Question: My mare, who is 23 years old, seems to be dunking her hay in her water bucket before eating. She just started doing this recently and I am wondering if there is something wrong, or is this just a quirk she has?

Answer:

It is not uncommon for a horse to dunk its hay in the water trough if it is having trouble chewing. I suggest checking your mare’s teeth for hooks, or having your veterinarian or equine dentist come out to check her teeth and float them if necessary. It sounds like she has some sharp edges (or hooks) that are preventing her from properly chewing her hay, which can be easily filed down (floated) by your vet or equine dentist. Some horses will also dunk hay if it is a new type of hay, for example, if you’d just switched from mixed grass to alfalfa hay, or to another hay that has a lot of stems or that has stalks that are “woody” and hard to chew. If your hay is of good quality, I believe the problem is most likely with her teeth. It is not likely she’s just started dunking her hay for no reason if her management (turn out time, handling, change of hay or other feed, etc.) hasn’t changed drastically. Good luck!