Electric Fence For Strip Grazing

Strip Grazing Electric Fence Guide

It's that time of year when the grass is so sweet and tempting....and for the health of some of our horses and ponies we've got to control where they graze.  Electric fencing has been used for years to help keep horses where we want them.  It is incredibly easy to set up and move around - once you've got the right products.  Prices have also come down over the years so you can now get a good strip grazing electric fence without breaking the bank.  Here we're going to review some options:

Electric fence energiser:  this is the most important part of your kit.  This controls the electrical pulse that goes around the fence.  For strip grazing, you do not need a powerful energiser as the area you are fencing is typically fairly small.  You will probably want a battery energiser and here are several options to consider, with an honest summary of their strengths and weakness:

- Equistop B1 9v energiser. This is a great price point and very easy to move around.  It is made in Germany, comes with a 2 year warranty and has a light to indicate that it is working.  The batteries in this energiser are not rechargeable and will need to be replaced every 3 or 9 months, depending on the battery you select. Earth stake included.

- Fenceman DP350. This energiser runs off 4 D-cell batteries, or from a 12 volt battery.  It is made in ireland and comes with a 3 year warranty.  It has a neat little stand to sit on, although it is a bit wobbly if not well mounted. The plastic of this energiser is a little...plasticy....but it's a good simple energiser for the price point. Earth stake and batteries included.

- Trapper AS20. This is a solar energiser - where the battery inside is recharged by the sun. We love solar energisers for their ease of use. They are very reliable  and the prices have dropped a lot over the years so they are now far more affordable (although you may need to take it in for a charge on the mains during the darkest winter months - but who strip grazes then anyway?).  Earth stake and rechargeable battery included.

- Gallagher B60. What an energiser! This comes with a 7 year warranty.  It runs from a 12 volt battery, which is a bit heavy to move around. But the energiser is well made and very good value for money. Gallagher is the only brand to offer a 7 year warranty. Earth stake is not included.

- The Hotline Shrike is cheap as chips...well almost! It is only £60.99, comes with a 3 year warranty and is made here in the UK. It has a light that flashes to let you know your energiser is working.  It will only work for a small fence of no more than 2km - but that's fine for strip grazing purposes.  It runs off 2 D-cell batteries that should run your energiser 24 hours a day for 8 weeks. It simply hangs from your electric fence.  Batteries and earth stake are not included.

Electric fence tape:  for strip grazing our 20mm Shock is easily enough for what you need.  It has 4 stainless steel conductors and is made right here in the UK, with good quality plastic. There is a lot of cheap import tape flooding the market at the moment and this will not stand up against the UV rays as well as stronger tape, like ours.  This tape comes in green or white.  The current leading thought is that horses can see green better than white, but of course, humans can see white better than green. So the colour is up to you - both work!  If you need to connect any tape, please use tape connectors, and do not tie knots which will weaken your electric fence.

Electric fence posts:  typically these come in 3 ft or 4 ft lengths, in either green or white. We do also have extra tall 5ft posts, but these are rarely necessary.  Most ponies are fine with 3ft posts.  Taller horses and those that jump may need 4 ft posts.  Of course, 4 ft posts cost more. These posts have a spike that you simply push into the ground. They also have hooks and loops to hold your electric fence tape.

Tape to Tape Connector:  Don't forget your tape to tape connector. This is a device that you use to attach the top line of tape to the bottom line of tape.  It will make both lines of your fence live - which is important when you have a horse trying to nibble grass on the other side of the fence.

Electric Fence Tester: This is a very useful bit of kit - especially if you are new to electric fencing. It will tell you what power your energiser is giving out, and what power is on the fence.  It is essential to have a tester should your energiser go wrong.

Strip Grazing Electric Fence Kits:

Equine Starter Kit: £134.99

This kits includes 20 3ft posts, 200m of tape, a gate handle, insulators, a warning sign and the Equistop B1 energiser with a 3 month battery. You are able to modify the kit as you wish - adding more tape, posts and increasing the battery to a 9 month battery.

Paddock kit:  £120.99

This is one of the cheapest kits.  It comes with a DP350 energiser, 20 3ft posts, 200m tape, gate handle, insulators and a warning sign.  Again, you can modify the kit to meet your requirements.

Paddock Plus Kit:  £131.99

This kit has the 12 volt battery Gallagher energiser that comes with a 7 year warranty.  It is excellent value for the quality you get. The kits has 20 x 3ft posts, a gate handle, 200m tape, insulators and a warning sign. This kit does not include a 12 volt battery.

Strip Grazing Kit:  £199.99

This kit includes the Shrike energiser, with a 3 year guarantee.  It is the cheapest of the kits, but is great for small strip grazing set-ups. It comes with 20 x 3 ft posts, a gate handle, 200m tape, a warning sign and insulators.  You will need to get 2 x D-cell batteries.

All the kits have everything you need to get a basic electric fence up and running, excluding the batteries in some kits. please note that you should use a 12 volt leisure battery, rather than a 12 volt car battery (which could damage your energiser).

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call.  We are a family run business and are always happy to help.

FarmCare UK

Electric Fence Specialist