barbed wire fencing!!

I hate it. I hate the fact that the property boundary in my boys paddock is barbed wire.

Luckily they are both sensible enough not to go near it... Or the electric fence I have put in front of it as a precautionary measure.

We had one of my Instructors babies, a 2yr old Holsteiner x filly jump it. She partially severed her extensor tendon and will have some nice scars when she gets home. Her owner was in Bali at the time too (typical!!) so I got to take her to the vet (the sencond time she has been on a float ever) with my friend in the back keeping her calm and she has been there for a week. She was lucky though, she will make a full recovery. Others are not so lucky.
 
A big nay from here. We removed all the barbed wire from our fences. I hate to see horses in fields with barbed wire. Seen too many horrific accidents.
 
Then jury seems to be pretty well emphatically against barbed wire for horses.

I've still got a couple of fences with one strand of barb in them but they will be replaced with permanent electric off the mains when they are done.

Meantime, a successful compromise is a single electrified wire on off-sets to keep them off the barbed wire, which is very cheap to do if you've got mains electric fencing already.

Someone on another thread pointed out that post and rail can also be dangerous as rails splinter leaving long lance like shafts sticking out into the field. For this reason, do make sure our fencing contractor uses rails with the grain going lengthways as these are less likely to splinter leaving a sharp end -- and probably won't cost any more to buy.
 
Hate it. One of our fields has some and horses shred their rugs on it. Luckily the farmers wife noticed and told me she is going to replace it all with normal wire. Bless her :) Also someone one left some hanging in a loop on a footpath and my Doberman didn't see it and got caught. Sliced her open underneath. Had to have a fair few stitches.
 
No, no, no...not with horses. My lad ripped his back leaning through two strands in his field (old yard) to eat the grass on the other side, if it had been an electric fence he would have got a zap and run away.
The new yard I moved to has only got the wire inside the established hedges but tape everywhere else...not having barbed wire in my field was one of mt top priorities when moving.
It also rips rugs, pulls out tails/manes and if breaks for whatever reason can get caught around legs :(
 
Barbed wire brings me out in chills, I nearly lost my boy due to barbed wire as a youngster. I had just bought him from yard owner and asked that he was moved to livery field (no barbed wire) went up next morning and was greated by YO to a don't panic...they hadn't moved him and he got both front legs caught in the wire, very deep wounds, box rest for 6 months, vet up daily initially cleaning leg and sedating him. Wasn't sure he'd ever be sound as lesions then developed on tendon etc. long story short if I hadn't bought him he would have been PTS as bills were way in excess of his value, they even started another youngster to replace him for me worst case scenario...wouldn't have accepted that though. 17yrs on he's fighting fit but almighty scars. Now have my own land and we've just replaced a heap of fencing, however neighbour garden has barbed wire at their side of fence and my new youngster got a fright with some idiot letting off fireworks and jumped the fence but got caught and dragged her back end over so I was praying history wasn't repeating but thankfully it was just superficial. I can control my fencing but not other people's so that is now the hay/riding field....if you have a choice don't have barbed wire.
 
Our field still has some of it around the borders it has with livestock fields, it is not used as a divider between our fields though. I think in 25 years of being on the same land we have had one barbed wire incident (and that horse was a d*ck anyway - was on loan for 3 months, showname was Deathwish III ). Of course I'm cursing myself now aren't I?!

The newest fence we have is a highly tensiled/strained white plastic covered wire that runs in 4 strands attached to posts with straining posts every 50m or so I think. Its highly visible, and a lot cheaper than post and rail. P&R does have its downsides too of course like anything, I've known of horses to stake themselves. Our main dividing wire fence now has a 3-5 yo hedge growing up beside it, hopefully in a few years this will provide a good 'fence' good shelter :)
 
I really don't like it, when I was a teenager I was on a yard that had it in one of the fields. One of the other liverys horses tried to run right through it and it ripped it's chest open. It was really nasty so I've always been put off ever since.
 
annaellie said:
I really don't like it, when I was a teenager I was on a yard that had it in one of the fields. One of the other liverys horses tried to run right through it and it ripped it's chest open. It was really nasty so I've always been put off ever since.
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The worst damage I've ever seen on a maintained fence was an electric tape fence, which sliced open a horse straight across the chest and shoulder. It literally scored through and created a very deep, very large flap.
After that was high tensile and that was on a person when it was cut and recoiled.

That's why any temporary paddock dividers for me are post and electric rope (the wire rope not thick stuff) as it gives with any true force. Or permanent post and rail.

Perimeter fencing I've used barbed and never had an issue - but it's never been on less than circa 30acres. Not a divider. The only thing the cows respect and don't just walk through straight into the horses. I've never used it on a clear view, it's aways against a hedge/woods/building etc.

The worst damage I've seen on an un-maintained fence was barbed. It's awful stuff to pull out once left to it and grows into the ground very dangerously.

So I guess it, like anything depends on your experiences of it. For the reason above I will never use electric tape. For me a temporary fence has to give easily if the intention is to go through it, a permanent fence should stand.
 
our field is all barbed wire.
it keeps the cows out (most of the time, have had them break through twice)
i aren't keen on it, but its a livery, i can't control what fencing is there.
my boy broke through both electric tape and post and rail more then once, but touch wood has been ok with the barbed wire
 
nay! Taz removed the bulb of his heel on barbed wire, cutting through 9 arteries and 6 nerves completely de-nerving his foot... he then did it again on the same foot and pierced his fetlock joint and a few years later he rolled under the electric fencing and got his hind legs caught in it and skinned them... Taz seems to be attracted to the stuff :(

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The field on my boys fencing is all barbed wire. He cut himself on it the first day i moved him there but has respected it since. I hate the stuff but this yard has amazing grazing and people
 
At the risk of repeating myself, I really don't think there is much to beat properly erected permanent electric fencing with a powerful mains energiser, then cable tie white tape to the top wire to make it visible. If they get one belt of that, they won't come back for another try.

Highland ponies are apparently notorious when it comes to fences but mine respect it even when it is switched off. Yes, youngsters wil occasionally take a fit in their heads and run through a fence but 2.5mm galvanised wire doesn't seem to do much harm compared to the alternatives.

It is NOT 100% safe, but then what fence is? One of my neighbour's Black Faced sheep got caught up in the fence and was dead when I found it. Also, an 8 week old puppy got badly shocked and brain damaged and had to be destroyed. But that's all in nearly 30 years and about 3 miles of fencing.
 
I have twelve acres where the principle means of containing the horses is a single strand of mains electric fence wire set at a metre or just over. When I had a Shetland I added a lower wire as well. Two sides have disintegrating stone walls in various states of repair and the other two have sheep netting.

I would never again keep a horse in a field fenced with barbed wire. I came within a hair's breadth of losing one to it thirty years ago. The foot was severed through to expose all the tendons at the back of the fetlock.
 
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amymay said:
For those that won't use it - what do you have instead as your main boundary fencing? On how many acres?
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Boundry is tradional post and rail, I know horses can (and do!) injure themselves on anything, but this seems to take more effort from them than other fencing!

The most nasty fence injury I've seen personally was on post and rail, over excited horse reared up at the gate as he was being turned out - came down with a post almost under his armpit. The post (square at the top) sliced between his skin and bones almost half way up his sholder!!
The vet could easily get his hand up the whole length of his arm to pick out splinters, it took months to heal as clearly it couldn't be stitched as it had to drain out of the post sized whole at the bottom of his sholder - the smell was unreal!
 
My field has stock fencing with one strand barbed wire, the top strand is plain wire
Without this I would have large bullocks in my field regularly, although mains electric would be a good alternative but great care needed so gates are not live!!
I tried to open one off the horse one day out on a ride--to have him shoot from under me--it was live!

Have seen more problems with sheep fencing--horses socialising over the fence and one sticks a leg through, as they pull back the wire goes down the back of the shoe--stuck, or they roll and stick legs through--stuck

I am worried about some new fencing the estate has put up--off cuts were dumped--I tried to cut them up and my fencer tool---for emergencies--will NOT cut the high tensile wire used.
 
my 2 injured just above their eyes (thank god it wasnt the actual eye) on maintained barbed wire - they had never been a field with it before and I didnt realise it was there - they had obviously used it as a scratching post - mmmm lovely and sharp - gets right to the spot !!

when I bought some more land it was part of a larger field and has ditches on 3 sides but needed fence on fourth - I asked for posts at 6ft with sheep wire topped with barbed wire to stop cows the other side damaging it ! As the ditches were also quite deep on the other 3 sides I have used a post rammer to put in a few permanent posts round perimeter then the usual horse plastic posts and use really thick tape 2.5" thick I think all the way round - electrified as and when needed. I have also (rather unsucessfully in the April drought) planted natural hedgerow along the barbed wire topped fence.
 
Polos Mum said:
The most nasty fence injury I've seen personally was on post and rail, over excited horse reared up at the gate as he was being turned out - came down with a post almost under his armpit. The post (square at the top) sliced between his skin and bones almost half way up his sholder!!
The vet could easily get his hand up the whole length of his arm to pick out splinters, it took months to heal as clearly it couldn't be stitched as it had to drain out of the post sized whole at the bottom of his sholder - the smell was unreal!
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Carbon copy of an injury a horses friend hand in exactly the same situation.

Unbelievable recovery (for both).
 
amymay said:
No problem with it. Well maintained, and strung correctly it shouldn't cause a problem. (Of course I'd prefer post and rail or natural hedge - but that's not always affordable or possible).
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This.
I personally have more of a problem with the cord type electric rope stuff you get when it used as the main fencing, no problem with it used along the top rail of post and rail to stop chewing.
 
Most of fields at home are barbed wire fence, it is a big dairy farm and cost of post and rail fencing is completely unjustified for livestock. I always tried to keep horses in walled fields, my coloured did once manage to push a dry stone wall down and walk himself into a barbed wire fence. Had he not stood there calmly and had a rug on I would have had a big vets bill.

I can look back and laugh at this picture now because I only had superficial wounds to deal with. It depends on what nature your horses have to be fair. If you look closely you can just see my old mare in the corner, she is probably saying "you stupid stubbon headed irish male, I told you so." 42acres of rich dairy pasture and he tried to escape into a rough grazing field.

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If I had my way it would be banned. It's not just well maintained barbed wire causing problems it's the old, rusty stuff that is left tangled in hedge bottoms, ditches, round trees and bloomin everywhere! Every property with land I've lived at has taken ages, a lot of work and difficulty disposing of the stuff. :mad:
We have such good electric fencing these days and with solar and mains units there just isn't any need to use it imo.

ps. RunTo Earth... nightmare!
 
amymay said:
Carbon copy of an injury a horses friend hand in exactly the same situation.

Unbelievable recovery (for both).
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Maybe it was the same horse - this was maybe 10 years ago at a livery yard, or maybe they can be as daft as each other!!

This horse did make a full recovery - back into full work with no apparent side effects - their healing power is amazing
 
amandap said:
If I had my way it would be banned. It's not just well maintained barbed wire causing problems it's the old, rusty stuff that is left tangled in hedge bottoms, ditches, round trees and bloomin everywhere! Every property with land I've lived at has taken ages, a lot of work and difficulty disposing of the stuff. :mad:
We have such good electric fencing these days and with solar and mains units there just isn't any need to use it imo.

ps. RunTo Earth... nightmare!
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I wouldn't have it banned, Barbed wire is an extremely effective fencing for livestock.

I don't trust electric fencing as a single measure, when we were at a yard at uni my horse was constantly escaping from where he should be, my friend's horse ran through the fencing, onto the fosse and got hit by a car, I tend not to trust anything that my horse can run through, a bit like having cardboard stable doors for me.
 
amymay said:
Daft as each other Polo.

So amandap, what permanent fencing do you use alongside your electronic?
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There's a huge earth and stone wall from the ditch on one boundary, a stone wall on two others and some pig netting in hedge with electric inside on another. The net was there and I decided to leave it with electric inside. It's reclaimed bog here so lots of ditches and earth walls. The ditches have to be electrified off anyway other wise they get filled from horses crossing. You cant use permanent fencing as the ditches need maintaining.
 
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