ElectroBraid™ Fencing

A very safe fence...at a very low cost

What is ElectroBraid™?
ElectroBraid™ is a permanent electric fence designed especially for horses. It is both a physical barrier and a psychological deterrent. It is highly visible to horses, strong, durable and resilient. Most important, it is so safe that the Company can offer a limited Safety Warranty against horses getting injured.

What does it look like?
ElectroBraid™ looks like high quality braided yachting rope. A double helix of copper wire conductors is braided into the outer jacket of the rope. 3 or 4 strands of Braid™ of ¼ inch diameter are mounted on electrical insulators on fence posts. Fence posts can be wood, vinyl, steel or fiberglass, spaced 30 to 50 feet apart. The Braid™ comes in white, black or speckled.

Why is it new and different?
Traditional electric cattle fencing uses small diameter steel wires which are hard for horses to see. The ropes of ElectroBraid™ are highly visible. Their break strength is equal to the steel wire but they are resilient like the ropes in a boxing ring. ElectroBraid™ can absorb the energy of a panicked horse at full gallop and will typically bounce the horse back into its pasture with no harm to horse or fence.

How durable is ElectroBraid™ Fence?
The high-grade polyester fiber is the same fiber used in automotive seat belts and parachute harnesses. Polyester resists attack by ultra-violet light, salt, manure and most farm chemicals. The copper develops an oxidized outer layer or 'patina' that protects the copper wire from corrosion. The Braid™ carries a 25 year warranty. A quality energizer can last up to 10 years.

How does it work?
ElectroBraid Fence is both a physical barrier and a psychological deterrent. Once a horse receives a painful shock the horse will not go near the fence again. It won't rub against the fence. It won't crib on it. And it won't try to jump over it or go through it or go under. It doesn't want to get shocked again.

Is the electric shock harmless?
The electric shock from a UL or CSA approved fence energizer is completely harmless. The shock is extremely low amperage for 3/10,000 of a second, once a second. The shock is similar to the static shock you get from touching your TV screen, but more painful. Once shocked, neither you, nor your horse, want to touch the fence again.

How can an electric shock be painful to a stallion but not harmful to a baby horse?
The brief electric shock causes a painful muscle contraction but there is not enough current to harm your physiology, heart or nervous system. The safety of a two year old child is the standard used by national testing laboratories such as UL and CSA. UL reports that there has never been a serious injury from a UL approved electric fence energizer since UL started safety testing in 1940.

What makes ElectroBraid a safe horse fence?
There are no impact injuries. There are no sharp points or hard edges. There are no boards to break or splinter. There are no wires to cut or puncture. Horses crib on board fences and rub against it. Even minor cuts can become seriously infected. The worst potential injury with ElectroBraid™ is if a horse is able to wrap a strand of Braid™ completely around a rear leg and struggles. The prospect of such an accident can be virtually eliminated by wiring and grounding the fence correctly, by keeping the Braid™ taut and by using an ElectroBraid Fence Minder™.

Why is it so secure?
ElectroBraid™ has the same break strength as high tensile wire and, because it is so resilient, a horse can't break it. By contrast with conventional fencing that is not electric, ElectroBraid™ shocks a horse. The horse doesn't understand the shock - - it just wants to stay well clear in future. A horse has never voluntarily jumped ElectroBraid™ Fence, to our knowledge.

How do horses feel about ElectroBraid?
"Horses love ElectroBraid™!" our customers tell us. Horses are herd animals, born to roam free in wide open spaces. With ElectroBraid™ fence, all the horses can see each other and stallions can see their mares. There are no places for predators to hide. Horses don't pace up and down their fence line. Owners say horses are more relaxed. They can see you and you can see them!

What about predators?
ElectroBraid™ effectively excludes predators. Dogs and coyotes respect ElectroBraid™, as do bears and cougars!

Why is the installed cost low?
ElectroBraid™ can be self-installed with hand-tools, by almost anyone….like stringing clothes line. A professional fence installer is not required. The Braid™ costs 16 to 18 cents a foot. Fence posts can be set 30 to 50 feet apart depending on terrain and local snow conditions. By contrast, conventional horse fences require a post every 8 or 10 feet. To relocate your ElectroBraid™ fence, you don't need a contractor.

Why is maintenance cost low?
If you properly install your corner and end posts, they won't move. Brass and copper components won't corrode. Occasionally an insulator might break and need replacement. Little else will need repair. For some reason, lightning rarely touches ElectroBraid™ - - if it does, a few hundred feet of ElectroBraid™ may need replacement, and perhaps an energizer. If a tree falls on the fence, cut it off and the Braid™ will spring right back. Horses don't crib on ElectroBraid™ or rub against it. The fence is seldom if ever damaged by storms, including ice storms and tornadoes. Repairs are quick and easily done by hand.

What maintenance is required?
Walk the fence line to confirm your fence has not been damaged. Check the voltage regularly. An ElectroBraid Fence Minder™ will monitor your fence voltage 24/7 and warn you if the voltage drops. Once or twice a year, mow weeds from under your fence. In the spring, make sure no fence posts have been heaved by frost.

How can ElectroBraid™ protect an existing fence?
Mount ElectroBraid™ as a single strand on top of almost any fence. The psychological deterrence to horses is dramatic. One stallion that regularly jumped his pipe and cable fence, to impregnate a neighbor's mares, never jumped the fence again after a single strand of ElectroBraid was added. (Don't use cheap high tensile wire or polywire - - they are both unsafe to horses).

How does ElectroBraid™ Fence compare to other electric fence systems?

• Stranded electric rope "unravels" under tension and needs constant tightening. By contrast, ElectroBraid™ is dimensionally stable because of its braided-over-inner-core construction. The Braid™ shrinks back to its original length, even after stretching.
• Woven electrical horse tape contains parallel electrical conductors. These wires take much of the strain and tension. The wires tend to break under windy conditions. By contrast the copper wire conductors in ElectroBraid™ are formed in helical coils like springs. This allows bend and stretch. All tension is taken by the fiber strands. The copper wires won't break up to 1,000 pounds tension and cannot break under normal loads.
• Electric polywire is lightweight and small diameter. It breaks easily and can cut horse flesh like a knife.
• Conventional high tensile wire (HTW) electric fence is good for cattle but not for horses. Unlike cattle, horses are excitable, high-strung animals. Horses often don't see the steel fence wires. The wires can break under impact and wrap and cut and puncture flesh.
• Certain electric fence rail systems are especially made for horses. These are worth considering but tend to be expensive to install and may not be as safe as ElectroBraid™.

Why does ElectroBraid specify accessories of copper, brass and glass-filled nylon?
Quality…. Quality…. Quality…. It costs a little more but saves a fortune in performance and durability.

Brass is an alloy of copper. Glass filled nylon is the strongest available commercial plastic material for insulator construction.

Copper and brass are compatible metals. Brass is an alloy of copper. They don't suffer the natural electrolytic corrosion that occurs when dissimilar metals come in contact with each other. Copper does not rust. It develops an oxidized protective coating called a "patina". Next to gold and silver, copper is the best natural conductor of electricity. Copper is 70 times more conductive than steel. Telephone and power companies use only copper wiring.

 

 

 

Specifications

Fence	ElectroBraid
Roll Length	1200' and 600'
Colors Available	White, Black, Checkered (Black & White)
Break Strength	1300 lbs
Warranty	25 Years
Electric or Non Electric	Electric
Total Width	5 mm
Post Space Recommended	50' or less
Post Type	Wood, T-post, Fiberglass
Cost	Approximately .17/ft plus accessories
Samples Available	Yes

Photo Gallery

 

Planning:

Take the time to plan: The installation of any fencing system begins before the first post is driven. The secret to getting the best value for your dollar is to take the time to thoroughly plan and then construct.

Check Local Laws and Ordinances: Laws governing placement of fences and electric fencing vary from county to county. Questions such as: "How far must a fence be from a roadway?", "Can an electric fence be used in a suburban area?", and "Are warning signs required?" must be answered. Check with your County Extension Office or, if in town, your City Clerk's office.

Sketch a Map:

Begin by drawing a map of your property, including all major features: buildings, roads, fields, swamps, woods, gullies, streams and other features. Be sure to include: power, telephone, gas and oil lines as well as underground cables.

• Mark the location of each End and Corner Post
• Mark the location of each Line-Post based on the spacing you wish to use
• Mark the location of the energizer close to an electrical outlet (solar powered energizer may be used)
• Calculate the total length of your fence
• Choose the number of strands you wish to use. We recommend 4 strands.
• Choose the type of line post you wish to use (wood, T-post, fiberglass or steel)
  

What You Will Need

ElectroBraid™ is a tension system. End and corner posts should be braced as follows:

ElectroBraid Reels:

1. Multiply the length of your fence by the number of strands you wish to use and divide by the length of reel you will be purchasing = _____. This is the number of reels you will need.

3. Count the number of Line posts with vertical changes in direction (hills, gullies, etc) and multiply by the number of strands = _____.

4. Add these two numbers together ____ + ____=_____. This is the number of ElectroBraid™ Roller Insulators you will require.

ElectroBraid™ Line Post Insulators for End and Corner Brace Posts:

5. Multiply the number of End posts by the number of strands =_____.

6. Multiply the number of Corner posts by the number of strands and multiply by two =_____.

7. Add these two numbers together ____+____=_____. This is the of ElectroBraid™ Line Post Insulators you will require.

Line Post Insulators:

8. Your choice of Line Post - wood, T-Bar, Fiberglass or steel - dictates your choice of Line Post Insulator. Count the number of Line posts and multiply by the number of strands =_____. This is the number of Line Post Insulators you will need.

Copper Lead-Out Wire:

9. Add the widths of all your gates together and multiply by the number of strands =____+ (6' x number of strands)=_____.

10. Measure the distance from your Energizer to the nearest point on the fence=_____.

11. Measure the distance from your Energizer to where your ground rods will be located = _____.

12. Add these numbers together = ____ + 20' for the distance between ground rods = _____. This is the length of Lead-Out wire you will need.

Copper Split-Bolt Connectors:

Copper Split-Bolts are used to terminate a strand of Braid™, to splice two strands together and for electrical connections.

13. Count the number of End posts and multiply by the number of strands = _____.

14. Count the number of fence lines that exceed the reel size you purchased, multiply by the number of strands and multiply by two = _____.

15. Add one Split-Bolt for each electrical connection.

16. Add these two numbers together = _____. This is the number of Split-Bolts you need.

Energizer:

Select the proper Energizer from the chart.

Ground Rods:

You will require 3 ground rods (more for large fields or poor soil conditions).

Installation Kits & Tension Kits:

Every new ElectroBraid™ customer will want to purchase an Installation Kit. It contains the Installation Manual, a digital volt meter, (necessary for routine testing and troubleshooting), and one Tension Kit. A second Tension Kit is helpful to secure proper tensioning when the fenced pasture is larger than one acre.