![\"AriaCynthia\"](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AriaCynthia-398x400.jpg\" "\\"When")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nA few weeks ago, I lost my beautiful Arabian mare, Aria. I\u2019ve gone back and forth about whether to share this. It\u2019s painful, and I still feel a heavy mix of sadness, regret, and guilt. But if telling Aria\u2019s story prevents even one horse from suffering the same fate, then it\u2019s worth it.<\/p>\n On one short section of our track\u2014just 50 metres\u2014there was an old ring-lock fence designed for sheep and goats. It had large mesh, steel star pickets, and sat on a slope. I\u2019d made it \u201csafer\u201d with 4 cm white tape along the top (not electrified) and capped each picket with 20 cm of heavy-duty poly pipe.<\/p>\n It had been like that for over 12 years. I knew it wasn\u2019t ideal, but it had worked\u2026 until it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n A week before the accident, I remember looking at that fence and thinking, \u201cI really should replace it with plain wire, or run an electric line to keep the horses away.\u201d<\/em> I even pictured the risk\u2014a horse slipping or rolling there and getting caught. But I told myself I didn\u2019t have the materials, help, or time to do it right now.<\/p>\n Aria colicked. In her distress, she rolled into that section of fence. In her panic to get free, a star picket punctured her gut wall and tore her thigh.<\/p>\n The vet gave her just a 10% chance of surviving surgery\u2014with almost certain peritonitis from the gut injury. After over 12 hours of care, herbal remedies, hydration, pain relief, and the help of dear friends, I made the most difficult decision of my life: to end her pain.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll never know whether she would have survived the colic without those injuries. But I do know that fence should have been fixed before she had the chance to meet it in her most vulnerable moment.<\/p>\n Horses are curious, powerful, and unpredictable. The fencing we use for them needs to be more than just \u201cgood enough.\u201d Hazards can be there for years without incident\u2014until one day, they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve realised how easy it is to look at other people\u2019s unsafe paddocks, old machinery, or hazardous hay feeders and think, \u201cI\u2019d never let that happen.\u201d<\/em> But sometimes, the danger is in our own yard, waiting for the moment when prevention would have made all the difference.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been meaning to check or upgrade your fencing, here are some key points I wish I had acted on sooner:<\/p>\n 1. Walk your fences regularly<\/strong> 2. Avoid large mesh for horses<\/strong> 3. Make star pickets horse-safe<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong> 4. Add visibility<\/strong> 5. Create buffer zones<\/strong> 6. Act on your intuition<\/strong> Nothing can undo what happened. The only comfort I have is knowing she is no longer in pain, and that her story may help others protect their horses.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s a section of fence, gate, or hazard you\u2019ve been putting off fixing\u2014please take this as your sign. Go and look at it today. Make the change now. Your future self, and your horse, will thank you.<\/p>\n Download our printable Horse Property Fencing Hazard Checklist<\/a> – Your Horse\u2019s Safety Is Worth the Effort.\u00a0 When \u201cSafe Enough Fencing\u201d Isn\u2019t Safe A few weeks ago, I lost my beautiful Arabian mare, Aria.Her death wasn\u2019t from old age, or an accident no one could foresee\u2014it was partly caused by something I had already recognised as a risk\u2026 but hadn\u2019t yet addressed. I\u2019ve gone back and forth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thinkrank_schema_form_data":"","_thinkrank_selected_schema_type":"","_thinkrank_additional_schemas":"","_thinkrank_canonical_url":"","_thinkrank_og_title":"","_thinkrank_og_description":"","_thinkrank_og_image":"","_thinkrank_twitter_title":"","_thinkrank_twitter_description":"","_thinkrank_twitter_image":"","_thinkrank_imported_from":"yoast","_thinkrank_focus_keywords":["fencing"],"_thinkrank_focus_keyword":"fencing","_thinkrank_robots_meta_enabled":0,"_thinkrank_robots_meta":"","_thinkrank_advanced_robots_meta":"","_thinkrank_exclude_from_search":0,"_thinkrank_exclude_from_archives":0,"_thinkrank_primary_category":449,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Her death wasn\u2019t from old age, or an accident no one could foresee\u2014it was partly caused by something I had already<\/em> recognised as a risk\u2026 but hadn\u2019t yet addressed.<\/p>\nThe Fence I Knew Was a Problem<\/h3>\n
![\"AriaBarnFence\"](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AriaBarnFence-400x225.jpg\" "\\"When")
The Day Everything Changed<\/h3>\n
![\"AriaColic\"](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AriaColic-1-400x334.jpg\" "\\"When")
What I Learned About \u201cSafe Enough\u201d<\/h3>\n
Fencing Safety Tips to Protect Your Horses<\/h3>\n
Inspect for broken wires, protruding nails, sharp edges, leaning posts, sagging lines, or loose mesh. Check after storms or high winds.<\/p>\n
Sheep or goat fencing (ring-lock) has openings that can trap a hoof or leg. For horses, opt for smaller mesh (50 mm \/ 2\u201d maximum) or plain wire with a visible barrier.<\/p>\n![\"WarratahSafeFenceCaps\"](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WarratahSafeFenceCaps-400x284.jpg\" "\\"When")
<\/a>
If you must use steel pickets, cap them with high-quality protective sleeves. Better yet, keep horses well clear of them using offset electric wires or replacing them with safer posts. It’s also easy to cut off the sharp post corners at the top with an angle grinder and cut-off disc.<\/p>\n
Horses see thin wires poorly. Use wide electric tape, sight boards, or painted top rails so they can clearly identify the fence line.<\/p>\n
Where fencing runs along high-traffic areas, slopes, or near water points, add a second internal fence or electric strand to keep horses away from potential hazards.<\/p>\n
If you see something and think, \u201cThat could be dangerous,\u201d<\/em> take it seriously. Make the repair or change as soon as possible\u2014before \u201cone day\u201d becomes \u201ctoo late.\u201d<\/p>\nMoving Forward Without Aria
![\"AriaSunset\"](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/AriaSunset-325x400.jpg\" "\\"When")
<\/h3>\n![\"Fencing](\"https:\/\/naturalhorseworld.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fencing-Hazard-Checklist-283x400.jpg\" "\\"When")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"