Horse eating bark off tree

[Slavetolove]

Our new long term full loan has just moved from a field with absolutely zero grass to a livery and lots of it.

shes started eating the bark of an old tree in her field so I’m guessing she’s lacking in something? What can I get her?

She might just like chewing it - lots of horses like to chew. Could always get a broad spectrum multivitamin to be safe. Be very careful introducing her to more grass though - especially now we've had some rain after a dry spell. The grass coming through will be extra high in sugar and a recipe for laminitis especially for a horse suddenly with grass they aren't used to

What tree is it? Some trees like oak have tannins in them which can soothe stomach ulcers in small quantities and horses actively seek them out. Has she ever been ulcer prone or shown any signs like girthiness or nappy/ slow off the leg?

@rickandmorts true, if she's been on a very bare paddock you could be right about the ulcers

She’s shown zero signs of ulcers, but I was thinking maybe her teeth? No idea when they were last done if ever x

I thought my mare had zero signs of ulcers but got her scoped along with my gelding as the vets were running a clinic, turned out she had grade 3! They are massively massively common in horses so worth looking into.

Not likely to be teeth - that's not something horses generally self medicate for and problems more commonly arise with the teeth further back anyway. Without a full vet examination including scope and blood work it's probably just a case of trial and error with supplements but again it could just be habitual.

Usually lacking in something food wise try a good quality general all round supplement. Definitely get teeth checked but less likely that is the cause.

Yes if you have no idea when teeth were last looked at that's a priority anyway so do get them checked.

She’s booked in next month for teeth and feet tomorrow.
will get her a salt lick and vitamins today.

x

Some browsing is perfectly normal. But what kind of tree is it? E.g. willow bark is a bit anti-inflammatory (aspirin, basically)...might be self-medicating, might also just be chewing on things that are novel and tasty.