2016 Premier Fence

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HORSE FENCES 63
IntelliFence® solutions for…
Horses
Why our horse fences work…
Because they are designed by folks who
own horses with the needs of both horse
and horse owner in mind.
While cost is a factor, it is never our first
concern. More important is the safety
of horse and rider, installation ease and
reliability of the components.
Important reminders:
1. The smaller and less visible a barrier,
the more chance a horse may run into,
through or over it.
Conversely, the taller, larger and more
visible a horse barrier, the less likely it
is that this will occur.
2. Risk, be it to horse, fence or horse
owner, is inherent in the nature of
horses and horse barriers. The risk can
be reduced via increased visibility
and/or safer materials—but risk cannot
be eliminated.
Horse fences must be easily seen
by horses (and people)…
Because their eyes are on the sides of their
head, horses are less able than people to
clearly see small objects directly in front of
them when running.
That’s why they occasionally run into steel
wire fences—and in doing so, risk serious
injury and/or escape. Escaped horses are
serious road hazards.
Knowing this, we designed our ropes and
tapes with the equine vision capabilities in
mind. That’s why:
1. They have contrasting colors in order to
be visible against all backgrounds.
We were the first to offer white/black
tapes and ropes. That we were right
to do so has since been proven by our
many imitators.
2. They’re flexible and large enough in
diameter that direct impact by a horse
rarely results in injury.
Why electric fences from other
sources may not work as well…
• Single-color conductors are not visible
enough for horses to see.
• Most electrifiable tapes have too little
elasticity for temperature changes. They
become loose, sag and wear as the wind
blows them.
• Some fence energizers provide very
high output in volts and joules. Their
shock may cause horses to panic.
• Many insulators are not able to hold tape
securely in high winds.
• Many ropes are made of inferior
material to cut their cost. They sell
better than they perform.
Temporary, p. 64 Semi-Permanent, pp. 65–67 Permanent, pp. 68–70
Warning: Do not use high-tensile smooth wire fences for horses!
High-tensile wire fences look nice, are not expensive and are easy for contractors to install.
Nonetheless, Premier advises against such fences for horses though we promote them for other species.
Why? Because HT wire can produce terrible equine injuries. The wire is very strong yet small so it
behaves like a cheese-cutter on flesh when accidently kicked or impacted at speed. It’s difficult for
horses to see most HT wires so they are less able to avoid them. If you already have such fences, it’s a
potential injury in waiting. As a fix we suggest installing an offset strand of energized rope to enable
horses to better see and avoid the wires.