Horse eating own droppings???

[Tally.]

Hi all, a couple of weeks ago i noticed the horse i share was stood in the field eating her own fresh droppings :eek:
i told her owner and she said she might be missing out on some minerals. She was still doing this yesterday as well as trying to eat mud!!

the feild is pretty bare still but she is fed hard feed 2/3 times a day, gets three haynets and a bag of hay in the field.

Has anyone else ever heard of this or know what we can do?

[fishiz3434]

horses usually do that if they are bored, we've had heaps do it at the racing stables, maybe get a salt block or a companion or ball or something to entertain him. Not unusual and it's not to do with not having enough minerals unless he's lick the metal or peoples hands or something like that

[skewbald-mad]

foals also do this, kaiser eats quite a bit! its not that he is lacking anything just a baby thing!

[Tally.]

well she is 9 years old, is out in the field with another horse, although he is 43, and has a salt lick in her stable.

Maybe it is a bordom thing, she always needs something in her mouth, she chews everything from her lead rope, reins, my riding crop, me!

I just thought it was odd that she would eat her droppings when she has plenty of hay and some grass :rolleyes:

[Cupcake]

That is very strange :confused: Maybe she's taken a liking to the taste?

[fishiz3434]

by what you say about her haveing to chew on siomething i'd say she's definatly just bored, get an old lead rope for her to chew and tie it to the tire or a tree or something. I'd not worry about it too much i know 8 yr old that do it and i'm sure older horses do it too, it wont hurt her but if you can entertain her wth something more fun than eating her waste that wud be good lol

[StephA]

Spirit does but I think its just coz he's gross!!

He eats mud aswell...has a lick but he just likes new stuff to eat!!! :D

S x