Skinny Wood Eating Horse

Question
QUESTION: Hello.  I purchased a horse two months ago and had her boarded.  When she arrived at the boarding farm, she appeared to be in good health, i.e. clear eyes and nose, good weight.  While being boarded, her health and appearance declined.  A few days after arriving she appeared to get shipping fever, she then started losing weight and she literally ate the wooden fence at the boarding farm.  Two months later she came to live at my farm, only a shell of what she was when purchased.  I was shocked and dismayed, but attributed her wood eating and weight loss to lack of food.  I have had this mare under my care for  11 days now.  She is fed complete pellets, beet pulp, and hay, all twice a day.  She has also been wormed with "Zimectrin Gold".  To date she has not shown any weight gain, and recently has started to eat her wooden shed row barn.  Any ideas what is going on with this mare???  She does also have a weird habit of sticking out her tongue and then 'sucking' on it while it is sticking out of her mouth, much like a suckling baby would.  Any advice or suggestions as to what could possibly be causing this horses issues would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: hi lynda,
well her eating wood will cause splinters in her stomach. this can make her colic. so as far as curing this problem you can either line the door with sheet metal or replace it with a metal door. she sticks out her toung and suckes on it because =she is bored. giving her some toys to play with will help keep her entertained. for her weight i would free feed her alfalfa pellets and give her grain in the morning and evening. for grain i would stick to what you have and add rice bran pellets and mare and foal. the rice bran is basically all fat so this wil help with quick weight gain. start her out at a handfull in the morning and evening for the first three days then double it to two handfulls. after three days of that then give her a scoop in the morning and evening. a scoop shoulw be about 3-4 handfuls. the mare and foal has all the nutrients her body will need to digest the food properly start her out the same way as the rice bran. if she is by herself she could also be lonely. getting a mini or a goat may help her. horses are naturally herd animals and want to be with other horses. good luck with your mare and let me know how she is doing. merry christmas.
amanda groff

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much!  I would like to add a little more.  She is not eating her stall door, she is eating the actual 'sides' of the barn. (Very weird, I know). (She also ate THROUGH the fence at the other place.)  She is not alone.  She has a 14h pony in the stall next to her, and she is turned out with him.  The adjoining pasture has 6 ponies and a horse in it. Do you think this eating is boredom, also, or could she be lacking something nutritionally?  I am pleased to hear that the tongue issue is just boredom, and not something medical.  I will start your suggested feeding regime tomorrow, and thank you tremedously for your guidelines.  I have been a mental wreck over this mare, and am grateful to you for answering me so quickly, and even on Christmas!

Answer
ehh it doesnt matter what day it is, horse business is an everyday must for me. for the stall sides you can get a substance called no chew. it makes the wood taste bad. since she is with other horses the obveosly she is not lacking attention or companionship. but she could still be bored. the toys will help keep her occupied. when horses eat wood it is either because they are bored or they are lacking fiber. feeding a herb grain by triple crown or feeding her a complete feed should help. but i would definitly get the no chew. it works very well. my filly chewed on everything, wood, pipes, leads. leather, chains. i mean everything. and with the no chew she stopped. i hope these tips help your mare, i also hope you had a nice christmas and a good new year to come.
amanda groff