Wood chewing - how to stop new habit?

My horse, it turns out, is descended from termites. Does not crib just chews. I have got to get that hot wire working!!!

Has anyone tried using a product called “Halt Cribbing”? Link here: http://www.carbolineum.com/product_list.html
They say it “discourages horses from chewing surrounding wood fences, pens, walls, etc.” and am trying to get feedback on whether it actually works! Thanks.

My thoughts. Most likely needing some nutrients.

Have you wormed lately?

Halt Cribbing works and I have used it for years . I usually apply it once a year and it holds up quite nicely and the horses leave it alone esp if you saturate edges

When a horse starts to chew wood he is telling you that he does not have enough fiber in his system. By this time of the year, even though you may still have grass in your field, it is not meeting your horse’s need for fiber. So he starts chewing on the things with a lot of fiber (Boards/tree branches).

Rather than throw him tree branches, throw him hay. That is what he is trying to tell you; his dietary needs are not being met.

Once the habit has become ingrained, then it is hard to stop them, so don’t let it continue.

Our horses are talking to us… It is our job to listen to them. A happy and adjusted horse which starts to do something new is trying to tell you something. By the time he is fulfilling his need for fiber by chewing wood, he is sreaming at you. :slight_smile:

PS: chewing wood could also be a sign of boredom, or upset stomach. But at this time of year it is almost always a need for more fiber.

Creosote was the old standby but it’s been banned as a carcinogen. This product looks like it is doing something similar. Anything that tastes bad enough will stop some horses. It won’t necessarily stop all horses. Pepper oil fixed my mare, but her gelding neighbour just thought we’d put hot sauce on the paddock fence for his personal enjoyment. Depending on the climate, paint-on applications may last or may wash off.

I did top the fences with aluminum dry wall corners which work really well, but if your horse kicks the top rail and breaks the metal off leaving a sharp edge, and then decides to rub her itchy butt on the fence, well you have an injury. So I took those off. it was a nice clean cut and healed up fine, but could have been very serious on another body part,

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