Question

Why would my four-year-old mare start eating her own manure? She has plenty of hay at her disposal, and she’s fed a high-quality vitamin and mineral supplement, stabilized rice bran, and a bit of beet pulp. I am currently strip-grazing to minimize pasture intake, but the paddock still has plenty of pickings. We have been riding her a little bit more, and she is lazy. I would say she is perfect weightwise. What is going on with the manure-eating?

Answer

Known as coprophagia, this behavior is common in foals and weanlings. Some researchers believe coprophagia helps establish a healthy microbiome in the hindgut in these young horses. Even though your mare is older, this may indicate an upset to the microbial population of the hindgut.

From the description of her diet, she has access to plenty of forage and fiber, which is thought to be another reason horses will adopt this behavior. Because you didn’t mention how much hay you’re feeding your mare, as a reminder, horses need a minimum of 1.5% of their body weight in forage per day to maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract.

If the behavior continues, you may consider EquiShure, a buffer designed for horses prone to hindgut disturbances. EquiShure stabilizes the pH of the hindgut and provides an optimal environment for beneficial fiber-fermenting microbes to thrive.