strang behaviour - horse

[jack daniels]

On my way home from work I see a horse that is in a field, today he was biting on to the edge of the fence and then licking it - he keeps doing this repeatedly.
He snorted when I approached and let me stroke him.
I gave him some water but didn't seem interested.
Does anyone know why he's doing this?

tia

[moonshadow]

Lack of fibre or protein in the diet may sometimes urge horses to eat and lick wood but it's most probably boredom, especially if the horse is on it's own.

[momac]

I asked the very same question to a girl I knew who owns a horse, she said also that the horse was bored.

[mrs_overall]

It sounds like boredom to me. Is the horse on his/her own in the field?

[barney1966]

crib biting

http://www.horsedata.co.uk/crib_biting.htm

[barney1966]

if he sucks in air and makes a noise whilst doing it, it could also be wind sucking

http://www.horsedata.co.uk/windsucking.htm

[lankeela]

This is probably why he is out in a field, both crib biting and windsucking are problems that usually occur when a horse is stabled. They can cause respiratory problems and often horses are turned out to help the problem. Incidentally, you should not give someone else's horse anything, even water, without their consent. You could cause the horse to get colic, especially if the water is very cold. If it does and it is not treated, the horse could roll and twist its gut, causing a painful death if not noticed and treated urgently.

[terambulan]

Horses wind-suck from continuously being stabled, it then becomes a nasty incurable habit due to their frustration. Stables have cage top doors on top to control it. The horse has been 'turned out' for this reason and will ruin the wooden fencing which will have to be replaced with iron fencing.

I'm sorry that equestrians dont accept that horses are herd animals and should not be stabled alone. As a herd they keep each other moving and healthy.