what makes a horse eat tree bark fence posts ect. neighbor has lots of horses and they are eating everything wondering if they are underfed or if this was a thing they just do?
2006-10-28 04:54:36 · 12 answers · asked by howie 5 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
they are race horses that get worked every day.
2006-10-28 05:05:00 · update #1
Well, horses chew for many reasons, or a combination of many reasons....
Horses can get bored. They actually get bored very easily. They are designed to eat a little bit at a time, all day long. Alot of people think that a horses main food should be some form of grain with a little hay. In reality, horses don't need grain unless they get to much exercise or there is something missing from the hay or grass they have access to. Cutting back on grain while dramatically increasing the amount of hay being fed can help. Just plain old grass hay works just fine. You don't need to feed alfalfa or anything. (its to high in protein any way) Sometimes just letting horses have access to hay 24/7 works wonders.
I doubt these horses are underfed, but its very possible they are being fed in a way that's not so good. Good hay can be very expensive and hard to find.
Horses can be bored for several reasons; To many horses in to small an area, not enough hay or roughage, or because they are confined (in a small paddock or in a stall)
Another reason that horses can chew is if their diet is missing something, like salt. They will chew on wood trying to get the minerals they need.
My mare seems to chew every winter (go figure) We are in an are where there is no such thing as grass turnout, and free choice hay is hard, but she does like salt.
Another thing that can happen, is cribbing. It can be hard to tell if a horse is chewing wood or if he cribs, but cribbing starts for the same reasons, or a horse copies it off another horse. When a horse cribs, he flexes a muscle in his jaw that releases endorphins, which are addicting. Its sort of like a horse that is addicted to a drug. Cribbing can be stopped if you put a special collar on a horse than prevents them from flexing that muscle.
2006-10-28 06:16:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they could probably just be bored, but they could also be lacking in certain supplements that can be found in wood. this is the same reason as to why horses eat dirt, (yes they actually do it). You dont mention what kind of enclosure they're in, and whether it has sufficient amounts of grass, or whether hay is put out for them. Roughage is a very important part of a horses diet, and if there is an insufficient amount of it then he horse would start eating things like fence posts, bark off trees etc, in extreme cases of neglect horses have been known to eat things like stones and bits of rubbish. although im sure you would notice if this was the case.
being athletes, Racehorses recquire alot more roughage than a less competitive horse as they are fed large quantities of concentrated, high protien grain. Roughage aids in the digestion of these concentrates.
Check to see if there's alot of grass or hay, if there isnt alot then speak to your neighbour and just alert him/her to the fact that this is what the horses are doing.'
Hope this helps.
2006-10-28 06:50:00 · answer #2 · answered by Kismet 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If a horse is chewing on wood such a trees or wood fencing exc. it is boredom... It can file down theyr'e teeth, they need a salt lick for vitamins , if they are sucking in air, this is called " cribbing " they need a crib collar, other wise they will bloat up. If they are eating random weeds and acorns exc. this could be bad, dangerous & or poisonous. The owner may not be taking proper care of them, check theyr'e feet... if they look bad you should report him because horse's that have bad feet may not be able to walk properly... they need to be taken care of 6-8 weeks. You should be concerned.
2006-10-28 05:14:29 · answer #3 · answered by sogullablegurly 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All of our horses do the same thing, they are probably board or nervous. My brother's horse, when we first got him he chewed the fence posts real bad, my dad said it's because he was nervous being with different horses and new surroundings.
2006-10-28 05:10:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Horses start to gnaw at wood and many other things when they are bored. Maybe start taking them on trail rides or just walk with them and try to have fun with them. My horse had the same problem.
2006-10-28 05:54:08 · answer #5 · answered by Smartees 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are lacking something. They need a mineral block. The chewing on the wood is out of boredom and lack of a certain vitamin although I cannot for the life of me remember what it is. If they put mineral salt blocks out it will eliminate the chewing.
Now if they are cribbing that is another story all together. They grab onto the boards to suck air in when they eat. I have one and without his collar on he will destroy any pen he is put it. For that they need a miracle collar so when they go to suck the air in they cannot.
2006-10-28 04:59:57 · answer #6 · answered by Jennifer R 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
this means that the nieghbor could not be feeding them, maybe they are sick who knows. it could just be poor treatment. go step by step, go out every night and feed them enough hay and water the can finish over night. if it doesn't stop call the vet see what he can do. if then it still doesn't stop comprimise with your neighbor and take care of the horses
2006-10-28 05:29:13 · answer #7 · answered by tt 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the horses are cribbing. The horses are probably bored and i recommend getting a mineral salt block.
2006-10-28 08:04:11 · answer #8 · answered by The solving wiz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They all do this don't let him chew treated or painted wood. they need to put a spray or chemical especially if it's your fence they're chewing on.
2006-10-28 05:35:00 · answer #9 · answered by Dotr 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's natural and a you can't change it
2015-02-17 09:19:03 · answer #10 · answered by clare 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋