Conference noted::equitation

    Not all horses & ponies love to chew on wood, sometimes it is
    a sign of boredom, or lack of a proper diet.  A product called
    Creosote is available to stain the wood.  It has a bad taste
    which keeps the horses away, and I think it also protects the
    wood.  You should make sure that your horses are on a good diet
    of grain (in proportion to the amount of work they do) and hay.
    If the paddocks are grassed areas, it is unlikely that the
    horses will chew the wood fencing.  If the horse is kept in
    during the day, spread out his hay feeding to various times
    during the day instead of all at once, and try to exercise or
    let him out at least once during the day.  (hope this helps)

	To curb  the chewing habit, you can also try "No Chew" or any of
    the  other commercial products available to discourage wood chewing.
    You  can  also  try  putting  soap  or cayenne pepper on the surface
    that's being chewed.

	Creosote ahas  supposedly  been banned in Massachusetts since it
    is  purported  to  cause  birth  defects  when  ingested  (in  large
    quantities (yuck))  by  pregnant  mares.  I have never known this to
    happen.



				kmr

 








< Note 124.1 by WHOARU::NAJJAR >
                             -< RE: Busy beavers >-


    Not all horses & ponies love to chew on wood, sometimes it is
    a sign of boredom, or lack of a proper diet.  A product called
    Creosote is available to stain the wood.  It has a bad taste
    which keeps the horses away, and I think it also protects the
    wood.  You should make sure that your horses are on a good diet
    of grain (in proportion to the amount of work they do) and hay.
    If the paddocks are grassed areas, it is unlikely that the
    horses will chew the wood fencing.  If the horse is kept in
    during the day, spread out his hay feeding to various times
    during the day instead of all at once, and try to exercise or
    let him out at least once during the day.  (hope this helps)

    There are several products on the market to stop chewing but all
    are expensive.  The best thing to do is wait until there is a problem
    before you try to correct it since these products all wear off and
    have to be reapplied.  If horses have enough grazing area they will
    seldom revert to wood.  If the chewing is going on in the barn I
    have found it to be a result of boredom.  The easiest solution is
    to keep them outside where they are happier anyway.  Another solution
    is to feed free choice hay (it should be good quality horse hay).
    Free choice will not only reduce your grain bill but will go a long
    way to preventing colic, chewing (another cause of colic), and other
    nasty vices.  By the way creosote is not banned but is regulated
    by the Federal Government to use by liscenced applicators only.
    The reason is that it is a proven carcinogen to animals and humans.
    If you need information on liscencing you can get it from your state's
    Farm Bureau.

    THANKS FOR THE INFO.   I HAVE A BIG AREA FOR THE PONIES TO GRAZE,
    IT'S ABOUT 100' X 100'.  HOPEFULLY THEY WILL STICK TO EATING THE
    GRASS AND NOT THE FENCE.  I IMAGINE IF I LEAVE THEM IN THE BARN
    ALOT DURING THE WINTER THE WILL GET BORED SO I'LL JUST KEEP AN EYE
    ON THE BEAMS TO SEE IF THEY RESORT TO CHEWING THE BARN DOWN.  I
    HAVE A QUESTION FOR NOTE 124.3,  WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CHOICE HAY?
    WHAT'S A GOOD TYPE OF HAY FOR PONIES, TIMOTHY AND CLOVER??  WHAT
    ARE SOME GOOD SUPPLEMENTS TO THE HAY, OATS, OAT PELLETS??  SOME
    BODY TOLD ME THAT HORSES CHEW ON WOOD BECAUSE THEY NEED THE OILS
    AND IF YOU GIVE THEM A SPOON OF COD LIVER OIL THEY WILL BE SATISFIED.
    IS THAT TRUE??
                      DAVE

    The term `Free Choice Hay' refers to having the animal decide when
    to eat.  In other words, having hay available for them all the time.
    Since I only have horses I can't recommend a good hay for ponies
    but I wouldn't think that they are very different.  I use a mixture
    hay of mostly Timothy with a smattering of Alfalfa and Red-Top.
    I don't use legume hays (Clover or Alfalfa) because I've found that
    my horses won't eat it as readily as grass hay.  If you use a poor
    quality hay you'll get a condition known as `Hay Belly' which is
    actually a form of malnutrition.  You can get lots more information
    from a book called "Feeding to Win".  You might be able to find
    it at a large library, or you can buy it from most tack shops.
    One thing you should be aware of is that if you feed too much grain
    you could create a condition called Laminitis.  Maybe some pony
    owners can help with how much feed and suppliment you should use.
    There are many reasons for chewing, but it is often difficult to
    find out which one you are dealing with.  I have tried lots of
    different remedies but have found my solution to be free choice
    hay and exercise.  I've fed corn oil in the past for improving the
    coat luster on a show horse but it didn't seem to affect her wanting
    to chew.  You just have to experiment with each situation.

    re: .4
    
    Ponies, like horses, develop a good coat if left outside most of
    the winter.  You are better off leaving them outside as much as
    possible for their own good.  (BTW, this means less beam chewing.)
    It's worked for me for quite a few years.  Creosote is still available
    and does keep most horses away from chewing beams.

    
    just wanted to add - "don't fix it if it isn't broke"...not ALL
    horses and ponies chew - so don't worry about it unless you see
    the problem arising - then approach the situation but why worry
    about something that may never develop??
    
    good luck!
    
     - jenny - 

    The Feb 92 issue of Animal Health Newsletter arrived over the weekend
    and had an article on wood chewing. They point out that contrary to the
    common believe that horses are strictly grass-eating grazers, horses in
    the wild actually browse and eat trees and shrubs. Most of the article
    reports findings of a study at U of Illinois. 
    
    The U of Illinois study showed that most wood chewing occurred at night
    after 10 PM. The suggest that perhaps hunger is a factor since several
    hours have elapsed since the afternoon feeding and the pastured control
    group grazed at night.
    
    They also noted that exercised horses chewed less than those which did
    not get exercise. For their study, the exercise group got 45 minutes on
    a mechanical hot-walker plus 45 minutes turnout. The time of day at
    which exercise occurred didn't matter; wood chewing was reduced whether
    the horses were exercised morning or evening... This part relates to
    our discussion last summer or fall about what time of day people ride.
    
    They suggest that wood chewing might be reduced making larger amounts
    of low calorie food available to horses; giving them something to do
    like working for their food so they would increase their exercise and
    decrease their boredom... But they don't give any ideas on how to make
    them "work" for their food if they are not turned out overnight.
    

    Cribbing doesn't necessarily occur because the horse is bored or has
    nothing else to do.  It can also be considered a habit.  
    If horses aren't getting the food they need, they will strip trees and 
    plants down to almost nothing.  If something has changed in their
    lives--new location, new members of the barn, many horses will crib.  I
    guess it would be like any other nervous habit we would have--biting
    nails, etc.  The danger of cribbing is that a horse can die from it by
    turning a gut.  We have a 13yr old that we just moved up from Dallas,
    TX and he has this problem.  We have had to resort to purchasing a crib
    collar.
    Chris