# T Post Injuries and death Poll



## USMCshamusmom (Mar 30, 2005)

Over the 30+ years I have worked around horses I have come across or known of many incidents involving injuries to horses (big and little) including death by impalement,(2) impaled through the chest and stuck to the post( 1), having to have the post cut out from under the horse because it was stuck in its flank area from underneath(1), head split open to the bone due to running face first into a t post (1), many cuts and scrapes from getting legs caught against a t post... fortunately none of these were horses I owned, but were people's I knew or places I worked over the years. I put caps on all the posts on my property for safety's sake.


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## Marty (Mar 30, 2005)

I know of only one incident where a big horse tried to jump a fence and got stabbed on one. It was a freak accident where the post was not even in the ground correctly in the first place and it was leaning way over to begin with.

I use tee posts everywhere for years with no problems. However, all mine are covered at the top with fence post toppers for hot wire, the yellow kind. I would not use a tee post unless the top was covered.


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## Mona (Mar 30, 2005)

I think you need to add zero to your poll, for those of us that have never had or seen any injuries due to this.


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## susanne (Mar 30, 2005)

Whatever the number of incidents, a cheap preventive measure is to buy rubber balls (the size of a tennis ball), cut an X and push them down over the top.


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## ChrystalPaths (Mar 30, 2005)

I do it Susannes way.


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## txminipinto (Mar 30, 2005)

Yes, several impalements(due to my line of work), but no deaths (equine). I do know a woman who was impaled on one trying to get her horse untangled from a wire fence. In her efforts to get the wire off the horse, the horse thru her into a bent tpost killing her instantly. I still fence with them.


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## justaboutgeese (Mar 30, 2005)

The worst I ever had was a heifer who manage to bend one over and had a gash which I had to glue shut. I don`t see them as being a major problem as long as the tips are protected.


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## wpsellwood (Apr 6, 2005)

I get the tallest (longest?)ones so the minis can get up that high on them. Of course my husband hates them as they are harder to put in!


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## keeperofthehorses (Apr 6, 2005)

Although I put down "2 to 4", none of my animals has ever had an injury from them (knock wood). We use toppers. The ones I've seen were back in the day when I was a vet tech. All 3 of them were impalings or gashes on the undersides of young horses trying to go over.

Suzanne

Eclipse Farm

Star, ID


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## Minimor (Apr 8, 2005)

We haven't had any T-post related injuries, but have known of a couple horses getting impaled on them. Also years ago heard of one rider being thrown onto one & killed.

We don't have any in use at this place but are thinking of putting a few in as supports between wooden posts....ours will be capped and we feel fairly safe using them this way for the Minis--except for when the snow gets deep & packed, the tall posts are high enough to be safe. We won't use them around the big horse pens, and I won't use them anywhere near a riding area.

Having said that, I do have to check the price--I have a feeling that they may be more expensive than the 3"-4" wood posts, and if that's the case I'll buy extra wood posts & go to the extra effort of digging them in.


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## Vertical Limit (Apr 8, 2005)

Fencing is "one" of the things it pays to do right. In my "opinion", right means good sturdy posts and a safe fencing medium. Does it cost more? You bet. But in all the years, with all the horses I have never had an injury do to fencing. I have witnessed injuries do to bad fencing and it isn't a pretty sight and most of the time it means putting a horse down. Remember.....this is my opinion. I am not knocking people who use T posts or hog wire. It's just not what I choose to do.


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