How does Equine Fencing Keep Your Horses Safe
Keeping horses is a joy in itself. They are powerful and majestic animals, not to mention intelligent and playful. They are also expensive to maintain, so keeping them safe is a priority. Equine Fencing can work wonders in keeping your horses safe, both from themselves and from unwanted visitors. In this article below we explain how electric fences work and why they are a perfectly safe choice for protecting your horses and other animals.
The Psychology Behind Electrified Equine Fencing
Psychology is not just for humans. It is a science that is applicable to animals as well, especially intelligent animals like horses. That means that certain behavioural principles that apply to humans can also be used to predict and manage the behaviour of animals. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the phenomenon of operant conditioning.
Operant conditioning is a process by which behaviours are learned from interacting with the environment. In other words, the tendency to perform a specific action is either strengthened or weakened based on the consequences of that action. It is easy to see how that principle applies to the use of an electric fence. In this case, the specific type of operant conditioning is “punishment”, which simply means that an animal that touches the electric fence will learn that it creates a negative feeling or sensation, so it will avoid touching the fence in the future. It is important to note that the “punishment” we refer to does not entail any abuse to your horses for poor behaviour, but simply discouraging a specific behaviour (touching a fence or venturing into a specific area) by implementing mild negative consequences.
Equine Fencing Is Designed To Be Safe
Your horses won’t be harmed should they come into contact with a properly installed electrified fence. The fence’s current is normally only strong enough to deliver a sharp jolt and cause a brief period of discomfort, which is intended to prevent repeated attempts of touching or going near the fence. Because the possibility will always exist that your horse, other animals, or even humans may touch the fence (either unknowingly or on purpose), the fence cannot by nature be deadly. It may take more than one attempt of touching the fence to discourage such an action, so you don’t want to cause serious injury during either attempt. You want your fence to be a safety barrier, not an expensive liability.
See More Of Our Animal Fencing Products
Nemtek offers a massive selection of electric fencing products, including equine and pet solutions. Whether you need an energizer that is appropriate for your fencing setup or a big yellow warning sign, you will find what you need in our catalogue.
If you live in South Africa (or even elsewhere and facing similar issues), we also have a big range of batteries and solar panels to keep your fences powered during outages. Load-shedding or unexpected power cuts won’t be an issue if you have a stable and reliable source of backup power.
Contact us if you have further questions about our product range.