# Barbed Wire or smooth high tensile on 4 acres



## farmpony84

This is a horseforum so most folks are going to say NO WAY to the barbed wire. I did have my horse in barbed wire for several years with no issues. As long as the fence is kept tight then you should be ok BUT... My vote is the pencil wire (I think that's the same as what you are talking about - the high tensile w/ plastic coating). I have that with 4 layers but they push against it with their bodies while they slip their heads through to graze so we are about to re-run it with a fifth or sixth row. I think it looks really nice and the best part is that it can be a one man job to fix. My ramm fencing is a 2 man job and so is my board fencing for the most part - although husband will fix it alone on occasion...


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## QtrBel

I don't know of any place but the Arabian show barn that didn't have barbed wire somewhere. Mostly because there were cows on one side or the other of the fence. Knock on wood I have never had an issue with it. Even here there is smooth and tape on interior fencing but exterior is all barbed. The horses respect it and the fields are big enough it isn't taped but I do know several that run a line of electric tape on the top to keep horses off.


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## boots

We keep ranch horses (my own included when he's there) in pastures fenced with barbed wire. Primarily because those pastures hold cattle at times. However, they are large pastures. Thousands of acres.

For paddocks and overnight pastures I prefer smooth wire of some type. 

Where mine is now, we have one electric and two plastic-coated smooth on a floating fence. They went with a floating fence because it gives more when the deer and other large, wild herbivores hit it going 40 mph.


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## ApuetsoT

I also have barb wire where my horse is. I think every place I've been has had some amount. BUT, these have always been perimeter fences. Most of the placed around here at one time or another have had cattle so barb wire is common. Every quarter section is usually bordered by a barb wire fence. I would not be comfortable with cross fencing being barb wire. At my current place, there is hot wire running along the barb wire to keep them off (not that it's very hot that far out, but they still don't touch it). 4 acres is smaller than I'd like for barb wire, though.


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## cbar

My horses are also out on a 1/4 section in the winter and it is barbed wire. I've never (knock on wood) had a problem with it. The space is big enough that they don't disturb it.

My one paddock had a line of high tensile smooth wire while we were in the process of building our wood fencing. I hated it. I'm sure we could have installed it better as it was just a short term solution, but the horses were constantly sticking their heads through it and we were always tightening it. I also hated that it wasn't highly visible. No way would that have kept cattle in!


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## 4horses

If i absolutely had to have fencing like that, i would use the smooth high tensile. My neighbors have a 10 acre pasture with that type of fencing. Never an escape. They used to have horses, now they have cows. Their fence did kill a fox- he went to jump it but ended up hanging by a back leg. Ewww!

Now, that type of fencing would definitely not work for my horses. Someone would get hurt. I would probably run two strands of electric in addition. One strand at neck level to keep them from leaning on it, a second strand about 1 foot up to keep them from sticking their head under it, or putting their feet on it. If the grass on the other side of the fence is higher, i don't want them reaching under the fence.


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## RMH

Mine are fenced with 6 strands of high tensile wire. Three are electrified to keep them from putting their necks over or heads through it. I used 2 strands of poly coated electric wire for visibility Hotcote<span style='vertical-align: super;'>®</span> Fence Wire White, 1320 ft . No fence injuries so far.


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## Smilie

Barbwire works for many working ranches, where the horses are familiar with those pastures, and the pastures are also large
If the choice for fencing, in small areas for horses, is between barb and smooth wire, I will take smooth wire any day< BUT fenced in a manner for horses not cows
That means, for mature horses,you need only two strands, with the bottom wire being about three feet off the ground. If I had foals in a field, that field had three stands, for obvious reason
In either case, the top wire was hot, and attached with insulators.
A hot wire makes horses respectful of a fence, keeps them from playing with other horses over the fence
If a horse happens to hit such a fence, versus barbwire, that top wire will just pop off, with those insulators giving.I have never had a horse get hurt, running through such a fence, the few times it has happened. Not so with barbwire
No way would I use multi strands or any wire, meant for cattle, unless I had no choice, keeping both horses and cattle in the same pasture


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## COWCHICK77

I'd go barbed wire, especially if you've got calves.
The only time I caution barbed wire is putting a lot of horses in a small lot.


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## Foxhunter

I would have barb over smooth *providing it is kept tight.* they will lean into plain wire and stretch it unless you have a hot wire too.


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## Smilie

Yes, as already mentioned, you use two strands of smooth wire, and the top one is hot
If you don't have that fence hot, and use multi strands of wire, esp barb, so that the bottom strand is not far off the ground, have horses across the fence, a very common injury is for horses to cut their front feet, playing and pawing around that fence, with buddies across that fenceline
We don't have cattle, so the first thing I did, when we moved to this quarter section, is to replace all barbwire in the pastures with smooth wire. A good fencer is your horse;s best friend!
I have in the distant past,had horses seriously hurt in barb wire, on our acreage. I have never in 30 years, had a horse hurt in smooth wire, using two strands for adult horses, and three where there were foals, top wire hot, and attached on wooden posts with insulators
There are even better options for horse fences, like wide ribbon electrical tape-- very visible
Yes, if you run cattle and horses together, on fairly large pastures, then barb wire in absence of a good electrical fencing system might be needed, although I know of people that run cattle with smooth wire, three strands, but they have a very good electrical fencing system.
4 acres, to me , is not large enough for barbwire


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## Hondo

Horse's skin is much more delicate that a bovine's. If the horse becomes frightened, they can cut themselves up a bit with barbed wire. Lots of it here on the ranch.

Dragon disregards anything and everything in his way when frightened.


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## RideAndDie

It really depends on what your horses are used to seeing, and their temperaments as well. Horses aren't stupid, and they clearly don't like barbed wire, so if they know it's effectiveness they'll stay clear of it; on the other hand, if they've never seen it before and happen to run into it at speed, it can cause some stomach-churning injuries. If it's a few old cow ponies who'll don't scare easily, are not prone to jumping out, and have been around fences for a while then multi-strand barb should work. However, if you're running a bunch of colts who're still finding their brakes, shy at a butterfly and race each other up and down the fence line all day, probably go with something safer like folks mentioned above with the plain and electric wire combo. From what I've seen, visibility is a big deal for the critters, so the more obvious you can make it the better (white posts, etc). Also, on a short chunk of fence like that, make sure your stays are rock solid, as short fences are hard to keep tight as there's not a lot of wire weight to help with the tension as in a longer section.


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## jaydee

Thread is old and the OP will no longer be needing replies
Closed


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