Why do horses and ponies eat shavings used for bedding?

Why do horses and ponies eat shavings used for bedding?


If you suddenly find your horse or pony munching on wood shavings you use for bedding, take a look at their diet.

Horses or ponies on a restricted diet — usually for weight loss — are capable of eating lots of shavings. That’s because forage plays a key role in making them feel full. As a rule of thumb, most horses need to eat at least 1.5% of their weight in dry hay. If your buddy weighs 1,200 pounds, that’s about 18 pounds of hay. When you feed significantly less, he may look for other sources of fiber — like shavings.

But unfortunately, shavings aren’t digestible. Instead, eating them can cause intestinal obstruction and colic.

Your veterinarian can help you plan the best diet for your horse or pony. But you may need to switch out shavings for rubber matting while the diet’s restricted.

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