The quality of a horse farm is often only as good as the fences around it, and the Wilson sisters appreciate that fact more than most.

The sisters Vicki, Kelly and Amanda have had more than their share of horses injured after being caught in fences and gates, and spent many hours tending injured horses and putting the offending fencing right.

But in the past year they have had some welcome relief from the upsetting and stressful encounters between horses and fences, thanks to having their property made far more “horse friendly” using Gallagher Equine Fence systems.

Working with Gallagher and the Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand the sisters have fenced well over two thirds of their Northland property with the Gallagher system that incorporates specially designed Equine Fence Wire, gates, outriggers and now the innovative new Insulated Line Posts.

With a year’s experience having the system in place, Kelly says they have come to realise how stressful and unnecessary horse injuries from fences and gates are when avoided by having a good system in place.

“In the 12 months we have had the system in place we have had no wire cuts or accidents from the fences or gates where we have the Gallagher system in place. But we have had seven on the remaining conventional fences, and one horse had to be retired from riding because of the injury she sustained.”

Other horses have also sustained small wire cuts requiring attention to avoid them becoming infected.

“I think what we have learned is that we now know it is preventable, they are accidents that with the right fencing, you can avoid.”

The sisters are working over coming months to replace the remaining traditional wire fences with Gallagher Equine Wire. The wire has a unique electrified polymer design with wide diameter and smooth coating that reduces the risk of it becoming entangled with a horse’s hoof, leg or head.

This has avoided the injuries Kelly has witnessed where the high tensile wire becomes entangled between the horse’s hoof and shoe, at worst electrocuting the animal.

Similarly, all the gates have been replaced with Gallagher Equimaster Gates, designed to minimise any risk of horses getting their heads or hooves caught in the gate’s railings.

Grid mesh welded to the gate frame eliminates the risk of mesh separating and providing a means for hooves to become caught between it and the frame.

“We have had horses go over gates and get their back legs caught, or get their heads caught between gate railings. We changed the gates over and in the past year have had none of those accidents.”

Kelly is particularly impressed with the newly released Gallagher Insulated Line Posts.

Designed to be easily transported around the farm, and set up with minimum fuss, their adjustability means they can provide a tailor made solution to containing horses, sheep, cattle and deer.

“We found they were extremely easy to set up, the three of us laid out a whole paddock ourselves in only about half an hour. The fact you can move the snap on clips up or down means to you can set up the fence and the wires exactly as you want them to be.”

The sisters have used the fence system to subdivide a larger paddock, and alongside the river bank to keep horses out of the water.

At present the sisters are running a wide variety of horses, ranging from three different breeds of wild horses, the horse Vicki trained and won in the World Championship of Colt Starting event in March, and a number of Olympic standard show jumpers.

Kelly said she has much more peace of mind knowing all are well contained, and less likely than ever to injure themselves around the family property.

“We have come to realise with the fence system just how avoidable some of these injuries are, and we are working hard to remove the last of the old fencing.”

Any horse owner’s worst nightmare is finding their trusted mount tangled in a fence, cut, bleeding or maybe even dead from an encounter with a fence that has proven far from suitable for keeping them safe and contained.

No-one is more familiar with the risk of injury than Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson.

Well known for their work taming wild horses around the world, the sisters are New Zealand’s most prominent equine siblings and have gained a public following both in New Zealand and internationally. They also have an enviable show jumping record, claiming many wins at the sport’s highest levels.

Over the years, thousands of horses have been through the Wilson Sisters property in Northland during camps and clinics, as well as their own team of performance horses.

While accidents are few and far between, the sisters have seen and experienced first-hand far too many encounters with typical high tensile farm fences, as well as accidents in gates and from post and rail fencing. These have included legs caught in fences, wire cuts and scratches and catching hooves in gates. They are injuries often requiring weeks of intensive nursing to get right.

Thanks to their relationship with Gallagher, the sisters were given the opportunity to have their property re-fenced with Gallagher equine fencing systems, including Equine Fence Wire, insulators and gates all designed specifically with horse’s needs and challenges in mind.

“We did a lot of research on different fencing options before choosing the Gallagher Equine Fence Wire. It ticked all the boxes for us,” says Kelly.

Working with Gallagher and the Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand, the sisters pulled out the old standard farm fencing around the property and commenced a fencing makeover that has exceeded their original expectations.

“We wouldn’t have considered our original fencing to be that bad, and thought it was pretty typical. Sure we had the occasional injuries but so does every horse owner. When Gallagher pointed out room for improvement, we saw huge potential to eliminate many of the issues we’d been struggling with over the years. Now we look back and see so many injuries that could have been prevented if we’d put safer fencing in earlier.”

The Gallagher Equine Fence Wire used is a unique electrified polymer design with a wide diameter and smooth coating, reducing the risk of the wire entangling the horse or becoming caught in them.

“Some of the worst accidents we’ve seen are when the wire (either on a fence or gate) gets caught between the hoof and shoe. It’s even worse when the wire is electrified and the horse can’t get loose.”

Since installing the Gallagher wire eight months ago they haven’t had any injuries in the newly fenced paddocks and couldn’t be happier.

With a huge storm in the region last month, followed by Guy Fawkes, the Wilson Sisters’ local vets tended to a number of fence related accidents. One equine property had three injured and one dead.

“Our horses came through just fine, not a scratch on them. It’s a huge relief being able to go to bed at night, or away to shows on the weekend, and know the horses will be in their paddocks when we return and safer than ever before.”

The makeover also included complete replacement of the property’s gates.

“We had never been able to find a gate that was truly horse friendly. We have had some bad experiences, including a horse getting a hoof caught in the acute angle of a diagonal brace, after pulling the gate off the hinges. The horse did a lot of damage to its hoof and shoulders which took a long time to recover. If we can reduce the risk of potential injury not only are we able to keep our horses safer and sounder, but we also save a huge amount in vet bills and the loss of value in horses no longer able to perform.”

With its solid steel grid pattern there is no risk of horses getting their feet caught and the Wilson sisters were relieved to see the end of the haphazard collection of gates they replaced. With the grid mesh welded to the gate frame there is also no risk of the mesh separating from the frame which again reduces the chance of hooves getting stuck.

The fence system comprises largely of outriggers to prevent horses talking to each other over the fence, which can be a major cause of injuries with horses previously striking out through the wire. Below this are one or two hot wires.

Since installation the integrity of the fence system has been pushed to its limits when tasked with containing the sisters’ wild horses they have been training.

“Before we changed to Gallagher there wasn’t a paddock we could keep them in, they would go under, through or over any of the fences we had.”

However with the new system the paddocks effectively have an invisible barrier that horses are respecting.

“The Equine Wire is highly visible compared to usual fencing wire. There is far less risk that they will canter into it.”

But it is not only the safety of their wild horses that gives peace of mind to the sisters. They have recently taken on some high value show jumping horses, ultimately intended for Olympic campaigns.

“Their owners need to know they are well looked after and safe, and the Gallagher fence system ensures that.”

The Wilsons have had a number of equine colleagues come to look over the fencing, and leave convinced it is the best they have seen for containing horses.

“As a horse owner, the most important thing is keeping our equine partners safe, since changing to Gallagher we’ve noticed the difference and only wish we’d changed sooner” says Vicki.

Dry Vegetation

There is a misconception that dry vegetation touching an electric fence can cause fires – this is extremely unlikely. In order to create a short, vegetation needs to be damp or green so therefore the vegetation will not ignite. Once vegetation dries out it becomes non-conductive meaning any short created disappears.

The only conceivable but still very unlikely scenario where an electric fence could start a fire is when a wire shorts to an earthed metal object, such as a steel post or wire where insulators have broken, in the presence of abundant dry vegetation. This scenario is very unlikely to occur in practice, and even less so on a well-maintained fence. Farmers with fences on steel posts or using earthed wires are advised to ensure the livewires are well insulated and the fence is clear of vegetation. If these factors are of concern then on days of severe or above fire risk, consider switching the energiser off.

Earthing

In dry conditions, the earth system attached to your Energizer will become less effective. Typically, dry conditions lead to higher fence voltages, low fence load (as vegetation is non-conductive when dry) and fences that do not create as good a shock as normal (depending on the quality of the earth system). If your electric fences are not controlling stock effectively in dry conditions, solutions such as Gallagher Super Earth Kits are available to improve your earth system. Gallagher i Series Fence Energizers also have an adjustable output target voltage, so can be turned down in dry conditions to reduce higher fence voltages. We also recommend a return earth fence design for all permanent fences in Australia.

Induction

Induction is another problem that occurs in dry weather. A common scenario is getting a shock off a steel gate or a non-live wire in an electric fence. This happens when current flows down a wire alongside an adjacent, effectively insulated wire not directly coupled to the electric fence. A voltage is then induced in the adjacent wire. This is more likely in dry conditions because the posts the non-live wire is connected to become insulators when dry. The solution to this problem is to earth the offending wire or gate by pushing a wire into the ground and stapling this across the non-live wires at the strainer post. Induction is not considered a fire risk whatsoever. Vegetation conductive enough to cause a short will effectively earth the non-live wire and prevent induction from occurring.

If your electric fence is not working as well as it should, or you would like further explanation of the above, please contact your local Territory Manager or Tech Support team on 1800 425 524

Leading developer of virtual fencing technology, Agersens, is now part of Gallagher Group under a strategic change of ownership that will allow us to further improve the solution and accelerate commercial expansion across Australian and international markets.

Agersens, which was founded by Ian Reilly, designed and developed the eShepherd platform to allow graziers to control the location and movement of cattle using a web application and an intelligent, solar-powered neckband connected to the internet via a base station. Testing, including a fully-subscribed beta trial programme, shows the technology is proving effective in rotational grazing and protection of riparian zones.

Leading the Agersens team over the past two years is Jason Chaffey, who said Agersens and Gallagher shared a common vision for farm automation, expansion into global markets and partnering with industry to provide tools that facilitate data-driven decision making.

“Gallagher’s long and respected history in livestock management, international reach and vision, not only for virtual fencing but for promoting a more efficient, productive and sustainable grazing industry, means it is ideally placed to provide a strong foundation for the future growth of eShepherd,” Jason said.

“Agersens and Gallagher will work closely to maximise synergies and grow commercialisation of eShepherd, a technology we are confident will be a game-changer for livestock production.

“eShepherd is performing well at our test sites across Australia and New Zealand and the acquisition by Gallagher will accelerate growth and development of the product, to move towards providing producers in multiple markets with access to this tool which can genuinely improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of grazing businesses,” Jason added.

Gallagher Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director Kahl Betham says the company is delighted to add this new technology to the Gallagher lineup.

“For over 80 years, Gallagher has led the way in the agricultural industry.  This acquisition further cements our commitment to investing in new ways of farming that will support customers with smarter, simpler solutions that make farm life easier and more profitable.

“We are thrilled to be adding further talent to the Gallagher family and are excited about what we can achieve together through our combined passion for innovation and customer experience,” Kahl added.

We first began investing in eShepherd in 2016.  The acquisition will be finalised by 21 June 2021 at which time the current Agersens team of around 35 people will transition to Gallagher, under the overall leadership of Lisbeth Jacobs, Global General Manager for Animal Management.

Find out more about eShepherd here.

What do you use to enclose four cute and furry Cheetah that can reach land speeds of up to 130km/h and jump up to three metres high in the air? A Gallagher fencing system.

When Hamilton Zoo needed to upgrade its cheetah enclosure to prepare for the arrival of their four young cheetah boys, Radi, Bomani, Manni and Denzel, they decided to use Gallagher products.

Hamilton Zoo Asset Manager, Jesse Golden, says the zoo transferred the boys from Taronga Dubbo Western Plains Zoo, in Australia, but their journey to Hamilton is only one small part of the story. Hamilton Zoo staff worked for nearly 12 months beforehand to create the perfect enclosure for them.

“There was a really detailed design process we went through which involved seeing what has been learned in the past and what other zoos are doing with their cheetah. We also knew we wanted a closer experience for our visitors,” says Jesse.

The boys arrived in Hamilton in early April and have settled in well to their new home. Denzel, Radi and Bomani are brothers, while Manni was born one month earlier at Monarto in South Australia.

“The boys have settled in beautifully. They were happy to be reunited after the flight and there was plenty of purring, yelps, barks and grooming each other,” says Jesse.

Jesse says Hamilton Zoo settled on a Gallagher fencing system as they were confident it could safely contain their four young cheetah, while still offering a great viewing experience for their visitors.

“We added more viewing windows to the enclosure to create a closer experience for visitors, but we also used a black mesh fence which is easier to see through and easier for visitors to take photos through,” says Jesse.

The cheetah fence was installed by Barakat Contractors.

Owner Dale Barakat says about 1km of Gallagher High Conductive Lead Out Wire and Gallagher Double Insulated Cable was used in the project which saw them add three offset electrified wires around the enclosure.

“We used the Gallagher Wood Post Live Tip Offset at the top of the fence, through the middle and at the bottom and Gallagher Double Insulated Cable to set it all up. It’s electrified using a Gallagher MBS800 Multi Powered Energizer,” says Dale.

The job also involved digging a trench around the enclosure and filling it with rock and installing wooden boards to the bottom of the fence and digging them into the ground so the boys can’t dig themselves out of the enclosure.

Right beside the boys’ new home are the Giraffe, Zebra, Goats and Deer, says Jesse.

“The boys are in their enclosure and they can see through to their neighbours. They have been really interested in the Zebra and looking at them a lot.”

Jesse says the new fence looks stunning.

“The boys are very happy in their new environment and we are very happy with the new fence that we know is keeping them safe,” says Jesse.

Across 475 hectares of some of New Zealand’s most scenic farmland in mid-Canterbury, a beef farming operation is successfully being run on a tight rotational grazing system, similar to a dairy farm.

A permanent electric fencing solution from Gallagher has been key to making it happen. The property is known as Glenview and is owned by former Anzco Foods founder Sir Graeme Harrison. Sir Graeme’s total farm area in the mid-Canterbury region covers over 2,300 hectares and encompasses properties at Mt Alford, Pudding Hill and Highbank. The most recent addition is Glenview, where the farm has been completely overhauled with a new fencing system from Gallagher. Farm manager Jack Dwyer says the fencing solution allows them to run a sharp rotational grazing system on the Glenview property, like that found on most New Zealand dairy farms.

“It is an intensive operation, so we want to make it pay for itself,” says Jack. “To help us manage our animals effectively, we tore out almost all the fencing and re-fenced more than 60kms of the property using Gallagher’s electric fencing solution, including powering it up with Gallagher energizers.” Each paddock is about eight hectares in size, divided in the middle with a two-wire fence. This allows sheep to go underneath, but cattle to be effectively managed. There are water troughs one quarter and three quarters along the two-wire fence. It means each four-hectare half can be split into four one hectare or eight half hectare grazing strips.

“This set up means we can run short sharp rotational grazing where we get mobs of 40 to 50 cattle doing a 24-day rotation in one eight-hectare paddock if the growth is adequate,” says Jack. As the grazing rotation continues into summer, lambs are brought into the system and replace cattle in some paddocks. Mobs of between 800 and 1,400 lambs follow in the rotation and are given the full eight hectares to graze out.

“It’s been a system of trial and error. We’ve spent the last few years figuring out what works and what doesn’t, but the Gallagher system and gear has been absolutely key to helping us manage feed and maximise animal productivity,” says Jack. “The system also allows us to easily drop out halves of paddocks to be cut for supplementary feed.” A similar fencing set-up has also been recently installed at the Highbank property, which also grows supplementary feed for the rest of the operation.

Across all the farms, the operation runs a total of 2,700 Perrindale ewes, with plans to lift that number to about 4,000 over the next couple of years. They calved 500 Angus cows this season and last season raised 240 Angus steers to Five Star Beef and finished 830 Friesian bulls, and 4000 lambs, with hopes to see those numbers rise in the next few seasons. “It is a complex operation, but our Gallagher fencing solution gives us the peace of mind we need. We can use the technology as much or as little as we want to help us run an efficient and productive farm business.”

Jack and his team use an M10,000i and an M6000i energizer on Glenview, a M10,000i at Pudding Hill and an M10,000i at Mt Alford. They use Gallagher’s Ag Devices App to make sure everything runs smoothly, and stock are kept safe and where they should be. “The Ag Devices App allows us to see when the amps are coming off and you can see what’s normal and what’s not. It will throw up an alarm when there is a fault and if the power falls below a set level. Because the farm is divided into blocks you can use Fence Monitors to isolate and find the faults within 10 minutes, which is crucial for the size of the operation we’re running,” says Jack.

Jack says the Gallagher system also enables them to better manage cattle in the small rotational grazing areas. “When you have large numbers of cattle like we have and are running a tight rotational grazing system, we need to know the mobs stay where we put them. Gallagher’s electric fencing solutions are helping us do that.”

Ōpunake dairy farmer Angeleigh Young is saving hours of travel time and stress by controlling electric fences on her family’s farming operation with the tap of a button on her phone. 

Angeleigh manages a 160-hectare dairy farm owned by her mother-in law, Adrienne. She installed a Gallagher i Series M6000i energizer to power up the property’s electric fence system, which she uses alongside Gallagher’s i Series App Gateway to control the farm’s entire electric fence system via her mobile phone. The Gateway enables Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection so Angeleigh can manage it all from the Gallagher Ag Devices App. 

“It’s just so easy to use,” she says. “We set up the energizer in the pump shed which is about 800 metres from the cowshed and installed the i Series App Gateway with a Wi-Fi connection. We downloaded the App, connected to our WiFi network and it was ready to go.” 

Before installing the system, turning the energizer on and off was a hassle. Angeleigh would have to travel back and forth between the pump shed and wherever she was moving stock or trying to fix electric fence faults. It was time consuming and frustrating.  

With the i Series Energizer System, Angeleigh can control the power to her fences with the push of a button on her phone. 

“The system will also alert me when there is a fault or if power isn’t getting to the fences. It gives you peace of mind the fences are always working, and our cows are where they are meant to be,” she says.  

“You can turn the fence off, check one part of the fence and move to the next and turn it back on again when you’re done. No more travelling up and down the farm to switch the energizer on and off.” 

The farm supplies Fonterra and Angeleigh milks 280 cows at peak, producing about 115,000 kg/MS per season. She also breeds all their herd replacements and has young stock both on the home farm and two adjacent runoff blocks that connect to the milking platform.  

“The next step for us is to install i Series Fence Monitors at our runoff blocks so we can monitor the entire electric fence operation in zones. Doing that will mean I will be able to monitor individual zones without having to travel the entire farm looking for fence faults” says Angeleigh. 

When Angeleigh’s husband Kieran is helping out on the farm, he can also control the fences from the App on his own phone. 

“Kieran doesn’t work on the farm every day, but sometimes he helps. For example, he manages our oxidation ponds which are surrounded by fences. He has the App on his phone, and it means he can drop the fences himself to manage the ponds without have to drive back to the energizer or call me, asking me to do it.” 

Angeleigh also knows when her mother-in-law Adrienne is out working on the fences, because she receives an alert on her phone when the fences are powered off. 

“I’ve also had contractors come and do maintenance work on the farm or deliver things when I’ve been busy. I can let them through by powering off the fences without even being on site. The system is such a time saver,” says Angeleigh. 

Gallagher is leveraging decades of global agricultural experience to bring beef farmers a reliable and remote virtual fencing solution, eShepherd™. For the last 6 years, Gallagher has been partnering with beef farmers all over the world to trial eShepherd. The technology has proven particularly effective in helping farmers improve pasture management and protect riparian zones, despite farming on remote and vast landscapes.

“As margins get squeezed, farmers are focussed on getting the most from their pasture and growing animals faster with less inputs,” says Gallagher Global Strategy & New Ventures Manager Sarah Adams.

“For many beef farmers, this includes finding ways to access remote areas of their farms that are difficult to fence and utilise pasture that is currently being wasted. The way they farm also means they manage animals with less human interaction. Insights from our customer research are telling. Farmers are crying out for cost-effective ways to better utilise their pastures and permanently exclude animals from dangerous or environmentally sensitive areas, without the significant associated expenses of physical fencing. With rising fencing costs, skills shortages and long lead times for fencing materials, farmers are looking for alternative solutions that can save them time and money long-term,” says Sarah. “We have a list of loyal customers who have followed our eShepherd journey over the last few years. They are eager to get their hands on this technology because they know it will be a gamechanger for their operation.”

Gallagher has been in business for 85 years and works with farmers around the world. Sarah says her team knows from experience that partnering closely with them to develop the right solutions is crucial.

“That’s why we have spent time in the field trialling eShepherd and putting the technology and the hardware through its paces before bringing it to market. It was important for us to get farmer feedback throughout the process and tweak our design to make sure we give farmers a solution they can rely on. The result is a tried and tested virtual fencing solution that farmers can be confident will improve pasture management, help them meet environmental regulations and save them money on traditional fencing – all while achieving sound animal welfare outcomes.”
eShepherd was originally developed by virtual fencing technology developer Agersens. Gallagher first began investing in eShepherd in 2016 before it acquired Agersens in 2021.

“Our team are some of the best in the business and we understand farming. We are tapping into Gallagher’s decades of experience in developing animal management solutions for farmers around the world to bring eShepherd to the market. Gallagher is a global leader in agri-tech. We have a responsibility to deliver our loyal farmer customers a virtual fencing solution they can trust and have complete confidence in. Getting it right takes time, commitment and expertise. We are proud to be bringing the benefits of this exciting new technology to the beef industry and educating them about how virtual fencing can help them run more profitable and productive business.”

Gallagher is now in the final stages of its BETA trials with specific beef operations in Australia and North America and getting ready to make this technology available for farmers to purchase. Farmers interested in learning more can register their interest here.

Mark and Jacqui Schmidt were one of last years’ recipients of the Gallagher Landcare Electric Fencing Grant. Their farm in Yackandandah, VIC, needed dam fencing to create a buffer zone for water filtration that allows their livestock to consume clean water, convert feed, and improve their performance overall.

In March 2023, they hosted an information day on fencing farm dams, in conjunction with their local Landcare group, ANU Sustainable Farms, and Gallagher Australia.

The information day was documented by Tim Thompson, who interviewed Mark and Jacqui, and key speakers at the event.

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Mark and Jacqui have used a combination of Gallagher fencing products to fence the waterways on their property. They had used electric fencing before, so were familiar with the benefits.

In an area with lots of trees and where their cattle were grazing, they used Insulated Line Posts (ISPs) and braid around their dam. As a semi-permanent solution, this allows them to easily fix the fence if a branch falls on it, or if one of their animals decides to challenge the fence.

They were able to install the fencing themselves, and with the ISP’s holding fast in the ground, the fence hasn’t moved despite heavy rainfall in the area. Mark and Jacqui were able to build this fence around existing fencing, maintaining their existing paddock sizes without changing any of their infrastructure.

Fencing dams is a cost-effective and easy way to increase livestock productivity and biodiversity on-farm.

Gallagher Business Development Manager for Fence, Graeme Mulligan, spoke at the event to the merits of electric fencing. He is particularly knowledgeable of the benefits of fencing farm dams; his fathers’ farm saw an immediate weight gain increase in his sheep by fencing their dam and improving the quality of their drinking water.

The benefits of increasing the quality of water on-farm are huge.

Often there is a resistance to fence around dams, as it reduces the available grazing area for livestock, however, up to 17% of your land mass can be fenced for the purposes of a dam filtering zone without losing any on-farm productivity. Healthy water = healthy livestock.

ANU Sustainable Farms is an organisation branching from the ANU that for over 20 years has been focused on biodiversity research. Their research collaborates with farmers face-to-face, resulting in powerful and applicable findings.

Recently, they’ve been doing a lot of work around farm dams, how water quality impacts biodiversity and foliage recovery, and how best to manage farm dams to increase livestock productivity.

Thanks to the Yackandandah Landcare Group who organised the event, bringing together a team of organisations doing great work in the farm dam fencing space, researching the benefits of water conservation, and sharing the results.

It’s exciting to see the real-life benefits of the Gallagher Landcare Electric Fencing Grant. Applications for this year’s grants have now closed but keep an eye out for further information on next year’s grants on our website.

You can watch the full video below: