Biting Metal and Wood?

[HorseBuff]

What are the reasons a horse might start biting on things like wood and metal? I haven’t seen cribbing (yet - hoping it doesn’t go there).

This is a new behavior as of this Fall. She’ll bite on the stall door just before feeding (she gets a balancer with supplements). She has hay 24/7 - hay nets inside at night and on the ground outside during the day. She has a run out off her stall and a paddock during the day.

I’ve had her just shy of 6 years and she hasn’t done this before. The vet noticed some chipping in her front incisors at her last dental in January. She said it’s from her bitting on something like metal. I spray the stall door area with Bitter Apple. Not sure if it’s helps or not as I’m not usually there at feeding time.
We did a diet analysis this summer with 2 separate companies and she’s getting everything she needs. Also retested for Vit. E and Selenium. She did have colic surgery last Spring for impactions so maybe something there?

Could it be a stress response or boredom? Both? What else might cause biting metal and wood?

[Simkie]

Did you treat for ulcers following that colic surgery and recovery?

I’d really consider scoping the stomach.

[HorseBuff]

I’ll talk to the vet about it. She’s out to do vaccines soon. I’m not getting her typical tells that she has ulcers. She’s had them in the past. We talked about it the last time she out for her dental due to her biting and neither of us feel she has them.
I’m sure the hospital would have recommended it if you treated post surgery. They may have while she was there, there were lots of meds being given! She did wonderfully post surgery. No issues at all, thankfully! She’s on a really good pro-biotic which also helps with Ulcer prevention per the hospital vet and our vet (Gastro Guard). I have her on GastroElm (mostly slippery elm) for the winter.

[Simkie]

Going through hospitalization & surgery & recovery is a sure fire ulcer trigger. It would be shocking to NOT have them. And while supplements may help with minor day to day stress, they will absolutely not hold up to surgical stress.

I’d really scope the horse. Just treating is also an option, but with all she’s been through, I would want a looksee in there, myself.

[Training_Cupid]

If she only does it when she is anticipating her grain, I wouldn’t be too concerned. You could train a different response (only walk towards her with her grain if she’s got her ears up and not biting, stop walking if she starts biting and wait until she stops) but that’s probably more trouble than its worth.

[HorseBuff]

I don’t feed her her balancer. I board so the people who work there do. If it were me, I would definitely try it!

[HorseBuff]

She had surgery last March. This didn’t start until the Fall. She gets dentals 3x per year. She didn’t have chipped teeth in September. It doesn’t feel like ulcers but as I said, I’ll talk to the vet about it. As I’ve said, she’s had them in the past. I’ve had her scoped 3x. She had them 2 out of the 3 times - pyloric and very very mild. She’s very communicative and will tell me when her tummy is upsetting her.

[paintedpennypony]

Both of my horses have taken to chewing on trees this winter. They haven’t gone after the stalls yet and they’re not cribbing (fingers crossed neither of these happen). I’ve asked two vets about it and was told it was a boredom thing, potentially originating in the instinct to browse during winter when other vegetation is scarce — like deer

[Pico_Banana]

One of my mares likes to bite or scrape her teeth on metal, plastic, and wood occasionally. She’s never moved on to cribbing, despite having an older brother who is a very dedicated cribber (he was like that when I bought him and at his age, there’s no stopping it now). She will stand right next to him while he cribs and has never once tried it. So I wouldn’t worry too much about it. With her, I know it’s a boredom thing. Or a “you are being too slow, human!” thing.

[ClassyJumper]

My mare does the same. I feel like she does it more when she hasn’t gotten enough exercise or she is in heat. So I think there is an element of aggression/bad energy to it, but sometimes it seems completely random as well.