Re: Mud deficient??

["Annette Gordon" <agordon@worldofwonder.net>]

Dear Kate

I'm in the UK just to put you in the picture. I've got two horses both of
which lick mud. One of them this weekend after a fast ride where he sweated
up a lot tucked into a big muddy puddle - in fact he often drinks from
puddles. I always let him provided I'm sure the water is clean, the mud and
soil has a lot of vitamins and minerals in it and although I supplement with
seaweed, cider vinegar etc. it's obviously not enough. 

The other one also gets the seaweed and cider vinegar but still enjoys
licking mud, she also eats wood too. 

Your horses probably are deficient in some minearals and vitamins - I think
mine are too. Difficult to know what to do since I thought I was feeding
enough supplemented vitamins and minearals. 

Annette

----------
>From: "Mick & Katie" <caughey@merredin.agn.net.au>
>To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Subject: Mud deficient??
>Date: Mon, Nov 9, 1998, 6:49 am
>

>I have a very odd question.  This weekend I had friends over and for the
>first time ever 3 of my 4 horses were ridden out together.  After a few
>miles of riding and a good trot, canter & gallop we all stopped at a dam
>and let the horses have a drink.  Two of them were more interested in
>licking the mud at the waters edge and the other started to actually try to
>bite chunks of dry mud.  I had another friend there riding her own horse
>and he never showed any signs of doing anything like my three.  This has
>happened at the same spot before, with just the horse I was riding.  My
>question is...  could they all be severely deficient in some mineral that
>would explain this behaviour?  I live in Western Australia and do not have
>any data on pasture content etc.  They are all only getting wheaten hay at
>the moment as they are not really getting any sort of work.
>
>Regards
>
>Kate & the mud licking mob!!
>