Sorry another post about windsucking/cribbing advice wanted please.

[TMM]

1st I would like to say what a great forum you have here

Ok to my main topic

My horse is a Irish sports horse and he is 7 yeard old and he wind sucks/cribbings
I have been reading quiet a few topics about wind sucking but I can't seem to find the best treatments for the wind sucking, there is alot of different suggestions but what would you say would be the best way to try and stop my horse doing it as much.
The main time he does wind suck is when he has had a feed inside, we were feeding him on haylage, but I have read that haylage is not very good for a windsucker, So now when we bring him in for his feed we only put hay in for him, we also feed him on a mix of Pasture Mix, Speedi-Beet and chaff, the reason for this is because when we bought the horse he was very thin and this is what we were told to use and it is building him up nicely.
So could it be the feed we give him? or do you think its just a a habbit and a habbit that can not be broke? is there any suppliments to help with acid or his digestive system ?
I have read about the collars to help stop the wind sucking but i don't really want to use one of them.
Please bare in mind me and my partner are fairly new to all of this so be gentle with us: P
Any advice would be really appreciated

I hope i placed this topic in the correct part of the forum

 

[Llwyncwn]

Hello, and a big welcome to the forum. We will of course be gentle with you, there is so much combined knowledge on these pages and its the next best thing to having a good equine vet on hand

It is generally understood that stable vices like your boy has are stress related. Do you know how he was managed before you had him? Does he pull faces in the stable and when you are girthing up?

I would probably suspect gastric ulcers which your equine vet can confirm with a scope. If this is the case then there are a number of things you can do to make life more comfortable for him. Firstly, changing from Pasture Mix to cubes would help as the cube/nut is cooked and will digest easier in the gut. You can include vegetable oil in his diet to help him put on condition along with a regular routine and plenty of turn out to sort his head out! The best suppliment I have found which works instantly is called Coligone, it lines the gut and neutralises any acidosis and fed on a daily basis works out roughly at 55p/day - I have had wonderful results with this and have 4 of my horses on it permanently.

Hope this helps and do let us know how you get on.

 

[Honeypots]

Hi...welcome

My boy cribs and windsucks. He's well into his teens and I don't imagine I'll ever stop him. I think of it as a bit like him having a fag after a meal

It is usually stress related and can ceratinly, as stated above, be an indication of ulcers but can also be just a habit which is I think the case with my boy now. He only ever does it after a meal and only if he can...
My TB lives out now which really helps. I find if he is in he just does it for the hell of it even though he isn't in the least bit stressed.

 

[Gemsie]

Hi TMM,

Welcome!

I can second Llwyncwn's comments regarding Coligone - I have been using this for both my stressy 6yr old warmblood mare who used to get very tense at competitions - but now is a joy!

I am also using it for my 28yr old retired lad as he is currently having an episode of grumbling spasmodic colic - and the coligone definately seems to help him - currently I am giving him 50ml twice a day - and in a few days time will drop this to 30ml twice a day as per the instuctions of Katie - the lady at Coligone.

I would definatley suggest you give her a call - she is extremely helpful.

here is a link to the website http://www.hbradshaws.co.uk/

Good luck

Gem

 

[ewarren]

hi. We have a wind sucker very very poor dooer. she had a scope last thurs- she had the worse ulsers the vet had seen. she is now on a course of gartogaurd for 6wks.
from watching her behavior I think the windsucking helps them relive the pain but in turn the windsucking causes more problems.
I beleive this mare problems started when her old owner over fed her on mix. We have her on chaff sugarbeet and fibre and lots of oil now.
Fingers crossed she will be fine. But i have been advised that mix is not good and we have been killing her with kindness!!!!!

 

[TMM]

[ QUOTE ]
Hello, and a big welcome to the forum. We will of course be gentle with you, there is so much combined knowledge on these pages and its the next best thing to having a good equine vet on hand

It is generally understood that stable vices like your boy has are stress related. Do you know how he was managed before you had him? Does he pull faces in the stable and when you are girthing up?

I would probably suspect gastric ulcers which your equine vet can confirm with a scope. If this is the case then there are a number of things you can do to make life more comfortable for him. Firstly, changing from Pasture Mix to cubes would help as the cube/nut is cooked and will digest easier in the gut. You can include vegetable oil in his diet to help him put on condition along with a regular routine and plenty of turn out to sort his head out! The best suppliment I have found which works instantly is called Coligone, it lines the gut and neutralises any acidosis and fed on a daily basis works out roughly at 55p/day - I have had wonderful results with this and have 4 of my horses on it permanently.

Hope this helps and do let us know how you get on.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi Thank you for your reply.
I don't really know much about his background as the gentleman we bought him from did not have him very long, but when we did buy him he was very thin and did not look the best.
One thing i do know is when are girthing him up he does not pull any faces ,he just stands there no problem.

 

[TMM]

Thanks for your replys there greatly appreciated.
They have give me some good advice to go on

 

[CBAnglo]

I have found that the best regime is high fibre low cereals, no sugar (including apples and carrots), no garlic and as much turnout and forage as possible. A diet of chaff (Hi-fi, hi-fi lite), a fibre cube (spillers, baileys) and speedibeet. If they are in very poor condition, then boost their gut with a course of pink powder.

Feeding a supplement can help in some cases - coligone, settlex etc. Some people feed antacids, such as Rennies.

I also dislike collars, however if the horse spends all of their time cribbing, instead of eating, then a collar is needed. Also, if they hold onto something they cause uneven wear on their teeth - dentist required every 6 months.

 

[TMM]

Hi. Quick update.
I have changed his Pasture mix to fibre cubes, stopped the apples and carrots, i give him a rennie before his feed and 1 after his feed and he is not windsucking half as much as he was but its still early days so fingers crossed

 

[HazellB]

Just joined especially to post in this thread - so I hope what I say helps!

We bought a WB mare in the summer and she wind sucks almost constantly without a collar, so I have been on a steep learning curve myself. I hated the thought of collaring her like every pervious home, so watched her for three full days as she went about her business in our field. She appeared to be stressing herself rather than outside influences making her stressed, so I figured it was an internal problem like stomach ulcers.

Rennies are what we'd take, but they don't make them horse sized, so I bought a sack of limestone flour at my wholesalers (I sell pet foods anyway) and it's been brilliant.

With two heaped wooden spoons full of limestone flour at each meal (morning and evening) in her sugarbeet, she's now just wind sucking after a meal for ten to twenty minutes. She was already fully out with shelter at the last home and is here, too. She's on hay ad lib and isn't in work with me yet, so in time she'll probably suck less once fit and using her brain more.

The limestone flour is easy to get at any feed merchant - just ask if they don't already stock it. My large 25kg sack will last about 5 or 6 months and cost a massive four pounds! Talk about value!

Hope this helps.