Any ideas? Windsucking/Cribbing Pony has me baffled

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Blondie1

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Hi,

I'm hoping someone may have some experiences or ideas which might help me and my pony please.

Last October he started windsucking. Have had him just over a year and he has never windsucked before. Pony is 14.2hh Welsh cross 12years old.

Prior to the windsucking things that had changed:

Cut his hay down and started soaking it for 8hours (he was quite overweight so something needed doing, he was being worked approx 5 days a week)

He moved fields to be in with my mare.

He also went quite lazy over that time, he normally loves his jumping but i was struggling to get him over fences and he would not go into canter.

So things i did to try to resolve this:

Gave him ad lib hay in stable overnight (which became ridiculous as he was chomping through approx 20lbs of hay!!!!

Had vet out who took bloods to check for any digestive problems. Bloods came back with no digestive problems but did come back with muscle damage.

The ad lib hay did work up until a few weeks ago when i changed to a trickle net as the amount of hay he was going through was costing me a fortune and also a ridiculous amount for a 14.2hh welsh cross.

So he is now windsucking again.

But the thing that is confusing me is that along with the trickle net he has a small normal net and there is always lots of hay left by morning.

He has had his back treated from the muscle damage and is working much better now.

He is also now back to being grumpy and snappy the same as when the windsucking began last October.

So the next thing to try is to turn him out 24/7 as of tonight, grazing is good and he is always in a rush to get out to the field in the mornings so must like it out there.

Does anyone have any suggestions, opinions or experiences please? I am just so baffled as to why he's doing it : (

Thanks in advance xxx
 
Hippona said:
Grumpy and cribbing...possibly gastric ulcers? Or hind-gut ulcers.

Is he girthy at all?

AFAIK....ulcers wouldn't show up in a blood test....possibly get him scoped?
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He is very girthy, and has been ever since i got him. I suggested having him scoped to the vet (back in December) but he suggested bloods first because scoping is very unpleasant.

I really do know what to do, why would he stop windsucking for approx 2 months and then start again. Can ulcers affect them like that?
 
The period of time he stopped, he was getting adlib hay - and unsoaked by the sounds of it.

Why not try adlib again - but this time include straw as a part replacer for the hay?
 
amymay said:
The period of time he stopped, he was getting adlib hay - and unsoaked by the sounds of it.

Why not try adlib again - but this time include straw as a part replacer for the hay?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, I'm not sure if this will make any difference because he has had his trickle net plus another normal hole haynet plus hay on the floor and he's not scoffing it all up like he was back in December. Maybe due to better grass now spring is here?
 
One of my horses doesn't have ulcers...but gets 'acid tummy' in winter if he doesn't get ad-lib hay- out in the paddock and in the stable. I have to top it up in winter during my lunch-hour - he doesn't lose weight or condition if I dont..... but definately becomes girthy and grumpy.

He's fine in summer when he's got access to grass all day and hay at night. I can tell when he's not right by his attitude to being girthed....

So I manage it with ad-lib hay - shed loads. AcidX by Global Herbs stopped the girthiness too.

He doesn't windsuck but occasionally- only when he's girthy....will he bite on the leadrop that I string accross his door as a stable-guard. Very subtle signs- but I know my horse and what it means.:)
 
Thanks for everyones replies so far.

Would it be worth trying the 24/7 turnout to see if he becomes any less stroppy and then i can monitor the girthyness etc?
 
Scoping isn't that bad for them to go through (speaking from experience) and I think may be one day at the vets would be worth it if he was going to be generally more comfortable long term?

If there aren't any gastric ulcers present, he may have hind gut or colonic ulcers.

I would contact your vet again as he shouldn't be showing these signs, there will be something wrong somewhere.

You could maybe try a course of Coligone (you can buy it off the internet) and see if there is improvement. (My horse was allergic to AcidX so that's the only reason why I personally woudn't recommend that!)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
Just a little update...

Spoke with my vet and he agrees with the 24/7 turnout and monitor him myself for a few weeks and if no improvement then he will come out and investigate further.

Should i be adding any supplements as suggested by some of you or just wait and see how the 24/7 turnout goes first before changing too many things at the same time?
 
Thanks everyone.

He will go out as of tonight and fingers crossed i wont be back on her in a few weeks asking for anymore advice - hopefully i'll be back on with good news : )
 
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