Horse eating droppings?

[bigben]

Hi there,

Anyone had experience of their horse eating its own or others droppings while out grazing? My horse is in a big field with lots of grass, in not underweight (a good doer) and he's fed a vit and min supplement. He gets hay on a night and only a scoop of happy hoof due to getting too fat and being very exciteable on any sort of grain/mix.

I'm worried it could be a protein deficiency? Anyone know anything about it?

 

[dwi]

I saw probably the healthiest horse on my yard doing this the other day and his owner was horrified when i told her. I always thought that it was some sort of deficiency but I'm afraid I don't know for sure

 

[Fairynuff]

Vivaldi was eating his droppings when he arrived here but has stopped since I gave him a salt lick-I need to muck him out now

. It wont be anything to do with protein as any excess is passed out in the wee as urea. Try some salt in his feed, it may work although I dont know why

M.

 

[buzzles]

At one of the yards I work at, nearly half the horses eat their droppings, it's because they're stabled all the time and don't get out to be exercised unless their owners ride them which sometimes is only a few times a week. They also get a huge amount of hard feed and very little hay. I know they do it because they're bored and from lack of forage, they also eat the wood in the stables. They all have salt/mineral licks so I don't think it's a deficency. I've talked to the YO about feeding them correctly and they now get more hay and are out for a few hours a day however most of them still eat the droppings so I think it's a habit they've developed. How long have you had your horse, could it be a habit he's developed from a previous yard?

 

[JGKJ]

My horse started to do this recently, and i heard it can be a sign of stress? That would fit in with my horse anyway as he just lost his best friend...

 

[HerbiesHuman]

i caught mine doing it once so put him on benevit and havent caught him doing it since he's been on it about a year now. i was told it was a mineral defency hence me putting him on benevit.

if i was you seeing as you've already putt him on a mineral supplement maybe you could give a feed company a ring as thats wat they specalise in