Help, my horse is eating manure!

When a horse eats manure, it looks rather unpleasant to us. But can it actually be harmful? And more importantly: why is your horse eating manure in the first place? What signal is he trying to send? And as an owner, should you do something about it?

First of all, as long as there are no worms/eggs in the manure, eating manure is not really harmful. However, horses can get a worm infection from eating manure, so it's something to be aware of! For foals, it is actually considered normal and healthy behavior! By eating their mother's manure, they build a healthy bacterial population in their intestines. This is why you may see some mares nudging their foals towards a fresh pile...

Causes of eating manure

If your horse is no longer a foal, there can be various reasons for eating manure:

• Boredom
• Not enough opportunity to exhibit 'foraging behavior'
• Insufficient roughage/fiber
• Mineral deficiency
• Vitamin deficiency

When an adult horse eats manure, it is important to consider your horse's management. Is he getting enough roughage, free movement, and interaction with other horses? And is his diet providing enough minerals and vitamins?

Boredom and grazing behavior

A bored horse may start eating manure. Boredom can be caused by spending too many hours in a stall, lack of interaction with other horses, or insufficient (free) movement. Also, if your horse does not have the opportunity to exhibit so-called 'foraging behavior,' he may start eating manure. Foraging behavior includes searching for food, nibbling, and grazing. Using straw as bedding or as additional nibbling material can help combat this type of boredom and fulfill your horse's natural needs. Place some willow branches in the paddock for them to nibble on. You can create a snack wall with items like nettle, vegetables (such as fennel, celery, and parsnips), or hay. You can also plant edible bushes next to the paddock, such as hawthorn and rosehip bushes. Horses can eat the leaves, flowers, and rosehips.

Insufficient roughage

Did you know that horses need 2 kg of hay per 100 kg of body weight per day? Often we see the norm of 1 kg per 100 kg of body weight being followed. The fibers in this roughage provide a feeling of fullness. If your horse is not getting enough fiber, he may start eating manure. Therefore, make sure to provide plenty of good quality hay, for example in slow feeders. This way, your horse will spend more time eating and prevent boredom. If possible, opt for unpackaged hay.

Mineral deficiency

Roughage alone does not contain all the necessary nutrients. Especially in the Netherlands, it is always necessary to provide a vitamin supplement. Ideally in the form of a balancer. Eating manure can also be a sign of a mineral deficiency in your horse. Most horses have access to a salt block, but these usually only contain salt and few other minerals. If your horse is getting grain-based feed and no mineral supplement, a lack of phosphorus, silicon, magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, or copper can occur.

It is best to supplement enough roughage with a balancer such as Vitalbix, Pavo Vital, Metazoa, or Equilin. You only need to give a maximum of 500g per day, indicating that they are highly concentrated vitamins and minerals. With grain-based feed, you often need larger quantities to meet the daily needs of vitamins and minerals. A grain-free balancer is therefore the best choice. You can also create an additional water trough with a liquid mineral supplement based on Bering Sea water where horses can drink as needed.

Vitamin deficiency: B and K

Eating manure may also indicate a deficiency in vitamins, especially B-vitamins and Vitamin K. Your horse produces these vitamins in his cecum and colon. It may happen that your horse does not absorb these vitamins sufficiently, leading them to end up in the manure. The cause of this could be grains in the feed. The horse then eats this manure again to get the vitamins. Providing extra vitamin B and K could help. But it is even better to replace the grain-based feed with a balancer. Additionally, feeding extra roughage can lead to increased production of these vitamins.

Conclusion: Eating manure is a matter of management

If an adult horse is eating manure, it is a good idea to critically assess his daily life and diet. Is the horse getting enough free movement, social contact, roughage, and variety? If yes, then take a close look at the feed. Replace the grain-based feed with a balancer containing easily absorbable vitamins and minerals such as Metazoa, Vitalbix, Equilin, or Pavo Vital. Create an additional water trough in the paddock with liquid minerals for the horses to drink as needed. And give your horses scraps from your kitchen such as fennel, carrot, celery, pumpkin seeds, radishes, and carrots. Especially with leaves and/or stalks, where the fibers are present. Note: for foals, eating manure is very normal and even healthy!