Breeding and Vices

[Mimi2005]

Does anyone have experience of a broodmare with a vice and whether the foal ended up copying the behaviour, specifically wind sucking/cribbing?

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Not personally but yes I have seen foals copy their mother's. Older horses don't tend to copy each other but it's thought that if the horses are stressed on a yard the chances are they will start cribbing. It's generally down to the environment they are in.

 

[eggs]

No experience of it myself but my mares didn't have stereotypies for the foal to copy.

I guess there may be an argument that the mare was of a temperament to exhibit the behaviour then there is a reasonable chance that the foal could inherit this too.

 

[Mimi2005]

Not personally but yes I have seen foals copy their mother's. Older horses don't tend to copy each other but it's thought that if the horses are stressed on a yard the chances are they will start cribbing. It's generally down to the environment they are in.

It's my own mare who wind sucks due to abrupt weaning at 6 months so it was stress related. That stress is gone now but once it is an ingrained behaviour it's there for life/habitual....I just wondered whether it was something a foal would mimic.

 

[ycbm]

Yes I'm afraid I've seen a foal start winsucking on fences in the field copying its mother from a few weeks old. It was very sad to see.
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[Mimi2005]

No experience of it myself but my mares didn't have stereotypies for the foal to copy.

I guess there may be an argument that the mare was of a temperament to exhibit the behaviour then there is a reasonable chance that the foal could inherit this too.

Did you notice your foal copying its mum doing other things? I had a mare foal a long time ago but the little colt was bold as brass and was very independent, definitely his own person.

The vice started due to abrupt weaning without company so she must have found it a comfort to ease the stress of being separated from her mother and finding herself all alone.

 

[Mimi2005]

Yes I'm afraid I've seen a foal start winsucking on fences in the field copying its mother from a few weeks old. It was very sad to see.
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That is sad.

 

[DSB]

Yes Bought a mare and foal at t'bred sale had inspected them before hand,went back after the sale and found them both windsucking.Not diclosed sale was cancelled.

 

[Mimi2005]

Yes Bought a mare and foal at t'bred sale had inspected them before hand,went back after the sale and found them both windsucking.Not diclosed sale was cancelled.

Thank you for sharing that, how distressing but glad you got to cancel the sale.