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A horse’s main aim in life seems to be to injure, maim, or kill.
Themselves, that is.
Proper horse-safe electric fencing solutions are non-negotiable
An equine-friendly fence not only protects your four-legged friend from potential hazards but also ensures they stay where they’re supposed to, for both their well-being and your peace of mind.
At Styx Solutions, we understand the importance of safe and secure horse fencing and have a range of products designed to meet the specific needs of horse owners. We don’t just sell a product, we help you come up with the solution to all your farm fencing needs, too.
This blog post explores how to safely fence your land with electric fencing for horses - highlighting the benefits of our horse wire, equine tape, energisers, fence battens, and outriggers.
1. Assess Your Land:
Before making any decisions on fencing, you need to consider factors such as the size of your land, the terrain, and the overall layout. For example, flat land may have different fencing requirements compared to hilly or uneven paddocks.
Hilly terrains may need more flexible fencing options, such as equine tape that can adjust to changes in elevation, while flat land might be well-suited for robust TopLine horse wire that provides a strong barrier.
Some grazing areas might need solar-powered energisers if there are no nearby power sources, while training areas might require more visible and less intimidating fencing like well-installed equine tape.
If you talk to us about your farm or block, we’ll work through your options to make sure you get the best electric fencing solution for your situation.
2. Know Your Horses:
What’s your horse like??
Younger, more energetic horses tend to explore and challenge their boundaries, often at a gallop! In such cases, choosing a durable yet safe fencing option, like horse polywire combined with equine tape may be needed to stop these hooligans in their tracks.
Small ponies often just walk straight under a single tape. Instead of using standard pigtail posts, you may need a post that allows for two, even three or four, strands of hot wire to stop them in their tracks! Our new tread-in standards come with adjustable clips, so you can position the wires at the heights you choose.
You might need higher fences to stop jumpers from getting out, or to stop any leaning or fighting over the fences. It’s easy to extend fences with our Styx Outrigger. With our handy fence adaptor, you can add an outrigger anywhere, even upwards! And they come in three different lengths, depending on your needs.
3. Choose the right fencing products:
At Styx Solutions, we make fencing easy. We have a huge range of popular products, and we’re always testing and tweaking new, innovative products to solve all our customers’ fencing problems.
Whether you prefer minimalistic, strong horse wire or visible green equine tape, or the Styx fence battens on boundary fences, we have the solution and the product to suit.
Here are some examples of the choices open to you:
Horse Wire:
Equine wire is designed to be extremely easy to use while providing maximum safety for your horses.
Our Topline horse wire is softer and more flexible, easier to work with, weather-resistant, durable, has very high conductivity, and has a smooth surface and rounded shape. Perfect for fencing-in precious horses while being safe, strong, and also smart to look at.
Equine Tape:
Equine tape is designed to be more visible, so it’s easily visible by horses and may stop them running through internal fences.
Our Equine Naturae tape is made in New Zealand to withstand New Zealand conditions. It has a more open weave to allow wind to pass through it, so it won’t twist or spiral in windy conditions. Plus, the green-brown-green colour is intentional. Horses can see this colour combo better and it looks good to us, too.
If you are after a complete black look with your fencing then our premium Black 40mm tape with 10 stainless wires and 5 tinned copper wires provides a real punch for horses wanting to push the boundaries.
Fence Battens:
Battens, or droppers, depending on where in the country you are, are an extremely useful part of fencing. They provide visibility, stability, and longevity to the traditional wire fence, and are found along 1000s and 1000s of kilometres of fencing across New Zealand.
Check out our blog post “Which fence batten is best?” to see how the Styx batten compares to other products.
Our innovative Styx batten is unrivalled when it comes to safety, robustness, and economics. Designed and manufactured here in Christchurch, the Styx batten is a cost-effective alternative to traditional wooden battens, insultimber, and wire lightning droppers.
There are so many benefits to using the Styx batten. Here are just a few:
One person can install the batten in seconds - reducing labour costs by up to 50% compared to installing wooden fence battens.
It’s one large electrical insulator - perfect for running multiple electric fence wires through the batten, and it won’t short out anywhere
Manufactured from 50% recycled plastics destined for landfill - at the end of its useful life the batten can be fully recycled
Weighs four times lighter than a wooden batten – so it costs less to transport and is easy to carry and install on steep hill country
No need to use so many battens on the fence line – less material costs, reduces the weight on the wires, and less maintenance
It’s very durable, being made of UV stabilised material and designed to flex not break – plus it comes with a valuable warranty
Outriggers:
Outriggers are a necessity when fencing horses in. They’re designed to keep hungry, bolshy, or just nosey horses off the fences, meaning less chance of them damaging the fence – or themselves.
Our Styx outriggers are the perfect addition to our Styx batten, as they’re designed to be fitted to one another in one smooth movement, without the need for additional tools, staples, or time.
They can also easily be attached to wooden posts (in around 5 seconds with a couple of screws and a battery drill) and come in three useful lengths to easily fit your individual needs.
They’re versatile, too – strong enough to keep bulls, deer, and horses off the fences, and can support 2.50mm high tensile wire, polywire and tape, electric polyrope, and equine wire.
Energisers:
Electric fence energisers are vital when it comes to putting the final touches on your electric fence. The energisers we hold here at Styx Solutions are reliable, robust, and effective, being trusted European brands from Germany or Australia.
Depending on your situation, you may opt for a mains energiser, or you may need to install a solar-powered energiser. Whatever your choice, we have the right one for you, plus all the extras such as testers, underground wires, earth stakes, and more.
4. Get expert help
The products mentioned here are just some of the popular and tried and tested products we have in store. But we’re not just about selling the product; we firmly believe in helping with a solution, too, so call, email, or visit us in person, talk to us about your land and your needs, and we’ll help you come up with the best fencing solution for you.
You can find all our products on our website product pages at www.styxsolutions.com, and don’t forget to add your name to our mailing list too, so that you’ll be the first to hear about any new products, special deals or one-time offers.
Simply head to our Contact page to sign up - we'll see you on the inside!