Horse Ran Through Coated Tensile Fence - Advice to Prevent it from Happening Again?

[Tiffani_B]

We have a five strand, high tensile fence. It was brand new when we bought the property - not my first choice - but so new it wasn’t something I was ready to replace just yet. Yesterday one of my retired horses charged the fence in what appeared to be panic, and attempted to run through it. He got caught in it, pulled down one of the strands, loosened another, and injured his front leg. This morning there’s lots of swelling from above the knee all the way down to his fetlock, along with some gashes and rubs. I think he’ll be ok with ice, bute and time, but I don’t want this to happen again. I know there’s not a completely foolproof way to stop a horse from running through a fence, but is there something we can do to lessen the likelihood? He isn’t one that’s prone to panic and we’re not sure what set him off, but if he can do it, I would think a flightier horse would be even worse.

Since putting up all new fencing isn’t in our budget, I’m wondering what are some things we can do to make it less likely to happen again. Put a top board along the entire fenceline? Flags on the wires? Electric?

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Definitely add an electric wire on top.

[trubandloki]

Another vote to add electric.

Though nothing is going to stop a horse that is running into a fence in a panic.

[crosscreeksh]

I would do an electric “tape” of some sort for visibility and LOTS of colored surveyor tape on the HT to catch his eye. Hope he is okay!! Hi tensile and horses is nasty combination!!

[Where_sMyWhite]

If you can afford it, I like the idea of a board along the top of the fence. Very good visibility and hopefully a horse would turn rather than run through it (and the wire below).

[PNWjumper]

I guess on a positive note, the fence held and he didn’t actually get through it. High likelihood that he won’t try again, even if panicked?

I agree that electric might help. Don’t know that a board would make much of a difference. I’ve had horses run through board fences.

[Foxglove]

I think without electric high tinsel is conducive to injury. My Amish neighbor had problem after problem with his horses hanging up in the wire (one was quite badly injured) when they put their heads through to eat grass on the other side. First the head, then a leg then hung up. His solution was to hook on to my electric fence (also high tinsel) --I went over and explained that that wasn’t possible since I could not go on his property to check for shorts --he bought his own solar charger. That stopped a lot of problems --including his horses eating the fence posts on his side of the electric fence. I ALWAYS keep my fence hot.

But there’s danger in every fence. I envied a well-to-do friend who had actual --STONE WALLS for fences —to die for! Until a horse kicked and broke his leg on one. Nothing is perfect. But for me, no matter what fence I had, I’d run electric inside –

[mzm_farm]

Electric strands - 2 +, bright twirling marking tape “bows” and sturdy deer mesh (2" squares" ) or snow fence on the inside of high tensile fence. That may solve most of your problems as the horses should learn the electric, bows are visible, and the mesh should help with any “misjudged distance” issues. I am sure there is a horse out there that would figure out how to mortally wound itself even on that set up, hopefully you don’t own one that committed

[walkinthewalk]

Get rid of the tensile and install woven wire.

[judybigredpony]

We have still have none electric high tensil still on 2 fields as we slowly were able to replace with poly coated electric tensil fence…we do have a board along top at some points and w visible colored perimeter topper…in all honestly no a single horse has been injured on that fencing…but they are large fields and plenty of forage or hay bales…I do suggest a visible top rail of sorts and electric…having electric even on 1 side as we replace fence keeps them off the none electric fence by default…

[Dance_To_Oblivion]

@walkinthewalk

Get rid of the tensile and install woven wire.

Had a two year old try to run through woven wire once. She got to spend two weeks on stall rest with all four legs wrapped, both front leg wraps went above her knees too

I don’t believe there is 100% horse safe fence. Coated high tensile is pretty safe, but I would add electric to the inside, maybe tape which would help visibility too?

[walkinthewalk]

@Dance_To_Oblivion

Had a two year old try to run through woven wire once. She got to spend two weeks on stall rest with all four legs wrapped, both front leg wraps went above her knees too

I don’t believe there is 100% horse safe fence. Coated high tensile is pretty safe, but I would add electric to the inside, maybe tape which would help visibility too?

^^^^ No argument there ----- nothing is 100% safe. Horses need to come with bubble wrap and several replacement body suits of bubble wrap.

I’m sure pasture size has an affect, as well. When I lived where they were on very small pasture, they were inside chain link. In my youth my horses ran 100 acres alongside beef cows and inside barbed wire. Now they’re on 20+ acres inside woven wire.

Chain link is gosh-awful expensive but that would be my choice if I had to fence in small acreage again.

years ago I had a mare that would test the electric fence – if she didn’t get zapped she would push right thru -------- into the other pasture just because she could. I had to buy a long distance cow charger and keep the ground around the grounding pole soaking wet to keep her where she belonged.

My best day was when the fence was working at full charge and it sat her fat buckskin hind end back on her butt:). My worst day was the day I was checking the fence, had hold of the wire and my ex & his brother turned the charger back on, lollol -------- that was 40+ years ago -------- I can laugh now:)

then there was my 15.2H Arab/Saddlebred that found a broken T-post (that I didn’t know was rotted at the bottom), figured out how to walk it down, walk over the fence, the post would spring back up, and imagine my surprise when he showed up in the back yard. He did that a handful of times before I was able to figure out what he was doing. He also figured out he could crawl under the fence in the creek bed when the creek went dry.

[Bluey]

Our old vet said that horses behind any kind of smooth wire or cable had the most and worst injuries, even worse than barbed wire, terrible as those can be.

His reasoning, horses basically respected barbed wire fences, they bite, so were more aware of them and tried to avoid hitting them more than any other wire.

With barbless, smooth wire, horses would lean on them, crawl thru them, scratch on them and when scared into them, bounce off or plow thru them.

The injuries from smooth wires were generally degloving and friction and those were much harder to heal than barbed wire tears, although either could be terrible of course.

I have seen and know of horrible injuries when a horse hits wood fences also, made worse if slivers no one sees are left behind in the wound and keep them from closing right or cause huge abscesses.
Especially treated or painted wood can result in nasty abscesses, our neighbor spent a summer treating a mare from a splinter she got on her behind while scratching it on a board, that took a vet all summer to find.
She is fine now.

The gold standard for horse fences, also not foolproof, has been for decades now tall V-mesh.
It is also very costly, so not suitable for mile long fences like we have here.

Hot wire works on most horses, but I would use it to keep horses off a good first fence, again, that teaching them to respect fences.
Even that is not foolproof, some times horses just panic or are cornered and just try to go thru fences.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Make it bite (hot).

[Guilherme]

Trot is right; teach them fences “bite” by keeping them hot.

You can try and increase visual cues by adding boards, wide tape, streamers, etc.

A horse in “run for my life” panic mode is not going to act “rationally” by either horse or human standards. That kind of horse can run full bore into a stone wall.

Hope the healing process is smooth and without long term consequences.

G.

[horsepoor]

It isn’t hot? Definitely add electric (whether a new line or two on inside or by electrifying the existing stuff if possible). I love the coated wire like Centaur’s White Lightning, and consider it very safe, but I wouldn’t have it without some strands being hot. I hope your horse makes a quick recovery!

[sherian]

another vote for make it hot - put electric on offsets so they hit it before the hi tensile, keeps them that little but furthur off the fence

[btswass]

I don’t really agree with adding electric as it doesn’t seem like he was testing the fence or disrespecting it but rather spooked and didn’t see the wire. What time of day was it? My dog once ran head first into the fence surrounding a tennis court. We had been in there playing for a while and it was about dusk and he suddenly perked up and ran right into it as if there was no fence I think with the lighting he couldn’t see it anymore. I vote for a rail on top so its highly visible.

[Tiffani_B]

I think I’m going to run electric but have NO idea where to start. Is there an “electric fencing for dummies” book out there? LOL

[trubandloki]

@Tiffani B

I think I’m going to run electric but have NO idea where to start. Is there an “electric fencing for dummies” book out there? LOL

I believe the major manufacturers have how to instructions on the internet.

When we put our electric in I found all kinds of informative stuff by googling it (and google hates me so that says it is pretty easy to find). They included diagrams and photos.