Windsucker....but only after he eats...

M

Mark & Carrie

Member
Joined
12 November 2010
Messages
28
Visit site
My IDxTB windsucks but he only does if after he eats and only then after he has been fed hard food.

I have watched him in the field and he does it occasionally but more as a twitch than a habit, but feed him his hard feed and he's off for a good 10 mins!!

I read that this might actually be caused by gastric issues such as ulcers

He can be very loose at times too and he definately NEVER crib bites

Does anyone have a similar experience of this?
 
I knew a horse that windsucked only after being fed carrots or polo mints, so I avoided giving him those. Maybe the high sugar content was triggering dyspepsia (or memories of it). He was never scoped for ulcers.
 
My old pony used to do this after meal times - we used to say it was like him after an after dinner cigarette! :)

Mine also suffered with loose droppings - sometimes quite gassy and projectile. I can't remember what we did at the time to improve this as it was a long time ago now.
 
We feed him a basic livery mix with just grass (which will move to Alfa A in the winter) and he is being moved from haylage to hay at the moment in order to keep his condition over the winter due to him not being a very good doer.

Other than that, nothign particularly exciting in terms of feed.

I have seen some supplements that are supposed to settle the stomach and prevent this but they were very expensive (Settlex being one at £40 a tub!)
 
The gut's pH is dynamic to the food it digests.

Forage creates forage eating gut flora that works out as an alkaline pH.

Grains create grain eating gut flora that works out as an acidic pH.

If your horse is showing any type of behaviour post meal - it is a definite warning sign of ulcers. Being a poor doer is also a warning sign of poor digestion and ineffective nutrient absorption....

Your vet can investigate further.

In the meantime I would eliminate all feed other than forage (haylage is more acidic than hay) and start a course of Egusin SLH for two weeks, followed by the 250 for two weeks.
 
Thought you meant Goose till I saw the bit about being a poor doer! Heart failure! Agree about not switching over to pure Haylage, especially if your horse has loose droppings already. You could try mixing hay in with Haylage? It's what I do for my young horse as he gets very loose on Haylage and neither pink powder or Haylage balancer works. I would also ring some of then better feed advice lines as there seems to be a lot of information about what could cause this and yours points strongly towards feed and high protein and sugar seem to be some of the common suspects.
 
Thanks all....i think I need to have a chat with my vet and see what he thinks.

Concerned the testing for Ulcers might be too invasive but if he thinks my boy shows all the signs then it will have to be done! :(
 
I have a crib biter that does this if anticipating feed or treats - he will also do it after feed especially in the field with no haylage to distract him.

We have had him scoped for ulcers and came through clear. With mine it is purely habit and always reminds me of a smoker, having a ciggie with his coffee after a meal!

See what you vet thinks..........
 
Crib-biting and wind-sucking are oral stereotypies associated with feeding things (other than forage). Their initial cause is stress and highly palatable feedstuffs affecting brain chemistry. Once the horse has developed the behaviour even when getting plenty of forage they will still tend to CB/WS after such a feed. It seems to become "a habit" (an emancipated behaviour). It may not be related to gastric ulceration. As already mentioned the best thing is to maximise turn out and maximum amount of forage. If hard feed is not required (work levels) don't feed any.
 
I recently bought an ex racehorse , from a re habilitation place in Kent.
He had 'been seen to windsuck'
I didn't realise that meant not just when he wasn't eating, but also during eating, and when he's given a treat!
I've been giving him Gastric Ulcer supplements from my vet, and Feedmark for the last 6 months,without success.
I'm now arranging for him to have a scope.
He's not being ridden because I don't know if it will cause him pain.

Is his windsucking a habit due to stress ? (he ran in 72 races)
Or is it physical?

He has a home for life, even if if he's going to be an expensive pet, rather than my happy hacker.
 
This is a very old thread, you would be better to start a new one to get up to date responses.
Also, how old is your horse, how long in racing. Windsucking wouldn't stop me hacking a horse if it was otherwise ok.
 
KathyS said:
I recently bought an ex racehorse , from a re habilitation place in Kent.
He had 'been seen to windsuck'
I didn't realise that meant not just when he wasn't eating, but also during eating, and when he's given a treat!
I've been giving him Gastric Ulcer supplements from my vet, and Feedmark for the last 6 months,without success.
I'm now arranging for him to have a scope.
He's not being ridden because I don't know if it will cause him pain.

Is his windsucking a habit due to stress ? (he ran in 72 races)
Or is it physical?

He has a home for life, even if if he's going to be an expensive pet, rather than my happy hacker.
Click to expand...
Yes, good idea to start a new thread, but just to say, I have had my wb for nearly 20 years. He has done it all that time. Never any issues with his health due to it and it hasn't cost me any more than normal. I just make sure he has a cribbing/ windsucking post in the field and he can do it on his stable door. Makes it worse if you try to stop them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top