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My horses are eating bark

4K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  MyBoySi 
#1 ·
I assume this is okay?

Why do you think they are doing this?

We have some trees in our pasture and this winter the three horses are eating the bark off them.

We've had numerous (24) horses in the pasture in the past and never have they taken to eating the bark off the trees before. Two of our horses never touched the bark until we introduced our third horse this past August. The new horse is eating it and now the other two are.

They have been getting grained and hayed as usual and it's not colder than usual for this time of year. The last two winters have been unusually warm, but the horses are 18, 10, and 7. So they were around when it got cold in the past.

The only thing we can figure is that our third horse is a rescue and this habit may just be a lasting effect of when he was starved?

Is it okay for them to be eating the bark? It won't damage their digestive systems? Also, will the trees be okay if they have the bark stripped off them? The last thing we need is dead trees falling on fences or something.
 
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#5 ·
Some trees just taste good, e.g. many maples. Our mares stripped and killed all the younger trees with smooth bark years ago and they have free choice minerals.

You need to wrap the trunks if you want to save your trees.
 
#6 ·
Not only do you need to wrap the trunks but also wrap high enough that they can't reach up and rip the limbs off...

If you look at pictures of large horse breeding farm pastures the trees are not wrapped but they are fenced off far enough away those giraffe necks they get can't reach for a nibble.

Usually a learned by watching trait, they also do this from something lacking in the diet, plain and simple hunger and sometimes from boredom...something to do. Maybe a mix of cayenne pepper or something bitter painted on the trunk to discourage nibbling to save the trees...
:wink:
 
#7 ·

If you look at pictures of large horse breeding farm pastures the trees are not wrapped but they are fenced off far enough away those giraffe necks they get can't reach for a nibble.
If the tree is tall, but still skinny enough to be bendable, our lead mare, Angel, will walk up to them and bend them over with her chest/belly to reach the top (i.e. walk over them) ;-) It always makes me worry about the tree snapping off under her and injuring her. Luckily (in a way), they have killed all the small ones off, so the worry is gone.
 
#9 ·
You will hear numerous opinions on this. I disagree with the mineral thing because I kept a mineral block for my mare and she killed every tree in the pasture. We now are back in West Texas and no trees where she lives now. I think it is just something some horses like to do. per say a habit such as people that bite their nails
 
#10 ·
My horses started doing this with all of the smaller skinny trees in their pasture and the trees died extremely quickly. The horses literally took off every last bit of bark off of every last bit of the tree. They have 24/7 food down and a minerals in their diet, and I doubt that they did it because they were lacking anything. Once they destroyed all the small trees they havent bothered any other trees. It wont hurt the horses but will easily kill the trees... If you have any trees you plan on keeping for sure block them off from the devastators
 
#12 ·
It doesn't necessarily mean they aren't getting enough hay or minerals. Our horses love to eat the palo verdes because they taste kind of sweet (don't ask me how I know). We have the ours wrapped with chicken wire about 6 feet up.
 
#13 ·
If the one horse is new he may be lacking minerals. Make sure they have some other than in the grain. I've seen many new horses go into a barn with minerals and not move from the source of minerals except for an occasional drink.

Now they know this habit they may not stop though.
 
#15 ·
I think mine just do it because they like to and because they can. My horses have hay 24/7, several mineral choices and a pretty large turn out. They still eat the trees.

Some trees probably taste good as others have said and its likely just something for them to do to curb boredom.
 
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