All Horses

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It has been a while since I blogged about horse fence and how some types are inherently more dangerous to any horse, no matter how calm, gentle, old, smart, etc.

Researching for my recent entry about irresponsible breeding brought me to a photo that, well, explains a lot.



This isn't the worst fence I've seen, by far, but it is not safe for pony foals just about small enough to walk under it, nor is it adequate to keep stallions separated from mares and fillies they shouldn't be breeding.

One strand of electric wire is nearly invisible. It is too high for the smallest of them, yet any lower and it would be too low for the taller animals.

I've shared in the past some grisly photos of accidental impalement on uncapped T-posts. It's not pretty, and can easily be fatal if not simply gory and expensive to treat and heal.

There are safer fence options that don't cost a whole lot more than this and are not terribly difficult to install.

XP

P.S. It is also unsafe to turn out a horse with a nylon halter with no emergency break-away. Horses can get hung up on fence posts, trees, or their own hind hoof while trying to scratch, and playful foals are particularly in danger of becoming snared on another horses' halter that is too strong to break when either animal panics.

Our first guest blogger!

The first contribution was so good, I don't really have to add anything myself.—XP

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Three strand high tensil wire fence, electrified. Wooden corners and t-posts.

Pros—Hard to break, it stretches instead of breaking when a horse or deer runs into it. Horses usually stay away because it's electrified 24/7.

Cons—Legs can get caught, horses can slip thru, and the wires can break under extreme pressure, resulting in cuts and dragging wire. Visibility is very low because the wire is thin.



All of our t-posts are uncapped, unsafe, but they were capped once many moons ago. Horses stay away from the fence, caps kept breaking due to weather, so we left them bare vs. shards laying in the pasture, never had any issues.

We do tie flags on the top and middle wire to increase visibility for the horses, and we always walk new horses around the edges before turning them loose, and horse by horse allow them to get acquainted to prevent any psychotic running that may result in a horse thru the fence.

All in all I think the fence is safe enough to keep horses in and prevent major injuries.

The 3 wires are spaced like they are for a good reason, each wire does a different thing.

• Wire 1 keeps horses in/out.
• Wire 2 keeps foals in/out as well as larger dogs and other livestock.
• Wire 3 keeps out dogs, keeps foals in, and also keeps out any other predators.

Any animal trying to get in or out will be shocked by our 100 mile fencer located on just 7 acres, about a 1/2 mile of fencing.

—A.

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Thanks again for your contribution. You covered the cons that I would have mentioned, and explained what you were doing to compensate for those factors.—XP

Looking for your photos.

First, I want to thank Morgue File for existing, as I've used a great deal of content from that site. I'm in the process of submitting my own content to Morgue File as a way to give back to the community for sharing their work for free.

Second, I would like to receive new photos for critique. I am happy to leave the photographer anonymous or provide proper credit, as noted. This is meant to be an educational site—for reference—and especially for the new horse owner who might not realize the danger posed by certain types of traditional fence.

Please post the image(s) to Photobucket, and post the Direct Link in the blog post comments below.

Thanks,
XP

Invisible fence?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this fence (that you probably didn't see right away, keep looking) is not safe for most horses, and especially not young foals.

This is two strands of a lightweight electric wire fence.

When I first saw the original photo (which includes a lovely and very pregnant mare) on a public message board, I expressed my concern that, as-is, this fence is not safe for a young foal.

My concern was not exceptionally well received by all members of that Web community.

I understand that replacing fence is not always an option. Regardless, if nothing else, the existing fence could be tightened and marked with colorful tape or cloth to increase safety and visibility. I believe that when all was said and done, this is what happened, and I hope mare and foal remain safe.

XP

What makes horse fence safe?

I'm going to share a site whose author backs up pretty much everything I've been saying.

Here's a few tips I found at Five Star Ranch about good horse fence:

• Safe horse fencing "gives" upon impact
• Good horse fence is highly visible
• Good horse fence doesn't [ensnare] a horse
• Barbed wire is NOT horse fence
• Rounded corners make safer pastures
• Check your fences regularly

There is also a page with the pros and cons of many fence types I've covered here.

See, it's not just me!

XP

Mesh fence with small openings and top rail.

I've been looking for a photo of this...

For keeping horses both young and old safely in (and roaming dogs out) I don't think anything tops this careful installation of mesh fence (note that the openings are too small for a hoof to become ensnared) with a sturdy wooden top rail.

If I were to ever lose my mind completely and breed or board broodmares and foals, this is what I would want to have. Foals can run into this and bounce off. The visibility is great, and it does not require electricity.

It does require a significant investment, but for those able to afford it, there is likely no equal in horse safety.

Metal pipe fence.

You don't see a lot of this around here. This looks like a temporary pen set-up at an event, such as a rodeo. The thin metal tubes might make movable panels weigh less, but I'd be wary of using fence that light for everyday use.

A more conventional, permanent use of metal pipe fencing features sturdier, horizontal tubes, with far less opportunities for a caught hoof or a broken metal bar.

Properly installed, metal pipe fence looks good and is one of the safer types of fence for your horse. Generally it is also an expensive option, which you may notice if you've tried to price a 60' round pen lately with 6' tubular steel panels.

Barbed wire is not recommended for horses.

These are beautiful horses.

Why take the chance that they could end up scarred, disfigured or killed after an accident with barbed wire?

Many rescues will not allow you to adopt a horse if you have barbed wire. The BLM will not allow you to adopt a wild horse if you have barbed wire. There are hundreds of horror stories about horses becoming ensnared in barbed wire. Don't bet on your horse being one of the many who never get hurt ... just replace it!

Uncapped T-posts, barbed wire, stock fence.

What DO we have here?

Looks like stock fence with holes big enough for a hoof to pass through, topped with a strand of barbed wire to keep the horses from riding it down, and an uncapped T-post.

The trifecta of unsafe horse fencing ... not to mention the nylon halters left on which may not break if the horse gets caught up on something.

No, there is no 100% safe horse fence ... but that is no excuse to use a combination of the most well known unsafe options available.

If removing the existing fence is not possible for whatever reason, consider installing an electric tape fence 2-3' inside the existing fence to keep the horses from coming in contact with the unsafe fence.