Is Eating Manure Natural?

Let's put it this way: if you are a baby horse eating mother's fresh manure, then that is normal. This is actually called coprohagia and helps a foal's digestive system work better.

A mother horse's fresh manure can give the baby beginning bacteria it requires for its fermentation and digestion systems in order to help its intestinal tract get used to solid food. Plus, the manure's environmental bacteria will help stimulate the foal's bacteria system, alleviating its chances of getting sick once he gets older.

If the manure is extra fresh, there are less chances of the foal getting infections from parasites in his damn since the eggs have to mature in the manure before they can become infectious.No matter what, this ensures that the baby gets wormed properly.

Eating manure usually stops once the foal is around half a year old. But if they continue doing this until adulthood, you should start getting a little worried. If adult horses eat manure, then what was a childhood necessity has become a daily habit and might be quite difficult to lose by now. If this has become a habit, then it can be attributed to lack of proper feeding and exercise or sheer boredom.

Research shows that if a horse does not receive enough roughage, he may even eat his own manure so he can have something to do. The same research also shows that it is an essential requirement for horses to make use of its lips by picking at grass or other types of forage. If there is a lack of forage, he may start making use of his lips by picking through manure and eating it. It sounds disgusting, but it's true. However, there may be other reasons behind this habit of eating manure.

If the horse is ill and has been taking antibiotics, the drugs may have eliminated the good bacteria that was in the horse's body.

By eating manure, he may actually be helping replenish this good bacteria. If seeing your horse eat manure really starts to bother you, you may try to feed it some probiotics, which are a source of naturally occurring microorganisms.
The verdict is that you should ensure your horse receives enough forage to make it happy, healthy and eating. Horses are grazers by nature and if they are stuck in a pen all day without any food from morning until evening, you truly are asking for trouble. Also ensure that they have something to do besides just standing around all day. Horses are also sociable by nature and need companionship and company in the form of other horses.