Severe thunderstorms with high winds, lightning, and hail are never any fun, but they often pass by without causing any significant damage. Still, there’s always the chance that they could cause a problem. The good news is there are some simple steps you can follow to ready your farm and prepare for loss of power. Here, we’ll look at some ways to ensure your property and horses can safely weather the storm, plus some things to consider if you do experience damage.

Lightning

Before the Storm:

◆ Disconnect the fence charger. Electric fencing is usually connected to some type of grounding poles, which turn the whole fence into a giant lightning rod. If lightning does strike your fence, the high voltage may travel through the wires and blast through your fence charger on its way toward dissipating in the ground.

We had this happen once on our farm: Lightning struck a tree on the other side of the pasture, jumped to the ground and then to the electric fence (burning a great deal in the process), and ran all the way around the pasture before destroying the charger.

To keep lightning from potentially ruining your charger, you can simply disconnect the two wires marked “fence” and “ground” (they might be marked with a “+” and “-”) well before the storm arrives. Don’t forget to reconnect them afterwards. (If horses will be in the paddock with that fence during the storm, then this probably isn’t a wise option).

◆ Consider fencing off pasture trees. You’re probably aware that lighting tends to gravitate toward the tallest objects in an area, so single shade trees standing the middle of a pasture can be targets.

If there are horses in the pasture when a storm strikes (more on this below), they may be more inclined to take shelter near the tree. For this reason, some horse owners choose to fence off pasture trees so that the horses can’t stand directly under them.

Wind

Before the Storm:

◆ Prepare trees. This is a bit more of “big picture” issue (not something you’ll be doing five minutes before the storm strikes), but you’ll want to give some thought to possible damage from trees and branches in a storm. Do you have trees near the barn with major branches hanging over the roof? What about other buildings?

◆ Put things away. If there’s a chance of significant wind, try to secure or store your machinery (tractors, UTVs, et cetera). Also, clear the barn aisles of tools and small items that can easily go flying if strong winds rush down the aisle.

After the Storm:

◆ Check fencing. Take a trip around the pastures after the storm to make sure there are no large branches or trees down on the fencing that could allow the horses to get out. Also, keep an eye out for wind damage to the fencing—it’s not impossible for a strong wind to pop boards and even topple posts in certain conditions.

◆ Look for “spookables.” Check the pastures, walking paths, and barn areas for debris and trash blown around (maybe from neighboring properties) that might cause accidents if a horse is surprised by them.

Hail

Before the Storm:

◆ Bring the horses indoors. Hail of any significant diameter can cause injury, so placing the horses in stalls ahead of time is prudent if hail is in the storm forecast.

◆ Park the machines. If you can manage it, consider moving any valuable machines and vehicles indoors to prevent hail damage. Luckily, some horse owners have a large place perfectly suited for this: the indoor riding arena.

After the Storm:

◆ You might want to wait until the hail/sleet has melted before venturing out again; during a warm-weather thunderstorm, this doesn’t take very long.

Water for Horses During Storms

Before the Storm:

◆ Save water. If you can manage it, saving water before the storm is helpful. Besides filling all of your horses’ buckets and troughs to the top, you can save additional water with simple 5-gallon camping containers. If the storm doesn’t come, so much the better—just use up the water the next day.

After the Storm:

◆ For city water: If your home or horse barn is connected to a municipal water source, a power outage from a storm might not be an immediate issue, as the town’s water system may be gravity fed (from a water tower, for example), and the water will keep working even without electricity.

◆ If your horse property is more rural and the barn is fed from a private well, this may be more challenging. People often have small generators around to power a few lights and the refrigerator, but well pumps usually take a lot of electrical amps to function and require some special wiring to be in place ahead of time.

If your home has a large generator capable of powering the well pump, you should be able to get water to your horses that way, but owners of small generators may come up a little short. This is where saving water prior to the storm can help. For long-term outages, you could also look at hauling water from a neighbor who hasn’t lost power.

Electric Fence Power

Before the Storm:

◆ Asses your horses’ needs. What happens when you have an electric fence, and there is no electricity to run it? Whether or not this is an issue depends on your horses; some never touch the fence whether it’s on or off; others test it frequently. You’ll have to make a judgement call. The good news is that solar fences aren’t effected by an outage.

After the Storm:

◆ Solar/battery-powered fence: With this system, solar panels collect sunlight during the day to run the fence and store it in batteries for nighttime and cloudy days. If you have a system like this, it’s independent from a storm power outage, so you’re good to go.

◆ AC-powered fence uses AC power from a typical power plug. If there is a prolonged power outage, you can probably plug your electric fence charger up to a small generator, as fence chargers don’t use much power. Another alternative is to have a small solar charger on hand for outage emergencies.

Horses In or Out During a Storm?

Should the horses be in or out of the barn during a thunderstorm? If the storm is forecast early enough and you have ample time, you can put the horses in the barn, but not everyone does this. However, there are some solid reasons to do so:

◆ Horses may become frightened. High winds and thunder can upset even normally calm horses, and if the storm is intense, they could potentially run into a fence. The exception might be in a case where a particular horse is much more anxious being indoors during the storm. Again, it’s case-by-case question that only you can answer.

◆ Lightning could be a threat. Horses are large, tall animals in an open area, and lightning strikes are not unheard of. Many horse owners prefer placing their animals inside a structurally sound, grounded stable.

◆ Damage to fencing can occur. If storm damage breaches a fence, it could offer the horses an escape route while the storm is still happening and before you have a chance to intervene.

The tips here are only meant to be a guide and to offer some suggestions, but ultimately the decisions are up to you and will come down to your specific situation. Hopefully, your thunderstorms will pass by harmlessly, but it never hurts to do some preparation and have some backup plans in place.

Here’s hoping for beautiful, sunny weather!

This article about keeping your horses and property safe during a storm appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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If you’re like many horse property owners around the country, suburban sprawl and increased development has made your neighbors these days less likely to be farmers and more likely to be folks unfamiliar with horses. This scenario can be tricky to navigate. But there are pros to living in closer proximity to others, and by taking some steps to be prepared, you can pave the way to good neighborly relationships.

The Perks of Owning Horse Property

Living in the country away from lots of people has its benefits. But horse property owners who live among residential neighborhoods can also have merit.

Steve Archer and his wife Andrea live in Richmond, Texas, a town inside Houston—Texas’s biggest city, population 2.31 million. They’ve run their reining horse training operation from this location for close to 30 years. Their place used to be surrounded by farmland, but today, their 10 acres are surrounded by subdivisions.

Archer says the availability of good food options is one perk he and his wife enjoy.

“We’ve been married 36 years, and we don’t know how to cook, so we go to lunch together every day,” Archer says. “We love being close to so many restaurants. It’s nice.”

Their property value has skyrocketed as the land around them has developed. Archer sees this as their “exit plan” for when the couple is ready to retire.

Being surrounded by houses can be a great funnel for a lesson program. The Archers have a training operation that has run up to 150 lessons a week in years past. Today, they have scaled back on the quantity of lessons.

“I don’t have my number on our sign anymore, because my phone never stopped ringing [for lessons], but we’re still probably busier than most people,” Archer says. “If you had the drive, you could do 300 lessons a week here.”

Similarly, Oak Brook Farms is on a horse property that’s been in existence since the 1950s, and the boarding stable has been in operation since the late 1980s, nestled within the town of Oak Brook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The town has a rich horse history, according to Oak Brook Farms’ longtime barn manager Suzanne Galdun. Stables in the area used to host regular polo matches, among other horse activities.

“We are the last public stable remaining,” Galdun says. “We’re in the middle of some million-dollar homes, and they’ve been here all along. There’s further development going on a piece of property next door to us.”

Horse property owner Marissa Brockette has a hobby farm with three horses in Shelbyville, Tenn., a town with around 20,000 residents about half an hour from Murfreesboro and an hour from Nashville. Her parents bought the property in 2004. They started with 24 acres in a neighborhood and then purchased the 12 acres next door, all on the back side of a country club.

“It’s nice, because we’re the only horses in the area, so we don’t have other horses coming through, and we don’t have to worry about [equine] diseases too much,” Brockette says. “It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood, and we can do our own thing. Everybody kind of leaves us alone.”

The Downsides

If you’re a horse property owner who has land with residential homes around it, Archer says you’ll probably end up spending more than you would in a less-developed area.

The Archers do have to contend with unfamiliar people walking up to their property, but good fences and locked gates has deterred unwanted visitors inside their property line.
Despite being in a residential area, Oak Brook Farms is at the end of a dead-end street, so it doesn’t get through traffic. But it does share a road with the back entrance of a subdivision, so speeding cars can spook horses being hacked near the road, and curious passersby sometimes stop their cars near the arena, which can distract riders.

Oak Brook Farms experiences a lot of walk-up guests­­—despite a sign posted that reads “Admittance by Appointment Only.” Galdun says the staff discourages these kinds of visits.

“We have lessons, local people know that we’re here, and some will drive up and just want to look around,” Galdun says. “For liability and safety reasons, we don’t let people just wander off.”

Brockette says passersby will sometime stop and feed their horses too—something she heads off as soon as she sees it.

“I’ll go out there and talk to them, introduce them to the horses, and tell them not to give them treats,” Brockette says. “We haven’t had too many issues.”

Being landlocked by residential properties means Oak Brook cannot offer grass turnout—all the lots are dry. Galdun says that may keep some potential boarders from keeping a horse there.

Making It Work

Galdun says if you’re living surrounded by houses, good manure management and disposal is the most important step—along with fly control. And even though Archer’s farm is meticulously maintained, he says the only trouble is his manure pile.

“I can only get them to remove it a couple of times a year. But I haven’t really had anybody say anything about it—they see the whole picture, and it’s very nice.”

“We honestly have not had any trouble, but I really think it’s because we keep it looking so nice,” Archer adds. “I could see if it was a dump, it might be different.”

Manure disposal is also a challenge for Oak Brook Farms. The facility’s compact 6-acre configuration doesn’t allow for manure spreading, and dumpster collection is expensive. Because they’re the only horse property in the area, the farm can’t share pickup charges. So if you plan on owning horse property that is more urban, you’ll need to know what your city’s regulations are for this.

Another thing to consider is the methods you use to train your horses. Especially if your facilities are visible from the road or to your neighbors, Archer says you need to take a critical eye to how you handle your horse.

“You may run into trouble with animal activists, or non-horse folks who don’t understand your methods,” Archer says. “Everything I’m doing to a horse when I’m riding, I am always thinking that I want that horse’s life to be better. But people can take things out of context. You need to be aware of how it looks to other people.”

Be aware of your area’s zoning and know how many horses you can have on your property. Brockette advises knowing your neighborhood’s rules, particularly about horses and the distance you need to keep them from your perimeter.

Galdun says Edward Vendel, the owner of Oak Brook Farms, has always been active in the local village, attending village meetings so he is a familiar face to many in the area.

Oak Brook Farms has signs posting the equine liability act so that guests are aware of the inherent dangers of horses. Having the facility mostly inaccessible to unaccompanied folks has reduced chances for accidents with neighbors. In addition, you should talk to an equine insurance agent about what liability insurance might be needed for your property.

“We haven’t had anything particular happen,” Galdun says. “We have a gate at the end of the driveway, and we are mostly fenced in. There’s no traffic on our street.”

The staff and boarders are kind to visitors, and when hacking down the street, they’re cordial to neighbors—all steps to increase goodwill in the area.

Galdun recommends feeling out your neighbors to see if they mind horses coming close to their property line. Clear communication with your neighbors is your best opportunity to foster goodwill and friendly relationships when owning horse property

“Having that conversation so that people on both sides have an understanding and expectation will help everyone not to be surprised by anything,” Galdun says.

This article about challenges face by horse property owners originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Partner With a Horse Property Pro

A real estate agent experienced in shopping for horse properties is an invaluable asset in both streamlining your property search and heading off potential pitfalls. Not only does a fellow horse person ‘speak your language,’ but a realtor with knowledge of the unique parameters for equine real estate can guide you in ways some traditional real estate agents may not be able to.

Ask questions when you are vetting your agent: does he or she have horses of her own? Do they have first-hand experience with the type of setup you are looking for? What about the geographic area you are interested in? You can also ask inside your equestrian circle for recommendations.

“If you are serious about purchasing a horse property, please find an agent who knows about horses,” Allen says. “You may see realtors, like luxury home realtors, who market horse properties without knowing a thing about horses. This is essential if you are in the market for a commercial facility.”

While you’re at it, also think very clearly about your own lifestyle. Allen encourages shoppers to really consider their needs, separate from any idyllic visions. Are you a competitor that needs an indoor arena? Do you work a nine-to-five job that could make horse care difficult? Does easy access to trails figure into how you like to spend time with your horse?

Specifics of Shopping for Horse Property

Once your search is underway, due diligence is key even before you place an offer. Critical points to consider include:

◆ Covenants and deed restrictions (also known as CC&Rs, or covenants, conditions, and restrictions)
◆ Zoning (think: residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc.)
◆ Number of horses allowed per acre
◆ Water rights for irrigation
◆ Water permits specific to horses
◆ Whether existing permits for the property and buildings are transferable to new owners
◆ Distance buildings must be set back from property lines
◆ Percentage of the property that may be covered (with buildings, asphalt, or cement)
◆ Easements
◆ Critical area buffers that protect ecosystems
◆ Any planned development changes in the area
◆ Specifics relative to your individual needs, from turnaround space for large hay shipments to manure management

Yes, it’s a lot to consider! Your agent should be very familiar with the regulations of your municipality, county, and state that could impact your purchase, including any future renovation or construction.

“A knowledgeable agent doesn’t have to know everything but has to be able to find the resources to refer you to,” Allen says.

Local zoning, planning, and building departments should be on your list to reach out to. Don’t forget to tap your state equine extension, which can often offer a wealth of information regarding horsekeeping in your area.

“Each county has different regulations, such as how many horses are permitted per acre,” Allen explains, noting that, in some areas, horse owners may have many horses on a property, while in other areas that number is quite restricted.

To avoid any miscommunication, Allen takes it a step further, and creates a direct dialogue between relevant agencies and perspective buyers.

“I always encourage my clients to speak directly to county officials, so I’m not interpreting anything,” Allen notes. “While you will find the bulk of information on the county land use website, I recommend making an appointment together with your realtor to meet the land use department. Access zoning, planning, and other relevant documents and make copies.”

Show Me the Money

Most of us don’t have cash on hand to cover the full value of a real estate purchase, so knowing your financing options ahead of time is a must. As with any real estate transaction, getting preapproved is always a good idea.

Buyers that are shopping for a private residence have the traditional lending options—think conventional mortgage loans, and for those that already own a house, a bridge loan or home equity line of credit (HELOC) can help get them into their new place.

Commercial enterprises are another matter, however.

“An agriculture-zoned equestrian center or boarding facility requires a very specific lender,” Allen explains. “A good realtor will have referrals for you.”

Be prepared to present documentation like a business plan that demonstrates your ability to profitably operate.

Final Steps in Shopping for Horse Property

Whether purchasing a move-in ready property, building from scratch on raw land, or getting a fixer-upper, your ideal choice when shopping for horse property depends on factors like the local market and your budget.

“A blank slate sounds exciting, but you’ll need deep pockets and lots of time” she notes. “Building in today’s world is much more expensive and time-consuming than renovating.”

Don’t despair if what you want isn’t within your reach. Allen explains that while there are very few true turnkey facilities that come on the market, with a little work, you can take a property that has the right layout for you and turn it into just what you want.

“I had a hunter/jumper client buy an equestrian center that had all the right bones,” Allen shares. “Did it need work? Yes. She turned it into gorgeous facility within two years. Number one, you probably couldn’t have gotten the permit to build what she was able to purchase, and number two, you couldn’t have done it for what she spent.”

With some research, some legwork, and maybe some elbow grease, you can find just the right place for you. Be realistic about your budget and your needs. And then start searching—we know you are going to check out the barn first!

This article about shopping for horse property appeared as an online exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Electric fencing also makes an excellent secondary barrier across other types of fencing. Furthermore, it’s a good choice for small-scale horsekeeping, because it allows you to fence in a large area for relatively low cost compared to other types of fencing. But it’s difficult to maintain or safely use your electric fence if you don’t know how it actually works. To help out with that, let’s dig into some electric fencing details.

Electric Horse Fence ABCs

Some basic knowledge of electricity will help you better understand your fence. Don’t worry—it’s pretty easy, even if you know nothing in advance. This is because an electric fence is an example of a simple circuit.

All of the fence lines are positive, and all of the ground around the pasture is negative. It’s just like a flashlight with the switch off—the positive and negative aren’t touching each other, so the circuit is broken and nothing happens. To complete the circuit, we need something electrically conductive to touch both the fence and the ground at the same time and connect them.

When an electrically conductive body (remember, you’re about 60 percent water and your horse is about 70 percent), connects the fence (positive) to the ground (negative) and becomes the missing link between the two, it successfully completes the circuit. In a real sense, you’ve just become the on/off switch in the flashlight!

For your horse, that harmless-yet-attention-getting snap of electricity is hopefully enough to remind him that he shouldn’t graze too close to the fence or try to escape from it. For you, it’s a reminder that shortcuts across the pasture aren’t worth the trouble.

By the way, this is why birds can sit on top of electric fence wires with impunity—they’re not touching the ground, so they don’t complete the circuit and don’t get shocked.

Shorts

The positive electricity in your fence always “wants” to get back to the negative by th

e fastest route possible. This can be a problem if tall grass or weeds grow up along the fence—they conduct electricity somewhat and can provide a means for the positive electricity to escape to the negative ground and thus weaken the power of your fence.

This is called a short, because the electricity is taking a shorter route home than it was supposed to. If possible, keep weeds trimmed down along the fence line.

Ground, Ground, Ground

Is your electric fence not zapping strongly enough? It’s probably not grounded well enough. Those copper rods are a nuisance to drive into the ground (done with a T-post driver), but they’re really important for making your fence work.

The number you’ll need depends on a lot of things: the power of your charger, the type of soil you have, and the size of your pasture. There isn’t a perfect number of rods to use—the more you install (within reason), the better your fence should work.

Many problems with weak shocks can be solved this way. Your fence manual will give you a good indication of the number of rods to start with.

Or, Take the Ground Along

In dry locations (common in the western U.S.), there might not be enough moisture in the ground to carry the electricity, no matter how many rods are used. This can also occur in winter with deep snow, or in rocky soil.

In these instances, it’s common to connect one or more of the fence wires to the negative terminal rather than the positive. If a horse contacts multiple wires at once, he’ll likely touch a negative and positive fence strand at the same time and receive a shock that way. This is known as a “hot/ground” fence. You can also use a system like this to add more ground rods on the other side of the pasture.

Insulators

You don’t want the posts or gates of your electric horse fencing system to carry a charge. The posts are in the ground, so they would cause a short, and you obviously don’t want to get shocked when you touch a gate.

The solution is to use insulators, which are plastic or porcelain hooks or rollers that hold the fence wires in place. These materials don’t conduct electricity, so they keep the power on the fence where it belongs, and off of the posts and gates.

Insulators are one of the weaker links in your electric fence system and are prone to breakage. Keep an eye on them and replace as needed. Always keep a bag of new insulators on hand for this purpose.

Three Types of Electric ◆ Tape: Tape fencing is often used for temporary setups, such as a camping trip, or for rotational grazing. It makes a very visible boundary for horses, which is nice, but it’s perhaps less aesthetically beautiful than other types of fencing. Tape doesn’t hold up very well in rough weather like wind and snow, as it begins sagging quickly. ◆ Wire: Plain, bare-wire fencing is not as visible and may not break easily if a horse becomes tangled in it, so you’ll want to do your research to see if it makes sense for your farm. It can be used as the hot wire along a wooden fence, and it lasts a long time. ◆ Rope/braid: Various types of highly visible polymer or braided rope fencing are available, and these are quite popular with horse owners. The rope is durable enough to be used as a permanent setup, and visible enough to act as a visual boundary for your horse.

Power Sources

Electric horse fences must be powered only by safe fence energizers.

◆ The charger doesn’t put out electricity constantly—it does it in short pulses. This creates the audible “tick, tick” sound.

◆ Some chargers plug into an ordinary household AC outlet. These devices take the powerful current from your farm’s electric service and reduce it down to a mild shock that, while certainly attention-getting, causes no harmful or lasting effects.

◆ Other charges are solar-powered. A small solar panel collects electricity and stores it in a battery. While usually weaker than AC-powered chargers, solar chargers are perfect for remote pastures where the nearest electrical outlet is far away.

◆ A third variety of charger contains just a battery (no solar panel) that powers the fence and needs to be recharged periodically.

Lightning Protection

If lightning strikes near your electric fence, some of the power may ride along your fence wires, trying to get to the grounding rods. To get there, the lightning has to go through your fence charger—probably with damaging results.

To guard against this, you can install a lightning protector, kind of like a home surge protector, on your charger. You can also attach lightning arrestors to the corners of your pasture; these will help lightning get back to the ground before it reaches your charger. If there’s plenty of warning before the storm hits, you could always detach the charger from the fence, assuming there are no horses in it.

Tension

Follow the instructions for your particular type of electric horse fencing to achieve the proper tension. In general, rope and braided types of electric fence are intended to stretch and bounce to some extent, like a boxing ring.

Don’t put your fence posts too close together, or you’ll lose this effect. But you also don’t want the lines too loose, because sagging leads to decreased electric conductivity. (Plus, it looks bad!)

Testers

Finally, make sure your fence is working properly by using a fence tester. These devices not only show you how strong the charge is at various locations around the pasture, they are also invaluable in helping you track down problems with the fence.

Shorts and broken spots in the wire can be located easily with a tester. It’s one of the best tools for your fencing toolbox.

Ready to start building? With a bit of planning and the right tools, you can enclose a fairly large area with electric fencing in only a few days.

This article about electric fencing appeared in the September 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post It’s Electric: All About Electric Horse Fencing appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.