Re: RC: horse eating mud/dirt

[DebiG54@aol.com]

Hi Kathy:

I don't have the answer for why your horse is eating mud, but I experienced 
the same thing with CBS Redman.  Especially after a race, he would eagerly 
eat mouthfuls of mud from a few favorite spots on our training loops.  As 
many of you have already found, many horses will drink from a warm mud puddle 
better than a running stream.  The mud and muddy water has something they 
want or need.  As a little experiment, I filled a jar with some of Redman's 
favorite mud and brought it home for all the other horses to sample.  All but 
one of 10 or so Arabians ate it, some eagerly, others gingerly.  

Redman always had the best of everything, including free choice minerals 
available to him, so I just assumed he knew better than me and didn't worry 
about the mud.  This isn't an answer, but at least you know you're not alone.

Debi Gordon