Fencing Problems

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ClippityClop

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How many of you have barbed wire as fencing??

At the moment i have wooden posts with electice fencing, but in this wind the electric fencing is blowing and pulling the hooks out of the posts and obviously bringing the eletric fencing down and leaving all horse run free! I have one massive field about 6 acres split into two winter paddocks and big summer field! Wooded fencing is just too expsensive there is NO way i could never afford it, i have a sec a who will go down on her knees and under, even waits for the current on the eletric and off she goes! so im wondering what do you think of barrbed wire? Ive seen some done proply really tight and looks quite good and safe but then ive seen others which are loose and quite a dangerous oppitunity for an accident?
 
Barbed wire is a big no no in my eyes... I've seen some horrific injuries and it's not worth taking the risk... Would you rather spend out on fencing or vets bills to stitch up a lacerated horse?
 
I was looking recently and see they now do a 'horse' version of sheep/pig-netting. Presumably not big enough for a hoof to get through. I'm sure no form of fencing is 200% safe, but that would prob be better than barbed wire.

Or you could try electric wire instead of tape (i.e. less blowing in the wind).
 
We had the same problem. This year we put in wooden fence posts with "eyeholes" of rubber on the top, and then used electric fence rope rather than the tape, which is much heavier, and so far hasn't moved at all. The strands below it are plain wire. It also doesn't stand out as much - which was our main reason for trying it - we're hoping the gits that nicked the last one don't notice it as much! (The energiser is in a heavy cast iron cabinet with a padlock now, so doesn't really matter if they do!)

We have some top strands of barbed wire in places - they are over 25 years old, and will be replaced gradually. In the five years that we have had the horses at home, we have replaced 75% of it with plain wire top strands and sheep netting below. Our horses have literally walked through the wire several times, and snapped it. They have no respect for it at all, and have cut themselves on it once its snapped! The only thing that they respect is the barbed wire or the electric fence! So much for trying to replace it all with PC fencing!

I've just re-read your post, and think what I've described is what you've got! Can't see how it blows down - ours hasn't moved yet, touch wood. We had a section A like that too - you could see her neighing to tell the others when the current was off!
 
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trojanpony said:
I was looking recently and see they now do a 'horse' version of sheep/pig-netting. Presumably not big enough for a hoof to get through. I'm sure no form of fencing is 200% safe, but that would prob be better than barbed wire.

Or you could try electric wire instead of tape (i.e. less blowing in the wind).
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Have got the stud fencing mentioned above in my smaller paddocks. Holes on the lower strands are much smaller to prevent a hoof getting caught in it and get larger towards the top. We haven't had the problem but a friend of mine has a horse who has perfected pulling his shoes off in it.

I know we are all bought up to believe that barbed wire is the work of the devil but if it is tensioned correctly I think it can be more effective than poorly maintained "horse friendly" fencing. Our large rented winter grazing field has a mixture of mature hedging, stud fencing and barbed wire. We have never had a wire injury but our fields are not overstocked.

One of our horses is more than happy to keep leaning on post and rail until she breaks it (now all our post and rail has electric stand offs to prevent this) but has never tried leaning on the barbed wire.
 
eggs said:
I know we are all bought up to believe that barbed wire is the work of the devil but if it is tensioned correctly I think it can be more effective than poorly maintained "horse friendly" fencing.
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Agreed... but very few people I've seen have ever tensioned it tight enough :(
 
You could also think about plain galvanised wire, use a rubber tube to insulate onto the fence post and electrify that, but the electric rope certainly doesn't catch the wind like the tape does.

We do have barbed wire fencing, I almost lost my foal when he was 12 weeks old and somehow ended up over the top of it dangling by his back legs, I also have a county standard section A colt who spent many happy hours climbing through 4 strands of barbed wire and has never had a single scratch. I don't like it but who does, you have no choice on a livery yard, as long as it is put up correctly and as tight as it will go then you have to decide whether to take your chances with it or not!! I am sure that there will be people on here who can tell you about horses that have been impaled on post and rail, hooves almost taken off on plain wire and sheep wire not to mention electric tape/rope injuries. Horses and any fencing do not go together, all we can do is our best and hope that they never try to test it.
 
barbed wire is grand if tentioned properly & the tensioners are only a couple of pound yet give the ability to keep it all taught, the boy respects the barbed & electric but tends to push more solid types (P/R, plastic ect) & hedges he just squeezes through.

Bloody sec A's.
 
Mike007 said:
My education into barbed wire was watching a pony gallop straight through a 3 strand correctly tensioned fence . Not a mark on her ,it all just went ping.
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that wouldn't be because it was correctly tensioned though, i think, it'd be because there were break points... perhaps the pony went through near the end of the run of wire. would a pony actually be able to snap 3 strands of wire? i don't know.

please, those who use electric rope, please, i beg of you, have lots of breaks in it (at plastic connectors etc, both ends attached to connector and touching each other, or another piece of thin wire wrapped round both to carry the elec) so it can come away if a horse gets caught in it... the consequences if you don't are absolutely devastating, it is totally UNBREAKABLE.
:( :( :( :( :( :( :(
 
kerilli said:
that wouldn't be because it was correctly tensioned though, i think, it'd be because there were break points... perhaps the pony went through near the end of the run of wire. would a pony actually be able to snap 3 strands of wire? i don't know.

please, those who use electric rope, please, i beg of you, have lots of breaks in it (at plastic connectors etc, both ends attached to connector and touching each other, or another piece of thin wire wrapped round both to carry the elec) so it can come away if a horse gets caught in it... the consequences if you don't are absolutely devastating, it is totally UNBREAKABLE.
:( :( :( :( :( :( :(
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yes a pony is easily able to snap theree strands of wire . 0.5 tonnes at 30 mph against a few strands of steel .The point is that if the wire is slack it runs across the body like a chainsaw. If it is tight , it just snaps.
 
Mike007 said:
yes a pony is easily able to snap theree strands of wire . 0.5 tonnes at 30 mph against a few strands of steel .The point is that if the wire is slack it runs across the body like a chainsaw. If it is tight , it just snaps.
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Was just about to write something similar
 
Damn right, the bloody stuff will stretch to 40% of its original length if my army training bears me out. Would slice a pony up badly. Wire just snaps.PS the army teaches some very strange subjects:D
 
Honey08 said:
I've just re-read your post, and think what I've described is what you've got! Can't see how it blows down - ours hasn't moved yet, touch wood. We had a section A like that too - you could see her neighing to tell the others when the current was off!
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Ive got the hooks that you screw into the posts and then thread the electrice fencing throuhgh - But i wake up and the hooks have snapped so half of it is still in the post and the hook is attached to the leccy fence which is now half way in the air like a kite! hah!

I was thinking more along the line of Leccy on the top so they carnt actually lean on it and then barb wire strands underneath! At least if windy and top leccy fence comes off, i dont have to worry about them all getting intogether. But when it doesnt blow off they have to lean on the leccy fence and not on the barbed bit?? If that makes sence?
 
My perimeter fencing is 5 strand barbed, with wide electric white tape at the top (about 5ft 6 high). Very visible from all angles.

Internal is all post & rail, with tape set inside about 1ft minimum from each fence.
Tape is on white plastic posts - but on each corner and gateway is a half round or round post which has a 'proper corner tensioner' or handle length for the 1" tape. All gates have electric handles - on each side, making all paddocks secure & the electric fence runs on a loop. The perimeter tape is also hooked up on occasions too - if i put them in one of the 3 paddocks that borders the neighbours horses.

All this evolved over the years from keeping stallions & also small poines - as well as eventers who tried to escape boot-camp ;)
 
Barbed wire is not ideal for horses, its too risky. I would focus on securing the wire to the post in a better fashion. Someone said use the rubber tubing and run the wire around the post. It'll maintain the tension and stand up to the elements. If you must change the fencing, page wire would be a better option but still not ideal. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
I use those hooks, well the ones that clip shut with the tape inside, but I've used all sorts over the years. I've never had one snap because of wind, only because of ponies. Are you 100% sure that the wind is causing them to snap? I'll leave others to advise you on wire, because I just wouldn't use it. I use electric tape and rope, with connector break points.
Oh, and bungee electric gates, never those springy ones, you'll never use them again once you've had a tail caught in one!
 
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Tinypony said:
Are you 100% sure that the wind is causing them to snap?!
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Not 100%, its just it happend before when it was a windy night and at the moment it is wild out there and fencing has come off?

I did have doubts about barbedwire.. i think i just needed to come on here and be
rearssured that it wasnt a good idea!

Its not the end of the world if it does come off really on mad nights i just hate having to go in the blustry wind and fix it for it to come off again! Were as 2night when i was just getting in the house and saw all horses together and fencing looking like it was about to fly over to austrailier somewhere i just thort at least horses will be good with things flying in there face on a hack and left them get on with it!! haha!!
 
Tbh I don't think it matters what type of fencing it is, there is a risk of injury or damage whatever the case. With post and rail it could be broken leading to impalement to the horse, both electric tape and rope can cause injuries. However imho tape is much worse than rope as it cuts through the skin far quicker than rope, and no matter how many breaking points there are no matter what fencing it is they may not break for whatever reasons. At the end of the day horses have brains and we can not be around to protect them 100% and nothing around horses can be 100% safe as they are half a ton animals.
 
Have seen horrific injuries with tape, it acts like a razor when horses run through and have seen horrific fatal injuries because of it, also tape does not carry the current as well as rope so I have found that horses do not hold the same respect for it and is prone to sagging far quicker. You then have the arguments on metal or wooden gates.

Speaking for my own horses, they would not even try to run through rope, unlike tape they try and galloping straight through it when the desire takes them, never once tried it with rope though.

Cutting any electric type material total beats the object of having good electric fencing as you then reduce the current running round and then increase the chances of a horse trying to run through it or losing respect.

As Goldielocks says you can not keep them safe 100% of the time horses are horses
 
The only fencing type I've NOT seen injury's from so far is well maintained barb-wire. And it's the only fencing type that STAYS well maintained with little effort: horses just destroy plain wire, electric fencing (unless it's on ALL the time) and post and rail.

It's cheap, easy to put up and easy to maintain and it's effective.

We have it round all our fields and never had a problem with over 15 horses, many of them troublemaking youngsters. They've impaled themselves on post and rail (and destroyed it), chopped their legs up on electric fencing (and destroyed it) and wrapped themselves up in plain wire fencing (and destroyed it). The barbwire fencing is still going strong and in perfect condition after nearly 10yrs.
 
Dubsie said:
Has anyone tried that plastic strip fencing that you fasten to posts? Looks a bit like post and rail from a distance, very neat. Have seen it on trade stands at shows.
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Yes, my friend had this for a while. But I thought it stretched quite easily and got saggy. Although I think you can tighten it. Her horses would lean on it to get to grass over the other side and it stretched and stretched. Sometimes it just popped off completely. She found it only worked in conjunction with electric rope running inside.


Regarding the rope/tape debate. I much prefer rope. It carries current better (and i believe the stronger the 'kick' from the electric, the more the horses respect it) and isn't quite so razor-wire-esque and also, round here, all the tape seems to be green which I think makes it blend into the background a bit too much which might not be the best thing for a large flighting animal.

However like goldilocks said, all fencing carries risk, and I imagine we can all tell horror stories we've heard about each and every type of fencing. Hysteria over any type of fencing isn't helpful - unless of course someone was choosing to fence with broken glass and razor wire...

ETA: regarding OPs original question, i don't see anything wrong with PROPERLY maintained barbed wire fencing. Most people that have had horses for many years will have used barbed wire at somepoint, because snazzy electric wasn't available... again, there can be a horror story for everything... good luck with your fencing woes.
 
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