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Why do some horses eat sand or dirt2007-11-24 21:23:22

Other than that, there may not be much you can do. Horses will be horses, and while that can be great, it also can have its hazards, too! Good luck.

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Maybe they do it to get some minerals in their diet. But I could be wrong.

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maybe they are lacking some kind of mineral, I've never seen a horse eat sand, i know they pick it up while eating hay cuz usually they throw it on the ground. Psyllium will help with the sand.

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Some animals eat dirt or sand or grit to help with their digestion but I've never heard about horses doing that. Dogs do the same thing with grass.

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i don't know the reason but try to be careful. it may not be a big problem, but sometimes horses develop sand colic from dirt and sand building up in their intestines. not to worry you, just to point it out :)

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You need to call the vet ASAP!! There's a sickness called sand collic. Don't let them eat anymore sand if you can help it. They can also be trying to eat sand to get something through their digestive system, which will make their intestines clogged! Hurry!! Call the vet, now!!

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They need more in thier diet,usely this means they are missing to many minrals try another vitamin suplament!

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horses that eat dirt or sand are most likely missing some thing from there diet. you need to find out what it is so you can get them to stop eatting sand and dirt before they colic and kill them selves. I would suggest that you get a mineral supplement block to let them lick or you can get minerals mixed in some feeds. Good Luck

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I don't know why they are eating it but I do know if they do they can Colic. They sometimes eat sand if they get bored, like if they are stabled in a sand arena. Try not to let them eat it though, it is very dangerous

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most horses eat sand or dirt because they want some salt

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Sometimes a horse develops the bad habit of just eating plain old dirt. The over eating of dirt in adult horses is not normal. It is often found that there is some form of deficiency in the adult's diet. The most common is the lack of salt or other mineral deficiency but as you stated your horses have access to salt (if it isn't the reddish mineral salt block try that one instead). You could try different kinds of mineral/salt blocks and maybe it is something in a different one than you use that they are needing in their diets. It is unusual that both horses would do the same thing unless they are both lacking the same mineral from their feed.