Author Topic: Can horses eat bark? (Read 6096 times)

Shropshirelass · « **on:** January 08, 2017, 09:50:45 pm »

I'm into my horses a little bit but I'm by no means an expert, but I was walking past a friends ground today that's more of a wooded & hilly area with lots of moss & brambles ect, where they used to keep some free range pigs but are now keeping their 2 ponies on it, a Shetland & section A or B cob, the ponies do have access to some but only small amounts of grass but get plenty of hay daily & used to be on our lowland grazing, until a few months ago.

Anyways the 1 thing I noticed were a few trees where the lower bark was stripped bare & also on a few fallen branches ( I don't know what type of trees.) But the only things I guess could have done it was the ponies, are they ok to eat this sort of stuff, I've heard that horses will do this occasionally if the grazing is poor.

sabrina · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2017, 09:41:28 am »

They will often eat wood like trees and fence post if the diet is lacking or grazing is poor. Youngsters also do it when teething. Maybe a lack of minerals . Another sign is licking the soil.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2017, 11:54:34 am »

The tree damage could also be deer, if you have them locally.

Hevxxx99 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2017, 02:09:16 pm »

It usually implies a lack of fibre in the diet, or inadequate food going through the gut but equally could be an imbalance of micronutients..

It won't harm them, as long as it isn't Yew or a Sycamore and splinters don't get stuck in their mouths or throats.

Buttermilk · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2017, 02:15:09 pm »

I have a lovely old oak tree which my hooligans have nearly ring barked in a matter of days. I think boredom played a part in them doing it.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2017, 01:18:07 pm »

I'm sure I've read that oak - any part of, stem, bark or leaves; acorns too - can cause problems, and that horses can get kind of addicted to it, so should be kept away from the tree and anything that drops off it once they are clearly keen on it.

harmony · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2017, 01:37:14 pm »

Best not to assume and mention to your friend to see if it the ponies. Could well have been the pigs. If it is the ponies it seems excessive so they need to investigate the reasons and deal with it.

Shropshirelass · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2017, 06:44:35 am »

Well I knew horses will sometimes chew on wood like gate posts & fencing occasionally. We have got deer around & I thought about them & the pigs & we haven't got a lot of deer around & it looked like it had been stripped relatively freshly & the pigs haven't been around for about 2 years.