Why does my horse windsuck?

[MyDappledConnemara]

My new horse windsucks when he is about to be turned out and when he comes in in the morning. He used to windsuck on his haynet, but he now has hay on the floor. We weren't told about this by his previous owner, but we love him too much to send him back! What shall I do to help cure it and why does he do this? I've got to school him tomorrow so immediate help would be much appreciated!!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

If he's grabbing onto something then he's cribbing, not windsucking (they don't grab an object, just gulp in air).

Both can be linked to ulcers. I'm not a fan of anti cribbing collars. You may have to accept that he will always crib, but it can often be greatly reduced with treatment for ulcers (if it's ulcer related), feeding ad lib forage, living out with no hard feeds or treats. Of course this may not be possible.

 

[Doormouse]

Um, not sure why you need immediate help with windsucking so you can school him, I presume he doesn't do it when you are riding him.

Windsucking is a declarable vice so you should most definitely have been told by previous owners. There is very little you can do to stop horses, it is a habit often learned originally from boredom although there are some schools of thought that believe it is hereditary.

It is a bit like having a cigarette for a horse, they find it relaxing and I believe it stimulates some hormone that relaxes them, this is why it becomes a habit like any other. They are more inclined to do it during and after food for some reason.

Something to watch out for with a windsucker is ulcers as they suck in air when doing it which disrupts the digestive system. It can also damage their teeth if done for many years. Otherwise it is an annoying but relatively harmless vice and you can actually seriously upset a horse by trying to stop it.

 

[ShadowHunter]

Your not going to be able to cure him from it, the vice may reduce if you manage him differently i.e. live out 24/7. Stopping them from doing this via cribbing collars etc. can actually stress them out. I would watch out for ulcers/colic more closely too.

 

[stormox]

I had a connemara that did this, drove me nuts with the noise. I had to declare it as a vice when I sold him but it didnt affect his performance.

 

[claracanter]

Windsucking is a vice that must be declared when selling, you would be perfectly entitled to send him back although I understand you don't want to.

I agree it is a pretty harmless habit although you might get other owners claiming their horses will start to copy, however I don't think this is true.

Try and make sure he has good quality forage all the time when he is stabled as this will reduce the need to do it, if he is doing it out of boredom. Two haynets in different places in the stable can distract them. Although he sounds as though he's doing it when something is about to happen.

I tried many of the different supplements on the market that claim to stop the habit, none of them worked for my boy. The most annoying thing was when he started doing it on the fencing, but we restrung the electric fencing to the top of the posts and that stopped him.

With regard to cribbing collars, my boy had to wear one when we moved to a new yard and after two weeks of wearing it he stopped altogether, so a collar need not necessarily be a bad thing.

It won't be a problem when you are riding him.

 

[chillipup]

Sorry OP I don't know much about these vices, but wondered if the other posters know if windsucking can ever be due to excitement/anticipation? If it's due to stress/boredom why would OP's horse be doing it when he is turned out in morning (assuming most horses enjoy going out) then again, when it comes in?? (could understand stress- anticipation of perhaps boredom when brought in)???

 

[stormox]

I think some horses are born prone to it and just need a trigger to start it- maybe seeing another doing it, chewing on a handy bit of manger, but if theyr prone, they WILL start sometime. I think connemaras are particularly likely to start it, I have known a lot of them windsuck/crib.
Other horses will never do it,whatever their situation.
If they do it, it becomes like a drug- the fella I had, when you finished riding him and took him back into his stable, or turned him out in the field, it was the first thing he'd do- grab a fence post if in field, or if in, his manger, and gulp away!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sorry OP I don't know much about these vices, but wondered if the other posters know if windsucking can ever be due to excitement/anticipation? If it's due to stress/boredom why would OP's horse be doing it when he is turned out in morning (assuming most horses enjoy going out) then again, when it comes in?? (could understand stress- anticipation of perhaps boredom when brought in)???

I Agee! I have two wind suckers! (Both long term and purchased this way)
One of them only starts when I arrive at the yard. I know this for a fact as he stands with his bum to the door and if I sneak in he's always asleep like this. As soon as he hears my engine or sees me he starts.

 

[be positive]

I think some horses are born prone to it and just need a trigger to start it- maybe seeing another doing it, chewing on a handy bit of manger, but if theyr prone, they WILL start sometime. I think connemaras are particularly likely to start it, I have known a lot of them windsuck/crib.
Other horses will never do it,whatever their situation.
If they do it, it becomes like a drug- the fella I had, when you finished riding him and took him back into his stable, or turned him out in the field, it was the first thing he'd do- grab a fence post if in field, or if in, his manger, and gulp away!

I agree to an extent that some horses are more likely to start cribbing given a trigger, my own horse started when under extreme stress following a short period being treated at a vets where he was badly injured, on his return he was obviously distressed he could not drink because of the mouth injury, he was stuck in on total box rest to treat the leg injury so even walking out was not an option, he was also on antibiotics and danilon.
One morning while I was outside his box I saw him nibble then take hold of the top of the partition and gulp in some air, he did this a few times while I watched and he visibly relaxed almost smiling with pleasure, I was certainly not smiling knowing that it was a sign he could also have ulcers to add to his list of problems, an immediate call to the vet and he had his first gastrogard within a couple of hours, he has never cribbed again so it proved, to me anyway, that there is a link between ulcers and cribbing, I think the cribbing is frequently a symptom not the cause.

I have known a few Connies and none have cribbed, it may be prevalent in some types of horses but if they are kept as stress free as possible, on plenty of fodder and given appropriate exercise and turnout most will not start, stress is not always obvious it can be chronic pain that causes it, it can be boredom, anticipation of something good or bad can be the trigger, if you can recognise the trigger and remove or reduce it then it may be possible to reduce the cribbing but it is likely to reoccur at any time, the OP's pony may have started due to the move as that is a stressful time for any equine.