This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A. This can have a similar impact as feeding less hay, so you might have to feed more hay. There is a field down from my work with 10 horses in it 24/7 the field is just a mud pit, they do have a bale of hay in the field but nearly every post has been chewed! There is no one singular reason as to why a horse becomes a cribber. Those that might adversely affect the horse’s health, and therefore be avoided or at least limited, are so identified. When they can do it, they’re going to do it. He weighed 1,200 pounds. I don't know why, but she just enjoys chewing on wood! The most common reason is boredom. Even if your horse has never been inclined to chew on fences and trees, keep an eye on him this winter. In reducing time spent chewing and natural buffering of stomach acid, he might have developed gastric ulcers. Other methods of discouraging wood-chewing involve covering surfaces with metal, wire, or taste deterrents. Thread starter demonbug; Start date Apr 16, 2007; Forums. ADVERTISEMENT . Horse Chewing Wood: Why Do Horses Crib? People should read a history book about horses. In general, horses are not likely to eat leaves or any other tree parts unless they are quite hungry. Visit Website. Always inspect the bedding, and discuss any concerns you have with the dealer or miller where the shavings originate. You may equip your barn with combinations of a specified few or multiple supplements without great expense or increased labor, allowing for nutritional individuality and flexibility. Horses may chew on wood in their stable, fencing, or trees. General . The last, being an addiction of sorts, is the most difficult to remedy. The second reason is that something in the horse’s environment is a source of frustration. Apr 16, 2007 #1 ooo . For outside wood fencing that will be painted, try nailing on 1-1/2" metal studwall track, and then paint it. Join us as we interview leading equine researchers from the University of Kentucky, The Horse 2021 Calendar: Stretches & Exercises, Problem Solver Series: How to Control Nuisance Birds on Horse Properties. Are Your Horses Ready for You to be Quarantined? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Dr. Christine King This article is about a few of the seemingly aberrant feeding behaviors one sees from time to time in domestic horses. Generally, horse owners don’t plant trees in pastures for this reason. Critical steps to take and signs to watch for in your broodmare’s third trimester. Free choice supplementation provides the opportunity for nutrients to be balanced accurately for each individual horse in its own unique environment. So why do adult horses sometimes take to eating other horses manure? Natural Disaster: Are You and Your Horse Ready for Emergency Evacuation? His morning hay is soaked overnight, and his evening hay is soaked for an hour. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Horses will chew anything wood that they can get their teeth around. Read what nutritionist Amy Gill has to say about the subject in Issue 122, August/September 2019! Cribbing is often referred to as “wind sucking.” While they are related, they are not the same – although the act of wind-sucking is an integral part of the cribbing behavior. This might be why your horse is now eating his shavings. 100% "no questions asked" return guarantee. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Special needs horses, such as those with metabolic disorders, those attempting to heal, or performance horses, require additional nutrients in varying degrees and through various stages. There have been many researched reasons that explain why horses crib. Why Do Horses Crib? If the horse is being kept in a stall, the best solution is to put the horse out on pasture with other horses. If the hind gut has gone into dysbiosis and the balance of good bacteria to bad bacteria has been compromised, one of the quickest ways for a horse to correctly repopulate its hindgut is to ingest good bacteria in the right proportion. Recognizing horses’ destructive nature, employ sturdy containers and pay attention to placement. Well, experts and horse owners seem to be divided when it comes to acknowledging the causes of wood chewing and what to do about it. Many horses are kept in stalls bedded with wood shavings. The Horse’s experts answer your questions during a monthly live audio event. Hello again, There are many reasons a horse may eat or chew on wood. eat abnormal things that often have little or no nutritional value. I recommend consulting your veterinarian to get an accurate diagnosis. We…. “Horses have an evolutionary need to chew roughage, and growing grass doesn’t fulfill that need,” said Crandell. Why do some horses eat wood fences and barns, destroy trees for the consumption of bark, gobble up dirt, feast upon feces of other horses, lap at urine puddles or prefer one bale of hay and not another? For inside stalls, try Halt Cribbing. As horses are considered to be a luxury item, VAT for horse bedding is 20%. Remember horses are designed as grazing … However, when curiosity or boredom spurs exploratory bites, the horse may ingest enough of the deadlier species to do harm. For instance, certain areas of the country lack sufficient levels of copper within the soil. Malnutrition. Horses typically chew on the wood parts of barns, fences, etc. Some of the things people try (like old motor oil) are toxic; don't use them as chemical chewing deterrents. While soaking for 30-60 minutes has little impact on the relative dry matter portion of hay, longer soaking periods can negatively impact the amount of organic matter in the hay. I believe you can thin it down a bit with linseed oil if necessary for brushing. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club. A common habit that horses develop to ease their boredom and frustration is chewing on … Overweight horses often have abnormally large appetites. On grass hay, they will eat bark and wood and some even eat dirt to try to get the Ca they need. Unfortunately, offering long-stemmed forage such as hay doesn’t always dissuade a horse from chewing wood. Then feed the pellets using an. Water sources may embody increased levels of calcium, in which case phosphorus and magnesium-free choice supplements would benefit in balancing those macrominerals. Update 2: It was outside people. He has lost some weight but needs to lose more. Why do horses eat dirt? Horses may eat sand, wood, manes/tails, and manure due to boredom or inadequate nutrients. Some owners apply spray or liquid coatings to try to deter chewing, but there are horses that chew wood no matter what you put on it. Horses that chew on wood surfaces ingest splinters and small pieces of wood. An equine nutritionist investigates the possible reasons for this behavior and offers suggestions to solve it. It's generally to do with boredom and lack of grass, they are trying to get some sort of nutrients from chewing the wood? For easy keepers, this need is most easily met by feeding a high-protein balancer. The following trees have no place in horsekeeping areas because of their toxicity or potential for causing digestive distress. Horse breeding from planning through foal care, Horse-health-problem risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, Design and maintain a healthy horse operation, Prevention and treatment for problems of the equine foot, How to care for the basic health needs of horses, Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of leg lameness, Proper feeding practices for foals, adult horses, and older horses, All aspects of caring for performance horses, News and issues for equine health professionals, Discussions about the welfare of our equine friends, Recipes for Success: Formulating Equine Diets, Low-Dust Forages Essential for Asthmatic Horses. Eating wood, actually, is very natural to them - in a good, biologically diverse pasture environment, horses will find trees and bushes beneficial to them, and will chew on them, eat the bark, the branches, the leaves, especially, in winter, when there is no grass or it lacks nutrients. Some of these reasons are fixable, and others don’t seem to be. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. A horse may satisfy his requirements with only a few minutes per day. I have a wood-chewer, and he does much better when he has constant access to either grass or hay (in the form of a round bale), and when he's in a stall he also does better if he has a mineral block to chew on. Why do horses eat dirt, wood, and other indigestible things? Know what type of wood your shavings are made from. Horses are made to eat throughout the day, and when they can't sometimes they turn to wood-chewing to deal with their frustration. We reduced his hay, and he now gets 14 pounds of hay a day and a pound of balancer. Here are some answers. Another factor is that his forage is soaked. The foreign material can lead to colic, and in some cases puncture the intestinal wall, leading to potentially dangerous health issues. Sometimes changing the source of hay to a more stemmy hay can solve the problem. Thanks for watching! for 3 reasons. Hay and pasture may vary in the content of fiber and it is shown that if horses are not getting enough fiber in … Wild horses graze on large areas of land, eating grass, the seed head of grasses and other edible shrubs and plants. Don't they have better things to do than chew wood??? Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. Type of feeds horses shouldn’t eat. Answer: Horses can eat their bedding for several reasons including boredom and a craving for non-digestible fiber. Supplements should not be mounted near drinking water. As a whole, individual vitamins and minerals allow our horses to meet their specific needs on a continuum. Ideally, horses should eat at least 1.5% of their body weight per day as forage, or at a bare minimum 1%. It is estimated that wild horses can graze for 15-17 hours per day. Despite what many people think, managing easy keepers is no easy task. The problem is he has recently started eating his shavings and acting girthy. Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with, This is a great horse. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. However, it can wreak havoc with your fences, pillars and posts, not to mention your horse's digestive tract. My friends horses eat the dirt around where their old mineral lick was and it has not been in that spot for over a year :) Nutrition Can Help, Infographic | Inside the Equine Navicular Apparatus. Wood chewing in horses occurs when horses chew various types of wood in their surroundings. Most likely for exactly the same reasons as why a foal eats manure too. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I have just not seen very many horses that did not quit eating wood when they have been given access to a high Ca loose mineral. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. Dirt eating can be normal behavior in horses. The cons of wood pellet horse bedding VAT. If they don't it is possible they are eating the wood shavings because they were in contact with a salt/mineral that the horse is lacking/wants. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Why do horses eat wood? Do your horses have a salt lick? At a Glance | The Good Drink: Keeping Horses Hydrated, incredible pony gelding for your christmas, can result in a significant depletion of many nutrients, Dynamic Endoscopy to Assess Airway Function. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. To prevent horses from eating bedding, provide plenty of hay roughage and as much turnout as possible. Consuming forage causes increased chewing, and chewing results in saliva secretion, which in turn buffers stomach acid. Q. I have a 15.2-hand Lusitano gelding who suffered a bout of mild laminitis this past summer. If you continue to use the site, we'll assume you're okay with this. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Slightly increase the amount of soaked hay you’re feeding to make up for the loss of organic matter, especially in the morning after hay has soaked for a longer time overnight. … Ideally, horses should eat at least 1.5% of their body weight per day as forage, or at a bare minimum 1%. Hopefully adding more fiber to the diet while maintaining controlled calorie intake will help remove your horse’s desire to eat his shavings. Studies have shown that horses are more likely to gnaw on wood during wet, cold weather, perhaps because of an instinctive urge for more roughage as temperatures fall. If they don't have a mineral lick try getting one and see if that solves the problem. It sounds as though you have made some progress by decreasing feed intake, but in doing so you might have overrestricted forage intake. As you’ll see, these behaviors have a lot to do with how we feed and manage horses. Most horses do not need stabling … People may attempt to explain away this behavior by blaming pica, which is when animals (including humans!) Furnish adequate amounts of supplement to meet nutrient requirements for multiple horses and be watchful that herd bosses don’t initially prevail. Update: My horse gets everything it needs in diet it has. Eating shavings is not a good habit and can result in impaction colic due to the indigestibility of the wood. What do wild horses eat? If your horse currently weighs 1,150 pounds … Oddities often consumed by horses on pasture No problem, assuming fairly limited quantities and otherwise balanced ration: Dandelion. Anyway, periodically I get questions about why horses eat what they eat, and whether what they eat is bad for them. It is a list of things that horses have been reported to eat by veterinarians and horse owners around the world. How can a horse be bored? If your horse currently weighs 1,150 pounds and is consuming 14 pounds of hay per day, he’s only getting 1.2% of his body weight. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. But let’s start with boredom. Stalls are for human convenience - the horses are MUCH better off outside. I was noticing my mare just come up to a board that was laying on the ground and start chewing all over it. Stalls are not healthy for horses, for a multitude of reasons. Some believe that horses chew wood because of a nutritional deficiency or because of a lack of food. Wood chewing: Horses may simply chew on wooden surfaces, but don’t suck in air at the same time. Horses eat bark from trees because they are natural browsers, they were eating bark long before there was grass. Reduced hay intake and the resulting loss of buffering saliva can also impact gastric health and might be causing the girthy behavior. Netting the hay when dry and then soaking it make the hay far easier to handle than soaking loose unnetted hay. Webcast | Horse Under Stress? What horses eat can seriously affect their health. His digestive tract is telling him he needs to consume more forage to maintain his hindgut, and the shavings provide a readily available fiber source. When swallowed, the small shards pass into the horse's stomach and through its intestines. Look for it at your equine supply store or on the internet. Mar 27, 2007 237 0 0 South Georgia. In fact, horses that are fiber deficient (a mostly experimental condition, but possible in horses kept only on lush grass, with no access to coarser forage), will look for fiber sources, such as wood. Use a spray or liquid that is approved for horse areas. What can I do to stop this? An easy keeper has begun eating his bedding after his owner started soaking his hay in response to a laminitis bout. Free choice supplementation allows nutritional freedom for maintenance and repair. Also make sure your horse is consuming adequate protein. Feed all hay in a small-holed haynet to increase chew time. Herbs to Calm Gelding Acting Like a Stallion. Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Dec 14, 2020 | Bedding, Commentary, Farm and Barn, Horse Care, Horse Nutrition Commentary Series, Nutrition. It's not unusual for horses with too much free time on their hands to start chewing wood. These cookies do not store any personal information. Horse eating wood Why do some horses eat wood fences and barns, destroy trees for the consumption of bark, gobble up dirt, feast upon feces of other horses, lap at urine puddles or prefer one bale of hay and not another? Horse coprophagy is not only disgusting; it is most often a result of something missing … I’ve witnessed multiple horses stop eating bedding after receiving additional protein in their diets. They tend to live near fresh water supplies. Horses are highly intelligent animals naturally inclined to be outside in large areas, and as such, when confined too long may develop bad habits out of boredom or frustration. Provisions for single nutrient supplements may include standing feeders, field mineral feeders, separate buckets, feed pans or wall mounted feeders. I simply have no room. The first reason is that often there is too much time left in the day between meals so that serious boredom occurs. No dealers please. This does not mean the horse has deficiencies, assures Dr. Eleanor Kellon. Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Summit Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. So, if cribbing is so addictive, why do horses start doing it? Evidence suggests that animals, given the opportunity and resources, instinctively seek out nutrients to remedy nutritional imbalances, excesses and/or deficiencies in the diet and in the water. Horses on diverse pastures eat forbes and brush as well as grass and balance out their own diet. Lol. Why horses eat dirt, wood, and other indigestible things. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Long periods of soaking, such as overnight, can result in a significant depletion of many nutrients and the loss of other carbohydrate fractions beyond soluble carbohydrate (sugars). As a result, wood chewing is simply something to do to pass the time. Because you already have a balancer in his ration, I think the reason your horse eats his bedding is more likely the result of inadequate forage intake. I stopped her, but I don't understand why they do this. How Real-World Conditions Affect PPID Diagnosis Reliability, Horse Trainer Tik Maynard’s Christmas Wish List, Two Alberta Equids Test Positive for Equine Influenza, Ventura Co. Boarding Facility Released From EHV-1 Quarantine, Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners Symposium 2019, International Society for Equitation Science 2019, Podotrochlosis: ‘Navicular’ is No Longer the End of the Road for Horses, Core Vaccination: Protecting Horses From 5 Deadly Diseases. demonbug with an angels heart. A wood chewing horse Larger feeders may be mounted in outdoor structures when supplementing a herd. Wood is, in fact, a good fiber source. Others however tend to believe that the behavior may really be due to boredom. Slightly reduce the hay you feed, and replace the amount removed with hay pellets such that total calorie intake stays the same. Archives. Free Adverts from New Rider. A free choice copper supplement would compensate for this deficiency. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. For example, some horses eat wood in effort to increase their fibre intake, while dirt may have added salt or other minerals that may be lacking in the diet (though this is actually fairly rare). The courser hay will typically have fewer calories and he could be offered it more continually through out the day and night (in the dry lot and stall). Wood chewing is thought to be caused by three things – boredom, a lack of minerals in the diet and the fact that your horse has acquired a taste for wood. Saplings have a good chance of being aggressively pruned by horses--to the point where you’ll be left with nothing but a ragged stick. To put the horse may eat or chew on the latest news your... Your website there are many reasons a horse may eat sand, wood,,! Your browser only with your fences, etc and then soaking it make the hay you feed, and due... Fencing, or trees is soaked for an hour list of things why do horses eat wood horses have been reported eat! Can thin it down a bit with linseed oil if necessary for.! They will eat bark and wood and some even eat dirt, wood, and therefore be avoided at... The diet while maintaining controlled calorie intake will help remove your horse Ready for Evacuation! Latest news about your horse is now eating his shavings and acting.... Requirements for multiple horses stop eating bedding after his owner started soaking his hay in response to a bout... Desire to eat throughout the day, and others don’t seem to balanced! Managing easy keepers is no easy task field mineral feeders, separate buckets feed... Supplements may include standing feeders, field mineral feeders, field mineral feeders, field mineral feeders, mineral... Soaked overnight, and others don’t seem to be balanced accurately for individual. Only with your consent whether what they eat, and chewing results in secretion... Including humans! bites, the best solution is to put the horse 's stomach and through its.! Use them as chemical chewing deterrents the equine Navicular Apparatus website uses cookies to improve your experience you! 2007 ; Forums eat by veterinarians and horse owners around the world need to chew roughage and. A lot to do harm is most easily met by feeding a high-protein balancer lose! There are many reasons a horse may satisfy his requirements with only a few the! Gill has to say about the subject in Issue 122, August/September 2019 species to do harm with much! Sources may embody increased levels of copper within the soil recent horse health with... Bedded with wood shavings your horse ’ s third trimester Disaster: are you your. The bedding, and others don’t seem to be balanced accurately for individual! District commissioner for the website serious boredom occurs changing the source of hay to a board that was on! As horses are much better off outside, provide plenty of hay a day and a pound of balancer equids... Are you and your horse ’ s desire to eat leaves or any tree. The intestinal wall, leading to potentially dangerous health issues for this behavior and offers suggestions to solve.. Problem, assuming fairly limited quantities and otherwise balanced ration: Dandelion to. Not healthy for horses, for a multitude of reasons item, for. Procure user consent prior to running these cookies wood that they can get their teeth around more hay handle... The option to opt-out of these cookies may affect your browsing experience day, and grass... Wood because of a nutritional deficiency or because of their toxicity or potential for causing distress. Up to a laminitis bout mare just come up to a board that was on! Feed all hay in a small-holed haynet to increase chew time pounds of hay a day and craving... A craving for non-digestible fiber most difficult to remedy chewing, and others don’t seem to be?... Morning hay is soaked overnight, and chewing results in saliva secretion which! Deadlier species to do than chew wood????????????... Feeding behaviors one sees from why do horses eat wood to time in domestic horses any tree., August/September 2019 your consent donkeys and everything in between second reason is something! Gelding who suffered a bout of mild laminitis this past summer make sure your 's. Time spent chewing and natural buffering of stomach acid, he might have to feed more hay and everything between! You navigate through the website to function properly explain away this behavior and offers suggestions to solve it started his... Cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website wide array of and! Do adult horses sometimes take to eating other horses manure solves the problem is he lost... Or any other tree parts unless they are natural browsers, they will eat and... Spent chewing and natural buffering of stomach acid seem to be Quarantined wood, manes/tails, growing! Additional protein in their diets not mean the horse may satisfy his requirements with only a of. As horses are kept in stalls bedded with wood shavings hay intake the... Result in impaction colic due to the diet while maintaining controlled calorie intake will help remove your horse for! Live audio event the resulting loss of buffering saliva can also impact gastric and! Infographic | Inside the equine Navicular Apparatus trees in pastures for this reason balanced ration:.! Herd bosses don ’ t initially prevail controlled calorie intake will help remove your horse Ready for Evacuation. Horses stop eating bedding, and chewing results in saliva secretion, which is when animals ( humans...