6 minute read
Nutrition Focus: Why Do They Eat That?
by Edit
Lorna Edgar – specialist equine nutritionist
Why Do They Eat That?
Advertisement
Addressing annoying eating habits
I am often asked about some habits that horses may develop, why they do it and whether they can be reduced or stopped. Habits, those annoying habits such as wood chewing, eating and licking the soil or eating the bedding or droppings – any of these sound familiar?
These, sometimes frustrating, habits we see our horses doing at times are called Pica – unusual eating behaviours. They are often triggered by boredom or curiosity but can also be triggered by a nutritional deficiency in the diet.
Of course, they may not all be nutrition related, and sometimes they can become behavioural habits that, once started, are hard to stop! In my job, I am always trying to look at the bigger picture as to why they have developed that behaviour and whether I can suggest anything on a nutritional basis to possibly stop or reduce the behaviour.
Soil Eating (Geophagia)
Horses that spend a lot of their time stabled or even those turned out to pasture can be seen doing this, and they could be doing it for different reasons. For those stabled and in work it would be worth ensuring their diet is balanced – sometimes analysing the forage can help to determine any deficiencies. Sometimes providing a mineral/salt lick to provide those extra salts that may be lacking can be helpful. If they are sweating regularly then adapting a programme to ensure they are receiving electrolytes will be necessary.
If you give them a salt/mineral lick and you notice they are drinking a lot more and their bed becomes a lot wetter, I would suggest removing the lick for a time as they are over-indulging in and drinking more as a consequence as their salt levels are out of balance – this may happen if an individual is particularly greedy! You could instead add a tablespoon of salt in the feed every day if you feel the licks are being consumed rather rapidly!
Eating soil whilst turned out can also be noticed at times which could also be a lack of sodium in their diet. As with the stabled horse, providing a paddock lick can help to provide those extra minerals that may be missing.
Your horse suddenly eating soil in quite a significant way has been linked to gastric upsets – observing their droppings, forage intake, behaviour and talking to your vet would be suggested.
Wood Chewing (Lignophagia)
This can often begin when there is a lack of fibre in the diet, either when stabled to imitate trickle feeding, or in the field when the grass is wet and they can’t consume enough fibre to satisfy the needs of their hind gut. So, whilst stabled we need to allow them more time to eat and chew by increasing their general fibre intake of hay or haylage. If the haylage is wet and they are chewing wood in the stable then increase the amount you are feeding or offer some hay with it to increase the fibre intake by counteracting for the high-water content in the wet haylage.
Whilst turned out on plenty of grass, perhaps during their winter break, you may question why they would be wood chewing when there is an abundance of grass in front of them, but it is often natural for them to forage and nibble on bark in hedgerows for instance. They may also be excused if the grass is too wet and they are not receiving enough fibre in their diet as the water content of the grass is very high and not satisfying their fibre needs. To help with this during certain times of the year, offer some long forage, hay or haylage, to allow them to increase the fibre part of their diet.
Sometimes a disturbance in the beneficial bacteria in the hind gut with the hind gut becoming too acidic can be a cause of wood chewing, and in this case, I will often recommend adding a pre/probiotic supplement to their diet to help restore the balance of hind gut bacteria, which may then help to reduce/stop the habit.
Photography by Polo Times
This is often observed in foals and young horses. In foals it occurs most frequently during the first two to four months of life, and generally reduces as the foals mature. It is thought that this behaviour is playing a role in preparing the digestive tract (hind gut) for the bacterial fermentation of fibre as it matures.
In mature horses, where boredom may be likely in the stabled horse, they will engage in coprophagy when inadequate amounts of forage are being offered to satisfy their nutritional/fibre requirements. As mentioned previously, a minimum of 1.5 per cent of body weight daily in forage and concentrate should be offered, any less and the digestive tract can start to be compromised. Mimicking trickle feeding/grazing is possible in the stabled horse by offering little and often for those greedy individuals!
Sometimes the rapidly growing spring grass or the wet autumn grass has a high water content, which can encourage the eating of droppings to satisfy the need to chew and increase their fibre intake, which is also where the wood chewing can become a problem.
Ensuring a balanced diet is being fed, increasing the fibre intake and providing a pre/probiotic supplement can all help with reducing the acidic (acidosis) in the hind gut and reduce the amount of droppings being eaten – and not having to put muzzles on!
Eating the Bed
I wouldn’t generally class this as a behaviour like the other three above, but it is a frustrating habit that I know I am asked about in polo yards, so felt I would add it to this article.
Generally caused by a lack of fibre being received in the diet, and to satisfy their need to chew, they will eat their bed instead to increase the fibre intake in their ration. Rather than muzzling and stopping any chewing behaviour, we need to increase the fibre intake – check you are feeding more than the minimum of 1.5 per cent of bodyweight in fibre per day, encourage trickle feeding throughout the day by little and often amounts or using small holed haylage nets.
If you are feeding ad lib forage and they are still turning to their bed, especially a straw bed to satisfy their fibre intake, this is more than likely caused by the hay/haylage not being palatable, either from poor storage, the forage being open to the elements – especially if cats or dogs are in the hay barn, or the forage being stalky and coarse and therefore not palatable or very digestible. Looking for an alternative hay/haylage source, mixing a new forage with the old, or providing additional fibre supplementation in a separate feed bowl, such as alfalfa, beet pulp or freeze dried grasses, will all help pick up the forage intake again and reduce the amount of bedding being eaten.
The rapidly growing spring grass or the wet autumn grass has a high water content which can encourage the eating of droppings to satisfy the need to chew
Contact Lorna Edgar of Baileys Horse Feeds on lorna@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk
The “Gonzalito” Saddle
The Best for the Best
Already acclaimed by leading professionals
Custom Bridlework is also available to match your team colours
Enquiries to: Equine Management Ltd Tel: 01825 840002 Email: info@equineman.com
www.equineman.com
it’s priceless” ™
Gonzalito Pieres
