Windsucking and diet (slightly random post...)

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Broodle

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This is really very random, but I thought I'd share a recent strange experience with you...

The other day I was sitting at my desk nursing a bit of an acidy stomach and realised that I was what I can only describe as windsucking
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! I was literally sucking in deep breaths in order to relieve the burning sensation... After having a good laugh at myself (I mean, honestly, how strange must I have looked?!!) I got to thinking that the current thinking about the links between diet and windsucking make perfect sense, at least so far as I understand them.

Now my interest has been piqued, I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has had success with controlling windsucking through a change of diet, or anyone who has been involved in any research in this area. Or, indeed, anyone who thinks it's all a load of twaddle and that windsucking is just a learned habit. Think it is all rather fascinating and would love to hear some views.

Disclaimer: I am well aware of the differences between the digestive systems of humans and horses
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Thanks for your reply memo. Gastric ulcers are caused by an over-supply of gasric acid aren't they? If so, seems to fit with the diet connection.
 
Thanks Nuala. I have just been doing some quick internet research on Coligone (confess to knowing nothing about it before, except that it existed). It really does seem that if excess stomach acid is controlled, so is windsucking/cribbing. Fascinating stuff!

Makes me feel a little sorry for horses trussed up in collars... but perhaps not all suckers/cribbers could be treated through dietary changes?

Expect my posts all sound very ignorant, but I have never owned or come across a sucker/cribber before and so have never really thought about it.
 
I had a cribber/windsucker. I tried several antacid type supplements to no avail. I was told she began doing it when she was backed and then turned out for the winter again. I think it was due to boredom because she was a very intelligent pony who liked doing things. Nothing helped though. Tried a Miracle Collar which did work but only if I did it up really tight and she was clearly so unhappy in it that I took it off after a day! Tried smearing gross stuff along the tops of our fence posts but it made no difference as she never touched it with her lips, only her front teeth so I guess she didnt get the taste. She was put off by creosote though because of the smell. However, obviously that smell doesnt last that long and its also toxic if she did begin sucking on the posts again! I also tried feeding her a high fibre diet (she was only on chaff and as much hay/grass as she could eat). She was also turned out 24/7 with company.

The one thing that I disagree with is that other horses copy. I think that ONLY applies if the other horse is unhappy himself! I had a VERY influential youngster at the time of having the windsucker - he didnt even think about copying, as did any of mine.

As far as I know she is still sucking now. It was a habit which drove me crazy because she destroyed all our fence posts and fencing!
 
I have owned a crib biter/windsucker for 17 years. I have recently tried the limestone powder to see if that helped, but it didn't. I may try that Coligone stuff though, as it sounds as though it may have a positive effect. The miracle collar used to work, but now it doesn''t and just causes rubs and sores, so I am not longer going to use that.

In support of the diet theory. My mare invariably cribs after eating and tends to do it less when out on continuous grazing, when her stomach would be full.

I don't support the learnt behaviour theory either, as I have not known any yard companions in 17 years to have picked it up.
 
Windsucking generally starts due to lack of food, the horse sucks in air to try and fill the stomach or prehaps ease the pain of gastric ulcers. Sometimes horses start due to stress unrelated to food, ie. being backed, weaned suddenly etc. Once established it can be very hard to stop horses from windsucking as they become addicted to it, the air sucking process releases endorphins into the blood so relaxing the horse, so horses will continue to suck even when surrounded by food and in a no stress situation simply because they enjoy doing it. I do not beleive horses will copy eachother windsucking unless prehaps the other horse also is deficient in food/stimulation or is stressed in which case it may start to windsuck largely of it's own accord.
 
I knew my mare from birth and neither her sire or dam had the vice, so that blows the original hereditary theory. Before I bought her she was turned away as a 2 year old onto poor grazing having been stabled for showing. There was another horse there that had the vice and she came back to the breeders yard with the habit, which supports both the copying theory and the lack of food theory. As she gets older she gets more frantic with it, especially if she hasn't got anything to munch on, which supports the idea that endorphins are released. The collar no longer works, which supports no crib collar marketing theory that I have come across! As she gets older it becomes more difficult to manage as I have to balance keeping lots of food available with making sure that she is not so fat that she becomes laminitic. As you can see I have studied her a lot because I am always trying to stop her because it is a blooming annoying habit.

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I seem to be getting a good result with Equine America U-Gard, ad-lib hay fed off the floor, electric fencing around the gate, occassional Cribbox on the door & getting his atlas adjusted by a McTimony lady.

The U-Gard was a real breakthrough for him as up until then he'd rather crib than eat & things like Cribbox had no effect (now it acts as a reminder as sometimes when he's looking over the door he'll absent-mindedly go to bite it).I had tried other supplements but they hadn't worked for him, collars had very limited success & I think one was indirectly responsible for some very bad falls in the field. The downside is I didn't use to have problems with his weight when he cribbed, now I do!
 
I have a cribber/windsucker but he only does it after he has been fed and not when he is in the field etc. I have never tried a collar because I don't like the idea but reading all of these posts has made me think that it mayl be worth trying the supplement and the cribbox.

Thanks for the advise ladies and gents. I will keep you posted.
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Just one more point. He is a really good doer and I have to watch his weight. Even when he has been eventing fit he has always looked like he has a bit of a grass belly, could this be due to the windsucking?
 
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