Dan's at it again

[Jessey]

This pony mystifies me, for months he's good as gold then all of a sudden he starts with the escaping antics again. He gave me the run around for over half an hour this morning when I was already late for work, in long wet grass so I was wet to my knees I was not impressed. So been put into the front paddock which has no grass/is just sand but the fence is at least powered on all 4 sides so should keep the little sucker in until I can deal with him later, the last thing he needs is tons of grass at the moment, he's already huge! I wish I could work out what it is that sets him off on escaping.

 

[Huggy]

Feel your pain! Last summer, when Hogan was in his own field, and I was strip grazing him, he did the same, when HE thought he was hungry, but in reality he really wasn't. Luckily, this year, he's in the field with B, and it's just being continuously eaten down, so, so far so good!

 

[Jessey]

Feel your pain! Last summer, when Hogan was in his own field, and I was strip grazing him, he did the same, when HE thought he was hungry, but in reality he really wasn't. Luckily, this year, he's in the field with B, and it's just being continuously eaten down, so, so far so good!

Dan will leave Hank for the greener pastures

 

[Trewsers]

Oh heck that's not good when you were due at work, long wet grass is nobody's friend. Eeek. Norty boy. They always do things like that when you're going somewhere! (Well mine do!)
Chloe used to be a mystery in some ways at the old house. She'd be fine for weeks on end in the big paddock with madam and then start her escaping. Trouble is she'd rabble rouse and get Storm all wound up - and then she'd get into the forbidden pasture and not be able to work out how to get home again (cos they free ranged). ARgh.

 

[Jessey]

He is well and truly in the naughty corner! I got a message as I was leaving work yesterday; the paddock I put him in has the Hank Hut in it, which Dude's owner had been using for storage, I knew he'd go and pick at their hay and that was OK but he got into their feed bin and had eaten goodness knows how much mix

 

[Huggy]

Oh my! It's not funny, but it is. Hope he's ok though, and no ill effects. What a little devil!

 

[Jessey]

Oh my! It's not funny, but it is. Hope he's ok though, and no ill effects. What a little devil!

I would laugh if he wasn't mine to deal with He seems absolutely fine thus far, thankfully. He will be staying in that paddock for a few days, and possibly longer to get some weight off him, I feel bad for him but its the only bit I can electrify all the way around until I get the mower out and that can't happen before the end of next week.
I remembered to take a pic of 'Jurassic park' last night, you can see why powering that fence up is currently futile!

 

[Trewsers]

Argh, how frustrating!!!

 

[Huggy]

Yay! I'm not the only one whose electric fence is rendered useless by the undergrowth!

 

[Jessey]

The little turd was out again this morning, from the paddock that is powered on all sides! I haven't tested the fence but it cracking well when I opened the gate and it touched the ground. He let me scratch him when I walked in, as soon as I picked up a head collar he started running into fences in a bid to escape If it's powered he puts his head down and uses the side of his neck with his mane on, if its off he just runs at it. That's the 3rd time this week he's made me late for work.
I cannot have him getting onto lots of grass, he's far too fat already and I can't keep being late for work, so I see 4 choices;
1) put him back with the others on the track and leave him muzzled, my concern is a large part of their diet is hay and I'm not sure how he'd manage
2) Set him up his own paddock on grass and muzzle him, kind of defeats the object of a companion pony though
3) build a post and rail pen that he can be shut in part time, and muzzle part time in case of escape (this can also double as an injury pen for Jess)
4) teach him to tether, though this also defeats the purpose of a companion pony as the others would have to be kept away

 

[chunky monkey]

I just tried to post on your pen thread and it wont upload having done a reply. Now I cant find the thread. So I'll post what I wrote here.
I'd work on the length of post and rails and general stable size. I think 1/2 rails are 12 ft and probably cheapest. Or use some 2x3 timbers. I think there 12ft.
Are you thinking stable size pen or lunge size pen or bigger. Depends whether your allowing movement or restriction. In Dan's case its movement. For jess restriction.
In response to above I'd stick him back in with the others for now.

My input, I know you dont want to use wire but we have 6 strands of high tensile electric fencing all around most of our fields. It works for the sheep, cows and the horses. It really is something to consider even for making a pen. Problem with post and rail is they use it for scratching and it busts. So the time you spend keep replacing and repairing rails in the long run it would be cheaper to pay out on a proper high tensile fence in the first place.

 

[Jessey]

I just tried to post on your pen thread and it wont upload having done a reply. Now I cant find the thread. So I'll post what I wrote here.
I'd work on the length of post and rails and general stable size. I think 1/2 rails are 12 ft and probably cheapest. Or use some 2x3 timbers. I think there 12ft.
Are you thinking stable size pen or lunge size pen or bigger. Depends whether your allowing movement or restriction. In Dan's case its movement. For jess restriction.
In response to above I'd stick him back in with the others for now.

My input, I know you dont want to use wire but we have 6 strands of high tensile electric fencing all around most of our fields. It works for the sheep, cows and the horses. It really is something to consider even for making a pen. Problem with post and rail is they use it for scratching and it busts. So the time you spend keep replacing and repairing rails in the long run it would be cheaper to pay out on a proper high tensile fence in the first place.

I deleted the other post as decided not to build a pen, sorry. I am going to work on fortifying the middle fence on the track instead.

Wire may well be cheaper than post and rail and require less maintenance but it won't be cheaper than the vets bill when Jess ends up with back legs through it, which is something she does semi regularly while she is in season. Also our soil is sand so anything HT is almost impossible to keep tensioned as the posts just pull over even when they are in 4ft deep.

 

[chunky monkey]

The only way round that would be to put an offset bracket on the inside of the fence but I'm not a fan of those.
How many strands have you got on the middle fence currently.

 

[Jessey]

The only way round that would be to put an offset bracket on the inside of the fence but I'm not a fan of those.
How many strands have you got on the middle fence currently.

When she kicks, she kicks, no offset bracket will keep her far enough away, those are only really meant to stop rubbing and leaning.

I currently have 2 strands, but I don't really think the number is the issue, its the height from the ground and the stretch in the polywire, he puts head down and runs under it. I need to find a way of minimizing the stretch/give so I'm going to start by putting in more wooden posts as those don't lift out of the ground like plastic ones do, I'll reset the corner posts as those have started to lean over and I will put loops in the polywire at each post so it can't run through the insulators freely.

 

[Trewsers]

Trouble is if you set him up on his own in a paddock - aside from defeating the object of companion, who says he won't just spend all his time trying to escape again and get with the others? I really feel your pain.

 

[Jessey]

Trouble is if you set him up on his own in a paddock - aside from defeating the object of companion, who says he won't just spend all his time trying to escape again and get with the others? I really feel your pain.

My thoughts exactly, he has been mad since I separated him on Wednesday morning, calling repeatedly to anyone he thought might let him out, biting at the fence posts and marching about in a huff. It's not that he is desperate to be with the others (it doesn't bother him to leave them when he gets out), but he is desperate to get his own way. I brought him to keep Hank company, if he can't do that job then there is really little point me keeping him, harsh but true unfortunately.

 

[Trewsers]

My thoughts exactly, he has been mad since I separated him on Wednesday morning, calling repeatedly to anyone he thought might let him out, biting at the fence posts and marching about in a huff. It's not that he is desperate to be with the others (it doesn't bother him to leave them when he gets out), but he is desperate to get his own way. I brought him to keep Hank company, if he can't do that job then there is really little point me keeping him, harsh but true unfortunately.

So he was to keep Hank company whilst you and jess went riding? Hmm. Does he respond well to being in with just Hank and not jess? Or did you want them all in together? Sorry, I know you've tried lots of different things and I'm probably asking the same questions!
Does Jess mind being on her own or is it tricky to set up and keep them like that?

 

[chunky monkey]

I agree more wooden posts in. But I'd also add two more wires.
Where I have temporary poly wire I have four strands. I set up some temporary fencing the other day between horses and calves. The calves (currently shetland size) ran at the wire when I let them out the shed and some went through. But the four strand part they ran towards and stopped dead with a skid when they realised there was four strands.
If you lower the top strand I think you'll have jess hanging her head over or jumping it.

 

[Jessey]

So he was to keep Hank company whilst you and jess went riding? Hmm. Does he respond well to being in with just Hank and not jess? Or did you want them all in together? Sorry, I know you've tried lots of different things and I'm probably asking the same questions!
Does Jess mind being on her own or is it tricky to set up and keep them like that?

Jess has been separated from the boys for ages now because of her leg issues, but the plan was they all go back together this week.

I agree more wooden posts in. But I'd also add two more wires.
Where I have temporary poly wire I have four strands. I set up some temporary fencing the other day between horses and calves. The calves (currently shetland size) ran at the wire when I let them out the shed and some went through. But the four strand part they ran towards and stopped dead with a skid when they realised there was four strands.
If you lower the top strand I think you'll have jess hanging her head over or jumping it.

I put more for temporary fences if they aren't used to it being there, but he knows it's there, he stops, assess, hunts for a weakness and runs. I can't put the bottom strand any lower with all the weeds, and given he goes under it I don't think adding higher strands will have any effect. His old owner said he's always escaped, no matter what she did. Thankfully Jess won't try a fence even if it's knee height.

I put wooden posts in the pen last night (which he'd escaped again yesterday after I put him back in in the morning) and tensioned it right up so will see this morning if it contained him. If I could have got near him last night I would have put him back out with hank with a muzzle but until I can catch him it's better to herd him into there.

 

[Jessey]

Well that didn't work wooden posts 15m apart with plastic every 3m, fence set at pony height (top run chest height), well tensioned and putting out 8000v and he's still out, leaving the fence perfectly intact. I quit. Put hank into the bit Dan put himself in, but still can't catch Dan to muzzle him. May have to go back to the post and rail pen plan.