How to Stop a Horse Chewing Wood and Damaging Stables
Are your horses chewing their stable? Find out why horses chew wood and what you can do to protect your stable and reduce the behaviour.
Why do horses chew wood?
Horses chew wood for different reasons, including boredom, spending too much time in their stable or not having enough forage.
If your horse starts chewing their stable, try to work out why they're doing it before looking at ways to stop them.
How do you stop a horse chewing wood?
There are a few things you can try:
- Make sure your horse has enough forage
- Give them plenty of turnout
- Provide opportunities to interact with other horses
- Give them something to do in the stable
- Fit anti-chew strips to exposed timber
- Use a suitable anti-chew product.
Make sure your horse has enough forage
Horses naturally spend a large part of their day eating and foraging. If they spend long periods in a stable without anything to eat, they're more likely to look for something else to chew.
Make sure your horse has enough forage throughout the day and avoid leaving them without it for long.
If you're unsure how much forage your horse needs, speak to your vet or an equine nutritionist.
Give your horse plenty of turnout
If possible, give your horse regular turnout so they aren't spending too much time in their stable.
This gives them more time to move around, graze and spend time with other horses.
Provide some stable enrichment
Stable toys and feeders can help keep your horse occupied when they're spending time inside.
Choose something that's suitable for your horse and safe to leave in the stable. Toys can help with boredom, but they shouldn't replace forage, turnout or time with other horses.
Fit anti-chew strips
Stable doors and frames are easy targets for horses that like to chew.
Anti-chew strips cover exposed timber with metal, helping protect the areas your horse can easily get its teeth around. They work well on the top of stable doors and other exposed edges.
At Colt Stables, all our bottom stable doors come with an anti-chew strip as standard.
Use a horse-specific anti-chew product
You can also use an anti-chew product on areas your horse likes to chew. These products have an unpleasant taste to discourage horses from biting the timber.
Choose one that's safe for horses and follow the instructions when applying it. Avoid trying homemade mixtures unless you know they're safe.
Where should you protect your stable from chewing?
Focus on exposed timber your horse can easily reach, especially areas they've already started chewing.
Common areas include:
- The top of stable doors
- Door frames
- Timber partitions
- Exposed edges
- The top edge of internal lining or kickboards.
Protecting these areas early can help keep damage to a minimum.
It's also worth checking your stable regularly. If your horse has damaged timber, make sure there aren't any sharp or loose edges that could cause an injury.
Protect your Colt stable from chewing
Colt timber stables are built for everyday use around horses, with anti-chew protection included on the bottom stable doors as standard.
Each bottom door has a metal anti-chew strip extending 50mm down the front to protect one of the areas horses are most likely to chew.
If your horse is especially keen on chewing timber, talk to our team about your stable setup and any additional areas you may want to protect.
Take a look at our timber stables, or get in touch with the Colt Stables team to discuss your requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Is chewing wood bad for horses?
Regularly chewing wood can wear down your horse's teeth, and there's also a risk of splinters causing injury.
Why has my horse suddenly started chewing wood?
Your horse may start chewing wood because something has changed, such as how much forage or turnout they get or how long they spend in their stable. If the behaviour starts suddenly and you're concerned, speak to your vet.
What can you put on wood to stop horses chewing it?
You can buy horse-specific anti-chew products. Check that the product is suitable for the surface you're treating and follow the instructions before applying it.
How do you stop a horse chewing a stable door?
An anti-chew strip can protect the exposed timber along the top of a stable door. It's also worth looking at why your horse is chewing and checking they have enough forage, turnout and things to keep them occupied.
