To many horse owners there’s nothing as beautiful as a big paddock, fenced with long straight wooden poles. The paddock must be a safe place where the horses can graze and feel protected. So, if you get a wood chewer you can understand how frustrating it is to see your lovely poles been munched at. Wood chewing is often thought to be related to three problems. The first, boredom, the second, a shortage of minerals in the diet and the third – which is more difficult to remedy – your horse has just acquired a taste for wood. Boredom! Yes, your pony needs more stimulation. Longer outrides, more interaction with other horses, and placing toys in the field could help stimulate it to spend less time chewing on fences. Alternatively, increase its workload.
Make your horse’s life interesting
Many clever horses tend to look for ways to keep themselves stimulated. Such a need could arise from a horse being moved from a farm where there are huge camps, or a total change into a smaller paddock or even, a move from one paddock to another. A ny sudden change can have a psychological affect. Sometimes the boredom only occurs at a certain time of day. For example at a time when the horse sees other horses going in for food or to be ridden. Try to establish what your horse’s gnawing pattern is to see what you can do to stop it. The second reason could be a lack of minerals in its diet. The most common symptoms of mineral deficiencies are a rough, dry and weak coat, recurring disease patterns, wood chewing, eating dirt, tail biting, below par performance, cracked hooves and bitty manes. To remedy these, add a supplement to the feed in the evenings, or buy a few licks and place them out in the field. Some licks are pure mineral blocks, while some are molasses based with or without minerals. A safari block usually has the best balance. Y ou can be sure the problem is a deficiency if your horse eats the safari block in record time. Very often you find that your horse will not like the taste of the hard mineral block, but loves the molasses varieties. It’s best to experiment. When you offer him a second block, it should last longer. An alternative to licks is to plant herbs in the field. Calcium is good and very necessary for your horse’s bones. Planting chamomile adds calcium to a horse’s diet. Planting oats, sunflower, millet and garlic provides phosphorous. Phosphorous is good for your horse’s nervous system. Carrots and rock salt provide sodium, which is essential for balancing body fluids. Parsley is an excellent source of potassium. Potassium is good for the muscles. Dandelion provides iron and magnesium. Lucerne is also another gem. All theses plants are easy to cultivate.
Break the habit
Breaking the habit calls for desperate measures. Run a strand of electric fencing down the poles most affected by gnawing. This will most certainly prevent your horse from dining on the wood. It’s not a good idea to have little pieces of wooden splinters floating around in its digestive system. If all else fails, put your horse in a metal camp. – Kim Dyson (082 888 6511)
