eating branches

[Sophie_Bailey]

hiya, i know there have been similar posts but thought id ask as im still a bit unsure.

my horses paddocks are surrounded by trees and bushes and they even have their own small wooded area to play in. They have been having the odd chew at the branches and trees and just want to make sure that this is ok and their not lacking in anything? Ive got 4 horses on an 8 acre plot. They are currently grazing around 5 acres of it and have plently of grass and a mineral lick (which has been used). They aren't fed anything else.

thanks!

 

[Elbie]

Ours have grazing and haynets and mineral licks and feed balancers in the evening. Still doesn't stop him picking up twigs and branches to eat when we're out! I just assumed he was greedy. If its not a branch he's chewing my coat.

My 2 esp. love it when the leaves are growing on the trees, they then turn in to giraffes.

Sounds like you can't really offer them more than what you are giving...but then i'm no expert

 

[Dubsie]

When we bought our house we admired the very prettily shaped, and quite old judging by the thick trunk, ornamental cherry tree in the back garden. We later discovered it had been pruned flat underneath at head height by the previous owners ponies, as this is exactly what ours do as soon as the leaves come out!

 

[AndySpooner]

Horses are browsers not grazing animals, it is perfectly natural for them to eat twigs, leaves and bark. I don't know if eating some of the more ornimental trees from garden centres is a good idea as they may well be toxic but the run of the mill stuff that normally grows here is ok.

The idea that they eat nothing but green grass when its growing is our idea and not a very good one.