Barbed wire - a cautionary tale . . .

PolarSkye

PolarSkye

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Took the GreyDonk long reining on Friday . . . first he disgraced himself by "waving" at some of his yardmates and attempting to beggar off back to the yard - cue lunge line running through my hands taking a significant amount of flesh with it (note to self, wear gloves) . . . then he uncharacteristically hopped up onto a bank just when I noticed a strand of rusty barbed wire about fetlock height about 2 inches behind his hind legs :(. I tried coaxing him forwards, but he was already in a pet and stepped backwards, embedding the barbed wire around his left hind . . . as he tried to shake it free one of the barbs made a nasty, deep puncture wound and tore a flap of skin - two more barbs left some nasty scratches . . . once he was free I walked him back to the yard to assess the damage. Lots of blood, some nasty punctures but all the damage located around his heel rather than higher up (which could have been so much worse).

He is up to date with his tetanus (phew) and I have kept the wound as clean as I can with all this mud - regular hosing/hibiscrub/purple spray and an antibacterial gel. His leg has been quite swollen in the mornings (he is kept in at night on straw) but he isn't lame and there is minimal heat . . . the wound site has been very sore - he hasn't been keen for me to prod and poke . . . but as we're now onto Day 4, I think infection would have shown up by now (fingers crossed). I'm now leaving alone as much as possible so that wounds scab over (although the ground is so wet that's proving a challenge).

It could have been so much worse - my heart was in my mouth when I saw him up on that bank with the barbed wire just behind him - but please, please, please if you have the wretched stuff on your land get rid!

P
 
Fingers crossed for your boy to make a full recovery. Barbed wire is horiffically dangerous when left lying around.
 
Hope he makes a speedy recovery. It makes me cringe when i see horses kept in with barbed wire fence. I pass 2 on the road to work most days and sometimes they have the necks stretched over it to the verge on the other side. :( Have seen some nasty injuries from the stuff.
 
Thanks both . . . I hate ALL wire . . . GreyDonk took a slice off his fetlock rolling next to a wire fence - took ages to heal (and we left the yard) . . . but barbed wire is the very work of the devil. Appalling stuff that shouldn't be allowed near any livestock.

P
 
You've been turning a horse with puncture wounds out in this mud? It also doesn't want hibiscrub on it, just cooled boiled water to clean it as necessary. No wonder he's sore on it. Is he lame?
 
Oh no poor lad :-( I hate barbed wire I used to loan a horse that had it all around the paddocks, its madness do they want more vets bills?! Not to mention damage to rugs! Anyway hope it heals up ok and will certainly look out for rogue bits of barbed wire when out and about!
 
Appalling stuff that shouldn't be allowed near any livestock.
g.gif
 
RiderLizzie said:
Barbed wire is horiffically dangerous when left lying around.
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This ^ ^

Sorry to hear of the injury and hope he heals soon.

Barbed wire has been around a long time, this and electric fencing is the only thing that keeps cattle in. Many have to use the same fields as cattle, so have to put up with it.
If strained properly and also having internal fencing such as electric tape, this fencing can last for eons.


Its the baggy rusting wire on wobbly old posts that really does pose a problem.

To some of the posters above, its totally unrealistic to hope to get this banned or requested to be removed. However, please keep vigilant to ensure you remove broken wire or get posts replaced and wire restrained if on land you are using (not aimed at OP but general reminder :) )
 
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Our fields aren't muddy and the grass isn't long - Kal's field is at the top of a hill and drains well. I wouldn't say his foot was hot . . . marginal warmth and the swelling is much better than it was a couple of days ago. He isn't lame. Two of the wounds have scabbed over . . . it's the middle one I'm worried about . . . all I did today and yesterday was clean with warm water. I am keeping a close eye and our yard vet is visiting tomorrow so will get him to take a quick look. I'm not a fan of giving antibiotics unless necessary . . . have the same philosophy with my children . . . and I don't currently see any evidence of infection - just soreness and swelling around the wound site, which I would expect.

The barbed wire is the remnants of a fence from back when this wasn't a livery yard and our fields contained cattle . . . it doesn't currently form a fence boundary, isn't ON a path and it's just sheer dumb luck that Kal jumped up onto that bank . . . but I have taken the wire clippers to it :).

I hate barbed wire.

P
 
'although the ground is so wet that's proving a challenge'
'as clean as I can with all this mud'
so why is that causing a challenge then if the ground is dry where he is? It's what you said..
 
SusieT said:
'although the ground is so wet that's proving a challenge'
'as clean as I can with all this mud'
so why is that causing a challenge then if the ground is dry where he is? It's what you said..
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You're quite right, it IS what I said. I should have been clearer so as to satisfy your concerns about my ability to care for my boy.

- I didn't say the ground was dry - I said his FIELD was well-drained and not muddy
- Of course there is mud on the yard - but it's hardly ankle deep and the wounds in his foot are not muddy - however I do fret/worry about keeping those wounds mud-free because he has to go from his stable to his field . . . thankfully when I check his foot (twice a day) there is no mud
- Of course the ground is wet - everything is wet - did I say it wasn't?

I'm choosing not to keep him in b/c I do feel that being out in the field must be better for him than being cooped up in his stable . . . if his field were fetlock-deep in mud, or if he had to walk through mud that deep to get to his field then he'd be in. I also figured that fresh, circulating air must be better for the wounds than his straw bed - no matter how clean I keep it.

I have chosen not to get the vet out YET because he isn't lame, however the yard vet is up tomorrow and I may ask if they can take a look just to be sure there's no infection.

Lastly, his hind legs often fill overnight - especially at this time of year - which is why I'm no overly alarmed by the size of that hind in the mornings.

What made you (and the other people who chose to criticize) assume that I'm being a negligent owner? Really, I'm curious . . . surely it would have been more polite to ask first and shoot later?

P
 
I'm very sorry to hear about Kal's little unfortunate adventure, I hope he heals well and quickly.
As to barbed wire - when maintained properly and tensioned, it is as good as any other fencing and pretty much the only thing that will keep cattle at bay. I wouldn't want to see it banned.
 
I hate the stuff with a passion , my mare got caught up last week ? My fields back onto a house that had some running on there fence , and thanks to owners they decided it was a great thing to cut off and throw myside which resulted in my mare getting tangled , luckily for me she is really hairy and had a brain to stand still ,most got caught in feather so no after damage done
I must say to anyone that uses it or if next door neighbour uses it make sure it's not broken
 
I'd get antibiotics into him.

Last two horses I've known with a puncture type would, which scanned over and seemed fine, both resulted in emergency vet calls a good few days later.

Hope he's okay.
 
I do a lot of tending to my own horses with regards to wounds ect, but I never mess with punctures and or nasty rusty wounds regardless of tetnus protected. More than tetnus out there. It's not being willy nilly with antibiotics, it's saving worse down the road.

Obviously these are only my opinions and they only pertain to me and I'm not judging. Trust me if I can do it on my own I almost always do. Was a groom at the track, can put on any bandage, have lotions and potions ect but ive seen puncture wounds look great one day and the next day, disaster.

Best of luck.
Terri
 
I hate the stuff, my mare has had a couple of run ins with it on our old yard, first time she climbed through 3 strands of it, and no damage to her or rug! (thanks fal!) Second time she put a leg through it and it looked an absolute mess, she had antibiotics from the vet, which had had left 'for the next time' when she sliced herself open a few weeks earlier, polticed and thankfully healed really well, not even any scarring although the leg is white!
Paranoid about the stuff now!
 
PolarSkye said:
The barbed wire is the remnants of a fence from back when this wasn't a livery yard and our fields contained cattle . . . it doesn't currently form a fence boundary, isn't ON a path and it's just sheer dumb luck that Kal jumped up onto that bank . . . but I have taken the wire clippers to it :).

I hate barbed wire.

P
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Well done :)

Thats also the time when I hate it too, when its on the edges of where anyone rides/handles.

Hope he heals up safely :)
 
I'm a big advocate of horses with minor injuries being turned out. I think on well drained ground, walking through wet grass all day will keep it cleaner than in a stable with all the muck and dust and help to stop swelling. BUT with a puncture wound you just cannot be too careful. Ring the vets and pick up some antibiotics. You won't need to pay a call out usually if u just want the normal powders or jabs and explain over the phone. I had a mare pts a few months ago from conplications from a very similar wire wound in the same place. If it's not lame or hot/swollen yet my advice would be don't wait until it is! Get some antibiotics into it now. You really can't be too careful with wire/puncture wounds. Good luck with it :)
 
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