Windsucking - Learned Behaviour?

[Deefa]

Is Windsucking just done out of boredom or can it be a learned behaviour from horses in the same yard?
I am asking as we have a new horse on our yard who will be stabled next to mine and it is a bad windsucker. It does it on stable door and seems to do it when in the middle of stable to.

 

[FionaM12]

I've been told the idea that it's "catching" is out of date and not believed to be true. There was a thread here a day or two and people were saying the same thing:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=496047&highlight=windsucking

 

[sheep]

My friend kept her crib biting - wind sucking gelding at the same yard pretty much for 7 years and we never heard of any horse picking it up from him. He did it in the stable and in the field.

 

[Frumpoon]

100% not true, my big gelding has weaved since the day God made him, and the rest- box walking, stress-pooing. His best friend - my German lad hasn't picked it up - he does bite him on the bum any chance he gets...but that isn't what you are asking I suppose xx

 

[Deefa]

Thank you, that has put my mind at rest!

 

[Foxhunter49]

I agree that it is not catching. I have had many wind suckers and cribbers and no other horse has ever copied it.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Definitely not copied

The was an ex P2P here who windsucked really badly when stabled and he was right in the middle of the barn and no horse ever copied him. My boy windsucked and cribbed when I got him and is stabled next to my mare - she has never copied him either - although she does bite his bum if she gets a chance - I treated my boy for ulcers and he rarley does either now

 

['S'teamed]

windsucking is a stress thing
normally associated with ulcers

 

[dianeholmes]

This idea of learnt behaviour has been properly researched and no studies were able to establish any evidence that windsucking, weaving, cribbing etc is copied - the behaviours arise from the circumstances of the individual animal and there is a genetic predisposition to these types of stereotypies.

Don't worry!!

 

[maggiehorse]

my tb colt has been turned out 24/7 since he was 6 months with an older gelding who spends most of his days cribbing on a fence post , and he hasnt copied him

 

[jenz87]

My mare is a wind sucker / cribber she is stabled next to and opposite horses that dont, and is also turned out with 5 other mares, one of which was a yearling when she came.

2 years down the line, not one of them has ever bothered with her wind sucking, and have never paid it any attention. Weve also had other horses temporarily stabled next to her and they didnt either. I dont think they just suddenly start to do it from seeing another horse....

Hope that helps!