Windsucking

[jenz87]

I have just gotten a pony in which we rescued on loan.
She is a cronic windsucker, although, as she was an abuse case, who can blame her!
She gets stressed very easily, in the field when horses are moving about (even though she is very happy with three other mares), or in the box.
It is most notable, when she is stressing, with horses leaving her or moving.
I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, obviously i know its basically impossible to cure but has anyone managed to help them out a abit?
I am trying to get her into a good routine and make sure she has company.

 

[jenh166]

I think like you said routine and company is the best. Also, try to keep her eating, as some people think it's like a kind of hertburn feeling from stomach acid so munching constantly on grass/hay can help.
All I'd say is don't stop her doing it. This is only my opinion but here's why:
-had a 14yo Hanoverian grade A showjumper mare that windsucked - never stopped her doing it, she is 18 now and still fine, never dropeed any weight or had any problems
-bought a 6yo tb/id eventer gelding - yard where I saw him ahd stopeed him doing it by attaching brush heads to his stable door. He was also extremely skinny. Day before we picked him up he got colic and had to undergo surgery - subsequently PTS. (luckily we got our money back as we never even took the horse home!)
Maybe just a coincidence but I'd just leave them to it if it's a habit they have picked up - they may be relieveing something.

 

[cjdjivanovic]

Definitely agree with Bean88 about not stopping them. We have an ex-racer (no EGUS). If you put on a cribbing collar he gets very stiff through his poll when doing flatwork, so we don't. Also if we were to put something on his door he would pull his water thing off the wall as he pulls right back as he does it. It can be a problem with temporary electric fencing as if you have wood poles in the corners they get pulled out - but maybe yours isn't as violent and strong as ours. They seem to do it less as they settle down in a new place.

 

[soloequestrian]

I'd agree with the first two posters - just allow the horse to get on with it if she wants, distract her as much as possible with forage - grass if she can have it, hay/ haylage in nets with small holes if she can't and as you say try to keep her in a routine. Horses can take a long time to settle, especially if they've been abused in some way previously so you should be thinking in terms of months (possibly many) for her to become completely calm. Good luck with her.

 

[Honeypots]

Again...I agree with let them be

Hopefully once you get ito a good routine and she settles she'll slow down on it a bit although as you say will likely not ever stop.
My boy cribs/windsucks.
He was quite bad when he first moved to ours and was grouchy and touchy. He would crib whenever he could. I knew he cribbed when I bought him and assumed he would be worse with the stress of the move.
I didn't do anything really but let him get on with it, add Pink Powder to his feed and make sure he had ad lib forage.
Now 8 months on I barely ever see him crib. He does but its not his first thought now. He walks past his cribbing post now to graze whereas before it was his first port of call.

 

[silverbreeze]

I agree with letting them crib as stopping them can surely only increase the anxiety like stopping a human from having access to their bad habit causes anxiety

I used to be on a yard with a dressage horse who did it terribly and the owner fashioned a little block of wood just inside the stable door for him to do it out (so that the other liveries didn't complain) and so he didn't ruin the door.

He had wooden fencing out in the field but never really bothered, you could probably fashion something out there for her to do it on too rather than her ruining your fencing!

Someone else I know has a TB youngster that does it on his field mates neck!!

 

[casconway191]

I bought my boy as a 3year old you had always lived out. Unforunately as things happened he ended up on box rest 4 3 months just after we got him and began wind sucking. We bought him a miracle collar which although he still windsucked it reduced the air intake therefore he kept weight on much better.

I hated putting the collar on so we had the horse whisper come and talk to him (no judgement please!!). She agreed that it was anxiety related and prescribed argent nit which is homeopathic remidy. we used it for a month and i feel he was so much better so stopped and he has been so much worse again.

I have just started him back on the argent nit and intend to keep him on it for as long as it helps. I really believe it is reducing his anxiety and in turn the windsucking.

Best of luck

xkx

 

[vikkiandmonica]

My warmblood does it, and he got injured and he started doing it a lot more, and I believe it was a comfort to him. Now he's better though, he never really does it except for after being fed, and then only a little bit before he goes off and grazes. I have also found that it was worse it winter, probably because he couldn't eat as much, and was therefore just windsucking rather than eating the grass. I would just let her settle and relax, and it should gradually reduce, and maybe even nearly stop, although because it is a bad habit, it will probably not completely.

 

[bj666]

Hi , well done for taking on a pony with "problems " . So many people wont . You can improve windsucking/cribbing beasties. As was said before vets think its stomach ulcer related which is totally treatable . My mare had ulcers and she weaves to comfort herself , my friends horse ( on a diffrnt yard ) windsucks . But once they were both treated for ulcers they both improved vastly . Carry on taking the others away as she will get use to it but feed is one of the key things in ulcers , no cereals , the best quality of hay in small holed nets and plenty of happy turn out ( if they have a hard time from another horse in the field that will start them off again ) so no stress . And again , as above , let them get on with it . A new , better routine will improve them no end ... it just may take time . Good Luck