[brennab]

I know this isn't my horse's fault. I also know my situation is less than ideal, but given what I have to work with, I want to try my best to not let it happen anymore.

I have my horse boarded at the only place where I can currently afford good care. She was in about an acre of (short) pasture with a pregnant mare. That mare had her baby and now the dam, baby, and my filly (auntie) have been moved to a electric fence-less dry lot, about 1/3 the size of where she was. She's been there about a month. The baby was born a week ago, and today I noticed that she chewed on a board at about four different places. I told her to stop and she walked off and ate grass through the fence. No other place in this paddock shows she has chewed wood before today, so I feel like I still have some hope!

She's just a little over three. Her birthday was in May. She's an Azteca so she's very smart. I spend time with her about four times/week, doing a lot of hiking out in trees, light riding, etc. She seems happier than she has in the entire year I've had her. She's relaxed, looks to be in super shape.

I checked her minerals. I'm giving her Northwest Supplement (only been on that about a week so far) and she gets two-three feedings/day of orchard grass and local grass. She gets beet pulp in the evenings with her supplements - I also give her a probiotic. I do feed her in a vertical feeder because the the only other option is to eat in the dust, and I decided to opt for the lesser of the two evils.

What I've decided I can do is put some sort of substance on the fence where she already chewed: either Irish Spring soap or hot sauce?

I am also going to either make her a toy using a milk jug or bleach bottle and fill it with hay stretcher pellets, or use an Amazing Graze toy. Do any of you have experience with this? Does the Amazing Graze have a small enough hole so the pellets won't fall out too easily?

I had a horse that was a horrid beaver and I really want to curb this if I can, especially since it just happened.

I'm a little stressed because my only option is to board and I know boarders aren't big on chewers. If they'd put her back on pasture, she'd probably just quit...

[brennab]

I also just found this:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/quitt-1703p.aspx

Opinions? I could maybe pair that with the "roller" feeder.

[AliCat518]

I had a roller feeder that was freakin awesome. The pellets came out very slowly but not slow enough that they got bored. Highly recommend, although if she's in with a mare and baby, make sure it's something that's okay for baby to play with and eat!

[brennab]

Which roller feeder was that? I definitely want to try the hay stretcher pellets. Those would be fine for a baby, I would assume?

[AliCat518]

The one I had was green and black. No clue about the brand--someone I horse sat for let me borrow it. I also didnt use it for a wood chewer, just a horse that was recovering from an injury and was bored in a smaller paddock.

I've heard good things about ivory soap and similar things to discourage from chewing. Do a search on here and I'm sure you'll find a ton of info!

[deltawave]

Cribbing muzzle. Allows them to eat and drink fairly freely, but not chew or crib.

[brennab]

I'd like to opt for a cribbing muzzle last. I really want to get to the bottom of this if at all possible. It's just so weird that it started today.

[SuckerForHorses]

I would find out WHY she is chewing first.

My mare chewed when she had ulcers. She would finish her hay, and then because of having an empty stomach, she would find something to put into it, and it happened to mean chewing on my barn.

If you're mare is on a dry lot, and doesn't have hay in front of her 24/7, perhaps sitting around on an empty stomach is bothering her.

[deltawave]

Small-mesh hay nets, to make her meals last, maybe?

[SuckerForHorses]

Small-mesh hay nets, to make her meals last, maybe?

[ChocoMare]

Yeah, I'd look into Cinch Chix or Freedom Feeder Hay Nets. The FF nets have been improved and several can easily be attached to/spaced out on a fence line and then clipped shut. This way everyone can keep nibbling on hay and not wood

[LauraKY]

My experience has always been ulcers or boredom. Boredom is usally cheaper to try to cure...I'd start there first.

[brennab]

I'd love to use hay nets but I don't think that's an option at all. My barn owner doesn't like to be "inconvenienced" and that would be a huge inconvenience.

But I do think that using an Amazing Graze and putting in hay stretcher pellets would be totally feasible. I hope this is the next best thing because I really do think this is boredom-related.

[deltawave]

My barn owner doesn't like to be "inconvenienced" and that would be a huge inconvenience

Well, if your options are limited in that regard, it's time for some ingenuity and ASKING. You won't know until you try, and I'm just going to wager a guess that chewed fences are pretty inconvenient for your BO, no?

You could buy half a dozen small-hole hay nets for probably $50, stuff all of them with hay and see if the BO will hang one every day. It would help some, and you can just refill them when you're out there.

Don't give up too easily on simple fixes!

[Appsolute]

My BO cut the amount of hay she was feeding way down )unbeknowst to me ) and my young mare started wood chewing late crazy. Gah!

she was bored, she was hungry. So, I bought a slow feeder net, and a few bales of hay. She still gets her lose flakes (my BO wouldn't want to bother with the net either), but I stuff a nibble net with grass hay, and give her that each evening.

She spends more hours a day eating now - and wood chewing has stopped.

[leahandpie]

Use this stuff, wear gloves. Don't get it near your face!
http://www.hotsauceworld.com/purecap.html

[brennab]

Deltawave, I've asked about related things, and I've gotten yelled at, so I'm obviously kinda hesitant. :P But I am going to ask if I can just hang them myself and pay for the extra hay. No harm in that, right?? Every time I try to ask about something that could be made a little better (not feeding them in the dirt, give them a different feeder THAT I SUPPLY), it gets a little ugly.

We put the Chew Stop on most of the lower fencing. We also bought a bunch of chili peppers and are going to make our own hot sauce to paint on. Is using oil as a base ok for the horses? It's vegetable oil.

Thanks so much for all your help, everyone! Ya'll are awesome.

[deltawave]

I have my horse boarded at the only place where I can currently afford good care

My heart goes out to you because I've been in your shoes, but please don't delude yourself as to the last part of that statement being true. Keep looking.

[SuckerForHorses]

Sounds like a real gem of a place. Imagine how pissed BO will be when she doesnt have fences anymore.

Seriously, sitting around on an empty stomach is not in your mares best interest. If she has tummy trouble going on from it being empty, you need to address that & not by putting hot sauce on the wood. She's doing it for a reason & i would bet $ if she had a slow feeder haynet it would certainly decrease or stop the chewing especially if the hay lasted until the next feeding.

[brennab]

Update, everyone.

I found a barn to board that I can afford (Yay!!) and they will give her a slow feeder and feed her three times a day.

Now, the paddocks are not that big and many are dry, but the owner does rotate them throughout the different paddocks so they won't get bored.

Does this sound good? I am going to move ASAP if I can.