Question for you Horse People...

[*~Trent~*]

Horses crawling isnt a natural thing.

I assume it would be a sign of desperation, as no normal horse does that on an everday basis.

If you horse is that desperate to escape, crawl or no crawl, then there already is a problem.

If your horse is crawling out, you should check that pasture for anything that could spook your horse.

Also ask your neighbors what she was doing at their house. Was she eating? Maybe you arent feeding her enough. Does your neighbor have a horse? Maybe she needs a companion. Horses are herd animals, and when you have a horse, you are supposed to have 5 acres of land, and 2 horses for company keeping. And if a 2nd horse cant be owned for whatever reason, another companion animal can be substituted. Sheep or Goats may work, maybe a dog?

[SomebodyDude]

Yea well it is for my friends horse. We/her family has checked everything and they feed her plenty. We accually think she enjoys it XP .... She likes to escape just to get out. Her pasture is HUGE but sh only likes bening OUT of it, lol. I think her problem is just the thought that she can't be completely free. They have even asked several vets` about it and they said there was nothing wrong with her. . She just likes to escape to prove she can....

[*~Trent~*]

I am talking to Bratteratt... this is her thread...

[Cowgirls Rule]

How odd....I have seen/heard of a horse opening up a gate, but not crawling.

[Vitani]

We used to have a mare that you couldn't put in temporary pasture (as in, dividing a larger pasture to limit her eating) because she ignored hot tape....It was funny to watch but a pain in the proverbial because she'd hunker down on her knees, butt in the air and stick her head and neck under it....Then she'd shuffle forward on her knees, till the tape was over her back, then stand and just walk off...Voltage never bothered her abit...

We had others who just didn't respect electric fencing...So we started putting plastic tags on it....They'd flap in the breeze and seemed 'scary' enough to keep them away....You could try that.

Be wary in upping the voltage....The farm next to where I used to work ONLY had electric fencing ( to me, its a temporary thing...Nothing beats good solid fencing long term ) and despite our advice, he upped the voltage to keep his new 2 year old in....One morning we went down to fetch our horses and Dusty, who was the sweetest, funniest lil thing, acted more like a dog than a horse, had been trying to get out and into our property again....Got caught up in the fence, and been shocked to death because she couldn't get out again. Vet said the repeated zaps and the higher voltage had stopped her heart....I cried for a week I would hate for that to happen to your lil Houdini....

[Bratterratt]

First of all, I'm a little offended that you would think my horse is underfed Trent. I know I shouldn't be, but I guess since she's my baby that's my first reaction. Do you have a horse Trent? Horses crawling on their knees, especially young ones, is VERY common. They are like dogs, and can get down so low, it's amazing...

Secondly, my horse does have a companion, a gelding her same age named Zanzibar. He isn't quite... bright, enough to escape as well, so just hangs behind in the pasture whenever she gets out. Even if we didnt' have another horse Trent, Borie has goats, sheep, turkeys, dogs, cats, and rabbits that could keep her company. But that isn't the problem. She is in no way lacking a companion.

Thirdly, in horse-terms, my three year old is uncommonly... Bomb-proof. She is not spooked by tarps, flags, flapping trees, water, etc. (The only things that irk her are bridges and bears, but I can't exactly use either of those to keep her in her pasture. Lol.)

Anyway, thank you all for suggestions, but I guess I'll just have to keep looking...

[This is a picture, for you Trent, just so that you can see my horse is healthy and a good weight... ]

[KaylaBlue]

If you plant bushes close enough that they can touch the wire, or grow enough to touch the wire, then the current will be interrupted. On that note, you should go around the bottom of the fence and make sure that there isn't any tall grass or bushes around the bottom touching the fence. That would make it so one strand could occasionally stop, making it easier for her to escape.

If not that though, I agree in upping the voltage. If possibly, also raise the wire towards the top of the poles as to deter her as much as possible from jumping it.

Kayla

[*~Trent~*]

It wasnt meant to be offensive. Its nothing personal.

Just honesty.

If my best friend walked up to me and said, "_____, my friend has a horse that always escapes the pasture, which is surrounded by an electric fence. The horse goes down on its knees and crawls under and escapes. You like horses. What should she do?"

I would tell her that the horse must be scared of something in the pasture, is being abused in some way, the electric fence isnt on, or the horse is jumping over.

Since I didnt have any knowledge of you having companion animals for her and such, I couldn't give an accurate answer. In general though, what i said might be the case.

But what does your horse do on your neighbors property? You should ask.

[Bratterratt]

I do weekly checks of the fence, to clear out bushes, grass and other obstacles that may have grown up too tall. So I know for a fact this isn't a problem.

As for jumping over, unless my horse is secretly an Olympic world champion hunter, this is not the issue. Our fence tall enough that she can just barely stick her head over it, and that's if she stretches. I can guarantee that she is not jumping it.

Horses are opportunistic eaters. In other words, they eat whenever food is presented to them. Since we live on a mountain, grazing is so incredibly good. My theory, is that my mare escapes for the fun of it, realizes she's out, then goes on grazing. She's not getting out for food, because she has food available to her 24/7. When she was over at my neighbors' house, she was exploring, grazing, and generally getting into her usual mischief...

[*~Trent~*]

Maybe upping the amount of trail rides will calm her curiosity. Maybe bring her by her neighbors land, so she can get her daily look without running off.

Maybe like a tracker collar or a bell will help xD

[Bratterratt]

Borie gets weekly rides, daily lunging, and daily "loose" time. What I do is I halter her, then let her loose in the yard. That way she can graze and explore. But she never goes very far.

Our neighbors do not like us, and will never like us because of past dog issues. Taking her down there is not an option...

I don't believe they make tracker collars for horses. And bells wouldn't work either, because finding her isn't the problem. It's stopping her from going in the first place...

Bratt

[Alabama]

Could she be bored? If she's smart enough to go beyond normal horse actions by crawling under a fence, she maybe bored and needing some entertainment or something to keep her mind occupied.

If you have a deep freeze, maybe create some "popsicles" for her with bits of fruit or horse treats frozen in a big pan of water then put into an empty water trough. Might take her a bit to understand that the treats are there, but once she does, should keep her occupied for a while at least.

There's those horse balls, though I'm not sure how safe that would be with only hot wire surrounding the pasture.

[Bratterratt]

The horse Popsicle is a really cute idea! I may have to try that...

She has a basketball that she'll play with, and she and her play mate like to carry sticks around in their mouths for some reason...

And like I mentioned before, she is worked daily and is given out time to explore. I don't really know what her deal is. I think she just likes knowing that escape is possible... *sigh*

[Alabama]

LOL.. Yeah.. But then if the neighbor's is some place she doesn't get to go usually, would make sense if she's bored, she'd try to go someplace she's not supposed to.. Like a teenager sneaking out the window. Too bad horses don't understand the word grounded and don't have cellphones and computers to take away from them.

[Bratterratt]

Exactly. It's kind of hard to punish her when she gives me that innocent look as well. I guess I just ended up with a one-of-a-kind pony...