Electric fences are the coolest fences of all time for housing horses.
That may seem like a bold statement, but let me explain.
Wire fences, post and rail fences, hedge fences, wall fences, and panel fences all have their uses, but in essence, they are no more than obstacles to block a horse’s path. They are big and strong enough to prevent a horse from escaping, but not from pushing, chewing, scratching, or leaning on the fence. They are simply an obstacle designed to control and restrict the movement of a horse
But electric fences are different. An electric fence causes a horse to change its idea - not just be a physical barrier to the movement of the feet. An electric fence teaches a horse that escaping, pushing, leaning, scratching, or chewing on the fence is a bad idea. With an electric fence, a horse learns to let go of the idea to do those things. There may be an initial “holy hell” thought the first time a horse engages with an electric fence, but it is soon forgotten when the horse’s idea changes from testing the fence to learning the power of the fence.
However, there is another lesson a horse learns from an electric fence that is also very powerful and something we should all consider.
An electric fence teaches a horse that it should not push on the fence, but it also teaches a horse that the fence will not push on it. The fence does not reach out and grab the horse. A horse learns that there is no reason to fear the fence provided the horse does not touch it. Through clarity, a horse learns to trust the fence. The fence never betrays this trust. Through clarity, a horse can fall asleep with its nose hanging only centimetres from the fence and not feel worried that the fence will reach out and shock it. There is an agreement between the horse and the electric fence that a horse can rely upon that shapes a horse’s behaviour while causing no bother.
Perhaps the analogy of an electric fence and horse training is a stretch that does not hold up from all angles, but I think it is worth all of us thinking about how we can be as clear as an electric fence in our training, and less like a post and rail fence.
