Poor Fencing and Horses

Caol Ila

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In my yard hunting adventures, I have seen so. much. saggy barbed wire. You can't get away from it. Drives me crazy. Why don't more yards build horse-safe fencing?
 

Asha

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If you’ve ever spent time taking the stuff down you would know how dangerous this stuff is . I spent days taking it down when we bought our place , it just curls up around you and grips and rips . Just awful stuff .

poor poor horse ?
 

chocolategirl

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In my yard hunting adventures, I have seen so. much. saggy barbed wire. You can't get away from it. Drives me crazy. Why don't more yards build horse-safe fencing?
Probably because it’s so expensive? we’ve literally spent thousands and thousands over the years on post and rail, electric rope etc. Theo problem we find too now with post and rail is it doesn’t last anywhere near as long as it used to so needs replacing more often as it just rots in the ground. I’d never have barbed wire where horses are grazing. I see too much sheep netting too, I have it in one of my fields because we have sheep grazing adjacent, but I use electric rope all the way around to keep the horses away from it?
 

Caol Ila

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Yeah, I get that. I've also seen post and rail form jagged spikes when it gets old or when horses try to destroy it.

Electric is the best, but it must be hard to fence large fields with it. At this point, I'm happy to see maintained wire fencing because it's a damned sight better than half-falling down, droopy barbed wire.
 

milliepops

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I have sheep wire and plain wire on my boundaries... have to keep the other animals out. we have sheep and boar the other side of the fence. i think as long as it's well maintained it doesn't invite problems, i had one that would paw at wire when she got bored but the others all leave it alone.

I did spend a very painful but satisfying weekend at an old house, ripping ground level barbed wire out though :eek:. previous owners kept pigs.
 

milliepops

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yes they can get injured on thin air, really.

I have seen several injuries with electric rope, one of mine self cauterised a rope injury incurred at a livery yard, but there are plenty of people who still prefer it. i settled on tape, it's inconvenient when it snaps but I've been glad that it has given way easily a few times.

the yard where my other 2 are has hotcote to divide up the paddocks which is interesting stuff. it's like horserail but thinner. and very zappy.
 

ycbm

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Electric is the best, but it must be hard to fence large fields with it.


I haven't found a problem with it. I have a perimeter which is about a kilometre long, post every 3m, bang in about 4 new ones every year, standard sheep wire with a wall behind on three sides. I used to use tape but it breaks the filament wire too easily in a windy place.
.
 

PeterNatt

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I use heavy duty Post and Rail Fencing with Equi-fencing (A tight form of sheep fencing) attached to it. This prevents the horses kicking through the fence line and keeps dogs out. As regards the wooden posts I use the Jacksons Pressure Treated wooden posts as they last a lot longer. All the rails are pre-drilled before being nailed in place to avoid splitting them.






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sport horse

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Proper 3mm thick fence wire is, I think, the safest material of all, but I can't agree with you that any plain wire is more dangerous than barbed wire, sorry, its evil stuff.

My vet has had several horses with plain wire pulled through the flesh through to the bone. On the whole barbed wire often tears the flesh but that can be pieced back together in most cases.
 

ycbm

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My vet has had several horses with plain wire pulled through the flesh through to the bone. On the whole barbed wire often tears the flesh but that can be pieced back together in most cases.

And I've had one that almost hacked his foot off on barbs. And another seriously injured kicking through post and rail. I find fixed mains electric by far the best at preventing injury.
 

SpotsandBays

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I have sheep wire and plain wire on my boundaries... have to keep the other animals out. we have sheep and boar the other side of the fence. i think as long as it's well maintained it doesn't invite problems, i had one that would paw at wire when she got bored but the others all leave it alone.

I did spend a very painful but satisfying weekend at an old house, ripping ground level barbed wire out though :eek:. previous owners kept pigs.
Me too (we have sheep). The top wire on our fencing is on insulators so I can electrify it when the horses are in ?
 

SpotsandBays

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I started using next doors grazing in return for me helping with her horses. Droopy barbed wire everywhere. Electrified all that my horses would be able to get to, apart from one hedge which was 20ft thick (blackthorn that had spread), didn’t think my horse even try to get through. I was wrong. To this day I don’t know how he got in there, and I only just got him and myself out. Unfortunately he found the strip of barbed wire in there that I wasn’t aware of, and cut himself. Thankfully no delicate structures were damaged but it was a pain in the ass to heal! Awful stuff.
 
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