Horse eating droppings!!!

[ROMANY 1959]

This one ive not come accross before, my friends horse 15.2 black mare will eat fresh droppings if the horse in frount stops in the menage, she will then stop and try to eat it............ Any ideas why!!!!!
All comments welcome cos we are at a loss to see why she is doing it. She is a good weight 530kg glossy coat but can have the odd stropp and buck. Wormed regulary

 

[michellev123]

The foals do it at the stud is apparently because the mothers milk lacks something! They usually stop when they are weaned I'd be inclined to check her diet.
Hope this helps

 

[Dogstar]

My old mare did this after a course of antibiotics, it's because the gut flora has been upset. I fed Pink Powder and she stopped doing it literally within a couple of days.

 

[blueneonrainbow]

Its called coprophagia. Usually because the animal is lacking something in their diet, so as someone else says check she's getting the right nurition.

 

[legaldancer]

My pony mare has started doing this recently & I thought it was due to an upset in her gut flora, but it coincided with us getting a new mare. She had been recently wormed due to the new arrival, but she was only eating the new pony's droppings, not her long standing companion's.

I've started all on pink powder & she still does eat it, but only if the new pony does a fresh dropping near her. She paws it & then starts eating it, pulling funny faces at the same time!
I did a search on here & although most said it was due to something lacking in the diet, someone suggested it was to do with a submissive behaviour. This could make sense as the new mare had become boss of original mare.