Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Housed in a pen with wood rails, this horse has developed the vice of wood chewing.
Cold,wetweather,boredom,teething,orlackofroughagemighthavebeentheinitial
cause.
Young horses may begin nibbling out of boredom, curiosity, or perhaps to relieve an itch-
ing of the gums during teething. Serious wood chewing can initially be caused by low fiber
intake in relation to a horse's needs, especially during cold and/or wet weather. Horses ap-
pear to be relaxed and comforted when they are able to spend a good deal of time chewing
long hay. Horses deprived of this natural satiation may be seeking oral gratification and an
increase in fiber intake from the wood. Weather-related wood chewing is thought to be a
result of the frustration and anxiety a horse feels when he is uncomfortable. Precipitation
softens the wood, making it more palatable and aromatic.
Be sure your horse's diet is well balanced and adequate in fiber in the form of long-stem
hay. Provide ample exercise. To cure the chronic wood chewer and to prevent others from
acquiring the vice, coat all wooden surfaces with an effective, safe wood antichew product.
Cover all wooden edges in stalls with heavy metal corner trim. Run electric fence wire
along wooden fence rails.
CRIBBING
Cribbing, or wind sucking, is a debilitating vice. The cribbing horse grabs the edge of a
partition, the top of a door or post, a feeder, or other solid object with his incisors, arches
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