FAQ : Frequently Asked Questions

A : HorseGuard fencing is located in Montreal , so by placing your order online it will be in the truck the following business day and about 3 or 6 business days later ready for you to install.

For sheep, an electric tape fence will only be effective if the sheep's wool is not thick. The sheep's wool insulates from electrical conductivity and therefore the fence cannot be effective enough with this animal.

For the goat, we suggest you install a 30-40 inch high electric fence using four wire strands to provide the safest goat fence.

The other point to watch out for is the voltage on the tape (NOT LESS than 4,000 volts) so that the lesson is loud and clear.

A trick for both animals is to tie a piece of tape around the head of the herd's neck, in order to increase the electrical contact points (some put this tie around the horns.)

A : If you touch the electric fence tape you will receive a strong shock, which is why a fence tester is recommended! One should not let small children play closely to it, and elderly people or people with a heart conditions should not get in contact with electric fences. Extreme caution should ALWAYS be used around electricity. Warning signs have to be displayed every 300 ft (90m).

A : An electric fence is a psychological barrier rather than a physical one so the animal must be educated to respect the fence. The pain that an animal feels is short lived and does not physically harm the animal, unlike barbed wire, which can cause severe cuts and long lasting pain while also damaging the hide.

Does it break? Can it be easily repaired?
A: The breaking point of the tape is 600 pounds (300kgs). So if a horse ends up going through, the tape will break or stretch, with little or no injury to your horse. The tape can be simply and quickly repaired with a splicing buckle, depending on the location of the break, some line insulators may have to be replaced. Its a good idea to keep a couple spare parts on hand for emergencies. Make sure also not to put the tape too close to the ground to help prevent a possible accident of a leg entangled in the tape

A: When we invented the fencing tape in 1985 it was by far not as strong as the one we produce now (1/3 lighter) but we still have customers that use it as it was. Its longevity can go from 10 to 15 years depending on circumstances and the way it is installed. Mildew will not damage it. It is only an aesthetic matter. It is always better to turn off the fence before stormy weather. In a windy area do not exceed 12 ft (3.50m) between each post, and make sure you stress the tape enough with the proper HorseGuard tensioners. The tape has to be set up with our insulators & Block tensioners which are built so if the tape fl utters with the wind it does not get cut. The Universal insulators that you can buy anywhere are a copy of the model that we designed 20 years ago and they are inferior. We have improved the model since, but the competitors haven't.

A: Please be aware that horses spooked by animals, thunder, or any unexpected loud noises may panic and run straight into any fence no matter what its design! If the fence is built next to a road, in many states horse owners are liable for any damage caused by their horses to humans or to vehicles. Make sure your fence is properly installed with all the hardware recommended and sold by the manufacturer, make sure that the fence is built according to the risk involved and make sure the fence is maintained adequately and that the zapping from the charger is always more than 4000 Volts. As horse's behavior is not always predictable and no fence product is totally safe, there remains a potential for injury to horses. Therefore, HorseGuard fencing system shall in no event be responsible for any injury to persons, horses or personal properties.

A: HorseGuard webbing is guaranteed at 600 lbs (300kgs) break strength.
Please see our Sales Terms and Conditions.

A: Run the 2 connecting cables through a buried garden hose or a pipe conduit, then reset the connections and the Bi-Polar tape in the #BP32 tensioners on the other side of the gate.

A: If the Bi-Polar tape is used as a traditional tape with traditional accessories yes you can, but to fully benefit from Bi-Polar Fencing's advantages, why not set one Bi-Polar paddock and hook it to different charger (any low impedance will). That way you'll be guaranteed that at least one of your paddocks will work perfectly no matter what the grounding conditions are.

A: Absolutely, whatever the conditions of the ground are, the horse will get zapped and learn to respect the fence.

A: Horseguard fence tester has a series of lights that will light up when holding it to the fence. Touch with the small pike the wires on top of the tape and touch with the ground probe the wires on the bottom of the tape. The indicator will display the voltage running through the tape.

A: We offer 2 size spools in Bi-Polar now. One is 1640ft (500m) and the other is 320ft (100m).

A: Never mix colors. Green always goes with green and brown always goes with brown. Green connecting cable hooks up to the green side of the tape and brown with brown.

A: Not at all! The hook up is in the  tensioner. We are providing also little stainless steel contactor plates to make sure the contact works in case you might encounter any connecting problem (see the drawing of the answer 9).

A: You can use the same insulators. ( tensioners are different).

A: The Bi-Polar Gate handle is totally insulated, it will not complete the Circuit but will allow you to open the pasture easily. With only one gate there is no need to dig a trench for cabling. However, with two or more gates a trench and cabling will be required and you will have to reset the connection after each gate.

A: It's about the same price.

A: Yes you may use the same low impedance charger.

A: Yes, we have stainless steel connecting plates specially adapted to our insulator. They allow you to connect the fence without using a tensioner and make the connections very easy. The connectors: to connect the Bi-Polar tape anywhere on the fence.

#2BC8

 A: Snap the tape with a cane or a horse crop once and the ice will fall off.

A: A quick and easy addition of a HorseGuard tape to an existing dangerous fence will provide safe protection for your horse. Previous customers acclaim: 'A hot wire even the horse can see'.

A: There really isn't a problem if a customer wants to pick up his fence from Drummondville, QC. But the customer has to tell us by email in advance, so his order can be ready for pick up.

A: HorseGuard tape is made out of polyethylene plastic which is the most resistant to:

• - UV
• - Humidity
• - Abrasion
• - Mold and mildewing will not damage it. It is only an aesthetic matter. Considering the part of the state where you live, I am sure that most of your materials are subject to the same trouble. (We sometimes have this kind of problem when the tape goes under a tree. ) The solutions are: -Cleaning it with a sponge (or rag) with bleach or "Mr. Clean. " (Try to do it on a rainy day in order to have automatic rinsing !)
• - Change your white tape for the bi-color tape (brown/green) in the future it won't show. It won't damage the white tape or reduce the efficiency of your fence.

 A: Our Horseguard Fence tape has 30% more stainless steel than copies. We are selling at factory outlet prices (No middle man, no dealers, and no commercial costs). Being the number one in Europe allows to weave a large volume of tape for thousands of horse owners. This large production lowers the costs...

 A: The tape gate is as reliable as the rest of the fence!!! No scratching, no pushing, no vet bill...

 A: Of course and by showing the gate to the other horses you will stop them with absolute efficiency.

A: No, you can have a U shape or a straight line fence, any tape shape will work. Just connect it to your fence charger. Hook the gate this way when the pasture is empty, in order to avoid sparks on the ground. This also shows you that there are no horses in the pasture.

 A: HorseGuard electric tape is an injury proof permanent rail fence and the definitive respect shown by horses is an added bonus.

A: Yes of course, the gate handles are insulated. To take one horse out, hook the bottom gate to the top gate and hold it in your right hand. And with your left hand lead the horse out.

 A: The fence tape works with elephants, horses, tigers ...and lamas. With lamas, you have to have a powerful fence charger preferably plugged on the main line. The lamas will come to "see" what is that new boundary and feel (usually on the nose) a strong zap. From that painful lesson, they will respect your fence.

 A: Small deer will crawl through. Larger ones will learn the lesson.

 A: Lots of people use the tape for controlling dogs and as it works even better than with horses because: a/ They are smarter and associate "forever" the vision of the tape with the pain. b/ Dogs are just tempted to walk out. The horses are mainly trying to get to the grass on the other side of the fence and this temptation for horses is permanent, with hairy dogs the ZAP of your fence charger has to be as strong as possible and therefore the lesson "loud and clear".

 A: As one or two lessons will be sufficient to keep them inside, I would suggest the following: 15" 30" and 50" (or even 60")

 A: An electric fence is a psychological barrier rather than a physical one so the animal must be educated to respect the fence. The pain that an animal feels is short lived and does not physically harm the animal, unlike barbed wire, which can cause severe cuts and long lasting pain whilst also damaging the hide.

A: Just let your horse figure out what is that new strange "thing» in his environment. He will come to “see” what it is by putting his nose cautiously on the tape, like everything he does for the first time. Nothing is different in his attitude as to what he would do with any new fence (barbed fence or any natural hedge). If it hurts he will back up and remember not to touch it anymore. That’s what all horses have been doing for the past 25 years all over Europe, since we have invented the electric fence tape in 1985.

A: Unless being in a "hot situation" (panic), a horse is cautious about where it steps night and day. It knows from when it was a baby that everything that touches its body can hurt Its skin and the size of it, is a very vulnerable target for all outside aggressions. This is why you seldom see them with scars ...considering their life is spent in a pasture for more than 20 years. Now knowing that somewhere in its surrounding there is this threat of painful zap it will pay attention This also means that the fence tape has to be ON and powerful Night & Day As far as the colors are concerned a horse sees very well at night but sees a scale of grey and unless there is a panic situation where it might run wild, the horse respects its boundaries and mainly the 1/12 fence tape that it can see and that is more painful than any other fence when it touches it....

 A: Of course and most traditional fences (wood, rail, pipe, concrete rail or dangerous ones) are protected and therefore respected with one strand of tape running from post to post with line insulators #8bl on each post and with one tensioner #BP32 at each end.

 A:
a) you will need a stress post at each end because the fiberglass stakes can't take the necessary tension. A tensioner #BP32 will be used on each of this stresser posts. The tape is weaved with heavy and strong threads for durability and conductivity, therefore at angle, at gates and at the end of the fence, you will need either a wooden post or a T-post solidly secured in the ground (with cement) in order to be able to build the tension of your tape. On long fiber glass line in windy area some customers like to place one wooden post every 10 fiber stakes for more rigidity. Please see the installation hints:

Installation Instructions

b) When you punch the #8bl insulator on a #7A fiberglass stake, the pre-cut hole of the insulator leaves a big "plastic barb" that squeezes the stake. It's even hard to slide down the lower insulator, pushing it by hand into position. Unless you keep moving the height of your strand this barb will do the job for years. If after years in the field if the hole becomes too big, you can add a wire to hold the #8bl in position. One way to solve this problem is to replace the 2 plastic pins that are securing the cap by 2 wood screws FROM THE FRONT of the cover (directly towards the fiber glass stakes). The pin point of the screw has to dig A LITTLE inside the fiberglass stake in order to maintain the insulator where it should be. Use plate screws #7 x 1 3/8"

 A: Each insulator #8bl can be either screwed with 2 screws directly on the bark or "belted around" with a #BT150 if the tree is precious.

 A: As a rule of thumb, each post should follow the slope. That is to say that each post has to be driven perpendicular to the slope. You might decide to drive an extra post if you see that the fence doesn't follow the ground enough and needs to be "adjusted UP or DOWN" between 2 posts.

 A: During winter all you have to do is to "unplug" the lower tape, which is under the snow to avoid shorts. Just leave the upper tapes ON, then next spring turn back ON the lower tape.

A: All over Europe and for the past 20 years we have had similar questions from horse owners. The answers are: If your fence charger is strong enough (more than 1.5 Joules output), the horse will respect the fence. If you leave it ON 24/24 (fence charger on main line) they will very seldom challenge the fence. It becomes a "mental barrier’’. 3 strands of tape is the ideal fencing and that is what Europeans horse owners are using even on roadsides. The cost of the fence tape is by far less expensive ...and less dangerous. Why don't you try on a "hot situation" (stallion pen for example) and see for yourself?

A: When we invented the fencing tape in 1985 it was by far not as strong as the one we produce now (1/3 lighter) and we still have customers that use it as it was. Its longevity can go from 10 to 15 years depending on circumstances and the way it is installed. Mold and mildewing will not damage it. It is only an aesthetic matter. Although your fence charger is usually protected with a fuse, it is always better to turn off the fence when there is lightning or an electric storm. The fence must stay on, day and night so that the horse never has a chance to challenge it. In a windy area do not exceed 10 ft between each post, and make sure you stress the tape enough with the proper tensioners. The tape has to be attached properly in our own HorseGuard hardware (insulators & tensioners). Our insulators are built so if the tape flutters with the wind it does not get cut. The Universal insulators that you can buy anywhere are a copy of the model that we designed 20 years ago and which was wrong...but we have modified it since but not the competitors (about 10 times successively) to come up with our #8bl insulator that has been in use for the past 16 years. Our fence system comes from our field (we had 85 Quarter horses) and trial in thousands of pastures and different climates…. … From Saudi Arabia where we fenced the addax of King Fhad...(this was before the desert shield war...) up to Scandinavia, where there also, we are by far the number one seller. In Sweden all tapes are called Franska Elbandet (the French Tape)…

 A: It depends on the dimensions (shape) of the land 1 Acre = 208ft x 208ft =43264 sq.ft fence length:

- ½ Acre.... 590’
- ¾ Acre.... 722’
- 1 Acre.... 832’
- 2 Acres.... 1182’
- 3 Acres.... 1446’
- 4 Acres.... 1670’
- 5 Acres.... 1867’
- 6 Acres.... 2046’
- 7 Acres.... 2208’
- 8 Acres.... 2361’
- 9 Acres.... 2504’
- 10 Acres... 2640’

 A: There are a number of reasons for reduced voltage on the fence line:

•  bad connections
• broken wire
• corrosion
• poor insulation
• vegetation growth