Electric Fence Conductors
In planning an electric fence a key step is selecting the conductor. This conductor should match the fence’s needs not only in its basic form (wire, polywire, polycoated wire, narrow polytape, wide polytape, polyrope, or polybraid) but also in its visibility, strength, expected life-span, and conductivity. In general, bare metal wire is strong, highly conductive, durable, and cheap–but it is also largely invisible to horses and so thin as to pose a hazard on stand-alone electric fences. Polywire is affordable, durable, and far less dangerous than wire; but it lacks the visibility, conductivity, and strength needed in many applications. Polycoated wire is strong, conductive, durable, visible, and thick, but also quite expensive. Narrow polytape, while visible, manageable, and inexpensive is neither strong nor highly conductive; so it is poorly suited to long fences and to providing an effective physical restraint. Wide polytape, polyrope, and polybraid are common choices for permanent stand-alone horse fences because they are visible, strong, and durable. However, they vary a good deal in conductivity and cost, so it is important to choose one that is suited both to your budget and to your fence’s needs.
Another point worth noting is that most of the polyconductors sold today in the U.S. are made in China. These are generally comparable in quality, longevity, and conductivity to those made in the U.S. and Europe but are often considerably less expensive. The text that follows provides more detailed information about different types of conductors and their suitability for use in various applications.
Metal Electric Fence Wire: This includes aluminum electric fence wire (products 02-04 thru 02-06 and 02-74 thru 02-76), and galvanized (zinc-coated) steel electric fence wire (products 02-80, 02-81, and 02-07HT). The aluminum ware is a better conductor than the galvanized wire, while the galvanized wire is stronger than the aluminum wire and suitable for use in high-tensile fences. All of these bare metal wires will work well (especially in their 12.5 and 14-gauge sizes) to provide electrical protection for an existing barrier horse fence–that is, to prevent horses or other livestock from damaging the fence by leaning, rubbing, or chewing on it. However, none of these bare metal wires are well-suited for use in a stand-alone electric horse fence because they are hard for horses to see, and the electric fence wires (especially if under tension) are an invitation to entanglement or injury. Nor do they work well with temporary electric fences, because once put down they cannot be reeled back up and used again. Plenty of high-tensile and other wire horse fences currently exist, but their long-term record is not good, and those who have them would be well-advised to replace them or at least run a strand of highly visible electrified 1.5-inch polytape along the top so that a running horse will be warned of the fence’s presence.
