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Discussion on Fence Busting
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New Member:
Avandia
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Posted on Tuesday, Mar 30, 2004 - 5:45 pm:
Recently I prevented a thoroughbred horse ending his days due to the worry he was causing his loving owners of him constantly going through fences. I hoped with my expertise and variety of horses and paddocks I could find him a safe environment. The first night he stayed in my 2acre electric fenced paddock. I moved him into a 20acre paddock with excellect grazing with plain wire and a few of my horses. He went through the fence with little damage to his chest. Took him home and he chose a paddock mate and I put them in a small electric paddock. They stayed in for a few days. I took him with his new mate to another 30acre paddock stayed for 3 weeks until the big accident.
I was riding his paddock mate and leading him back to their paddock. He took off and went through two barbed wire fences. His life was saved by a vet, wounds specialist and surgeon. He made a remarkable recovery and was able to canter again looking magnificent. Yesterday, through the fence he went at night. This time slight damage to his hind legs plus retearing his chest and forearm wounds.
This is a lovely natured horse. We want to solve his problems. Please does anyone have any ideas what causes this irratic behaviour and a possible solution.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Mar 30, 2004 - 10:27 pm:
Marcia, he must be put in a fence he cannot break no matter how big an effort he makes. You must rely on strength and NOT pain (barbed wire or electricity). He will grow tired of trying it.
DrO
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Member:
Erika
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 - 8:50 am:
Marcia, I brought home an off-the-track TB several years ago. The second he was turned out he ran straight for the neighbor's horses. He didn't see the wire fence until it was too late. He tried to jump it but crashed badly on the other side.
We immediately invested in tall sturdy four-board fencing that varied from 5-6 feet, and even higher where the horses could touch through it. We kept him in a paddock that was a little too small to build up momentum enough to jump it in case he had any ideas. After a while he settled down and decided it was good to stay home.
Your horse does have company with him, doesn't he? That, of course would be key in getting him to want to stay! Good hay or grass helps, too.
The idea is that it needs to be pleasant to stay home, and way too much effort to get out!
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Member:
Avandia
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 - 10:44 am:
My horse was settled in a 30acre paddock with his best friend. The latest incident happened whilst out riding with his best friend. He was being led back to his paddock along a familiar horse trail and took off crashed through two barbed wire fences and then returned to us badly torn and injured!
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 - 12:54 pm:
Marcia,
Are you sure he sees the wire? Has he broken or jumped any weak/low wooden fences, or is it just the wire that he runs through ?
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Member:
Liliana
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 - 1:05 pm:
Although I agree with Dr O to a point, barb wire can be dangerous some times, if they get tangled up the damage can be very serious, believe me I almost lost two horses to this. Hunting season some fool came a bit to close to the paddock the horses spooked and it was hell.
We had a Houdini some time ago, he had been rolling from yard to yard as he went through fences and the odd stable door. In his case(and many cases) it was fear.
This horse who’s nickname became his real name Houdini, like yours, made friends with one of our horses so we went on rides together so that he never stayed all alone without his mate(we were never short of volunteers) their stables were next to each other, and little by little he began to gain his confidence back, we rarely are able to get the background on horses.
Some times it can be due to poor eyesight so they spooked about the silliest things , as they cannot distinguish until smell kicks in. In our yard we do not believe in punishment, training is always based on trust, a crack of the whip can be effective when done at the split second that they misbehave; I find voice a lot more effective, horses soon learn when you are happy with them and when they are in the bad books (besides one cannot carry a whip at all times)
Best of luck,
Liliana
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Member:
Lilo
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Posted on Wednesday, Mar 31, 2004 - 1:21 pm:
Liliana, I don't think Dr O was advocating barbed wire. I think he was saying: do not rely on pain, as might be caused by barbed wire or an electric fence, rather, build a sturdy fence that he cannot break through.
That is how I read it, anyway.
Lilo
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 1, 2004 - 6:12 am:
Liselotte is right, barb wire would be the last thing I would recommend in this situation.
DrO
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Member:
Liliana
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 1, 2004 - 10:31 am:
Hello everybody,
Apologies if I offended anyone, but, I have seen in many yards in many countries, barb wire being used to restrain cattle, difficult horses even elephants, because in many cases it works perfect, with non nervous animals that feel safe in their territory!
If we stop to think for a minute, and remember that one of the defense mechanisms of horses from danger or pain is to run, then it is not very difficult to come to the conclusion that restraining a horse with any type of fencing without finding the original problem as to why the animal has the need to run for safety, then nothing will stop him, this animals can pull tons of weight so unless you build a brick wall, they can and will go through most fences, that is the point I was trying to make, the stronger the fence the more damage they can cause themselves in trying to succeed in their escape.
Therefore my suggestion was to check his eyesight, hears or background if at all possible to get to the origin or root of the problem.
We all do our best to help each other in this forum I believe and as Dr.O will agree it is difficult without seeing the problem first hand!
Don´t worry be happy
Liliana
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 1, 2004 - 1:05 pm:
Hello Liliana,
Don't worry, I was not offended just wanted to point out you misunderstood my post above.
DrO
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Member:
Liliana
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 1, 2004 - 5:55 pm:
I am glad, it is kind of difficult some times, as one cannot see the body language of a conversation and some times we get crossed wired.
I so enjoy HA it is so useful and informative, some times I get carried away. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I live in a place where common sense is a bit strange to say the least.
Cheers
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Member:
Avandia
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 4, 2004 - 12:16 pm:
Hello again. We have nicknamed our horse Braveheart because he has such a will to recover from his injuries. Has anyone heard of a horse fitting! It has been suggested that this calm and loving horse could be experiencing fits. I have only been with him to see him bolt in a blind panic once. We are still trying to put together if this horse may harm whatever got in his way during his flight response. We all love him and will do the responsible thing.
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 4, 2004 - 4:01 pm:
Well, Marcia,
A horse's way of dealing with unfamiliar things is run first, think about it later. Or, as mama mare and mama nature say, use all your power and speed to run, wiggle violently, buck and kick, and, don't worry kid, nothing can touch you...
Then come we horsepeople, and try to persuade this talented and well seasoned "fitter" that there's no reason whatsoever to react that way, that old mamas were kidding and modern horses don't run, wiggle, buck and kick anymore.
Has anyone heard of a horse "fitting"? Yes, Marcia, everybody. Absolutely. "Fits" come with horses.
And you may find us a bit "cocooricoo" in our heads, as my trainer used to say, but most people here have not only conciously chosen to spend their life more or less dealing with such fits, but to actually enjoy it!
All the best,
Christos
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Sunday, Apr 4, 2004 - 7:11 pm:
Marcia,
The occasional "fit" that all horses may have, more or less, is the exact reason that wire is a poor fence for horses.
The fence must be easily visible and strong enough to hold a horse falling on it.
If the horse takes off in panic for whatever reason, and during his run he gets hurt by a fence that he did not see or did not respect, he'll most likely think that the worse that he was running from did happen, and he was right to run. So next time he spooks, he runs even stronger, blasts through two fences, and so on...
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Member:
Goolsby
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Posted on Monday, Apr 5, 2004 - 9:27 am:
Marcia
You sound as though you have more experience than I, but I thought I would throw out some random thoughts about my appy mare that was a notorious fence buster when she was young. The first time (that I know) she went through the fence she was spooked. I think after that she jumped and went through fences because she figured out she could. Or she already knew. The previous owners had very bad fences and I heard their horse got out all the time. She went through barbed wire, electric and cleared wire mesh fences, pain was no deterrent as she was cut up a few times. As she got older the frequency of these “escapes” diminished. I think it was a combination of youth, stubbornness and the fact she knew fences could be broken or jumped. When she was about 5 or 6 she was moved to a 30 acre field with her mate. I was a bit concerned she would go through a fence given her history and it being new teritory but she never did UNTIL a couple years later without my knowledge the owners of the field fenced off a section and leased it out to someone with 4 horses. I found out when the horse owners called upset that my horse had torn down the fence they just put up. She did this twice before I could get electric up then she didn’t try it again. Perhaps this episode was territorial because she was accustom to having the entire field.
I hope Braveheart grows weary of his fence busting episodes.
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Member:
Pbauer
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Posted on Tuesday, Apr 6, 2004 - 6:23 pm:
Marcia,
Some suggestions: Walk the horse around the perimeter of the pasture;inside and along the fence line.Do this as many times as you deem necessary. It's training them to understand,
where the boundary is. Also,initially, you might want to mark the fence line( my sister uses
bright orange hunter's tape about every three feet).She has done this for each of her five horses, and it has worked well for her.
Sincerely,
Tonya
P.S. A forty acre perimeter....
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