By Marikje van de Water, B.Sc., DHMS.

Don’t confuse cribbing with wood chewing. Some horse can be observed chewing or eating wood, licking dirt, or nibbling on the tails of pasture mates. This behaviour is best known as pica- an appetite for non-nutritive substances.

In most cases , the horses that engage in pica are looking for one or more minerals that are either not supplied in their feeding program or are unavailable in their immediate forage area.

Minerals are required for a number of body functions. For example, they help to maintain muscle and organ structure, they contribute to hormone activity and they aid adequate digestion. Some minerals that horses need are: calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, sulphur, iron, copper, chromium, silica, selenium & iodine.

If the chewing horse is already being fed a mineral supplement, then it must be assumed that the missing nutrients is either not available or is not being absorbed in adequate dosages from the supplements being provided. Salt blocks are insufficient, as they don provided adequate amounts of minerals and can be contaminated with other chemicals.

Since each horse is biochemically unique, the specific mineral deficiency that initiates pica behaviours varies between horses and can be very difficult to identify.

It is  therefore best to supply the chewing horse with a supplement that contains a complex of minerals in a highly absorbable form.

Natural minerals are chosen from whole food sources that are balanced by nature. The seaweed dulse, Irish moss and kelp are optimal, as they provide dozens of organic minerals that are much more bio-available than inorganic minerals.

The best manufacturer of nutritional supplements is Mother Nature herself.

A younger horse can sometimes be observed mouthing objects. Generally this is in response to teething pains. A calcium supplement, along with homeopathic salts, will ease the youngster’s discomfort.