Barbed Wire - Can we get it banned?

Hal1k1

Hal1k1

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There are so many injuries caused to livestock and wildlife by this type of fencing. Is there a way we can get it banned as there are so many better alternatives now! The dirst patent was 1867 in the USA so 144 years later why are we still using it?

Anyone have any ideas who and how we persuade the powers that be to:
a. Stop manufacturers producing it
b. Encourage land owners/ farmers to get rid of it
 
Barbed wire isn't going anywhere as it is a farmers responsibility to keep his stock in the field and tbh cows need the barbs so stop 'em leaning on it In my experience. It's not a problem as long as it's taut.. it's loose bits that cause the issues!

BnBx
 
Read the previous threads from those who have asked to get it banned.

Farmers will not start post and railing all their land, barbed wire is cheap and effective. I have seen many worse injuries from horses crashing through post and rails, electric fencing, and slicing themselves on plain wire. Although I personally would not like to keep my horse in a field with barbed wire fencing, as said it is normally only a problem if it is loose and not maintained.
 
Tell you what, you ban the use on your own land and I'll do what I like on mine.

I did take down the elderly (pre-war) barbed wire round my orchard which mostly kept my neighbour's ponies out - she can't be bothered to put her own fencing up - and replaced it with post and rail. Her ponies are busy trashing it by leaning on it, rubbing against it and chewing it. I'm seriously considering reinstalling the barbed wire.
 
i have a horse in a semi barb wire fenced field and one in a post and eletric fence field and ive not had any barb wire related injuries. if maintained, i dont think its that bad..
 
It is fine for cows and sheep as long as it is well maintained, however it is not suitable for horses.

It amazes me how many horsey people are fine with barbed wire. There have been comments on here that stated that because the damage caused by barbed wire is hardly ever fatal - that it's fine. The lady my parents bought their house from was an RI and she claimed that horses never hurt themselves on barbed wire!

I personally will not keep my horses in fields with barbed wire fences and I have spent alot of time cutting down BW and replacing it with electric tape (using the same wooden posts).
 
Umbongo said:
I have seen many worse injuries from horses crashing through post and rails, electric fencing, and slicing themselves on plain wire. Although I personally would not like to keep my horse in a field with barbed wire fencing, as said it is normally only a problem if it is loose and not maintained.
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I agree with the above post.
Well maintained barbed fencing is just as safe as any other type of fencing. I lost a horse to a horrific accident caused by plain wire fencing. I've also witnessed many accidents and injuries caused by electric fencing. You just can't win, accidents happen :(
 
I am another who feels taut, well maintained barbed wire is fine. I wouldn't necessarily choose it as new fencing now but our current field is borded by barbed wire in parts as the neighbouring fields often have cattle in and they can do so much damage to fences. The barbed wire stops them leaning over. It also stops our horses doing the same!

We have had our field over 20 years and not had an issue with the barbed wire. We had one horse (elderly and a bit bonkers) who fell over the barbed wire fence at the bottom of our field and ended up in the wood on the other side. He fell, he did not jump (he was a bit doddery and silly) and he was uninjured. I have known horses fracturing legs and staking themselves (often fatal injuries) on post and rail fencing so I don't know what is the 'safest' fence type to be honest. I do think newish, taut barbed wire though is not that bad. I have more issues with sheep netting having had several horses with legs stuck in it! We have since removed most of the sheep netting that was in our field.

Sadly horses injure themselves - some more often than others. I think in some ways barbed wire helps keep them away from the fence - they can't chew it, they won't lean on it (well it's not very comfortable) so, all in all they stay away from it.
 
Our yard has barbed wire, I personally hate the stuff, but all the liveries put money in to buy electric fencing, the land owner wont take the wire down so we have put electric fencing on the inside of the wire which works a treat. It does cost a lot but at least we now know they are safe :D
 
Well maintained barbed fencing is just as safe as any other type of fencing
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Well I have to disagree with that. I'm not a fan of plain wire either, however if you choose an electric tape that has a low breaking point then it will snap before bad damage is done to the horse. When my filly went through the BW fence, she snapped the wooden uprights and the wire was still intact (attached to the posts) as it's breaking point is higher than that of the wooden posts. This is why the wire 'sawed' into her body, starting at the chest and finishing by her hip. The fence did have a wooden top real and this also broke.

I was told by the vet about a horse that she had treated, that had landed on an upright of a post and rail fence and had an 'impaling' wound under it's chest. The horse was fine though. Horses can hurt themselves on almost anything (even themselves) but I'm not going to make it easy for them.
 
I dont have a problem with well maintained barb wire nevr had a horse injure themselves on it, yet have seem 2 horses with horrific fatal wounds from post and rail, and more injuries that i can think of from electric fencing.
Yard at the mo is all post and rail, but i would have no problem with a field that had good taut barded wire
 
Faracat said:
Well I have to disagree with that. I'm not a fan of plain wire either, however if you choose an electric tape that has a low breaking point then it will snap before bad damage is done to the horse.
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Electric fencing with a low breaking point will not stop the "cheese wire" effect on skin. Fair enough if a horse goes through it at speed it will break, but tangled around a leg, it will tighten like a snare.

I don't and will never use barbed wire, thats my choice, but as I said accidents happen no fence is 100% horse safe.
 
Lost my horse due to barbed wire - annoying thing was I had electric taped it off, still to this day don't know how it happened. :(

That was a place where the previous 20 years they had never had a problem - but you can bet your bottom dollar I'm not risking it again.

Having seen what cattle do, I wouldn't imagine any farmers will be getting rid of it any time soon.
 
If barbed wire is not so bad why do most of the horse rescue charities not loan horses and ponies to people that are intending to keep them in fields fenced with ordinary or barbed wire?

It is one of the cheapest forms of fencing and when used around areas not used as grazing perfectly adequate even though it is still a threat to wildlife. But many times I have ridden past fields that I thought had no fencing but then looking closer have seen posts and barbed wire lying on the ground.

There are good alternatives one being thick hedges yes they take time to establish but once they area resonable thickness not only are they a barrier but they are attractive and provide natural shelter for all types of animals in bad weather.
 
Every type of fencing carries a risk, my big fella once pierced an artery in his face on a thorn from a hawthorn hedge, if I hadn't spotted him when I did then he would have bled to death. As it was he had to have the artery tied off... And 24 hours on a drip... I don't think
This is a reason to ban hedges but more an accident. It is impossible to eliminate risk all together.
 
I think I'll stick with our dry-stone walls.
But I'm glad that the neighbouring farmer uses barbed wire on the one shared boundary that doesn't have a proper wall, otherwise we'd be over-run by his cattle. We use electric to keep the horses away from it.
I can't expect said farmer to pay to have the wall rebuilt - it would cost £££thousands - barbed wire is much much cheaper both to install and to maintain.
 
loan places also want you to travel horse in a lorry not trailer, some are just to fussy, barb wire is no more dangerous than other fencing but plays havoc with rugs, some horses injure themselves in stables so ban them as well.
 
Thankfully none of my horses have experienced injuries from any fencing in my ownership. Even if barbed wire was banned, you would get a huge rant off farmers and they would never get rid of it, you would be chasing their livestock here there and everywhere off your land because they've escaped. It's just not an option. Yes it's dangerous, but so is post and rail, hedges, electric... Everything seems to be dangerous these days! But in the real world that's just how life works.
 
I Agree!
i hate the fencing, and i wouldnt turn my horse out with it in the field, in general i dont think its go for any animal, if they were to get cornerd and kicked at they would be pushed through it.
its nasty and should be banned!
 
We have 107 acres which is of course divided into many smaller fields.
We have typical hedged Devon banks with holly/trees and deciduous mix on their tops.
The centre of the farm is 20 acres of high tensile steel square fenced deer park 8 ' high, and the rest is a mixture of Fieldguard electric tape, post and rail with electrified wire on top and yes, the dreaded barbed wire. (oh we have some sheep netting too in places).
I have seen horses jump the post and rail and hurt themselves.
Half jump the electric tape and run along causing slicing injuries.
Get their hooves caught in both the sheep netting and the deer fence, needing to be cut out.
Push their way through the hedges and get thorns in their eyes..
We use our barbed wire with care, it's tight and is used as two strands about 9" apart on the top of the fence posts.
Because these horses have also to negotiate rocks, lumps of granite, rabbit holes, streams and ditches plus overhanging trees and fallen branches they use their brains and soon learn what to avoid including wire..
The worst injury in every case has been from horses attempting to jump gates and getting hung up.!
Are you really telling me that all dangerous things like rocks/tree branches (which believe me can do a horrible injury if they hit one at speed) should be outlawed, because they are no more dangerous than properly erected barbed wire.
This week we had a line of barbed wire put across a dangerous area where there are badger sets, a horse putting a leg down there is really at risk, to go just one line including posts and the contractors has cost me over a thousand pounds; there is no electricity supply for a fence, trees would affect the current, and post and rail would cost five times that amount.
As for wildlife where is your evidence? Our wild deer leap it with gay abandon, the badgers go underneath and for the life of me I can't imagine a rabbit or fox hurting themselves on it!
Yes, if used in small paddocks there is a risk of injury, but on fields of at least 6 acres even the daftest of horses can get away from bullying and avoid injury.
I find it arrogant of you to assume you could get something many of us use safely banned, what about the farmers with cows, do you really think they will post and rail all their fields? !!!!
As for cost it beggars belief, in the last 18 years we have spent £40k (FORTY THOUSAND) pounds refencing this place, don't you understand if there was a better alternative we would have used it? We have only scratched the surface too, with many miles still to refence.
Of course we have programmes in place for rebuilding fences and growing natural barriers but with digger hire at £30 an hour, plus the years it takes to actually make a stock proof fence your view is unrealistic.
Sorry but welcome to the real world where it takes huge amounts of cash to maintain fencing...
 
ARGH, the amount of ewe ''rescues'' weve had to do this year.

but thats not the barbed wires fault, its the neglectful welsh farmers grazing their sheep and neither checking on their flock or maintaining the fences.

in my opinion a feildful of bullocks without barbed wire is a scary thought. but i suppose until youve had 40 head of cattle across the road/in your garden when you are late for work because theyve crashed through a hedge and plain wire, you only see the negatives.
 
We had a load of young bullocks (I think, they may have been heifers, can't recall) who went on a bit of a panicked rampage a couple of years ago. They crossed over several fields by going over fencing, alot of it barbed wire, got into our field with the horses, jumped some post and rail we have around the stables etc but smased through a load of that fencing too. They were not injured though from either the barbed wire or the post and rail but the post and rail was finished off well and truly!

As henryhorn said, yes a small paddock a horse could potentially get 'trapped' by another horse but in larger fields this should not happen (it does, some horses seem to have no sense of self-preservation!). We also have deer who seem to jump in and out of the woods to our fields and the farmer's fields over barbed wire. Never yet seen one get stuck or injured on it.

It'd be lovely to have all fields bordered by nice thick hedged but those can be easy for horses to find gaps to get through and I know of a horse who staked itself on a branch within a hedge and it bled to death. Unfortunately, it's a fact of life. Dangers are everywhere but I don't think necessarily the fencing is to blame. Of course, badly maintained, sagging, loose or rusty barbed wire is not acceptable to border any field no matter what the livestock is in that field.
 
Yep, ban the stuff...........................and when a farmers stock escapes and causes an accident and injuries you can pay the court costs and compensation for them.....going rate £3.8million per claim by the look of HH last week! :rolleyes:
 
Crikey, if we banned everything that can potentially cause a problem if used wrongly or without common sense we may aswell give up & go back to the caves. Mind you I expect someone wouldn't like the unguarded entrance. Barbed wire & cattle are a must, if you have a perimeter that is wired & you only run horses take it down or electric fence inside if you can't remove it for some reason. Simple
 
Oh for goodness sake. :rolleyes: I love how rather than use their brains, some people would rather see things banned...

We kept horses successfully for years with barbed wire fences, kept taut it is generally fine.
The horse who did injure himself on fencing impaled himself on a post in a nicely post and railed fence...
 
blitznbobs said:
Barbed wire isn't going anywhere as it is a farmers responsibility to keep his stock in the field and tbh cows need the barbs so stop 'em leaning on it In my experience. It's not a problem as long as it's taut.. it's loose bits that cause the issues!
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This.

Hand on heart - I have never seen an injury to horse or livestock from it.
 
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Tightly strung barbed wire is no more dangerous than post and rail.
The danger occurs when its not put up properly. I have a horse that will has a bit of a liking for wood, so much so that fencing has been replaced....with barbed wire!
 
If barbed wire fencing is maintained the same as any other fencing it's great. But when you repeatedly come across old rusty barvbed wire sticking out of the ground and find your horse with it's mouth bloodied where it has tried to chew through it and a hoof so wrapped up in it that it was touch and go if the hoof would need amputating (not my horse thank goodness) it does rather put you off it.

On the same yard a new owner checked her allocated field and had to dig 15 m of rusty barbed wire out of it. she could not afford to move to another yard

I don't have any objection to it being used where there are sheep and cattle they have thick skins, but my horse will never be kept on another yard where that is the fencing for his field and as I pay the bill I can dictate what fencing I want used.
 
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