Would you consider buying a windsucker

[shanti]

Hi?

I am currently on the hunt for a new horse. My requirements are proving nearly impossible to find for some reason, however there seems to be a ton of potentially suitable options that are all windsuckers. While the prices definitely reflect the issue I have never owned a windsucker before, or even been around one, and have no idea if I should even consider them or not. Any advice appreciated, thanks ?

 

[celeste-izzy]

Do they hook onto a surface as they do it? In which case it would be crib biting. I've got one who does it, never affected his performance. His dam did it so it became a learnt behaviour for him, so worth checking how long and where it started.

Some people will say issues with colic or ulcers, but I've had my horse 10 years and never had issues with either. He has worn his front teeth down, so the only thing I have to think about it length of grass. If it's not enough for him to grab hold of he gets hay in the field. Usually more of an issue in winter when the grass isn't growing. As an idea, hes 16 rising 17, and he has front teeth of a 2 yo.

I don't try and prevent him doing it as I don't want to stress him. Would I buy another who does it? Yes, if the horse ticked the boxes cribbing or windsucking wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Do you own your own land?

Crib biting can be very difficult if you are on livery. Many yards won’t want them or require you to manage fencing differently (electric tape etc) and any fence damage is usually considered your horse’s fault.

I personally wouldn’t have another crib biter. Mines teeth were worn away to next to nothing by the time she was 18. She had a field accident and was pts but I was so worried about her ability to eat by the end. She was very bad though.

I haven’t had a wind sucker.

 

[DabDab]

Definitions-wise for me/people I've known windsucking has been when they suck in air (either hooked onto a surface with their teeth or not), and crib biting is when they hook on and chew things but don't suck.

Livery yard owners are not a fan of either. Fellow liveries will tend to get uncomfortable and start complaining if they have a windsucker nearby their horse, firstly because it is blummin annoying having a windsucker around, and secondly because people worry that their horses might learn the habit.

Personally, I keep my horses at home and have never seen a horse learn it off another, so I'm not sure that isn't an old wives tale, but it is still annoying, there is a striking correlation between windsucking and ulcers that would concern me, and windsuckers can give themselves colic doing it. So I would probably give horses with the problem a swerve unless they were really something special.

One of an old bosses grade A horses windsucked (mildly) for most of his life, but it certainly never held him back. But others I've known have become a complete management nightmare because of it - it does depend quite significantly on how severe it is and the circumstances in which they display the behaviour. If you go to view try to see them in a variety of situations if possible, including turned out. If the horse is standing in the field windsucking on the fence or gate then I would give it a firm swerve. Worth asking if it can be controlled with a collar too (some will carry on regardless of collar)

So yeah, the summary of all that rambling is that I would view but I wouldn't be leaping at the chance to take a windsucker on

 

[Goldenstar]

I would not buy one for me it’s like watching someone whose showing physiological pain by damaging themselves
I think if you depend on livery it’s extremely difficult and you need to be very sure it’s going to work .
If you do assume that you are going to have to treat for ulcers and that a scope of tummy will be the first trip out you have with your new horse
On a happier note I know of someone who got a brood mare who was along term wind sucker .
They treated for ulcers the full works and got her buddied up with a pony changed her diet and reduced the windsucking down to almost nothing .

 

[Leafcutter]

If it was in the stable only, then possibly, but if in the field too, then it would be a definite no from me. I would only take one on if I could offer 24/7 turnout and afford to scope and treat for ulcers as a starting point. And as mentioned above, many yard owners won’t have them so it makes life very difficult.

 

[scats]

I’ve had 2. At the time I didn’t think it would ever put me off, but now it would have to be something pretty special if I was going to.
We tried everything with both of them, both even cribbed on fences in the field, so it wasn’t just a stable thing.
Ulcer treatment never worked for either.

 

[leflynn]

I've been owned by mine for the last 10.5 years (he cribs and occasionally windsucks), ulcer treatment never worked and he was seen on his sales record as a yearling to be doing it (ex racehorse). It can make finding livery tricky at times but only one yard I have ever looked at wouldn't have him and I always offered to pay for any damage, he's moved several times now and been fine. He's a little dude and I am glad it didn't put me off buying him

 

[milliepops]

No because I depend on livery for my ridden horses, and it's hard enough finding a good yard with vice-free ones round here.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

To clarify the definitions I know.

Windsucking = gulping in air while not holding onto anything.
Cribbing/crib biting = gulping in air while holding onto something.
Wood chewing = chomping on wooden stuff.

My TB cribbed and we had a specific cribbing station in the paddock for her. I personally find anti crib collars a cruel idea as I have seen awful sores on the throat because they need to be tight to work. Mine did not have teeth issues but she did have ulcer issues and despite treatment it was a bleeding ulcer that caused the colic that resulted in her being PTS.

ETA - for many years (before her ulcer flare up) mine had only cribbed after being given a treat or hard feed, so by keeping her out with ad lib forage she hardly cribbed at all.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I did and have still got him. He is now 25 yo and a beautiful horse. Would I again....the horse would have to be pretty much perfect in every other respect.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I had one that cribbed/windsucked (bit onto something and sucked in air), I managed to stop him doing it once by painting crib ox on his stable door and he didnt do it for a few years after that. Then after a yard move he started again. Mainly in the stable but on the odd occasion in winter if last out he would do it in the field. He had no problems with his teeth but did colic on 3 occasions, the last one leading to him being pts. Not sure if this was connected to cribbing or not.

I never had him scoped for ulcers but if I had him now (this was a good few years ago) I would do certainly. He was always a stressy kind of horse.

I dont think I would have one again unless the horse was perfect in every other way/was at a reduced price for the quality of horse that I couldnt afford otherwise if that makes sense

 

[kc921]

No because I depend on livery for my ridden horses, and it's hard enough finding a good yard with vice-free ones round here.

I have a weaving horse and I haven't had a problem finding a livery, always mentioned it before moving.
I've been to about 4 different livery's as well.

I would assume it's a little different of they are craving as well (possibly due to damage in the stable)
I would buy a windsucker personally, just regular checks for ulcers etc.

As said above though, I wouldn't stop them from doing it, as it would be more stressful for the horse

 

[milliepops]

I have a weaving horse and I haven't had a problem finding a livery, always mentioned it before moving.
I've been to about 4 different livery's as well.

I would assume it's a little different of they are craving as well (possibly due to damage in the stable)
I would buy a windsucker personally, just regular checks for ulcers etc.

As said above though, I wouldn't stop them from doing it, as it would be more stressful for the horse

that's fortunate, i've been on several where the YO has wanted to move a weaving horse out of sight of the others or where a cribber has been asked to leave

 

[ihatework]

I don’t think I would buy a cribber/sucker/weaver that was unknown to me prior. If however it was a horse I’d known for a while and it was especially nice in every other way, then yes it would be something I’d compromise on.

 

[planete]

No, I would not. It would simply upset me too much to watch my best friend wind sucking day in day out.

 

[saddlesore]

I wouldn’t personally. I find it quite sad to watch/hear as it is usually a learnt response to stress. It also makes sense to me to avoid ‘buying trouble’ as it will likely find you anyway.

 

[Casey76]

No, absolutely not. The sound drives me to madness.

 

[Jellymoon]

I wouldn’t again, I’ve had a weaver and a cribber, they were both stressy horses who had separation anxiety and were not easy to keep weight on when in full work. The weaver was happiest living out which was hard for me to do in winter, and the cribber was happiest on a big yard with lots of other horses in a routine.
They weren’t happy, chilled, easy horses you could take anywhere. But they were talented competition horses. So it depends what you want.

 

[sportsmansB]

It wouldn't stop me going to view as if they were perfect in every other way I would consider it
Some are completely obsessive about it though, and others only around feed time or whatever

Definitely yards can be very picky about it so if you ar reliant on livery and may have to move around, that is a consideration for sure.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I would never again buy a weaver. Drove me nuts!!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I went to see a lovely chestnut horse, Welsh D. Rode him out, liked him, was just back at the yard with the owner discussing vetting - and it windsucked.

I walked away.

Don't regret it.

Owner hadn't mentioned the windsucking at any point prior, and so I'd basically had a 4-hour trip wasted journey.

There are "no-no's" for me when taking horses on: those include the main nasties like biting, kicking & rearing, but also stuff like laminitis, sweet itch, cribbing & windsucking. Why buy trouble? AND what could be a walking vets bill.

As a YO I won't take on a cribber simply because they're so destructive of their surroundings. The problem is that all too often people aren't up-front and don't tell you!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I share a barn with a cribber and I really wouldn’t advise to have one unless the horse was amazing competition horse. The horse in our barn can’t keep condition on…always looks underfed and tucked up. He’s wearing top set of teeth away…gets colic frequently and the noise and mess dribbled down his door is unpleasant.

 

[mossycup]

No - for a leisure horse, particularly no. If you were competing at a high level and had the facilities to manage it, and that particular horses talent was something you couldn't pass on, then maybe. But I can't bear seeing it/hearing it and it often goes hand in hand with other things. I know one horse who did it so badly he could loosen off fence posts - not great on a livery yard!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

A windsucker potentially - I was stabled with one at my last yard, he wouldn't ever bite on things but would bob his head and suck in little bits of air. He was an ex-racer so I imagine it started then. He was a lovely horse in every way, and I didn't see him ever colic or be scanned positive for ulcers.
A cribber - definitely not, too destructive, a bit more major than windsucking and could be an issue with livery etc.

 

[Lady Jane]

Well I've learned something! I thought crib biting was chewing the surfaces and wind sucking was gulping air with or without holding onto something

 

[ester]

No, absolutely not. The sound drives me to madness.

same having stabled next to one.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Well I've learned something! I thought crib biting was chewing the surfaces and wind sucking was gulping air with or without holding onto something

People do use the terms differently so it's always wise to check exactly what people mean if buying I think.

 

[Shilasdair]

A few points.
1. 'Windsuckers' do not gulp air - been disproven.
2. Crib-biters don't gulp air either.

What they are doing is gripping on to something (or nothing) to help them swallow saliva, to buffer acid in their stomachs. They have learned this as a rather pitiful attempt to stop acid burning/ulcer formation when not given appropriate access to forage and/or exposed to stress.
Dogs can salivate without biting something, but horses need to bite, even if it's just clamping their jaw in windsucking.

I would have a windsucker or crib biter in a heartbeat, give them a soft surface (rubber covered if possible) to do it, feed them to reduce any acid/ulcer risk and enjoy them.

And the ultimate cruelty is fitting a cribbing collar - should be banned on humane grounds.

 

[skint1]

I've got a mare bought as a 3yo now 17 that is a wind sucker/crib biter. She's retired and lives out in a field so doesn't do it much but when she was in work and at livery it was a challenge, as other posters have already pointed out, it can cause issues with YO/YMs