Horse vs fence: fence 0, horse too numerous to count, update

dixie · 02-25-2006, 03:52 PM

My husband bought a spanish mustang gelding back in Nov. He goes to the trainer Apr 1 (turned out to be greener than we could deal with). Since then we have repaired/replaced our fencing at least 5 times. We have reinforced the portions he has not figured out how to escape from. the second to last time he pulled all three wooden posts out of the ground at the corner (they were 3 ft in the ground), laid the fence flat and went to visit the neighbor

Now they are still 3 ft in the ground but with the hole filled with cement! The last time (2 days ago) he pulled on the wire until the twist at the post came loose (that twist was 12-18 inches long) and the wire came out from the steeples holding it in the post. I woke up (work nights) to no horses. Found them in a neighboring field and they raced the ATV home - I use it to feed. Now I have bought an elcetric fence controller, that will work on 20 mi of fence, and have run 2 wires - about 18 inches and 36-40 inches off of the ground inside the wire fence. Does anyone have any other suggestions. I know he is young, 5y/o, and curious. I keep a bale of hay a day in the fence, feed pelleted food twice a day, and have almost 3 acres fenced in for the two horses. I really like this guy - he is naturally inquisitive, usually quiet in the field and does not seem afraid of much. What I like about him is probably part of the problem

Sorry this is so long. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

snickers · 02-25-2006, 04:05 PM

From my experience, mustangs are notorious for escaping,
I have my 5 year old mustang gelding now behind an electric fence.
He respects it and stays away from it.
I have replaced 3 gates that he has rammed or tried to jump and got hung up on.
My back paddock has hog panals with wood boards at the top, and its leaning where he has rammed it going after the other geldings, he still thinks he is a stallion, and we have to fix that.
A friend of mine has an older mustang gelding she has had for years and he still gets out.

I go with the electric fence and hopefully once he touch's it, he will stay back odd of it.

Hope this helped and good luck.

**taelesean** · 02-25-2006, 04:11 PM

Some horses just don't respect fencing!

A lont time ago, some freinds of mine had a Shire stallion. He'd walk thruough a 5 board fence like it was made of toothipics. His pasture was fenced with thirds of telephone poles sunk 5' in the ground with 5 feet above, the top rail was steel freeway guard, as was the second. the first and third rails were 3" thick slabs sawn from more telephone poles. He shared his pasture with another Shire mare and a Clydesdale mare, had lots of hay and feed, and about 10 acres to run in.....you'd think he had no reason to want to leave. Still, a couple of times a year he bust that fence

and there were usually a few sections that looked like a semi-truck had nailed them.

If the plain electric fence doesn't stop him, put the No-Step wire fence on insulators and charge the whole thing! hang it about a foot off the ground and keep the grass trimmed short under it.

joustinggirl · 02-25-2006, 05:15 PM

Even my paints will lean on and walk them down to eat on the other side. We ended up running electric halfway up along the inside. It keeps them from reaching accross too. I don't know why it took us 2 years and a completly ruined fence to do it.

dixie · 02-25-2006, 05:16 PM

The sad thing is that we should have seen this coming. When we went to look at him, his original owner had placed him in a separate paddock, brushed him - wanting him to look good for company

Well by the time we got there, he had opened, yes opened not broken down, the gate, got into the field and had som any briars and stickers in his forelock and mane that he looked like he had dreadlocks. And we still bought him. What does that tell you about us.

I am hoping that after his time at the trainers we can keep him busier so that his energies will be directed elsewhere. My mare will stay in an area that has single strand polybraid with just a slight charge, so dealing with him has been a challenge to our ingenuity

Rocking Horse · 02-25-2006, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joustinggirl

Even my paints will lean on and walk them down to eat on the other side. We ended up running electric halfway up along the inside. It keeps them from reaching accross too. I don't know why it took us 2 years and a completly ruined fence to do it.

Me too

Only it was my TB and QH....

I have a lovely stretched field fence with hot wire along EVERY post, on the top...

beth55051 · 02-25-2006, 07:23 PM

I too have Mustangs. They will either open or take down any fence that is not hot. But all it takes to keep them in is one little strand of hot wire. It has to be wire not tape. They will wait until the tape has rubbed on the insulators for a while and then walk through it. Bravo the little mustang would even walk over the round pen pannels if he was left in there too long. Since we changed/added hot wire to all of our fencing we have not had a problem unless the fence is down from deer. Then they will tell us that we need to fix it. My fencing is all two strands of hot wire. Bottom strand is 18 inches off the ground and the top strand is about 3 1/2 -4 high depending on tall the t-posts are in that pasture. I use all high tensile wire because it conducts the electricity better than the standard aluminum hot wire.

dixie · 03-12-2006, 06:40 AM

Well - 2 weeks and 2 days since the hotwire has been up - no escapes, no leaning on the fence, no sticking his head thru the fence then standing up and pulling on the wire to stretch it out. Hurrah!! Now, not to jinx myself, but I keep wondering how long it will last.

joustinggirl · 03-12-2006, 07:27 AM

It has lasted 2 years for us. Isn't it nice.

LBJ · 03-12-2006, 09:02 AM

I to have mustangs and other horses they all work on taking the fence down

currently I am in the processing of replacing it all and will later run hot across the top, but I have found that if I find that black rope works they don't seem to mess with it as much, my mustang filly just flys over it when she wants out,,

but keeps them from taring up the fence as much!!!

WYJumper · 03-12-2006, 12:51 PM

Ahhh, oh blessed hot wire

keep my horses in, protect them from evil barbed wire, and lead them away from busy roads.......

dixie · 03-12-2006, 05:52 PM

WYJumper - you had me laughing so hard. I love that post - it almost reads like a chant you would hear at a monastary

stubborn horse · 03-12-2006, 07:06 PM

My appaloosa went around leaning on the fencing and its all bent and out of shape so we went back and put electric fencing on top. We have a pole kind of out in the open and we had him tied up like you should and that day hadn't been so good when we working with him. He just starting rearing up and kicking and pulling back on it. The pole had that cement mix in and a was a few feet in the ground and now the pole is kinda of leaning sideways. So I am sure not in any hurry to get a mustang. LOL.

lily · 03-16-2006, 04:07 PM

The bonus to our hot wire (to complete the circuit between us and the neighbor, there is a wire about 18" off the ground) is our neighbor's dog used to come in our yard and bark and growl fiercely at us. My neighbor would laugh it off but I was really ticked. Anyway, we put up a hot wire to keep the horses off the vinyl fence. My husband had just plugged in the wire when this dog came hauling butt for me, snapping and barking to beat all. We witnessed a blue spark fly off his nose when he hit that wire. The dog has not come near us since. Makes me happy.

02-25-2006, 03:52 PM
dixie Long Yearling Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southwest TN Posts: 1,455	Horse vs fence: fence 0, horse too numerous to count, update My husband bought a spanish mustang gelding back in Nov. He goes to the trainer Apr 1 (turned out to be greener than we could deal with). Since then we have repaired/replaced our fencing at least 5 times. We have reinforced the portions he has not figured out how to escape from. the second to last time he pulled all three wooden posts out of the ground at the corner (they were 3 ft in the ground), laid the fence flat and went to visit the neighbor Now they are still 3 ft in the ground but with the hole filled with cement! The last time (2 days ago) he pulled on the wire until the twist at the post came loose (that twist was 12-18 inches long) and the wire came out from the steeples holding it in the post. I woke up (work nights) to no horses. Found them in a neighboring field and they raced the ATV home - I use it to feed. Now I have bought an elcetric fence controller, that will work on 20 mi of fence, and have run 2 wires - about 18 inches and 36-40 inches off of the ground inside the wire fence. Does anyone have any other suggestions. I know he is young, 5y/o, and curious. I keep a bale of hay a day in the fence, feed pelleted food twice a day, and have almost 3 acres fenced in for the two horses. I really like this guy - he is naturally inquisitive, usually quiet in the field and does not seem afraid of much. What I like about him is probably part of the problem Sorry this is so long. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

02-25-2006, 04:05 PM
snickers Bombproof Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Twilight Zone Posts: 9,804	From my experience, mustangs are notorious for escaping, I have my 5 year old mustang gelding now behind an electric fence. He respects it and stays away from it. I have replaced 3 gates that he has rammed or tried to jump and got hung up on. My back paddock has hog panals with wood boards at the top, and its leaning where he has rammed it going after the other geldings, he still thinks he is a stallion, and we have to fix that. A friend of mine has an older mustang gelding she has had for years and he still gets out. I go with the electric fence and hopefully once he touch's it, he will stay back odd of it. Hope this helped and good luck. __________________ The "real" FACE of white trash is not here. http://diamondpfarm.webs.com/

02-25-2006, 04:11 PM
taelesean Administrator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,319	Some horses just don't respect fencing! A lont time ago, some freinds of mine had a Shire stallion. He'd walk thruough a 5 board fence like it was made of toothipics. His pasture was fenced with thirds of telephone poles sunk 5' in the ground with 5 feet above, the top rail was steel freeway guard, as was the second. the first and third rails were 3" thick slabs sawn from more telephone poles. He shared his pasture with another Shire mare and a Clydesdale mare, had lots of hay and feed, and about 10 acres to run in.....you'd think he had no reason to want to leave. Still, a couple of times a year he bust that fence and there were usually a few sections that looked like a semi-truck had nailed them. If the plain electric fence doesn't stop him, put the No-Step wire fence on insulators and charge the whole thing! hang it about a foot off the ground and keep the grass trimmed short under it. __________________

02-25-2006, 05:15 PM
joustinggirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boones Mill, Virgina Posts: 3,799	Even my paints will lean on and walk them down to eat on the other side. We ended up running electric halfway up along the inside. It keeps them from reaching accross too. I don't know why it took us 2 years and a completly ruined fence to do it. __________________ Pink Tiger says \'Grrrrrr\'

02-25-2006, 05:16 PM
dixie Long Yearling Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southwest TN Posts: 1,455	The sad thing is that we should have seen this coming. When we went to look at him, his original owner had placed him in a separate paddock, brushed him - wanting him to look good for company Well by the time we got there, he had opened, yes opened not broken down, the gate, got into the field and had som any briars and stickers in his forelock and mane that he looked like he had dreadlocks. And we still bought him. What does that tell you about us. I am hoping that after his time at the trainers we can keep him busier so that his energies will be directed elsewhere. My mare will stay in an area that has single strand polybraid with just a slight charge, so dealing with him has been a challenge to our ingenuity

02-25-2006, 07:23 PM
beth55051 Bombproof Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: East Central Minnesota Posts: 7,977	I too have Mustangs. They will either open or take down any fence that is not hot. But all it takes to keep them in is one little strand of hot wire. It has to be wire not tape. They will wait until the tape has rubbed on the insulators for a while and then walk through it. Bravo the little mustang would even walk over the round pen pannels if he was left in there too long. Since we changed/added hot wire to all of our fencing we have not had a problem unless the fence is down from deer. Then they will tell us that we need to fix it. My fencing is all two strands of hot wire. Bottom strand is 18 inches off the ground and the top strand is about 3 1/2 -4 high depending on tall the t-posts are in that pasture. I use all high tensile wire because it conducts the electricity better than the standard aluminum hot wire. __________________ *Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened.*

03-12-2006, 06:40 AM
dixie Long Yearling Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southwest TN Posts: 1,455	Update Well - 2 weeks and 2 days since the hotwire has been up - no escapes, no leaning on the fence, no sticking his head thru the fence then standing up and pulling on the wire to stretch it out. Hurrah!! Now, not to jinx myself, but I keep wondering how long it will last.

03-12-2006, 07:27 AM
joustinggirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boones Mill, Virgina Posts: 3,799	It has lasted 2 years for us. Isn't it nice. __________________ Pink Tiger says \'Grrrrrr\'

03-12-2006, 09:02 AM
LBJ Yearling Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: lake city, fla Posts: 610	I to have mustangs and other horses they all work on taking the fence down currently I am in the processing of replacing it all and will later run hot across the top, but I have found that if I find that black rope works they don't seem to mess with it as much, my mustang filly just flys over it when she wants out,, but keeps them from taring up the fence as much!!!

03-12-2006, 12:51 PM
WYJumper Product Reviews & Conf. Clinic Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Least Populated State Posts: 1,342	Ahhh, oh blessed hot wire keep my horses in, protect them from evil barbed wire, and lead them away from busy roads....... __________________ Steph

03-12-2006, 05:52 PM
dixie Long Yearling Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southwest TN Posts: 1,455	WYJumper - you had me laughing so hard. I love that post - it almost reads like a chant you would hear at a monastary

03-12-2006, 07:06 PM
stubborn horse Halter broke Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North West Florida Posts: 83	My appaloosa went around leaning on the fencing and its all bent and out of shape so we went back and put electric fencing on top. We have a pole kind of out in the open and we had him tied up like you should and that day hadn't been so good when we working with him. He just starting rearing up and kicking and pulling back on it. The pole had that cement mix in and a was a few feet in the ground and now the pole is kinda of leaning sideways. So I am sure not in any hurry to get a mustang. LOL. __________________ It\'s a COWGIRL\'S WORLD...Cowboys just live in it! No offense boys. Got Hay?

03-16-2006, 04:07 PM
lily Newborn Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 28	The bonus to our hot wire (to complete the circuit between us and the neighbor, there is a wire about 18" off the ground) is our neighbor's dog used to come in our yard and bark and growl fiercely at us. My neighbor would laugh it off but I was really ticked. Anyway, we put up a hot wire to keep the horses off the vinyl fence. My husband had just plugged in the wire when this dog came hauling butt for me, snapping and barking to beat all. We witnessed a blue spark fly off his nose when he hit that wire. The dog has not come near us since. Makes me happy.