Question for you Horse People...

[Bratterratt]

Ok, so this morning out neighbors called at 4:30 to ask if we wanted our horse back. My three year old mare had escaped the ELECTRIFIED PASTURE and trotted down to their yard. This is the second time this month.

And this isn't the first few times she's done this either. She's been escaping ever since the first day I got her! Usually she doesn't leave the yard, but she must have been out for a while, because she raided the hay pile and decided to visit the neighbors. It's not that I'm worried about her getting hurt or lost, because we only have two neighbors, and the road is far enough away from our home, that she will most likely not find it, but a horse should just stay in the fence!

To explain our set up, we've got an acre+ pasture surrounded by a thick, three strand electric fence. The electricity is always on, and was on last night when she escaped! And the fence does work (believe me, I have felt it recently).

How my mare usually gets out, is she will use her teeth or something to pick up the very bottom strand, wrap it around the middle strand, then crawl under, somehow managing not to get shocked. Or maybe she just doesn't care about that. *sigh* It's very frustrating.

So my question is, how do you stop a three year old escape artist from crawling under neath her pasture fence (which she shouldn't even fit under in the first place)? We've tried everything, and nothing seems to work. Any creative ideas?

Bratt

[SomebodyDude]

Oh wow! LOL XP

Maybe you should just get a wood fence....

[Bratterratt]

That would be nice, but can you even imagine how much it would cost to surround an acre+ pasture with a sturdy wood fence? Way more than is affordable... And she'd probably just eat it or something like that! Lol...

Bratt

[wolfgirl159357]

Maybhe add another strand to the very bottom of replace the electric fence with chicken wire

[Bratterratt]

Chicken wire a horse can just walk right through and our bottom wire is already only a foot off the ground... Thanks for the suggestions guys though...

Bratt

[Fire Opal]

Could you put up a strand of barbed wire on the bottom of the fence? Since you do not know exactly how she is getting out, you could put up several strands, even. I'm not sure if that could hurt her, but if she did get scratched it might deter her from escaping again.

[wolfgirl159357]

Hmm well i have never owned a horse so that was just my thoughts.

[Bratterratt]

We thought about barbed wire, but if she did then get tangled in it, and injured, not only would we have vet bills, but that would put us out of showing for who knows how long. And if she did get tangled, she's the kind of horse that would fight it until she was cut up...

[Fire Opal]

Oh, yeah, that would be a problem.

So what is your gate like? Are you sure she's not escaping out/under that, maybe?

[Bratterratt]

Our gate is just like our fence, really. It's a three strand, with clips, so that we just have to hook it onto the pole. If you weren't paying attention, it would blend right in with the rest of the fence. She did at one point unhook one of the strands and crawl out, but she hasn't done that trick twice...

[.Savy.]

I'd up the voltage.
She may just be use to it by now, and doesn't mind the 'pain'

[Bratterratt]

I guess that might be the only thing to do. Lol, stupid pony... *sigh*

[Alabama]

Are you sure she's going under and not jumping over? You might also try tying noise makers to the bottom strand so that if she picks it up, it might startle her into letting go.

Otherwise, upping the voltage may be the only thing.

[*~Trent~*]

Maybe plant bushes under the fence? pretty and helpful.

Otherwise, you will need to train her.

I think she is jumping over, honestly. Horses dont do the crawling thing.

[SomebodyDude]

Trust me they can do the crawling thing .

I saw my good friend's horse do it.... It was kinda funny accually....