Advice on Windsucking please ......

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Lollii

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I have a new mare at our yard (TB, Ex Racer) that windsucks, it's not good she seems to do it a lot of the time. it is such a shame as she is a really lovely mare :(

Her teeth are so worn down at the front - there is almost nothing left of them (she is 8 years old) will they ever be ok again if we can stop her doing it? she is in good condition so I don't think it is affecting her eating.

Does anyone know of anything that will help me stop her doing it so much? I am going to try electric tape up on some of the fences where I can, is there anything I could spray on the fence to stop her? I have put her collar on tonight, but this doesn't stop her grabbing onto the fence, I am leaving her out 24/7 now.

Help please! :)
 
My horse's teeth recovered after a stretch in a starvation paddock left them worn (not me before you ask!!).


We have a wind sucker on our yard. Apparently it's related to digestion. he always needs to do it after a feed or a haynet or even an hour or two of grass. Its never caused him any problems (i.e. colic etc) and he does it slightly more if stressed i.e. indoors for a long period of time. In summer he's out 24/7 and wanders to the soft worn wood to suck occasionally. Indoors he does it more on his door and they put rugs over the door to make it softer for him. I know it sounds like a hands off approach but once the girl that loans him realised it was about digestion she took the approach that he needs to do it - so give him a soft place to do it!!
 
Thanks Ladyearl ... the horse on your yard sounds very similar to this one, she likes to do it when she is eating. I did think that it is just something that she will do until I saw her teeth ... they are so bad :(

I think I need to try and stop her doing it if possible.
 
windsucking and cribbing are different but the same if that makes sense. cribbing= they grab onto an object and gulp in air. windsucking= they dont grab onto anything but still gulp in air(my mare does this)
we have a cribber on our yard also who does it non stop unless hes eating and hes far to much of a good dooer to have adlib food.
You need to give your horse a substitute for wanting to crib. cribbing collars work aslong as the horse can eat everything from the floor. (very uncomfortable for them to eat from a height with the collar on!) i would start of with adlib food available, even when tied up, scatter it around in piles.
the teeth will recover in time but you need to work out when and why they are doing it. you cannot take it away without replacing it with something. she ovb does it fairly badly if her teeth are that bad at 8 years old.
 
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Thanks China, I am not sure what I can replace it with if I can stop her doing it by putting electric tape around the fences, maybe just lots of hay and grass to keep her busy?
 
I always thought windsucking was where they grabbed on to something and gulped in air, or just gulping in the air without grabbing on to something whereas cribbing was just chewing wood without the gulping air.

Our horse does it, we also put rugs over her stable door to save her teeth but when she's out in the field she has to wear a collar because the YO doesn't want her damaging fences (which she did-we tried giving her an old xc jump to do it on but she kept doing it to the fence posts and pulling them all out the ground)

I don't like collars as a rule, the YO has said he'll run the electric fencing over the posts but he hasn't had the time and it is a big job.
 
skint1 said:
I always thought windsucking was where they grabbed on to something and gulped in air, or just gulping in the air without grabbing on to something whereas cribbing was just chewing wood without the gulping air.

I thought that too :)

Do you think your horse *needs* something to crib on? what would happen if you removed everything that he can do it on, would he stress about it? or just get on with eating grass/hay do you think?

How are his teeth? :)
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If they do it a lot when eating, it is often related to stomach pain, ie acid/ulcers. I have found adding limestone flour to their feeds very cheap and quite effective at reducing the windsucking/cribbing. I also keep an old rug over the door of the stable/cover the metal gate with an old duvet so they don't do as much damage to their teeth :)
 
My gelding, Wings does it, although not excessively; he only does it after he's had a hard feed. He gets limestone flour in his feed, which now means he only cribs for a couple of minutes after hard feed. We put a rug over a wall which he cribs on to help his teeth. He lives out 24/7 in summer, and then he doesn't crib when in the field at all, again, just after a hard feed, although if I feed him away from gates/fences, he doesn't crib.

Oh, and I found giving him ad lib haylage when he lives in overnight a massive help too.

Hope this helps :D
 
skint1 said:
I always thought windsucking was where they grabbed on to something and gulped in air, or just gulping in the air without grabbing on to something whereas cribbing was just chewing wood without the gulping air.

Our horse does it, we also put rugs over her stable door to save her teeth but when she's out in the field she has to wear a collar because the YO doesn't want her damaging fences (which she did-we tried giving her an old xc jump to do it on but she kept doing it to the fence posts and pulling them all out the ground) .
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just chewing wood is just known as wood chewing. if they are gulping in air, cribbing, if they do none of those and just gulp in air its windsucking.
good idea re: rug on doors, stops them damaging their teeth and the door.
 
I had a horse that was a cribber and a windsucker - nothing stopped him, no matter how tight the collar was, so I took it off. It was a deeply ingrained habit with him, like humans smoking fags. He was a very smart horse, a dealer told me that he reckoned all the cribbers/windsuckers were smart, he needed lots of stimulation. Totally not suited to me, he is now competing every weekend and loving it.

Some of them just do it, like mine, it was a habit and didn't harm him, he had good condition and I put a rubber strip on his door so he didn't harm his teeth. Its a VERY annoying habit though!
 
The pony I bought last year did it badly. (superb kids first pony tho so can't complain) he actually has no top teeth left, so been doing it some time. I put him on dengie digestive health suppliment and in two weeks he stopped completely. I've kept him on it tho just to keep him happy.
 
Quote: I always thought windsucking was where they grabbed on to something and gulped in air, or just gulping in the air without grabbing on to something whereas cribbing was just chewing wood without the gulping air.
YES this is what I have always understood.

My TB Exracer who I have owned for 4 years windsucks really badly. Even when out in the field she will find a tree branch to latch onto and gulp in air. Her teeth look terrible but vet said they are fine so maybe you are over reacting if she can eat fine. When I first got her I tried everything and I mean everything to stop/reduce it. Nothing worked or it made her unhappy and collars (even with fur) rubbed and she started as soon as it was removed. Now I live with it. Fortunately I am not on a livery yard as when anyone visits it really stresses THEM out but I have got used to it. Mine isnt a good doer so i have to feed her hay next to somewhere she CAN windsuck or she will spend too long windsucking and not eating hay if she has to walk from the hay to a fence!
If you cant cope with her send her my way ......... xx
 
Haven't read the whole thread but if the horse is using an object you can use 'anti-crib' lotions and sprays. Used something similar on my horse's rug to stop another biting it but it didn't really work though :(

You mention that the horse is out 24/7 now. Is he/she kept with company? What have the previous owners said? Think you said he/she is new to you - if so, the behaviours may settle down.

If you think its out of boredom could you put some toys in the field (if alone)? You could things like swede's hanging from the stable roof if stabled at night as a distraction - would be harder to do in the field with fencing though.
 
Thanks for the replies and ideas :)

It is such an annoying habit, she is a stunning looking mare with a lovely attitude, it is her teeth that I am worried about ... well there are no front teeth - they have been worn away :(

I am going to try the limestone flour to see if that helps, I will try the dengie digestive health supplement - thanks fallenangel123 :)

I have tried today to spray the post & rail fencing with a variety of several things .. vinegar, mustard, poo (!) etc etc! nothing works, she just goes straight to the fence and starts again... but ... I have noticed it is getting a little less today (fingers crossed!) she is turned out with a two others, she loves being out, and she is eating loads :)

This is her after coming here straight from the racing yard, she looks even better now
Krystalsfirstday053.jpg
 
My mare cribs after meals and a LOT less when she's living out and getting loads of fibre. I'd say cut back the hard feed as much as possible and up the hay. I've never really tried to prevent her cribbing except by turning her out, and it's not affected her health at all.
In response to some other suggestions, Limestone flower should act as an antacid and lessen the cribbing but in PF's case it didn't do much good. Certainly worth a try though.
 
PapaFrita said:
My mare cribs after meals and a LOT less when she's living out and getting loads of fibre. I'd say cut back the hard feed as much as possible and up the hay. I've never really tried to prevent her cribbing except by turning her out, and it's not affected her health at all.
In response to some other suggestions, Limestone flower should act as an antacid and lessen the cribbing but in PF's case it didn't do much good. Certainly worth a try though.
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Thanks PF, I will give it a go, I have come across lots of different 'gadgets' to stop cribbing on the internet :confused: I doubt any of them work!

How are your mares teeth - does she still have them?
 
My boy windsucks. According to my vets windsucking can either be grabbing hold of something or without holding on; cribbing is chewing wood.

I bought the cribox and smeared it on every fence post as I found the spray was not at all effective. It lasts quite a while and definitely has worked on the horses I have known to do it.

I tried some supplements but they didn't work and after consulting a couple of vets they advised me that it becomes and ingrained behaviour even after the initial stimulus (eg pain/discomfort) is gone.

R tends to do it in new places, when he feels a bit stressed, when he's in with new horses or generally a bit unsettled. He also does it after hard feed. I generally use a miracle collar for the first couple of weeks at a new yard (mainly to pacify other liveries) till he settles in and he doesn't do it that much after that.
 
Lollii said:
Thanks PF, I will give it a go, I have come across lots of different 'gadgets' to stop cribbing on the internet :confused: I doubt any of them work!

How are your mares teeth - does she still have them?
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I don't think collars work, and if they did I think they'd cause more stress and trouble than the actual windsucking. The gulping noise is veeery annoying, but I can live with it :)
She does still have her teeth, although they are quite worn.
Interestingly, she's had 2 foals and neither of them have ever windsucked (although admittedly Little Cigar is only 2 ;) )
 
Havin done an animal behaviour and training course it is like catnritchie said, cribbin is just chewing and windsucking is sucking in air using something to hold on to or not it depends on the horse.
It's usually a vice due to stress so if you put a collar on to prevent it and it is a coping mechanism then the horse is more likely to find something else to do to cope, i.e box walkin, weaving etc. So best thing to do is to find out what the horse is trying to cope with. The problem comes in the fact that the coping mechanism becomes a habit as the release of endorphins is so self rewarding that it's a very difficult thing to stop a horse doing. So the best thing to do is probably to Cushion the stable door as said above to reduce damage to teeth, try puttin things in the horses stable or field to entertain it so it's thinking less about windsucking. clicker training is an option, rewarding when the horse isn't windsucking however I'm not sure how successful that would be due to the internal reward the horse recieves through endorphin release. Hope this helps some xxx
 
Thanks Nicky_Jess - all advice welcome :)

This mare has been with me a week or two, she came from a racing yard where she wasn't turned out at all since last summer (if ever!) so she has cribbed/windsucked all her life I expect :(

I have gradually turned her out for longer & longer this week - she is now out 24 hrs. with company and ad lib hay - she loves it :)

But ... I went to feed her a carrot and she couldn't bite it, I checked in her mouth - no teeth *at all* in the front ... she grabs the fence and sucks in air a lot, she is not a stressy type & she loves her food, she is in really great condition, it is such a shame .... I just want to help her - and her teeth :rolleyes:
 
Lollii said:
I have a new mare at our yard (TB, Ex Racer) that windsucks, it's not good she seems to do it a lot of the time. it is such a shame as she is a really lovely mare :(

Her teeth are so worn down at the front - there is almost nothing left of them (she is 8 years old) will they ever be ok again if we can stop her doing it? she is in good condition so I don't think it is affecting her eating.

Does anyone know of anything that will help me stop her doing it so much? I am going to try electric tape up on some of the fences where I can, is there anything I could spray on the fence to stop her? I have put her collar on tonight, but this doesn't stop her grabbing onto the fence, I am leaving her out 24/7 now.

Help please! :)
Click to expand...

Ditch the collar- treats the symptom not the cause and causes more stress.
Out 24/7 is perfect.
Only feed fibre- no cereals whatsoever.
Brewers yeast and liquorice root helps the stomach/digestion.
Make sure in times of little grass hay is always available.
Consider getting the horse scoped for gastric ulceration- thats the most likely cause.

I have known a horse that cribbed almost constantly (with frequent colic) be almost 'cured' through good management and diet.
 
Sorry to post again but I just thought of something else. Like someone said earlier, my vet said it was the horses that were more intelligent/got bored more quickly that tended to do it. R definitely does it less when he is in regular work so keeping their brain occupied helps some of them.:)

Also I have discussed with a few vets re scoping him but they have advised against it. Something like 75% of scopes come out normal and the risks from anaesthetic and chances of perforation mean it isn't worth it. Don't know if other people have been told different things but that is the consensus I got from my vets.
 
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I think you need to treat why she is cribbing as opposed to trying to stop her with sprays and collars. A study found that more than 80% of racing horses have ulcers and ulcers are one of the main causes of cribbing or windsucking. If she were mine i would give her a supplement specific for treating and getting rid of ulcers, i am presuming that the limestone powder is more for acid reduction and again does not get rid of the the cause only the symptoms. If she gets hard feed split them into as many feeds as you can in the day and give her ad lib hay when she is in the stable.

IMO most vices can be alleviated by good managment.

:)
 
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