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Help, my horse is eating sand! What should I do now?

Two times a year we see a peak in questions about horses eating sand. Typically around February/March and usually around September/October. This is quite logical, as these are periods when the molting process is in full swing and the nutritional needs of horses are changing due to a seasonal shift. But what should you do if your horse starts eating sand? Should you just let it happen or should you intervene?

Behaviour

Minerals

Silicon

Digestion

Feeding

17 January '23 • 3 min reading time

Sand-eating is a natural phenomenon

All horses eat sand, this is a natural phenomenon and wild horses do this as well. Sand, or rather soil, is a rich source of minerals. From white sand, horses cannot extract much, as it mainly consists of silicon in a form that is not absorbable. Black soil, on the other hand, is richer in minerals, contains more types of minerals, and in forms that the horse can make better use of. If you see your horse eating black soil, don't panic immediately. It is a sign to review your horse's diet and monitor whether your horse stops eating/licking sand again. Occasionally eating a bit of soil is not a problem. However, it is more important to watch out when they eat white/yellow sand. From this sand, the horse cannot benefit and they often continue licking and eating sand in an attempt to fulfill that need. This can lead to the horse ingesting large amounts of sand and increase the risk of sand colic.

Limit sand intake

Eating sand is a risk because it can lead to sand colic, which can be fatal. Therefore, sand-eating should always be taken seriously. It is a natural phenomenon, but horses no longer live in the wild and do not have complete freedom in choosing their diet. Therefore, as horse owners, it is our responsibility to recognize these signs and take action. Always take measures to limit sand intake. Provide hay in hay nets and ensure there is no sand underneath so that the horses do not pick out the last (spilled) bits from the sand. Also, make sure your horse always has roughage available in the paddock so they do not eat sand out of boredom. Roughage does not always have to be hay, it can also be straw or branches. The less sand your horse ingests, the lower the risk of sand colic. Also, regularly give your horse a sand cure (psyllium pellets are preferred) to remove excess sand from the intestines.

Give your horse silicon to prevent sand-eating!

Sand/soil mainly consists of the mineral silicon, but in a form that the horse cannot make much use of. When horses eat sand, there is often a lack of silicon. Horses do not need much silicon, but it is essential for many processes in the body. For example, silicon is involved in the skin, coat, hooves, the production of natural glucosamine, and overall support of the body.

If you see your horse eating sand, it is likely that there is a deficiency of the mineral silicon in your horse's diet. Make sure to supplement with a highly absorbable form of silicon preferably in hydrolyzed form. This form is bound to water, fully absorbable by horses, and does not contain any strange additives.

Usually, supplementing with silicon for 4-8 weeks will eliminate the sand-eating problem. If your horse continues to eat sand after a good silicon treatment, there may be a deficiency in another mineral.

Horse still eating sand, even after silicon?

It may be that your horse does not have a (more) silicon deficiency, but that there are other minerals that have not been replenished. It is recommended to increase the amount of minerals for your horse during periods of shedding or seasonal changes. You can do this by slightly increasing your balancer or by giving loose minerals, such as liquid minerals extracted from Arctic Ocean water.

If you have given your horse silicon and it is still eating sand, provide extra minerals to replenish all minerals. Generally, most horses stop eating sand after a few weeks. This is a signal to review your horse's diet carefully and possibly make adjustments.

In exceptional cases, sand-eating becomes a habit (out of boredom) and then it becomes very difficult to break that pattern. Make sure to provide unlimited feed, sufficient company, and distraction. This problem often occurs on a sand paddock due to the lack of variation and distraction, while grazing on grass does not lead to sand-eating caused by boredom.

So what should you do if your horse is eating sand?

  1. Start supplementing with silicon

  2. Limit sand intake

  3. Regularly give a sand cure with psyllium pellets

  4. Add extra minerals

  5. Critically review the diet

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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