{"id":37602,"date":"2023-04-07T14:37:30","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T18:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.flywheelsites.com\/?p=37602"},"modified":"2023-04-07T14:37:30","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T18:37:30","slug":"why-do-horses-chew-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourhorsefarm.com\/why-do-horses-chew-wood\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Horses Chew Wood?"},"content":{"rendered":"

No farm owner wants their facility chewed on. It can ruin the structural integrity of the stall or fence, making it weak and potentially dangerous. Horses chew on wood for a variety of reasons! It can easily become a habit and develop into a real issue. You\u2019ll want to formulate a strategy for eliminating this nasty vice. The best course of action is always prevention though!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

Top Reasons Horses Chew on Wood<\/b><\/h3>\n
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  1. Boredom:<\/strong> Unfortunately, many horses are not offered enough mental or physical stimulation. They\u2019re meant to graze and wander throughout the day. A domesticated horse often spends hours in a stall or small paddock. They don\u2019t have a large field to roam in due to limited space, the weather, or fear of injury. Some horses start chewing wood to alleviate this boredom.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Their diet is lacking:<\/strong> Dr. Katherine Houpt at Cornell University studies the behavior of horses. She noted that those with diets lacking in long-stemmed fiber like hay or grass chew wood at an increased rate. This included if they were fed pellets instead of hay.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Habit:<\/strong> For some horses, they\u2019ve developed a habit of chewing on wood. It could have started because of boredom, a deficiency, or they saw another horse doing it. This one won\u2019t be easy to fix!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Cribbing<\/b><\/h3>\n

    While it may seem like cribbing is wood chewing, it\u2019s different. When a horse cribs, they lock onto a surface, pull back, arch their neck, and gulp in air. They often do this on a wood board and splitters may come off, but they\u2019re not actually chewing the wood. This is definitely a nasty habit that you\u2019ll want to fix though! Horses often crib for the same reason that other horses chew wood.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Why<\/p>\n

    How to Fix the Problem<\/b><\/h3>\n