Why Horses Eat Pine & Other Tree Bark

Wood chewing is one of the most common horse vices, and surprisingly enough, it is also one of the most preventable. When horses are stalled or placed in an environment where there is little to no grazing, nature compels that the horse chew on something. Understanding why the horse chews on pine and other wood can help the horse owner avoid unnecessary damage and colic.

  1. History

    • Horses are herbivores. Their digestive tract is designed to be constantly processing roughage and slowly digesting this into energy for the horse's body. By altering the horse's habitat to where it receives feedings only a few times a day, we have completely altered the animal's digestive process. You cannot change the instinct of the animal to graze. When there is nothing else to chew on, the horse will turn to wood.

    Significance

    • By chewing on wood, the horse is satisfying its instinct to graze. Pine is a soft wood, so is often one of the first choices for chewing. A horse does not have to be stalled to chew on wood. If it is located in a pasture where there is little edible forage, the horse will chew on trees, fences and any other wood it can find. This can cause significant damage to property, and death to trees if the horse "girdles" the tree--chewing all the bark off in a ring around the trunk.

    Minerals

    • Another reason that horses may chew on wood is that they are lacking a necessary mineral for their bodies. The animal's body will crave what it is needing, and sometimes these minerals--such as iron and salt--are found in wood. To prevent this kind of wood chewing, provide a mineral block for your horse to lick. This will make certain that any wood chewing that occurs is not due to a mineral deficiency.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Along with providing a mineral block, the simplest and most effective method to prevent wood chewing is to provide the horse with plenty of roughage to chew on. Give him free choice grass hay all day and the chances of him chewing on wood are slim to none. Use caution in what kind of hay you provide, as hay that is too rich can cause colic.

    Boredom

    • Another thing to consider if your horse continues to chew wood even after you have provided hay and minerals is his level of activity. If your horse is stalled a lot, there is a good chance he is bored. Providing him a stall "toy" to play with will often solve this problem.