Cheap fencing, big vet bill

[wroughtn_harv]

The TBN'rs that showed up for our barn raising probably remembered the red horse of Scott's. They also remember all the five foot two by four non climb all over the place.

Last month while he was in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving Red, a thorough bred mare evidently had a discussion with the horses next door.

The fence between the horses is a wood posts and field fence with one strand of barb wire on top. Field fence is that graduated woven wire fence that has smaller openings at the bottom getting larger as they get to the top. It's okay for cattle and goats-sheep. It's not good for horses.

Look at the picture. Caution, it's graphic. And this photo was taken two weeks after the injury occured.

 

[kevincook]

Harv,

What happened? Did she get caught in the fence?

That is way too graphic for this early in the morning. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Kevin

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Scott says that if he'd been there when it occured he would have probably had the vet put her down.

His neighbors who were caring for the animals took her to the vet. Since she's come this far Scott figures she deserves to live a good long life or until she does something as equally stupid.

He paid about nine hundred for her three years ago. When he picked her up at the vet a week ago he cut a check for over eleven hundred.

He also has had to reschedule a lot of personal stuff because every other day for the next six months he's got to clean and change the bandages on the wound.

The horse is doing great. And she takes the treatment just fine, no fuss, no muss. They're friends.

We made him a rack copied from his vet's for working on the horse. We put it up close to the house so he can get warm water.

 

[SkyPup]

So sorry to hear about another horse needlessly injured by field fence and barbed wire, hope she recovers well.

 

[Bird]

That looks bad enough that I'm surprised to hear that it might heal and the skin grow back over it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Looking at the leg and the fence it appears two mares were having a discussion with the fence between them. Evidently Red wanted to make a point in the discussion.

She got her right rear leg caught in the fence. When she pulled it clear is was like a knife peeling a carrot. She missed ripping tendons by fractions of an inch.

The idea on the rack is to have the side rails float so if the horse struggles and goes down they can be lifted up and to allow the horse to get back up on their feet. So the frame work is made rigid ten feet up out of the reach of a rearing horse.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I decided since the posts were two and seven eighths and the rails two and three eighths it would be a good time to use our rings and ring tool.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

The rings are half inch lengths of two and three eighths schedule forty crimped in a propietary manner. It enables the fitting up of two and three eighths to two and three eighths or two and seven eighths to two and seven eighths or two and three eights to two and seven eighths.

There is the same amount of welding area as a coped or fitted joint, just faster and easier.

The ring tool is a pair of vice grips modified in a propietary manner to hold the horizontal pipe in position to be tacked tot he vertical pipe with the ring perfectly positioned.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

One of the most common questions asked of me is how I notch pipe if I don't have my Vogel Pipe Notcher with me.

I use a portaband saw. I've used a chop saw to do the same thing and I've also used a torch and a grinder.

What you want to do is put your two pieces of pipe together in a perpendicular member. Measure the distance between the edge of the flat cut piece to the arc of the other. With two and three eighths it's about five eighths to three quarter of an inch.

With a portaband it's easy to make the cope or notch. You angle the saw back towards the end of the pipe from about five eighths of an inch. Ideally you're going for thirds. The middle third of the end will be sticking out and the two outside thirds will be cut like so.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

On my job sites these pieces usually end up inside the posts to never ever find the light of day again. What they can do horse's hooves or vehicle tires can only be imagined.