Horses eat tree bark for various reasons. Sometimes it satisfies their need to chew, while it could also be due to boredom or lacking essential nutrients in their diet.
To protect themselves from this issue, it’s important to make sure their horses receive a balanced nutrition with plenty of hay and forage – then find something they enjoy munching on as a distraction.
Boredom
Horses are grazing animals, and their bodies function best when exposed to natural forages such as grass and legumes. When kept confined in a stall or small paddock and fed processed feeds, their bodies can become bored quickly; often taking to chewing tree bark or wooden structures such as fence posts as an alternative way of alleviating boredom and passing time.
As early intervention is key in avoiding costly and extensive damage, once a horse begins eating wood it may become hard to stop them and could even lead to dental problems or intestinal blockages.
Horses often eat tree bark to meet their nutritional requirements. Their ancient forebears were forest browsers who fed on bark and other plant material for sustenance; those whose nutritional needs are satisfied may continue to nibble trees for added variety and texture, according to Mariette van den Berg from MB Equine Services consultancy in Armidale, New South Wales.
If your horse appears bored and eating bark out of boredom, try providing additional forage as a means of keeping him busy. Be sure to provide your horse with enough hay, and consider providing additional forms of forage such as alfalfa, carrots, dandelions or even oats to provide fiber and other essential nutrients. Try applying taste deterrents to make the bark less appetizing; however, this method could require multiple applications. Fencing may also serve to form a barrier between your horse and trees, or wrap the trees with protective wire mesh or PVC wrap to deter your horse from chewing them. Before doing either of these things however, consult with an arborist first in order to ensure this approach won’t damage trees or cause splinters in his mouth and throat.
Lack of Forage or Hay
At times, horses may begin nibbling on tree bark because they don’t receive enough forage or hay. Although chewing wood may satisfy their need to chew while also helping maintain dental health, too much chewing could result in digestive issues, mouth injuries or intestinal impaction.
Forage like hay or pasture should account for at least 1% of a horse’s bodyweight, providing essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals. When these essential nutrients cannot be obtained – due to limited turnout space or lush pasture grazing; poor quality feed, or other reasons – horses will often look for other ways to satisfy their foraging needs; such as chewing wood or foraging around branches in their pasture.
Chewing on wood and bark can be hazardous to horses for several reasons, including being made up of trees not suitable to them or having been painted with chemicals toxic to horses. Chewing also presents the possibility that insects might bite them while chewing away at these trees – this poses another potential hazard that needs to be considered when selecting suitable resources for horse care.
If your horse seems to be eating tree branches instead of forage, consult with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist immediately. They will run blood samples to evaluate if your horse may be deficient in any essential nutrients and provide supplements or alternative forage options such as hay cubes, chopped forage or compressed forage as possible solutions.
Some horses cannot consume long-stem forage or hay due to dental/jaw issues, food sensitivities or other reasons, and may benefit from switching over to low-stem timothy or alfalfa products as an alternative source. These provide the same nutrient profile and risk reduction when soaked prior to feeding; an effective approach would be rehydrating these so they mimic its structure and moisture content as dry forage will require more chewing by their horse.
Health Issues
Horses will often consume tree bark to try and compensate for any lack of nutrition they are receiving, particularly during drought conditions or when living in a paddock with sparse grass. Horses were designed to graze continuously; without enough forage available they may become bored or hungry and start eating tree bark as an attempt at satisfaction. If this behavior persists then additional feed or hay might help. Ultimately if the issue persists it would be wiser for an evaluation by your veterinarian regarding possible nutritional deficiencies.
Eating bark can cause numerous health problems for your horse, including stomach ulcers and tooth decay. To make sure they can chew freely and efficiently, ensure there is ample hay or forage available so they can chew properly. If your suspect your horse has bad teeth, consult with a vet about having them floated; otherwise ensure there is enough forage available so they have enough to eat. Horses suffering from gastric ulcers may turn to chewing on bark as a buffer against stomach acidity.
Horses often chew on items outside of bark for entertainment or stress relief; such as hay bales, wooden fence posts and even themselves! Such behaviors may indicate boredom or stress but could also signal serious health concerns in horses.
If your horse exhibits repetitive behavior, it would be beneficial to consult a veterinary nutritionist or behaviorist immediately. Without professional help, it can be very challenging to address these issues effectively.
Your horse can be kept from chewing tree bark by planting mulberry, birch and willow trees in your pasture and making sure they’re far enough away for him not to reach them. Wrapping these trees with protective barriers such as wire mesh or PVC may also help; just be wary if he begins chewing on these barriers instead of tree bark; always consult an arborist first if in doubt!
Self-Medication
Horses are natural grazers and they rely heavily on grass for sustenance, as well as browsing herbs, roots, bark and twigs for survival. Horse ancestors were forest dwellers that relied heavily on plant materials for survival – perhaps this ancestral connection can explain why some horses nibble tree bark occasionally!
However, if your horse starts chewing on trees repeatedly without reason, this could be an indicator that they’re trying to self-medicate for some unknown reason. If this appears to be the case with your horse it would be wise to consult your vet as they can take blood samples and assess if any mineral deficiencies could be the source of their behavior causing tree bark eating.
If the issue stems from mineral deficiencies, your vet may suggest giving some form of supplement. They could advise adding an equine mineral block to their diet or suggesting you add alfalfa, Timothy Hay, carrots or dandelions into their paddock for forage enrichment.
Though eating tree bark will unlikely cause serious illness in a horse, this behavior can have devastating repercussions for the trees they chew on. Stripping the bark away can slow or stop its growth altogether and even kill trees altogether – if you notice your horse regularly munching away at tree bark it’s important to find ways to stop this behavior from recurring. If this behavior persists it should be addressed quickly as soon as possible by finding ways to stop him doing this.
Horses often eat tree bark because they’re bored, out of habit or need more fiber in their diets. To stop them from doing this, try restricting access by fencing off or wrapping trees with protective barriers such as wire mesh or PVC to block access and make sure they can hold your horse’s mouth before using. It is also wise to schedule regular dental check-ups with your veterinarian to make sure their teeth remain in great shape and stay healthy.