the huge field. She took off, broke through the fence and down to the other side of the field. Luckily she did not go farther, since that field was not fenced in and she could have easily taken a trip around the neighborhood.

This is something that can happen at night as well, if a horse gets spooked. Usually horses that are used to the electric are not bad, but you never know. There is a part of my field that is wire fencing with electric on top. The electric is not always on and my horse’s fieldmate will test the fence and lean over to check out the grass on the other side. This is not something my mare would ever think about doing. So knowing your horse is part of it.

I would put my mare in an electric portable in a heartbeat - not her crazy fieldmate!

[wendybird]

Raleigh’s Mom -

My friends use the redsnapr portable corral to hold their horses at endurance rides. They like the way it packs up. You can buy extra poles and accessories as well. The horses are never tied in any way, and as long as they’re accustomed to it at home, respect the wire.

I have a reel of 1" tape, and 10 step-in posts. I secure the corners with tent ties, and use a small battery driven unit for the electricity - essentially the same as the redsnapr. It’s easily stored away, just doesn’t have the kit bag, and cheaper too.

[Guilherme]

To those of you who use “step in posts” how tall are they and where do you get them?

G.

[JackSprats_Mom]

As noted you can do much better at TS or the Co-Op buying some fence posts, insulators, tape, gate handles, and a charger.

This is what we use, cheap, cheerful and you can make it as big or small as you like

[Raleigh_s_Mom]

I have my father looking into configuring a portable kit. He’s a retired electrical engineer, so he should be qualified to “design” something for me. Plus, he like to have things to do now that he is retired.

G - I saw step-in fence post on the Tractor Supply website. The couple that I looked at were 4ft tall.

Does anyone run their charger off of a car battery? I like the idea of the solar battery, but I do not really have a good place to store it.

[Painted_Horse]

There are several very portable charges that you can buy. Yellow jacket by Zareba are just one of the names ( it sells for about $75), Most will run on 4 “D” cell flashlight batteries. And they seem to last 4-5 weeks of constant use. So I wouldn’t haul around a big battery. Most units also have the ability to use some alligator clips and take power from a larger battery ( ie your truck or trailer battery)

There are also numerous fence poles available. Stop by any farm store and pick your choice. Most will be 3 feet tall when pushed into the ground. I have some that have a curly pigtail on the top and a built in step on the bottom. They are great around the trailer, but too heavy to pack. For packing we have 40 fiberglass rods that use a small spring wire clip that sips over the top to hold the hot wire.

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=Raleigh’s Mom;3893030]
I have my father looking into configuring a portable kit. He’s a retired electrical engineer, so he should be qualified to “design” something for me. Plus, he like to have things to do now that he is retired.

G - I saw step-in fence post on the Tractor Supply website. The couple that I looked at were 4ft tall.

Does anyone run their charger off of a car battery? I like the idea of the solar battery, but I do not really have a good place to store it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info on the posts!

I think our local Co-Op carries a “car battery charger.” It’s a large, black box that contains the battery, charger unit, etc. We had one serveral years ago that we finally wore out.

A solar charge unit works just fine for this. When it’s not being used put it in a window in your house, garage, or barn and it will stay charged up quite nicely.

G.

[skip_rainy_shi]

i have that fence and use it for 2 horses they fit great in it, i like how it all fits in the bag to travel its easy to set up and take down. and packs a pretty good charge.

[gabz]

The nifty thing about the Zareba battery-operated zapper, is that there are 3 different battery configurations. Using the 4, D cells, means you can just leave it outside, unprotected. Otherwise, you can run wires to a 6 volt or 12 volt (car) battery.

AND… For the portable corral set ups with step-in-posts, you will still need to ground your charger no matter what. The Zareba attaches directly to a grounding rod. Yup. Take a post pounder and an 8 foot grounding rod. Pound the rod into the ground, slide the charger on the rod, tighten the nuts, then hook up the wire. SUPER easy.

The Zareba is a long, narrow, yellow charger. I have 2. I really like them for sectioning off areas in the pasture.

[rainechyldes]

Don’t buy a kit, sooo expensive and really not worth it.

I just purchase the parts from the local feedstore.

All you need is poles, and electric braid, I like to use the tape 1 inch wide.
And a portable charger -

The charger I have will run off my trailer battery, plus I also bought a solar panel which it runs off quite handily as well which I tested last season and was happily surprised with. Just make sure if you do the solar panel route, that the leads are long enough. My panel can sit on top of my horse trailer, and the leads reach the ground - as my charger normally sits under the tongue of my horse trailer when it’s set up.

Also a bit of a trick when it comes to setup/takedown.
I usually camp alone, so I discovered.
If you set up your corral, when it comes time to take down, pull the poles with the tape sit attached, lay them out in a straight line and then roll the entire fence up. I then pack the rolled up corral into an old canvas tent bag.

Next ride, I pull it out, unroll it and presto - insta fence! ready to be staked in.

[gothedistance]

@rainechyldes;3902916

Also a bit of a trick when it comes to setup/takedown.
I usually camp alone, so I discovered.
If you set up your corral, when it comes time to take down, pull the poles with the tape sit attached, lay them out in a straight line and then roll the entire fence up. I then pack the rolled up corral into an old canvas tent bag.

Next ride, I pull it out, unroll it and presto - insta fence! ready to be staked in.

Now isn’t that just the cleverest idea!!:yes::yes::yes:

I’m tired from 10 years of putting up and taking down electric fence, rolling out/installing and detaching/rolling up the tape, storing everything separately… so I’m definitely going to use your method next time. Thanks!!:):)

[Romantic_Rider]

I’m glad to find someone else does the “wrap up the whole fence” thing. I made up our own portable electric fence for endurance rides, but it’s rope that doesn’t come out of the posts easily, and it’s two strand. So I’ve always just wrapped the whole thing up, usually around a flattened cardboard box so it doesn’t get tangled. But I’m the only one I ever see doing that. It’s nice to know I’m not! I’ve always wondered if it was easier the other way. The way I do it isn’t very flexible as far as size goes. We have two horses, and just to be safe we put a strand through the center of the corral, so they have separate pens. Quite easy. The thing that bugs me is lugging around a huge battery all that stuff. Where could I just get a nifty little charger?

[rainechyldes]

[QUOTE=Romantic Rider;3903621]
The thing that bugs me is lugging around a huge battery all that stuff. Where could I just get a nifty little charger?[/QUOTE]

Here’s what I did.
I bought one of those battery cases, which has a top that is removable, and is secured by two straps like they use on semi’s for loads, (cargo straps? I think they are called.) Then I got my dad to drill holes on the tongue of my trailer, right against the trailer wall, and we bolted the battery case into place. Then in goes the battery. So it stands as a self contained unit right on the tongue) When you need it, you remove the lid and attach your leads for your charger. (my charger sits under the tongue on the ground - it’s not very big - I can’t remember the brand offhand without tromping out to look. Works like a charm.

If I need to charge it, I tend to use the small solar panel I had in the trailer to charge it during the day when I’m racing. Just clip on the leads and it does it’s thing while I’m on the trail.

As a life thing, I bought my 2 horse stock in …1989 and the battery case was put on it in oh…1992 I think, and it’s still in perfect shape. Saves lugging!

I also have a battery inside the tackroom of the trailer, but I find that more inconvenient to use as I have to leave the tackroom door open then, or use really long leads…which I end up tripping over.