Windsuckers - tell me all!!

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lilly1

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Seen a really nice horse for sale which would otherwise be above my price range BUT she windsucks. Had lots of horses before including weavers (which I admit used to drive me mad at times) but never a windsucker. Growing up I’ve heard horror stories of colic, impossible to keep weight on etc etc. but now I hear its more to do with the digestion system and possible stomach ulcers? Does anyone here have/had a windsucker? Good and bad please.
Confused and a bit hesitant
 
I had one, and it never caused him any problems. He turned out to have ulcers which was what probably started him windsucking, we had them treated and he just carried on out of habit. He hasnt had colic, and is fairly easy to keep weight on (for a TB anyway)

However I wouldnt have another! The noise drives me mad, and I had to electrify all the fences otherwise he took all the posts out. Also was a pain on the lorry at comps as he use to crib on anything he could.


Still, out of all the vices I think it is the least annoying, mine wasnt at all stressy and definatly wasnt a worrier.
 
I used to know one who was a lovely horse and had no trouble keeping weight on and never had colic or anything like that. He windsucked almost constantly (bless him) but it never seemed to have any ill effects on him (though the stable door did suffer a bit!) I think that if the horse is right in all other ways then you should get it (so long as yard manager doesn't mind).
 
I used to have a windsucker, he was my first pony. They can either just do it on a door or any object by gripping it with their teeth and there are others that can do it without the need of having to hold on to anything.

My pony could only do it if he gripped onto something with his teeth, the only problem i found with him was that it only happened when he had something to eat.

He would wear our stable door down quite a bit and also his teeth were shorter at the front. Never affected his performance, he was never easy to keep weight due to it though.

I dont think it always causes as much problems as you hear about, would it be worth seeing her do it, whether it would bother you or not?
 
Friends horse which I look after/compete windsucks.

He was really poor when we got him, but now has put weight on nicely and doesn't windsuck nearly as much. The most annying thing I find is that we have a shelf in front of him in the tie up area and he grabs that all the time. But it's only irratating. We just try not to give him oppurtunities to do it. He has a sliding stable door with bars on anyway, so nothing to grab. He does do it a bit in the field and does occasionally dislodge a rail.

I wouldn't be put off having another.
 
Agree with madhector - sometimes a horse that windsucks has or has had an ulcer and they then continue out of habit. The theory about colic etc is due to them swllowing a lot of air & thus becoming poor at digestion, though I do not know of any scientific evidence on this.
The noice can be very irritating & if he cribs aswell rather than just sucking air then the horse can damage fencig & stables etc. As a result of this some yard owners don't like horses that windsuck/crib. Plus lots of people believe that it is 'catching' (no evidence to suggest this is true).

I personally would not buy a windsucker, BUT, it does drop the price of good horses so If you really like him then go and see, have a chat with your YO, try and see it windsucking if you can & then make your decision from there.
 
My horse is a windsucker and he colicked all the time. I have now stopped him doing it in the stable by having a very wide top made for the door. He cannot get hold of it now and doesn't seem to bother doing it on anything else. Does do it in the field now and then but not for long. Weightwise, well let's just say I don't have a problem keeping weight on him....quite the reverse!
 
i have a windsucker. he generally only does it now when he wants attention. He pulls out fences posts doing it but has never been colicky and being a TB, he is pretty lean anyway. It really isn't a big issue for me and charles.
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deffo check with YO. coz they will slowly destroy all fence post and anything wooden really lol.
if the horse is nice i would consider it but then again. winsucking does take its toll. it can cause stomach alcers and colic as they are taking in air. when they take in the air it releases endorphins (happy hormones) and make them feel good. so they keep doing it. it is a very unpleasent noise. and does cause alot of damage to there front teeth. the trouble is the more you try and prevent them doing it the more they stress out beacuse they get withdrawel (for want of a better frase) from windsucking and happy hormones. which is were you may have got the loosing weight from! which it is possible just depending i guese on how much they do it. you can get collars to stop them doing it. but they cant wear them forever so its impossible to stop them.!
 
I have to say HB that my boy has never seemed stressed since I (almost) completely stopped him doing it. I think I am just lucky he only wanted to do it his door. I have heard of some really bad windsuckers doing it on nothing at all or even haynets.
 
Damage to YO’s property is the main thing that worries me to be honest. If I had my own place I wouldn’t give the issue a second thought but good yards around here are scarce and then there’s the problem of if I need to move her. Part of me thinks walk away and the other part is saying she’s only 4, and changing/improving her routine and feeding may help manage it. Probably a thick question but what is the difference between crib biting and windsucking? I’ve just been googling it and it seems windsuckers don’t latch on to something therefore don’t necessary cause so much external damage??
 
go on you tube and look up windsuckers and see what it comes up with. windsucker is just what is says. they grab something with there teeth or it looks like they do. if you look at there teeth. the bottom ones are worn at an angle. arch there neck and make an awfull noise when they drag in the air. cribbing is just general chewing wood while drawing in air i think.

quote: I have heard of some really bad windsuckers doing it on nothing at all or even haynets.

my friends horse winsucked and she did sum research and found that sum horses did it on feed bowls and even on there own legs coz they were stripped of things to do it on. lol
 
Crib-biters need to grasp something in their teeth in order to windsuck, a windsucker can do it just by arching his neck, or maybe hooking his chin over something (since getting electric fencing my sucker does it on small ponies), the "sucking" is the same but different methods. It does not cause ulcers, it is done to relieve the symptoms. I believe that if a horse ever did copy another it would be because it was stressed; yards with several suckers probably need to change their management! My Welsh D is a stresshead on the yard and lives opposite my ex flat racer windsucker and another pony who weaves, crib-bites and box walks (has done it since he was a foal when vandals set fire to his stable) and has never copied either of them, although he's prone to walking through closed stable doors when he's had enough of being in!
 
My 4yo cribs but doesn't windsuck. I'd say she's relatively bad actually. It's food related, does it as soon as she has finished her tea (on her automatic waterer as it's the only thing she can grab, and is a bit worrying in case she pulls it off the wall!) She is a TB and is lean, but certainly not thin. She also used to "gulp" while tugging at her haynet so now I feed her from the floor. She has never colic'd so far, and I wouldn't say she is stressed. In her field she has one bit of post and rail fencing that she always cribs on as soon as I turn them out - but as she only does the one bit, I just replace it every so often. I also use softwood so it's easier on her teeth.

I wouldn't even think about it, but I have them at home. She was away for schooling this summer and eventually the YO ( a great friend actually!) very nicely told me she had to go as she was wrecking their brand new fencing. TBH, I think she would have been fine if it was a permanent livery as damage does happen, but she was doing mates rates so perhaps that had more to do with it
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I am considering getting her checked for ulcers though - not sure which causes what, but mine does sometimes "burp" after doing it so I think I should just make sure there are no underlying problems.

In all honesty, horses could have so many less obvious problems that cause way more trouble, this wouldn't be the one that put me off.
 
we have a windsucker, he has done it since he was a baby I think he started doing it at around 8 months! Obviously he was kept in a natural, stress free environment, and had ad lib forage so we have no idea why he does it. He is prone to colic though
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It would not put me off buying a horse if the price was right.
 
I used to have a cribber (similar to a windsucker but worse) who never had colic, never caused damage to fencing as only did it in one partucular place which was easy to replace if needed. Also kept weight on and teeeth were fine. Worth the problem if everything else about the animal is perfect- they deserve as good a home as any other horse.
 
My Kraka ( who is an ex race horse) cribs,
i was not informed about it before i brought him and only realised when we had just brought him over 150 miles home!

If i had know he did it i wouldn't have touched him with a barge pole. As it happens i have now got a horse who i adore and tries his heart out for me, yes he has a tendency to drop weight and has had very mild colic twice, the last time being Friday night.

I hated him doing it at first and was almost embarrassed about the fact my horse had a vice but now i don't care, he is a truly lovely horse in every other way and if this is his one fault then so be it. Im not going to try and stop him and im very lucky that my YO is very understanding, i do worry if i ever need to move him though.
He is turned out with Spyro and has been now for nearlly 7months, Spyro is 17months old and has never shown any signs to copy him, they have an extremely close bond and are never really apart so has had every opportunity.

The noise doesn't bother me in the slightest, in fact i hardly notice any more the only problem is bless him he can't do it very well and only grabs right on the ledge of wood, which quite often results in him slipping off, which either bangs you on the head if your underneath or him catching his head and taking the fur off!
Since having Kraka ive changed my opinion on cribbers and i would certainly look at another.
 
I'm always buying on a limited budget so always end up with a horse with some problem or other. I've had one cribber and one windsucker.

The windsucker was the easier to deal with - absolutely no problem keeping on weight (more the opposite really which isn't bad for a TB x) and no colic problems. Bought a "miracle" collar which prevented it almost entirely and he used to wear it all the time apart from when I took it off for cleaning or rides.

The cribber was more difficult - had to do some DIY to the stable putting a piece of upside down guttering on the door and covering all the ledges in the stable over with carpet so there was nothing to grip on, removing the built in feed tub. It worked though and the YO was happy.
 
I have a cirbber/windsucker - he does both! No problem weight wise, he is a good do-er - his is an ingrained habit though - he only does it on his door in the stable and i have made it so he doesn't damage his teeth.

He passed a 5 star vet, and the vet said that it is no bother to the horse, just the owners!

everyone calls it burping at my yard and the YO has been great about him - apart from his habit he is a great neddy. - my father used to have a windsucker too, it wouldn't put me off buying a horse - there are worse vices I reckon.
 
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