This is particularly true of electric fencing, but could apply to any type. Can You See Each company, no matter the product they sell, emphasizes the need for visibility in horse fencing. Remember, a fence that we see is not automatically one that our horses see. We need to consider how horses view the world and how they react when excited or scared. By Cameo offers their Golden Rules of Safe Horsekeeping.
Barbed wire is never okay for horses.
I've had people look me square in the eye and tell me they've never had a horse get cut on the stuff, but I've seen too many victims of this fencing to not believe these folks should add a 'yet' to that statement. Do yourself a favor, if you have even one strand of barbed wire on your property, get rid of it now. Smooth wire, in individual strands, is unsafe, too. Some of the worst cuts I've seen resulted from high-tensile wire. You can bet he'll do his best to avoid touching the fence again.