Any ideas, horse digging and licking the ground?

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shugmx

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One of my horses is licking the ground. He has a large mineral bucket in his field, a salt lick in his stable and is fed Baileys balancer Has anybody any other ideas please?
 
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Most mineral blocks and salt licks are top-ups to keep an already balanced horse at the right level - if he's deficient in something he'll need an extra dose until levels are back to normal, so that's worth keeping in mind.
 
Maybe the ground tastes good?
It is totally natural for them to dig and lick the ground when access to salt/minerals is not available, although this is not so in your case.

Does he do it in the same place?
Is it obsessive?

My horses have dug a hole about a foot deep in one part of their paddocks, thinking back on it it is where there was a mineral block and I assume it leached into the ground. They have other blocks in the paddock but still dig and lick the soil.
 
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Hi thank you so much for replies, it could just be habit. I dont have him that long (6 months) so will keep an eye on it and speak to vet next time they are on yard. will keep him well stocked with salt to see if it helps. thank you
 
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My mare used to pull a face and spit if a grain of soil so much as touched her lips - then her favourite boyfriend decided that soil scraping and licking was a fun thing to do and three guesses who started doing it too? She did stop the scraping but never worried again about accidentally eating soil if she pulled a plant up by the roots. Interestingly she took up dipping and dunking her hay because of her boyfriend too, but that went away after a short period.
 
Thank you for that. there was a horse in his field that use to do it, he is gone a month or so now, so hopefully it will stop and not a habit for life.
 
I read something very recently about horses not being able to get enough salt from licks.

They need about two tablespoons each day and a study found that a generic block would not provide enough due to the smooth tongues. Cows fare better with licks as they have rough tongues.

So, I just started to leave salt loose in a tub. Yes it gets spilled a bit. But at 20p for a tub at Tescos I'm not bothered. There's four horses and so one tub will last about 2-3 days for all of them.
 
tallyho! said:
I read something very recently about horses not being able to get enough salt from licks.

They need about two tablespoons each day and a study found that a generic block would not provide enough due to the smooth tongues. Cows fare better with licks as they have rough tongues.

So, I just started to leave salt loose in a tub. Yes it gets spilled a bit. But at 20p for a tub at Tescos I'm not bothered. There's four horses and so one tub will last about 2-3 days for all of them.
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Wow, that seems quite a lot, even for four horses! How big are the tubs?
 
fburton said:
Wow, that seems quite a lot, even for four horses! How big are the tubs?
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Only a normal sized tall tub, like saxo ones... hard to describe... or at least I'm finding it hard! haha!! I'm telling you though they do fight over it! Also, their water consumption has gone up... always a good thing with mares. I hate seeing cloudy wee as a vet told me that they are not getting enough water. All ours are out 24/7 though but if in a stable I only add it to feed in case she eats too much.

Bottle!!! I meant bottle!!

I thought it was lots too fburton! However... on consultation with the online Merck veterinary Manual.. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/m...horses.html?qt=equine salt requirement&alt=sh

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Salt:
Salt (NaCl) requirements are markedly influenced by sweat losses. It is recommended that horse rations contain 1.6–1.8 g salt/kg feed dry matter, although there are limited data on the precise requirements. Sweat losses may cause NaCl losses >30 g (1 oz) in only 1–2 hr of hard work, and feed concentrations of salt for working horses are recommended to be at least 3.6 g NaCl/kg feed dry matter. The upper limit for salt inclusion in the ration of even hard-working horses is recommended at 6% of the total ration. However, NaCl is the only mineral for which horses are known to have true “nutritional wisdom.” Horses voluntarily seek out and consume salt in amounts to meet their daily needs if given the opportunity. Salt or salt blocks should be available free choice. Supplemental salt may be provided by oral dosing or added to feed or water in addition to free-choice salt to replace acute losses during hard work, but prolonged, excessive, forced supplementation will enhance excretion, which will reduce the ability to adjust to acute losses in the future. Forced oral administration of concentrated salt pastes (electrolytes) to dehydrated horses can cause abdominal malaise. Some horses, usually those confined to stalls, will ingest excessive amounts of salt, possibly due to restricted feed intake and/or boredom. This will not cause health problems as long as adequate water is available, although it will increase water intake and urination. Salt poisoning is unlikely unless a deprived horse is suddenly allowed free access to salt, or if water is not available to horses force-fed salt (eg, electrolyte mixtures given PO during competitions). Excessive salt content of feed or water will limit voluntary intakes, precluding toxicity but putting the horse at risk of energy deficits.

The most satisfactory method to provide supplemental calcium, phosphorus, and salt is to furnish a mixture of one-third trace mineral or plain salt and two-thirds dicalcium phosphate free choice. Trace mineral salt blocks do not contain additional calcium or phosphorus.
 
shugmx said:
One of my horses is licking the ground. He has a large mineral bucket in his field, a salt lick in his stable and is fed Baileys balancer Has anybody any other ideas please?
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All ours do this for short period in autumn - from now on. They've all done it for years with no ill effects. Turned out c7hours daily and nothing else in management changes.... We assume there's just something tasty turns up around now - or something suddenly laking in grazing.
 
oldjumper said:
All ours do this for short period in autumn - from now on. They've all done it for years with no ill effects. Turned out c7hours daily and nothing else in management changes.... We assume there's just something tasty turns up around now - or something suddenly laking in grazing.
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Uncanny! Actually, right about now, grass potassium content is much lower and since the balance with sodium is intrinsically linked, it would make sense horses seek out more sodium to redress the balance.
 
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Interesting - one of mine did it today, never seen him do it before. He had a little nibble of some churned up mud by the gate while he was waiting for his fieldmate to finish rolling then they went off to graze.

Our grazing is not low in sodium so I usually only supplement when they lose it from sweating.
 
criso said:
Interesting - one of mine did it today, never seen him do it before. He had a little nibble of some churned up mud by the gate while he was waiting for his fieldmate to finish rolling then they went off to graze.

Our grazing is not low in sodium so I usually only supplement when they lose it from sweating.
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It's not the sodium thats the problem, its the potassium. Look up online about sodium/potassium relationship.
 
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