To set the metal t posts we used a hand t post driver to set them in the ground, and by we I mean I did none and Jeff did all of them. In my defense I was almost nine months pregnant during this installation however. We also placed t post caps on the top of each post. They make them to protect your horse from the sharp ends of the t posts, which can injure a horse. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to slap one on while installing and give some peace of mind, they look like this:

After all the posts were set it was time to string the tape from post to post. The products required for this involve the rolls of polytape itself:

The insulator clips to attach the tape to the t posts

The insulator clips to attach the tape to the wood posts

The tape to tape connectors ( these are needed to jump the current from the strand connected to the power source to the other strands so they are all electrified)

The splice buckle to connect the end of a tape roll to the start of a new roll.

Corner tensioner and end tensioners to anchor the tape in corners and at any ends (gates and ends of fence lines)

Once we decided the height of each strand we marked those heights on a wood stick so we had a template for each post. That allowed us to speed things up and keep the strand heights consistent as the ground rolls and changes. Here you can see the insulators installed on each post and the top tape strand clipped in.

The last piece of the installation would be choosing a power source to electrify the tape. We chose a solar low impedance charger. We installed it on a south facing post for maximum sun but once charged it can still run for 21 days without any light at all and can power up to 25 miles of fence line. I’d recommend getting a fence voltage checker to be sure each strand is actually charged after install. Or you could just take a few shocks yourself to prove you’re a man, or pay someone to touch it and tell you if it hurt.. or shove an unsuspecting persons into it and see what happens.

Our horses, which had never been pastured with electric fence before, adjusted very well to the fence. I saw them each touch the tape once with their nose and then have never bothered it since and completely respect it. It’s held up well, we don’t have issues with it sagging or coming loose. We had to adjust a couple spots that popped out of the clips initially because the tension was too much in those spots and that’s about it.