Gone are the days when almost every farm had a barbed-wire fence.

Horses can get hurt on barbed wire, Mohican Valley Fencing owner Daniel Miller told the Mount Vernon News.

“With the prices of horses what they are today, we do not recommend barbed wire,” he said. “It’s cheaper to build a more expensive fence than it is (to) fix an expensive horse.”

There are more sheep and goats in Knox County these days than there used to be, Miller said. Those animals aren’t suited for barbed wire — particularly sheep, who with their thick wool aren’t phased by the barbs.

“They can climb right through it and it won’t prick them,” he said.

Although barbed wire is still good for cows, many people today prefer woven wire fences.

“That way, they can put their cows and sheep out in the same field,” Miller said.

One type of fencing that is popular for horses in Centaur flex railing.

“It’s a vinyl rail that almost looks like a belt,” Miller said. “It’s probably the strongest, safest horse fence that you can build. But that’s more of a high-dollar fence.”

In the old days, farmers used to build their own fencing. But with today’s modern equipment such as hydraulic post drivers, self-installation may no longer be cost-effective.

“When I first started in this business, my grandfather said, ‘I never thought I would see the day when someone pays a guy to install a fence,’” Miller recalled. “But with the equipment we have, we can build it faster, easier and better than we used to. A farmer may be working on their fence for a week or two, and we can do it in a day.”

Mohican Valley Fencing has a retail store in Butler with samples of various types of fencing.

“You can come here to look at the fencing,” Miller said. “If you want a fence built, I always go out on the farm, get a measurement and give the customer a proposal with a price on it. I always like to see the farm and go over the project with the owner.”

Mohican Valley Fencing

19241 Butler Road

Butler, Ohio 44822

740-392-2457

Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - noon