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  Discussion on Will Miracle collar help wood chewer?
Author Message
New Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 11:59 am:

Hi,
I have a 5 yo Appendix QH gelding who is not getting any exercise for the last few months and in the last few weeks has become a horrible wood chewer! When I first brought him home he immediately started chewing on rails but it wasn't too bad. Now he's destroying rails, whittling posts to toothpicks and tearing strips off the wood in his stall. I've tried painting Chew Stop (he loved the cinnamon flavor!) and Halt Cribbing and they didn't faze him. I'm at my wits end since this looks like a serious habit now. Every time I look out he's working away on something. He doesn't have access to grass pasture but can wander around in the sand arena. I know he's bored but I can't give him the work he needs right now. I am trying to feed 3 times a day to keep him busy and also have a Lik-It which he likes. But he still CHEWS! Will a miracle collar stop this?
Member:
Canter

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 12:54 pm:

Sally,
The 2 confirmed chewers I knew (horses owned by friends) were barely slowed down by the Miracle Collar. To me, it didn't seem to work very well at all.

If your horse is bored, have you tried any of the many horse toys they make to keep him busy? (I have no experience with these, so can't say for sure that one or another may help)

Is he at home or boarded at a stable? If he's boarded, perhaps you could find a qualified rider to give him some extra work until you have more time?

Fortunately, the 2 horses I have owned are not chewers, so this is about all I can think of to suggest. I'm sure there will be additional suggestions from other HA members
Member:
Lilly

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 1:35 pm:

Sally,
Have you considered feeding the horse Quitt supplement made by Farnam? Here is the description, "Stops Wood Chewing - really! Easy to use, guaranteed to work. Quitt is a natural daily feed supplement guarenteed to stop wood chewing in 7 days or less. It's highly palatable and easier to use than paints, sprays and restraints."
New Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 1:49 pm:

I did buy the big treat thing that you fill with stuff and they nose it around to get the goodies out. He likes it but once it's empty he finds a post. He's at home so it's been hard to find someone to help work him. He's a very smart horse and really needs to be occupied. And I do have him on Quitt. I used it last summer and I'm not sure if it worked or not. I just started him on it last week again so have yet to see any change. I'm actually considering putting a muzzle on him. I have spent over $100 on toys and nibbles but I can't be out there all the time filling them back up! So I guess my real question was miracle collar or muzzle?
Member:
Dres

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 2:10 pm:

I brought one wood chewer into the barn, unbeknown to me.... she spread the joy of wood chewing to the rest.... I have found that if I put a chew toy in every stall.... actually a part of a wooden post .. that stops the destructive behavior on my barn and all are happy with the posts... gives them something to do other then destroy my barn....

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
Member:
Dtranch

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 2:11 pm:

Sally ... not sure from your post, but is he stalled most of the time, or out. If he is not a "cribber" most chewing in my experience is from boredom. Do you have free access hay which I think is very important this time of year. At least 2 regular hay feedings he can munch on. Also, is he kept alone or with other horses he can romp and exercise with. As for the muzzle, we had a recently gelded 5yo who was very aggressive and a biter to other horses in pasture. We used the muzzle as last resort with him, and worked wonderfully. Don't know about the chewing aspect, but I would assume the muzzle would work.
Main ingredients though I believe is plenty of hay ... exercise .. and company. Good luck.
DT
Member:
Hboggini

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 2:12 pm:

Sally
I heard that horses who chew wood have a mineral deficiency. I fortunately do not have that problem with my horses, but they are on a free choice mineral and salt. Check into it.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 2:27 pm:

I have a trainer friend who swears when horses chew they are missing minerals. She says whenever she has a chewer she fives them loose minerals in a feed bucket and lets them eat them free choice and this stops the chewing. She says at first they really gobble the minerals (she's also used the tubs of minerals that come in a black rubber tub) After a few days, they just eat a little of the minerals every once in a while.
Member:
Dtranch

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 2:34 pm:

Also good points I forgot to mention ... My horses have free access to both regular salt and mineral salt.
DT
Member:
Dres

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 3:36 pm:

got to say here that my horses are fed 4 times a day, are out as much as the winter weather permits / daily... are free fed loose mineral salts Purina 12-12 and have a white salt lick in their stalls/ paddocks... and STILL chew....


On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
Member:
Dtranch

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 4:04 pm:

Hey Ann ... sounds like your horses are just used to chewing .. ha ha
Seriously, if we could figure out all the little quirks our horses come up with, we'd be rich .. huh
DT
New Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 4:59 pm:

Ann, What kind of chew toys do you use??
And also, I use a 50lb mineral salt block. Just checked on it and ....it's GONE! Not sure when he finished it but it certainly could have been a few weeks ago. Shame on me for not noticing. I will buy a new one today and see what happens. I know he loves it....he bites off chunks of it sometimes. As for turnout, he shares the arena space with our mare. I let them out at the same time for awhile and then close one of them into their own space. They have a box stall with a walkout paddock that then opens onto the arena. And both their salts are gone. When they are out together they can access each others' stalls so he may have finished hers too. This will be very interesting if that is the solution. And as for spreading the joy of chewing through the barn, he did get the mare started when he first arrived but luckily she doesn't like it. She was just buckling under peer pressure ;-) Thanks everybody and keep the suggestions coming. I'll post an update on the mineral idea.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 5:09 pm:

I agree that the Miracle Collar will probably not get the horse to stop chewing. The best way to get him to quit chewing the fences is to all him access to hay constantly. It’s funny this very product, Quit, was being discussed today at the AAEP meeting I am currently attending. The subject was wood chewing and other vices and 3 or 4 members of the audience had tried the product on multiple horses and the unanimous consent was the product did not help any of the horses they tried it on.
DrO
Member:
Dres

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 5:22 pm:

I hear ya... if we could just get into that brain of theirs... the chew toy is short fence posts... we cut up one post for 4 stalls.... AND when I take a horse in training I take their post ... the trainers have a ball with that one... but you know, my horses settle in nicely and chew away... at one barn I noticed a neighbor horse all of a sudden was given a ''chew post/toy'' from their owner...

got to love these beasts....

** big brag here, just came in from one of my best rides on one of my wood chewing babies !~*
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
New Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 8:16 pm:

Thank you Ann and Dr O. I am not surprised the Quitt did not work. It would be too easy that way! But how do I allow him access to hay all day without overfeeding him? Do I just get a crummy local hay and use supplements? Or mix it with his regular hay. Right now they eat Eastern WA Orchard grass and he gets about 17 pounds a day with a NW vitamin supplement.
Member:
Dres

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 9:39 pm:

How tall is your horse? What kind of riding do you do / intensity ? I know I feed my horses between 20 -30 pounds of hay a day , the working horses... And like I said I feed 4 times a day so there is no waste , used as bedding etc....

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
Member:
Sswiley

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2005 - 11:23 pm:

Ann, I am curious, do you just toss the post into their stall or do you attach it to something. I take the chewed corral boards that have to be removed or have been chewed in half and I screw them up in their favorite places. Kind of like the sacrificial fence. I have decided that if you cant beat'em, . . . join'em.
Also, does anyone knows what is in Quit ?
New Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 1:00 am:

Ann, he's about 15'2 and probably 1000lbs. As I said, right now, he's not really in work at all. He gets lunged occasionally but nobody's been riding him. But I like the idea of placing boards in chewing spots. I've got a real collection now of pieces that would be perfect for more chewing but no good as fencing anymore. Glad I didn't throw them out.
Member:
Pbauer

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 6:19 am:

Hello Sally,

Have you tried NO CHEW; It WORKS!-- Clear, non-staining formula contains natural ingredients. Non-flammable and contains no petroleum distillates. Can be applied on all wood surfaces, indoors and out. Dries quickly and is not effected by moisture once it dries. Can be applied in wet weather. An economical, effective way to put a halt to chewing and cribbing that doesn't affect the environment or the horses health.

It can be purchased online: www.horsetackco.com.

There are a lot of other products listed under the cribbing/muzzles category located on the left side of the web page.

Best,
Tonya
Member:
Dres

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 10:24 am:

Shelly, I just ''toss'' the chew posts in the stall, they push em around nicely.. We thought of hanging them by drilling a screw thru the center and hanging with a chain, on further thought, it might end up hitting me in the head while mucking the stalls.. As far as placement on the walls , well THE mare chews everywhere... seems where she is standing at the time or gets the urge... With her the log will last a couple of months, then a fresh toy is tossed in... the others don't go thru them that fast....

Sally another idea that we have done at horse shows is hang hay nets high in every corner making it harder to eat fast .. making sure the net is high enough the horse can't get hung up on it but can reach it and pull hay bits out...

Tonya another product that works REALLY well but is messy is Crib X or Ox...its like peanut butter to put on but they stay away from it...The other products, for my professional chewers did not keep them off the wood...

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with SPOTS..
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 11:21 am:

Tonya, I am glad No Chew works for you. When I tried it, the horses followed me around and licked it off! I keep mineral blocks out, put loose minerals in their feed, and keep juniper posts in the runs for them to chew.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 12:07 pm:

Right find a clean but stemmy hay that he can munch on. He may develop a hay belly but do not confuse this with growing fat. For more on this see the article on estimating condition.
DrO
Member:
Sallyc

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 - 12:55 pm:

Thanks for the clarification, Dr O. He is losing some of his muscle tone, but it's not actually turning into more fat. But, dang, I just got 3 tons of really nice hay for these two! I guess I'll just start to incorporate a majority of local hay and also try to commit to working him out more. He still bucks unpredictably after a year in training, but thats a different topic. Thanks again.
Member:
Pbauer

Posted on Thursday, Dec 8, 2005 - 8:38 am:

Thank you, Ann and Sara for some great ideas!

Merry Christmas!
Tonya
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