Stop Horses From Eating Wood

Wood chewing is a common horse problem which not only damages wood but can also injure your horse. The splinters can get stuck in the teeth or gums of the horse. If swallowed, they could puncture the stomach or intestines. Consequently, to protect your horse and your property, one should correct this habit as soon as possible.

One first needs to check that the problem is wood chewing and not cribbing. Both activities are similar in that they involve the horse biting and damaging wood, but they are completely different problems. Wood chewing is exactly that; the horse chews on wood (e.g. in its stall or wooden fencing). With cribbing the horse does not chew on the wood but instead grabs it with its front teeth, then arches its neck and sucks in air. If you watch the horse, you can easily see which of the two problems it has, as the two activities are completely different. If you can’t catch the horse in the act, examination of the wood should tell you, as one needs to check if the wood has been nibbled away or simply bitten hard.

Wood chewing is a habit which usually results from boredom. One finds it most often with horses which are confined to their stalls much of the day, who start chewing wood as there is nothing else to do. A less common cause is stress or nervousness, again most common with boxed horses which do not have sufficient exercise or space to work out nervous energy and consequently start chewing wood to distract themselves. A third cause is nutritional deficiencies; if a horse is not getting all the minerals they need.

The first step in fixing the problem is to address the underlying cause. Since it is not always possible to know which of the three possible causes is the problem, the easiest solution is to address all three. Provide the horse with as much pasture time as possible, as this provides mental stimulation and also an outlet for nervous energy. Give it chewy food such as grass and hay, which will occupy it and meet its natural desire to chew better than fast foods such as grain or muesli. Companion horses, exercise and an interesting environment all help. In case the problem is nutritional, ensure that it has good access to a salt lick and a mineral stone. Try to identify anything which may be causing the horse stress (e.g. bullying by another horse) and address the issue.

With the above steps, one should quickly see a reduction in wood chewing activity. Unfortunately, once a horse has been chewing wood for some time, it becomes a habit and continues even after the original cause is removed. Consequently, in addition to fixing the habit, one also needs to take steps to break the habit.

One does this by making it impossible (or at least unpleasant) for the horse to chew on wood. One can place metal strips on top of wood (e.g. stall doors) so that they cannot be nibbled. An electric fence wire can be added to the tops of fencing rails to discourage chewing. Alternatively, one can paint wooden surfaces with paints which are made to taste horrible (ensure that the paint is approved by your veterinarian.

These two activities, removing the cause of the habit and preventing the habit of wood chewing, both need to be done. Addressing the cause but not the behavior will likely result in an improvement but not a complete cure. Treating the habit (i.e. preventing the horse from wood chewing) but not the cause may stop the wood chewing but since there is still an underlying problem it may simply result in a different behavioral issue developing.