askHELTIE HELTIEhorse® Does your horse eat sand? And do you know why?

Does your horse eat sand? And do you know why?

In winter, horses can sometimes have problems with sand in their intestines. This can lead to diarrhea or even painful sand colic. Of course, it is important to treat a horse that has sand in its belly, but it is even better to address the cause. Do you know why your horse eats sand?

Minerals

Silicon

Feeding

19 December '22 • 1 min reading time

Eating sand and sand colic seem to occur particularly in autumn and winter. One reason for this is that horses sometimes graze on short or bare pastures, bringing a lot of sand with the grass roots. The transition from pasture to stable and (boring) paddock can also lead to increased sand intake.

Six reasons for sand licking

If your horse is consciously licking sand, there can be six possible reasons:

  • Silicon deficiency
  • Deficiencies in other minerals
  • Boredom
  • Worms
  • Insufficient roughage throughout the day
  • Learned habit

Silicon deficiency leads to eating sand

Silicon deficiency is common in horses. Silicon is an extremely important mineral for the production of collagen and therefore for tendon tissue, connective tissue, bones, and cartilage. Your horse cannot absorb silicon from sand for use in its body. It naturally occurs mainly in absorbable form in green plants. But a horse with a silicon deficiency will try to resolve that deficiency by eating sand. It knows it needs it, but doesn't know that sand doesn't help! You can safely supplement a silicon deficiency by giving your horse a hydrolyzed, liquid silicon supplement. This is easily absorbable. Silicon is especially important for pregnant mares and young horses that are still growing.

Other minerals

Your horse may also have a deficiency of other minerals, such as zinc or iron. Horses need small amounts of many different minerals, known as trace elements. Because a lot of pasture land in the Netherlands is mineral poor, many horses have a deficiency in some of these substances. They simply no longer contain all of them in sufficient quantities in our roughage. A great way to supplement these types of minerals is to use a liquid concentrate of Bering Sea water. It contains over 85 elements and fulvic acid from the Bering Sea, which is very clean. Most of the salt is removed from this concentrate. It contains many more minerals than regular salt licks. Especially if you see your horse digging for special layers of earth, such as black soil or red sand, a mineral concentrate may be a good solution.

Also interesting:

Digestion

Feeding

Psyllium, or flea seed, is a good way to remove sand from the intestines of your horse. If your horse regularly ingests some sand, in the paddock or on a short pasture, it is good to give a course of flea seed every month or six weeks. But beware: the dose stated on the packaging of many psyllium products is too low. A sand cure works best when short, but powerful. Read on to find out what the correct dosage is.

Psyllium cure for sand colic: often dosed much too low in horses!

Psyllium, or flea seed, is a good way to remove sand from the intestines of your horse. If your horse regularly ingests some sand, in the paddock or on a short pasture, it is good to give a course of flea seed every month or six weeks. But beware: the dose stated on the packaging of many psyllium products is too low. A sand cure works best when short, but powerful. Read on to find out what the correct dosage is.. A horse ingests sand while grazing, by eating hay from a bare ground, or by intentionally licking sand in the paddock. Dust in hay can also cause the absorption of sand or clay. A little sand in your horse's intestines is normal, and small amounts are simply excreted by your horse. What you want to prevent is the sand accumulating. This sometimes happens if a lot goes in and little comes out. This can lead to sand colic, a painful and sometimes even deadly form of colic. The most risky period fo...

Behaviour

Minerals

Silicon

Digestion

Feeding

Mainly in the winter you see more horses licking sand. The shortage of the mineral silicon is one of the most common causes, but of course there are more. We have listed six causes of sand eating in horses. If you see your horse licking sand, do not ignore this, because licking sand provides information that something is not right in the diet or management. In addition, too much sand in the intestines can have unpleasant consequences such as colic. Read the six reasons below!

6 causes why horses lick sand

Mainly in the winter you see more horses licking sand. The shortage of the mineral silicon is one of the most common causes, but of course there are more. We have listed six causes of sand eating in horses. If you see your horse licking sand, do not ignore this, because licking sand provides information that something is not right in the diet or management. In addition, too much sand in the intestines can have unpleasant consequences such as colic. Read the six reasons below!. Sand eating is part of nature Naturally, horses also eat sand, or at least soil. Black soil is rich in various minerals and also contains the roots of many plants. Actually a very nutritious addition to the diet if you purely look at the minerals in black soil. It is therefore not strange that horses lick/eat soil, it is a natural need. Often you see that this need increases during the shedding period, in this period horses have an increased need for minerals to be able to make the new coat. Of...

Behaviour

Minerals

Silicon

Especially in the autumn and winter, you see it regularly: horses licking sand and sometimes even digging pits in the paddock. Often this is a sign of a mineral deficiency, especially the mineral silicon. Could it be that horses lick sand because of the mineral silicon in it? Why is silicon so important for horses? And what can you do to stop the sand licking?

Do horses lick sand because of the mineral silicon it contains?

Especially in the autumn and winter, you see it regularly: horses licking sand and sometimes even digging pits in the paddock. Often this is a sign of a mineral deficiency, especially the mineral silicon. Could it be that horses lick sand because of the mineral silicon in it? Why is silicon so important for horses? And what can you do to stop the sand licking?. The main cause of sand eating in horses is a mineral deficiency. Sand consists largely of silicon, a mineral that plays a major role in the building of tendons, ligaments, cartilage, collagen, joint fluid, and even in bone formation. Silicon is an essential mineral for horses and other mammals. Horses try to intake this important substance by licking sand. Eating sand is dangerous But… eating sand is of course not good for your horse. The sand can accumulate in the cecum and colon and cause coli...

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