Sagging woven wire with uncapped T-posts.

This may be one instance where the barbed wire is actually HELPING this fence to be 1% safer, but this is still an accident waiting to happen.

If the openings in a fence are large enough to allow a hoof to pass through, even the laziest horse can become stuck by a stray kick at a bothersome fly.

Fence that is not tight, sags and has broken in places adds immeasurably to the risk. If the fence were tighter and a hoof went through, the horse might be able to pull it back out, BUT if the fence "gives" because it is not tight, it is more likely to become entangled.

T-posts without protective caps can impale a frightened, fleeing horse.

PVC rail fence.

One of the safest types of horse fence, poly/vinyl rails are sturdy when erected properly and provide a great visual deterrent.

Be sure the fence is high enough to keep horses from thinking they might jump over.

One pitfall of this type of fence is if a tree falls on it or something else happens to shatter it, the splinters can be extremely sharp and jagged.

Barbed wire and foals.

Hard to see in this photo, but there are at least four strands of loosely hung barbed wire keeping this very pregnant mare contained.

I hope she was moved before she gave birth. Foals cannot be expected to be born respecting fence.

Loose barbed wire over low woven wire.

Triple whammy here.

Stock fence = no-no.

Barbed wire = BIG no-no.

Loose fence, too low = DANGEROUS for any type of fence!

Woven wire, barbed on top.

Stock fence with openings large enough for a hoof to go through is not safe for horses.

Top it with barbed wire (common practice to keep cattle from "riding" the fence down) and we've got double the danger here.

A horse kicking at another horse in a neighboring pasture could get a leg stuck in the fence. (Been there, seen it happen.)

A panicked horse attempting to jump a barbed wire fence and not quite clearing the top wire could result in worse than a big vet bill.

Woven wire with barbed top strand.

Barbed wire fence has its place and purpose. It is pretty darn good cattle fence.

It has no place in the horse world, except for possibly a reference for tooling the skirts of a custom Western saddle.

Introduction.

There is no 100% horse-safe fence.

Horses find inventive ways to harm themselves.

Even the most safety-obsessed stables where all bits of wire and horseshoe nails are picked up, and where all stall connections and feed bins have rounded corners, horses still get hurt.

One of the easiest ways to prevent common injuries is to provide the safest horse fencing available.

There are many options on the market today, but the biggest obstacle to safe horsekeeping is the existence of old, rusted, inadequate fence.