Could my mare be eating shavings I put in the barn?

Yes, MANY horses like to eat shavings and straw. Some acquire a real taste for it.

Shavings are pine, and horses like the taste of dried pine. If you've ever seen a pine fence or a pine stall, you've probably also seen how fast it disappears. They love to chew on it, and can chew through a pine fence board in a day or two quite easily. I don't know why some acquire a taste for it, but once they do it's hard to stop them.

Straw is just another kind of hay to some. I've even known horses that prefer the taste of straw over even the best hay; others who like to nibble both. I think it's just a different flavor for them, so they snack on it.

If the grass in your field is dry, no doubt the shavings and straw taste better to her, so now she's eating them instead. Dried grass is not like hay; all the nutrients and flavor has been leached out of it as the plant tries to survive by reabsorbing them into the root.

Horses are grazers and like to eat all the time, some more so than others. It's there, it's palatable, she's going to eat it. The goats are going to eat it too.

The dangers of eating straw and shavings are primarily impaction and loss of nutrients.

Some horses who eat shavings in particular can get impaction colics. For most horses, this would mean a LOT of shavings and not enough water. If she's just nibbling the shavings and still eating her hay well, this probably isn't going to be an issue, just keep an eye on her.

Horses who are too thin or who don't also eat their hay may not get enough nutrition if they eat their straw instead of their hay. As your horse gets plenty and isn't thin, I wouldn't worry about it. I like to eat all the time too, and when I run out of my favorite foods I'll eat stuff I don't actually like. Like AllBran - all fiber, little flavor, but still food. That's what straw's like for a horse.

If your horse has bad teeth, then eating these may worsen them, so have her teeth checked.

Is you mare turned out 24/7? If so, you might consider not providing bedding for a while. I know my horses prefer to lay outside in the grass, and only come in to poop on the bedding, so in the summer I rarely use it unless a horse must be stalled. Saves money, they don't care, and cleaning is easier. If your mare is stalled that's different of course.

Also, goats are likely to be eating both as well. As goats have a reputation for eating anything, I don't think I'd worry much... but I don't know anything about goats so you might want to check that out.

eta: Horses will also eat sawdust - seen it many times.

Impaction colics rarely require surgery. Vets usually treat them by passing a tube down the throat into the stomach, and putting mineral oil and water directly into the digestive tract. This helps soften the impacted material and lets it slide through the gut without much problem. IV fluids also help a lot, plumping up the gut wall and softening the impaction so it can pass. It may take a few days to resolve, but it almost always does.

Hello,

If your Goats have anytime access to the barn, then they just might be the ones eating all the straw and shavings. Goats will and can eat almost anything with no digestion issues. Horses prefer their grass and hay over dry shavings and straw. Horses will only eat things like that if there's absolutely nothing else to eat, which in you case is most likely not the problem. Some Horse are weird though and will eat their bedding. I never use straw or shavings because of the fact the Horse may eat them. Sawdust is much easier to use and Horses will not eat it, not even Goats. You can spread out sawdust to fill in more space and can last some time. 1 bag will cover a 12X12 space or stall and can last about 1 week. 1 bag = .17 cents (Depends on dealer and stock) . If your Horse is spontaneously eating her bedding, then she's at risk of an impaction, which requires surgery. Definitely bring this to your Vet's attention. When grass is available, there's no need for 4 feedings a day and 15 lbs of hay! Unless this is a Draft Horse, you're over feeding your Horse! 2 flakes a day are all that is required. My 15 hand, 1,200 lb Paint mare only gets 2 flakes a day plus pasture time and feed w/supplements in the evening. Discuss a new diet for your Horse with your Vet.

Makayla (HH)

Pine Shavings For Horses

You mentioned you had goats. Goats love straw and shavings. Don't use shavings anymore, just use straw, it's easier on their digestive systems, and because no matter what you use they will still eat it, you're better off to use straw.

It could be as simple as just that the amount of digestible fiber in her overall diet is low, so that in an attempt to get her energy and nutrient needs met, she consumes more of whatever is available. Fiber in the leaves of grasses and legumes is a more digestible and usable type than what is found in the stalks, so pound for pound, more nutrients are absorbed from it, Straw is composed of the stalks of various thrashed grains, and the fiber in straw is largely undigestible, so it provides virtually no energy or nutrient value and just passes in the manure. Horses who have disorders of glucose and fat metabolism and/or tend toward obesity are often deliberately fed diets high in indigestible fiber. This allows them to spend their time chomping on long stem fiber forages like stalky hay or straw which produces tons of beneficial alkaline saliva to buffer stomach acids, prevent gastric ulcers, and protect mucosa, as well as promoting motility (keeping things moving) of gastrointestinal content through the tract.

Shavings also provide fiber, just as tree bark does. Some horses will eat just about any fiber source if they don't mind the taste of it, and if you have an easy keeper, you are lucky to have a horse who is willing to chomp on straw or low quality stalky hay all day.

If she hasn't been evaluated for metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, I'd have that done just to see whether it is an issue to consider. I've fed late cut hay available 24/7 to insulin resistant easy keepers. I grow my hay at home, and feed them the late-cut stemmy hay with harvesting timed to minimize fructan content It is a cut above straw from the standpoint of quality and digestible fiber content, but still comparable.

Consuming wood shavings compared to straw would be more likely to lead to digestive problems. Wood shavings are made up almost exclusively indigestible fiber, and consuming large amounts of indigestible fiber can result in development of impaction colic just from the volume of dry matter mass which can obstruct the horse's hindgut. Straw can obviously do the same thing, but the risk is somewhat less than that of shavings.

I'd go back to straw bedding for now, and be sure she has plenty of fresh water at drinking temperature available 24/7 to prevent impactions. I'd also consider providing a greater volume of a late cut, low fructan grass hay if you can get it, which will provide more digestible fiber but still reduce the calories consumed pound for pound as compared to a leafier hay.

You could also feed an earlier cut hay and soak it for half an hour before feeding it to remove excess soluble carbs, which would allow you to increase the total volume being fed daily and provide more digestible fiber.

Look at her manure, You should be able to tell the difference between digested wood and grass or hay.

the shavings or straw will not do anyharm to the horse.

she is eating them because shes board