Jane,
You wrote:
> able electric fence? The fence controllers that I've
> seen ask you to pound two rods 6ft into the ground, with the first one 10ft
> from the controller. Seems excesive to me. If you use electric fence and can
> help me out please E-mail me directly.
You need to establish a good ground for the fence to "pack the full
punch" if a horse touches it. If a ground is not as deep, you can
get away w/ moistening the gound around the rod periodically. We
found a metal rod used to hang small decorative yard flags - about
3.5 feet long. We sink as much as possible and get the ground well -
never had any problem. I can testify that the fence is VERY hot!
We are using a solar charger - has a marine gel cell rechargeable
battery that works well. The battery chargers were a pain. It
always seemed tha the battery died at inconvenient times. The solar
chargers are a little more expensive initially, but well worth the
price in reliability. Actually, they may proove to be cheaper than
battery chargers since the darn batteries are so expensive.
We ALWAYS use a very visible tape (4" white nylon web w/ heavy guage
wire.) and we always acclimate the horses (esp. new guys) each spring
so that they remember that it IS a fence when we go somewhere. Hot
wire fencing is a training issue - otherwise you run the risk of a
horse walking through it. You can't help waht the neighbors' horses
do if they break loose - it is a risk you take. No method of
retraining a horse away from home is without its pitfalls and
hazards.
Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Equestrian Supplies/ Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"