Horse Eating Own Chestnuts?! Help!

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ChunkyMonkey25

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Hi all,

As I know you are all the fountain of knowledge I was wondering if anyone has heard of a horse eating it's own chestnuts off?!

My 6yo had eaten both HIND! chestnuts off and has started on his fronts! He is turned out alone so cannot be something else doing it either.

Any suggestions of why? Or anyone else experienced this?

Thanks in advance

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Have you actually seen him eating them? :confused:

My horse looks like he doesn't have chestnuts but the don't seem to grow very much and are very flaky so just peel off, maybe that's what's happening with your horse?
 
my old mare i had pts last year did this she had foot canka too but ate chestnuts and made them bleed all we did was put sudocream on - but vet didnt no why she did it and adv also curry powder as they wouldnt like taste but didnt try tht lol :D
 
thanks for the replies - very strange pony! Have not seen him do it but you can see the teeth marks in them and his hind ones look very sore where he has bitten around the edges! Will try curry powder - thanks
 
F self-trimms his when they are a bit long - are you sure yours isn't doing the same?

I would treat them with a weak tea-tree oil solution (just in case they are infected or have any nasties in there) and just keep an eye. Obviously if he is making them bleed you will need to put something on to stop him biting them, but if he were mine I'd try something a bit less likely to irritate any sore skin than curry powder - like a soothing wound cream of some kind.
 
thanks will try the wound cream and tea tree. He has eaten them flat! Only had him since January so don't know if it is particularly normal for him! Just worried that he had something wrong?!
 
I've never heard of that being indicative of anything wrong, unless he's doing it as a stereotypy (stable vice)...?

Frank's are also flat to the skin when he has finished. He forgets about them for months, but hates you picking them off for him! :rolleyes: Then you'll see him doing it. Its a bit weird really, he looks like he really relishes it, like satsfying a good itch, and then he eats it. :o
 
I pick bits off my horse's chestnuts if they start to stick out! I hate the look of big sticking out chestnuts. Does anyone else do this or am I strange.
Re OP - if it was me I'd slap on some sudacreme - a) it will soothe them and b) you'll know for sure if he's biting them as he'll have white cream on his gob!
 
LeneHorse said:
I pick bits off my horse's chestnuts if they start to stick out! I hate the look of big sticking out chestnuts. Does anyone else do this or am I strange.
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One of the girls at my yard does this, so unless she's you, then there is at least one other :)
 
My horse doesn't chew hers off but I do pick them off myself and she then eats any bits she can find on the stable floor. She also tries to eat the sponge I use for wiping her bum :confused: but I always assumed she was just being quirky as per usual :rolleyes:

I guess its possible there is some dietary deficiency or some irritation there. You could always try putting cribox on....
 
Our donkey used to eat the other horses' chestnuts if we r the farrier trimmed them ff, He'd also eat the foot trimming that dogs normally love. Hmm, although he also liked to stand over the farrier when he was shoeing the horses and inhale the smoke that came off the shot shoe as it was put on the foot. I think he was a little strange!!! hehe
 
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