SHe is 20 yrs old and I just recently aquired her! I'm just worried it's something I should be concerned about! this is constant!
any one have any ideas?
2007-01-13 23:41:27 · 10 answers · asked by nbell402 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Was she stalled in her previous home?
If not, she might be going nuts all locked up. Horses are unhappy stalled all the time. It's torture for them to stay in there. They only sleep around 3 hours a day, and in the wild they travel about 30 miles a day. Putting a horse in a stall constantly is exactly equivalent to locking an active, healthy person in a bathroom everday. Wouldn't that person resort to strange habits?
If you can, change your horse's boarding situation. Try putting her in a field for a minimum of 6 hours a day. Horses don't need to be babied! All they need is a shed to get out of the wind, open space, hay or grass, and some buddies. Since your mare is older, you might consider getting a medium weight blanket for the really cold nights.
It is also possible she does have a mineral deficiency. If so, she's bound to have other symptoms. How does she keep weight? How are her feet? Is her coat soft or rough? Are her eyes clear or a little foggy? Is she nervous all the time? Does she have muscle tone? Does she always appear dirty? Do you have to brush her to make her look healthy? Are her hooves smooth or ridged? Does she have a cresty neck? Is she fat? The list goes on and on but those are the symptoms that come to mind. If she has any few of those symptoms, she most likely has a deficiency of some kind.
There are a few products that I would recommend. I use Dynamite Marketing products. They are definately the best I've ever seen. They are pricey and difficult to get your hands on, but it's worth it. It is a multi-level marketing company and finding a distributor can be difficult.
The other product I would recommend is ABC (Advanced Biological Concepts). That is a decent quality line of products that work pretty well. My friend uses it on her horses and both are healthy.
For your horse's mental health (which could easily be the whole problem here), you need to change your approach to her. Try natural horsemanship. Again, it's a bit pricey, but it's worth it. It's so much fun and it has done WONDERS for me and my horse. Horses need to be fit on every level. If a horse is fit in their body but their head is unfit, it's sad and can be dangerous. It also means a very unhealthy horse that resorts to weird habits and often aggressive behavior.
Your horse is sick in either her head or her body. It's probably a combination of both. It's up to you to address it.
Good luck!
2007-01-14 04:38:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
north is wrong. we have horses that lick the stalls and have mineral and salt blocks in their stalls. they also have mineral and salt blocks in their pastures too. its nothing to be concerned about. i hope she is not in a stall all the time. she could start bad habits like cribbing and teeth scrapping(scrapping is not a horrible habit its just very annoying). since she is older, make sure she is getting plenty of proteins and vitamins and minerals in her grain(senior feed). with her age she will start having trouble eating hay so u may have to substitute with alfalfa cubes-she may be also to eat alfalfa hay. just wanted to give u some advice for the future if u have not had experience. as for the licking the bars, i wouldn't be too worried if u do have some sort of mineral or salt in the stall.
2007-01-14 09:36:47 · answer #2 · answered by kooneyedkellie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be diet. Get her a mineral lick for horses. If this doesn't solve the problem then it may be a habit caused by boredom. Is she in the stall all day? Does she have hay to nibble at? Are there other horses nearby for company? Good luck.
2007-01-14 07:48:27 · answer #3 · answered by Ripplediane 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your horse could be under a little stress because the place is new to her.Or maybe she just needs a little salt. Talk to her and make her feel loved when she is licking the bars and give her something to distract her like a piece of fruit. Talk to the former owner and ask if she did that when she was there. The bars there may remind her of her former home. Give her time to adjust. If you are really concerned ask your vet!
2007-01-14 07:57:08 · answer #4 · answered by vanilla_kisses_xox 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just wanted to add that salt licks are not made for horses....they are made for cows and horses cannot get the same benefit from a lick as they do from loose salt, or a loose salt and mineral combination. You can find loose salt at any farm supply store, just put it in a grain tub or something in her stall if it is a salt deficiency.
2007-01-14 16:45:09 · answer #5 · answered by cjincbus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Horses should have a salt lick and a mineral block in the stall and at their disposal at all times - in a stall or out in a pasture. Your horse apparently doesn't have either.
2007-01-14 08:27:12 · answer #6 · answered by north79004487 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My 30 year old Arab gelding is a licker. He has all he needs but will stand by the gate and lick the bar. I guess it's like chewing gum for him, a habit. Make sure the surface she licks does not have anything harmful on it.
2007-01-14 11:26:13 · answer #7 · answered by horsinround2do 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you just got this horse and she is new to the stall she may just be cleaning it or marking her territory. was a baby born there? She may sense it. SHe is older she may just want to lick some animal do that.
2007-01-14 07:48:11 · answer #8 · answered by Pooh 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Give her some pasture time. All the time in a confined area is too stressful for horses. She will lessen this over time with enough pasture time.
2007-01-14 09:05:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
she might just be bored. either let her out in the pasture or get her a toy
2007-01-14 14:37:59 · answer #10 · answered by ஐEmmaஐ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋