Would you buy a windsucker?

charliehands

charliehands

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I understand it's a bad habit but if a horses advert stated that it windsucks would you be put off? Those of you out there who own windsuckers how do you cope with it? Does it effect them when they're ridden? Just curious as I have found a lovely looking little horse for sale but he windsucks. My friend has just bought a tb who windsucks and he's a lovely quiet boy, they usually say that windsucking is stress related but I don't think I've ever met such a quiet and calm horse.
oh also would windsucking effect the result of a vetting?
thanks :)
 
I believe it would affect a vetting and as such any insurance would have disclaimers on anything connected such as stomach ulcers, colic maybe too? you'd have to check this out with an insurer and get it in writing what's not covered.

Having owned a windsucker she was the best horse ever, but having been on the receiving end of livery yards saying no to her, i would only advise buying one if you have access to your own yard/land or a reliable place to keep her/him. Also re-sale ability is seriously affected, especially in the current climate where healthy non vise horses aren't selling, again i'd only advise on it if you were planning to keep and not some day sell. Health wise, my mare didn't suffer, she did wear a collar and all surfaces were elimated to an extent to prevent her doing it, the best way of keeping them is out 24/7 in company if possible. But i've also heard of other windsuckers that have suffered seriously from recurrent colic bouts. I'd say to think long and hard about it, and only go for it if the points above apply and if she ticks all your other boxes. When there are so many horses out there without vices not selling she'd have to be some world beater to get my interest!
 
Yes the insurance is a big thing. Though I was just thinking - windsucking is most common in race horses as far as I am aware (correct me if I'm wrong). Surely you would insure a race horse? Do people just not declare it?
 
My mare cribs, she has never been ill with colic or anything else. I don't stop her as it is too stressful for them to be stopped. It doesn't affect her at all, ridden or otherwise. The only damage it has done is that the corner of the door frame of her stable is worn down a bit. Nobody on my yard bothers about her doing it but some places are funny. I don't have to worry about her being saleable as she is with me for life, i know loads of ex racers who do it and their owners don't mind either. I think there are much worse vices than windsucking, eg bucking, rearing etc. If he ticks all the other boxes then I don't see why not. No horse is perfect.
 
Competitiondiva has made very valid points and ones which I agree with. I have a windsucker and she is the quiestest, most kindly, gentle mare who is totally unperturbed by anything. She does not stress about anything, but she windsucks. I do not put a collar on her as I do not like them at all. She isn't anywhere near as bad as she used to be when I first got her. She's never done much damage either (unlike some others I've met). She doesn't hang onto objects, she just rests her top teeth on the object and makes an almost silent suck. I've owned her for years and she's noticably improved as the years have gone by. I can put absolutely anyone on her as she is so quiet and she never gets upset by anything. She is a TB by the way and has never had colic but her teeth have worn unevenly which may be cause for concern as she gets older. She holds her weight nicely and she doesn't go to great lengths to get her fix but she will do it if she is stabled.

The livery yard thing could be an issue. I have my own stud farm so it's up to me what horses I want here and I have no problem with wind suckers being here but many people are scared by the damage that some wind suckers can do. Many buyers are put off by them so as CD says this could be a problem if you decide to sell her.

A windsucking horse would not put me off if I liked the horse but I'm easy with it, many people are not so think carefully before you let go of your cash.
 
I have recently bought an 8 yr old mare that windsucks, she is a TB (Ex Racer) she is lovely, in great (fab) condition, she is calm & sensible, eats everything but .... she windsucks, so she was cheap to buy & I would never get much for her if I was to sell her on. She has no front teeth at all ..... they have all gone :(

I tried to stop her doing it at first but I have given up now .... you get used to it, I do have her at home so no worries with anyone else.

TBH it's not nice, I wouldn't buy another one, but I do have a lovely horse for not much money :)
 
yes - if it checked all the other boxes AND was cheap enough - but my other horse lives out & i am at a yard with all 24/7/365 turnout and a YO who isnt stressed by that sort of thing
 
Absolutely. It makes a good horse a bit cheaper! Granted, some yards are prejudiced against vices, but most competition yards seem to realise that a lot of equine athletes have "quirks". Those stupid collars should be banned imho. My boy windsucks in a weird kind of way, he doesn't thrive as well as he could, but I could never have afforded him if he didn't have a little vice.
 
I think alot - which is hard to find out when buying - is why the horse windsucks. my mare weaved to extreme ( which i knew when bought her - the first time i saw her she was throwing herself back and to at the back of a box with bars at door) and i dont mean just in stable. if you were leading her and stopped she weaved. tied her up she weaved but for mare she was being battered ( why i bought her) and the only release was to weave ( her eyes glazed over and she went in on her self|) now 5 yrs on she weaves in stable if stressed( so so so rare now) and she dances( well i like to call it dancing) at tea time lol other than that she has routine and shes happy. what im trying to say its often finding the reason for any vice and also sometimes not to try and stop it as this can make it worse. ok windsuckers can sufffer weight loss, teeth loss, colic but there again my mare is going blind at 13 lol so hey with animals anything can happen and even the most perfect horse can suffer colic lami etc - what im trying to say is ( an prob not very well) is ok understand what issues you may have then ask "is the horse worth it" - i didnt know baby was actually going blind but I knew she was "unrideable" weaved and major probs - was she worth itlol oh by god that gallop on my unrideable manic mental mare we had with my daughter and murph made it all worth while lol so think carefully ( i didnt lol i went against all rules of buying a horse pmsl) talk to insurances companies, research wind sucking , talk to your vet and then thin un emotionally about is it right for you - hope you find youre answer and if you do take each day as it comes xxxxxx (gosh long reply sorry :)
 
wolfie totally agree with you about the " anti wind sucking" collar things - as i am anti weave bars - it stresses more and hence a vicious circle - in most cases more turn out and proper understanding of the horse solves most probs - but hey only my opioion ok so dont bounce on me please lol:)
 
Hi , Windsuckers generally have stomach ulcers . Ask your Vet and treat accordingly and it usually goes ( Ive had 2 with ulcers ). Its well advertised the symptoms of windsucking/cribbing/weaving and there are loads of treatments on the market to help resolve ulcers. Ditto about the collars etc , your horse is trying to sooth its stomach its cruel to put gadgets on to stop them doing it , so great that you're trying to sort it out rather than resort to the collars etc . Sort the problem and you'll have a happy horse with a settled tummy . Good Luck
 
I think ulcers and windsuckers are a bit like the chicken and the egg, which comes first, do they windsuck because they have ulcers or do they have ulcers because they windsuck?:confused:
 
charliehands said:
Yes the insurance is a big thing. Though I was just thinking - windsucking is most common in race horses as far as I am aware (correct me if I'm wrong). Surely you would insure a race horse? Do people just not declare it?
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If racehorses are insured, and many owners may not do so, it would normally only be for death etc, they can opt to send horse to a yard which includes vets bills in the training fees (Mark Johnston for example) Most owners have a spare 10K or so to spend on vet bills.
Windsucking is a thing I can't abide. so would never even look at one. Ive seen some doing it in the field on a fence post, some are worse than others, some it does not affect much, (as far as we know), anyway go find another horse if you can, if not, you must be aware that insurance will not cover her for many problems and she may be suffering internally ie no visible symptoms.
I think it is a vice, therefore she will fail a vetting, does the ad say "has been seen to windsuck" or "windsucks"
 
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MrsD123 said:
If racehorses are insured, and many owners may not do so, it would normally only be for death etc, they can opt to send horse to a yard which includes vets bills in the training fees (Mark Johnston for example) Most owners have a spare 10K or so to spend on vet bills.
Windsucking is a thing I can't abide. so would never even look at one. Ive seen some doing it in the field on a fence post, some are worse than others, some it does not affect much, (as far as we know), anyway go find another horse if you can, if not, you must be aware that insurance will not cover her for many problems and she may be suffering internally ie no visible symptoms.
I think it is a vice, therefore she will fail a vetting, does the ad say "has been seen to windsuck" or "windsucks"
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What a shame that you dismiss them purely on a medical fault thats been brought about by a human.
 
bj666 said:
What a shame that you dismiss them purely on a medical fault thats been brought about by a human.
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I was had to think about that statement: a lot of medical faults are brought about by humans: for example a horse goes on a beach ride, and gets a cut on its hoof from a piece of iron in the sand, this would not have happened if it was living with its ancestors on the Steppes of Russia or the plains of Arabia, but it could get a broken leg from kick or a rabbit hole.
Like most people here, I have limited funds and time etc, so when I am posting, I am thinking about the longer term for them, and therefore ultimately for the welfare of the individual horse.
In my opinion and/or experience it is not a good idea to encourage people to go and buy a problem horse when there are other horses also looking for a good home. See all the posts on here about problems people have after buying a horse in good faith.
I did say that I can't abide horses who windsuck, also I don't like spindly legged TBs, or albinos, or horses with a lot of pink skin, especially on their sheath, I would not buy another cob as a riding horse as I find them too wide for me. I don't have the facilities or the inclination to cope with a breeding stallion either.
There are still plenty of options left for me, I would like a nice New Forest pony, which looks like a TB but in miniature, and still has the native pony hardiness.
 
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I did, my lad wind sucks. He is a lovely boy and his wind sucking is due to excitement or stress. We manage it with Coligone and a strict routine. He now only does it when he sees us arrive (excitement) or when waiting for his bucket ( excitement) or when the vet arrives (stress) I have never regretted buying him and have had no problem with yards, but he is a wind sucker and not a cribber.
FDC
 
charliehands said:
Yes the insurance is a big thing. Though I was just thinking - windsucking is most common in race horses as far as I am aware (correct me if I'm wrong). Surely you would insure a race horse? Do people just not declare it?
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I have recently come off working at a Thoroughbred Rehablitation Centre and around 50% of them windsucked.

I used to ride a TB that also windsucked, the only problem I had with her whilst riding was getting her to drop onto the contact. She was 18 and had windsucked for all her life so the muscles in the neck were there. She has no internal illness/collic and still carried on doing SJ. She just wore a a collar that someone did extremely tight one day when I left for the night! :mad: (got a phonecall off a kind person - was furious!)

Eventually we got there though, I wouldn't be put off buying a windsucker.
 
I would, yes. I had a cribber for seven and a half years, and I'm going to view a windsucker on Wednesday.

IMO there are worse vices out there.
 
I bought one because he ticked all the boxes and was a complete sweetie. I was concerned about it in terms of his health and now the only thing that seriously concerns me is his teeth wearing down. They do need a bit more patience/management but apart from the odd habit he's the same as any other horse and doesn't appear to have ulcers as yet (hoping never!).

He did fail a vetting but not for windsucking (he was 1/10th lame) and then passed, he also doesn't have any exclusions relating to the windsucking on his insurance and it was declared, so I'm happy with that!
 
it would have to have something really special about it for me to buy a windsucker. It's a habit that i just don't like to see, don't know about it being stress related for horses but it stresses me more!! friend of mine has an oldie that does it, he's out 24/7 and does it on the wooden fence posts which loosens the posts over time:rolleyes:
i think only you can decide whether it is something you can put up with, ;)
 
I've had windsuckers & cribbers before (note past tense!) and I really can't stand the noise, it's like someone burping those horrible fake burps that your naughty little brother does to annoy you (or is that just mine!!). If the horse was otherwise perfect and only did it occasionally, such as at feeding time I could cope with it, but if it was doing it constantly I wouldn't buy it simply because I don't like it.

I have noticed though that the horses who do this tend to be above average intelligence, with larger than life personalities, and in my experience have all been great showjumpers, so it's not all bad!
 
La Fiaba said:
I have noticed though that the horses who do this tend to be above average intelligence, with larger than life personalities, and in my experience have all been great showjumpers, so it's not all bad!
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I absolutely agree! My lad is the most intelligent animal I have ever met, he certainly has a larger than life personality. Not a great jumper, although he loves it, but would have been a great dressage horse if started earlier and was a great driving comp. horse. I think it can be about sensitivity and stressfulness. Fany never does it and is the most laid back horse, so laid back she is positively horizontal most of the time!

FDc
 
babymare said:
wolfie totally agree with you about the " anti wind sucking" collar things - as i am anti weave bars - it stresses more and hence a vicious circle - in most cases more turn out and proper understanding of the horse solves most probs - but hey only my opioion ok so dont bounce on me please lol:)
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The collars have to be done up so tightly that it is nearly cruelty. My boy wore one at a previous yard, as it was made clear there was no choice in the matter - didn't help an iota, was so tight it damn near strangled him (was tightened each night in my absence!) and just made him fret more. I am treating him with U Guard, and he has gotten better, but part of it is habit and it is definitely exacerbated by stress.

I also agree about the personality - he is a real character, and though I curse his hide every other day, I think I am lucky to have him :)
 
Wolfie said:
The collars have to be done up so tightly that it is nearly cruelty. My boy wore one at a previous yard, as it was made clear there was no choice in the matter - didn't help an iota, was so tight it damn near strangled him (was tightened each night in my absence!) and just made him fret more. I am treating him with U Guard, and he has gotten better, but part of it is habit and it is definitely exacerbated by stress.

I also agree about the personality - he is a real character, and though I curse his hide every other day, I think I am lucky to have him :)
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I too think that the collars should be banned due to cruelty. I would never put one on my lad, it is not prevention and in the end the poor horse suffers even more stress.
FDC
 
I had a collar on my boy as a trial at the request of the YM and all it did was make him rub it on every surface, chew wood and as he couldn't windsuck he started box walking. It went in the bin after that and he has become less chronic as he's settled with me and at the yard.

I hate the collars, I probably didn't have it on tight enough as he found a way to extract himself from it occasionally, seemed more than tight enough for my liking :(

I agree on the intelligence front, he's a very clever alert boy that loves jumping (only just starting!), but then I am biased ;) :)
 
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