why does my horse insist on chewing/eating the tree?

[sachak]

he's not windsucking (phew!) and he doesnt chew the fence or the stable door or anything so why the tree.... :S silly horse!!!

 

[Grumbledor]

Can be a sign of a mineral deficiency, along with eating poo, poor coat etc. Or perhaps just that he's silly!

 

[sachak]

yup im resigning to the latter... he is fed once a day (as he is in v little work and slightly on the larger side of life!!!) er HI FI Orig calm and condition with garlic n oil in his feed.

he is dead shiny so nowt wrong wit his coat... anyone else with me on this one... my horse is just a numpty!!!!

 

[Tiggy1]

Mine does it too.
SHe strips bark and it's a nightmare.
Going to have to tape them off with leccy fencing!

 

[kellyeaton]

try some vits and mins in her diet coz if she is not having a lot of hard ood she will not be getting the stuff she needs!

 

[Sooty]

Horses love chewing wood and bark. Ours each has a small log in their stable for that very purpose.

 

[RachelMcTimoney]

my horses chew bark off bottom of the big trees in their field they like chewing wood, they certainly have no need to other than because they like it! I leave them to it as they only eat a small amount!

 

[hellybelly6]

Because he likes it.

My horse likes to chew trees too, he particularly likes rosebushes and willow, he doesnt chew the wood in his stable.

You could try a general purpose supplement, but it is something wild horses do too.

As long as the tree is not chestnut, laurel, yew. laburnum, oak, rhodedendrum. He should be ok.