text: what did in the civil war times cow high and pig tight mean? i really need help in this question so anyone that can help please do so. thanks. there is an old farmer saying that a fence needs to be "horse high, pig tight and bull strong"  it means a fence needs to be high enough to keep a horse in, the slats need to be close enough to keep a pig in, and it needs to be strong enough to keep a bull in.