Choosing an Electric Fence Conductor
The choice of a conductor is critical to building a safe and effective electric horse fence. Wide polytapes are favored for non-portable horse fences, because horses do not see forward well, and these wide tapes, like the broad stripes on a skunk, add to the electric fence's visibility. Also, broad electric fence tapes are robust, most having breaking strengths between 400 and 800 pounds. So besides visibility and shocking power, they present a limited physical barrier to frisky horses.
But electric fence polytapes have an enemy. They can be buffeted, frayed, torn, and devastated by the wind. And even though wind damage can be cut by twisting the tape once or twice between each set of electric fence posts, at blustery sites the wind remains a formidable foe.
Many builders of electric fencing deal with this by using polyrope or polybraid instead of polytape. That allows posts to be spaced up to 40 feet apart (as opposed to 25 feet with wide polytape) and does away with the wind problem. And though they are less visible than wide polytape, ropes and braids are strong, far more visible than wire, and unlikely to accidentally harm horses.
These big, moosey conductors are great for permanent electric fences but ill-suited to portable electric fences, because they are a pain to lug around, hard to take down, and harder still to put back up. So don't use them for temporary electric fencing pasture dividers, overnight paddocks, or portable corrals. Instead use half-inch or three-quarter-inch polytape (we especially like the three-quarter incher). Arrange things so that your horses will be contained by bigger fences outside the temporary electric fencing; or else, if you are setting up temporary paddocks or corrals with no backup fence, accustom your horse to the narrow tape fence ahead of time, and make sure it is not the sort of fiery steed requiring strong containment.
At the bottom of the horse containment ladder come polywires and metal wires. Don't use them on stand-alone electric fences, because polywire is marginally visible and weak, and metal wire is largely invisible to horses and can seriously injure a horse that intentionally or accidentally runs into it. Instead use these products more humbly, to keep horses from leaning or chewing on a barrier fence.
Finally, don't forget the insulated hookup wire needed to connect AC-powered chargers to their fences, and also to carry charges under gates. Ordinary power cord can't do this because it cannot contain the high voltage created by the charger. But undergate and hookup wire is designed for this job and does it well.
