wind sucking, for people who know about it? (pics)?

Question

Hello, thanks for looking.

So, I'm looking at a new mare and she is absolutely perfect except, for that one little thing owners throw in at the end of looking at her. So, she's a five year old paint mare. She wind sucks, she has a wind sucking collar which doesn't let her wind suck and it works great.She runs around the paddock fine .Now, I have a couple of questions, you don't have to answer all just as many as you can Thanks (:

Can I ride her with the collar on, or will it prevent her from getting a lot of air at a gallop?

Whats the difference from cribbing because she doesnt chew anything its just like a burping?

http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj276/jasminex33333/random/?action=view¤t=DSCF0937.jpg

http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj276/jasminex33333/random/?action=view¤t=DSCF0938.jpg

Answer 1

One of my mares windsucks as well- I asked my vet about every question I could about it. She said that you can ride with a collar on, but as many other people mentioned she won't be doing it while riding and it can restrict her air intake. She also showed me a little trick that I have surprisingly found helpful. (This only works if your horse lets you touch their ears) Now my horse wears a collar anyway, but supposedly if you rub the back of their ears down toward the poll, it released the same endorphins that are released when your horse windsucks. I rub my horse's ears a couple times a day and haven't seen her try to windsuck for a long time.

Answer 2

Cribbing IS the technical name for windsucking. They hook their teeth on a solid object, like a board, arch their neck, and suck in air. It wears down their teeth and wears down the boards cribbed on, so the barn may look like it is chewed on.



Cribbing/windsucking is a vice, and can cause health problems, but many horses have lived a very healthy life as a cribber, even if not given a cribbing strap. Some people feel that cribbers colic more often, but I have never noticed that.



I would not ride in the collar, no need to. I would give the horse some minus rating points as I was trying to make a decision to buy, but not eliminate the horse just for being a cribber.



One point though, some boarding stables will not take a cribber, even if controlled. I don't' know any correlation between cushings and cribbing.

Answer 3

You didn't say what discipline you ride, but horses that windsuck over develop the muscles on the bottom of their neck. They develop "upside down" and getting a good topline on them is hard. They are also harder to get round and truly on the bit. Also because they swallow a lot of air, they are more prone to colic as the air weakens the intestinal walls.



You should not ride with the collar on, and it won't be an issue while you are riding as she won't be able to latch onto anything when you are on her.



Most people call windsucking and cribbing the same thing, it's just whether they windsuck while they are cribbing.



Horses that have this vice do it because they get endorphins from the action, so they get "high" from doing this. It's impossible to completely stop the behavior, even with the collar in place, she will find a way to get her "fix."



For me, cribbing and windsucking are a deal breaker. They are going to be hard on your fences and stalls, and they are a management nightmare. They are hard to get soft and supple in their neck, and since I ride dressage these days, that is very important to me. Maybe for a barrel racer or a reiner it's not a big deal, but I won't have it.



--edit--

I don't think cribbing would have an effect on developing Cushings. The only possibility that might make her less likely to develop Cushings would be that as these horses age, it becomes very difficult to keep sufficient weight on them to even be normal because they would rather windsuck than eat. Cushings has to do with high weight at some point as well as genetic and body type. I don't think it's enough of a trade off to make the purchase an ok thing to do.

Answer 4

"Wind Sucking" is grabbing a hold of a board, piece of metal pipe or anything else a horse can get their teeth onto and sucking in air?.



As for wind sucking, most horses will do it LESS if turned out for longer periods of time or out in pasture with other horses. When you have a wind sucker, you have to watch them regularly because they suck air into their stomach for that endorphin high and colic easier. I've had lots of other horses with this gelding and none have ever offered to try wind sucking, so it's an old wives tale that they teach other horses how to do it. You can try the collars but a died in the wool wind sucker will figure out a way around the collar.



One of my former students had a gelding who did this years ago and she noticed her now 6yr old TB mare starting it and asked the vet and did some research on her own and this is what she came up with.





"I did some research and talked to my vet. Both sources revealed that the behavior indicates the presence of ulcers! (I had no idea horses could get ulcers.) The vet also checked her teeth and determined that they needed to be floated, which was done. In fact, that was the first thing the vet suggested, saying that the chewing behavior is common in horses that need their teeth floated. The ulcers probably came about because she couldn't chew her food properly. I chose not to get ulcer medication, but instead feed an extra flake of Timothy Hay every evening. The vet confirmed that would help the condition, and also cautioned against sugary feed.



I'm happy to report that my mare is no longer chewing down her stall, and I've witnessed no more signs of windsucking. Now keep in mind that action was taken as soon as the signs were noticed. I don't believe she had time to get physically addicted. Still, I watch for signs, and continue to feed her extra Timothy. "



It's NOT the end of the world.

Answer 5

Wind Sucking becomes a drug addiction with horses. They are addicts. Each time they suck and gulp air they receive a hit of endorphins which is similar to a drug, hence it's addiction.



The habit is generally caused by boredom in the stables environment and/or copying other horses that do it. Such boredom can be increased by the lack of opportunity for the horse to graze, which they do for around 16 hours in their paddock environment. The feeding of lot's of hay keeps horses occupied whereas in the Racing Industry where small hard feeds are fed, the chances of boredom and eventual wind sucking is drastically increased and in real life this is where I meet most of them.



To carry out this nasty habit, they usually need to be able to grab on to a door, log, wooden rail or whatever else with their front teeth and then to gulp air down into their gut. Some do not however.



You should take a look at it's front teeth to see if they have any unusual wear from wind sucking. Their front teeth gradually get worn down on an angle because of the horse grabbing on to wooden rails, tree stumps, doors or whatever else they can find to achieve their addiction. I have even seen a horse wind suck on it's own front leg.



So you own one and what do you do to manage it? They rarely give it up. We have found that using electric fencing to the point where the horse cannot get hold of an object with it's teeth, does stop them in the stable environment. We paint any other target points with creosote and are ever vigilant. If we see a new location being invented by the horse, we will immediately paint that too.



It does not pay to allow a wind sucker to be in the company of your other good horses, unless it cannot do it. The Saddlery Shops sell a collar that is called either a 'wind sucking collar' or a 'Miracle Collar' as they are sometimes called. These have some success but not on all horses so do not just fit one and not observe your horse after. It works on the basis of stopping the esophagus from radically expanding so the horse cannot get the large volume of air down the throat at once.



One scientific investigation suggested that the horse does not take the air down into either it's lungs or the gut. It found that the air is merely taken into the mouth and throat area.

Answer 6

My horse also cribs, but we didn't find out about it until After we bought him. I put tobasco sauce on the place where he rested his teeth, and it's been getting so much better. I put it on everyday, and so far i haven't seen him do it since he first tasted tobasco.

I would recommend that you do not ride with the collar on, as long as you keep her mind busy so she doesn't do it. Do lots of turns and circles and changes, to keep her busy.

Like my horse, your mare sounds like a great horse, and cribbing and windsucking don't take away the performance of the horse. It's just an annoying habit, some would call it an unsoundness, but if the horse is good, you can easily live with it.

Answer 7

There's a difference between cribbing and wind sucking. Wind suckers suck in air while they hold onto something, though cribbers could make the same arch of the neck that the collar makes uncomfortable.



My horse is a cribber, I wouldn't suggest wearing the collar while riding, too many things could go wrong. Besides, having it off for a bit would be good for her!



Good Luck!

-Nov

Answer 8

Thorough answers already.

I have 2 wind suckers and have tried everything (miracle collars, nutcracker collars, cage muzzles, crib-stop paint on rails) all to no avail. The shock collar - these deliver a small pulse when the horse braces it's jaw to suck - may be an option, though I personally have not tried one. A friend who is foreman at a racing stable has used these with success.They cost something like AUD$350 (??)

My best solution was electrify the top of my fence and try my best to ignore it. Both of these mares are awesome riding horses - with the correct work I can get one of them rounding nicely - and have both produced champion foals who fortunately have not taken up the habit despite late weaning. Also, luckily none of my other horses have picked up the habit by copying.

The damage to their teeth has not at this stage caused problems, but my horses are all supplemented daily. Not sure how they'd cope on pasture alone, though I have been told their gums do adapt when the teeth are finally eroded back to the gum - my girls are 15, not back to the gum yet, not looking forward to finding out for sure what goes on then....

Completely your decision. I love my ladies to bits, they are otherwise fabulous horses, but wind suckers can be a pain in the **se to maintain both them and their living quarters.



PS... nearly forgot, take the collar off to ride. ;p



Edit: Hey Andi, neat trick. I'm off to try that one myself right now :)

Answer 9

Do you already own this horse, did you ever have a horse like this before? I bought one like this, after a while it got calloused from the collar, and it started sucking air with the collar on. This was so frustrating to me that I finally sold him, I just could not stand the vice, he started bucking on the trail, throwing me off, because of the high he got from sucking. Be prepared if you buy that horse.



Back to your question... I would not use the collar on the trail, It would prevent a callous preventing accidents. Anyway, where is it going to suck air on the trail?



Sorry for more than 2 cents worth!

Answer 10

My mare was a cribber. Though you technically could ride with her crib strap on, it is not reccommended. Your mare will not be windsucking while being ridden.



Cribbing is a sucking in of air which release endorphins giving the horse a "high" sensation.

Wood Chewing is totally different, its destructive and usually do to boredom or malnurishment.

Answer 11

She will not be able to wind suck while being ridden so there is no need for it while riding her. I would keep looking and see if you can find another horse but if you cant then go ahead and buy that one.

Answer 12

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!!!