Why does a horse eat wood?
As mentioned, the wood chewing habit may be exacerbated by boredom. Horses are first and foremost grazing animals with a natural desire to graze for much of every 24-hour-day. If you can mimic this lifestyle with your horses, it may go a long way towards minimizing unwanted behaviors like wood chewing.
Why do horses eat branches?
But even horses whose nutritional needs are being met could chew bark and branches because they want the varied texture, she said. In the wild, horses graze and browse a wide variety of plant types and species, including trees and bushes.
Is it OK for horses to eat bark?
Other than being destructive and annoying and eventually lethal for the trees, bark chewing isn't typically “bad” for your horse. However, your horse may be more prone to choke, as a piece of hard bark may lodge in his esophagus. Intestinal impaction is also a risk.
What is it called when horses chew wood?
Lignophagia is the abnormal behaviour of chewing and eating wood. It has been recorded in several species, but perhaps most commonly in horses where it is usually called, simply, "wood chewing". Lignophagia is a form of the pica disorder, in which normally non-nutritive substances are chewed or eaten.