Ideas Would Be Great!

[Lupa]

My darling horse Hunter is a crib biting wind sucker and I need to find a new agistment place for him but as soon as I meantion he is a windsucker I get shot down and basically hung up on! he is not chronic infact over the last year to two years the past agistment centres have taken his collar off him ( I use the nut cracker one) and the only time he sucks is when I walk away or when I am talking or doing something else while he is tied up! can any one give me any hint as how I approach this subject with new agistment centres without getting hung up on please!!! *desperate!*

[entreat]

Hey Lupa! Welcome to the forum (are you a Stockie as well? I'm there too ;))!

Second, you can see my thoughts on WSing on the other thread you also replied to.

when people found out my horse is a WSer, there were some people up in arms about it. "Oh my poor recalcitrant bucking/rearing/kicking/biting horse will catch that HORRIBLE disease and be worthless!!" HA! like their bags of bones are worth any more that a couple hundred dollars anyway! LOL! So I sympathise with you on other people's bad reactions.

But as Mouse has been at the yard for a year (and is surrounded by all types and ages of equine), it is clear that WSing is not catchy & no one has a thing to worry about. Not to mention there was a windsucker (really bad - chronic!) there long before mouse, but no one noticed because she kept him out in the back paddock during the day.

The only horses that could 'catch' it would be highly stressed ones that are already predisposed to neurotic behaviours. It's not EI, for crying out loud!!

My suggestion to new agistment centres is to send them my way! I go in to bat for windsuckers all the time. Moving agistments frequently is disruptive & stressful to the horse, so unless you really have to move him, can you leave him where he is? If you must move, politely explain that he's intermittent in his WSing and that you are aware of his triggers. And that there's countless evidence that it's not 'catchy', and that idea is an old wives tale.

Secondly, can you chuck him half a biscuit of hay to keep his mouth and brain busy before you walk away from him?

[Bay Mare]

Have you had him investigated for gastric problems? There's thought to be a link between things like gastric ulcers and windsucking so it's probably worth looking into. It might be worth supplementing with something like slippery elm and see if that has an effect.

[Lupa]

well I have had him for over 8 years and when I got him the paddock he was in was disgusting very little food with 7 other horses! He was about 100 kg underweight and if I didnt pick him up he was going to be sent to dog food. So I have never blamed him for WSing and I use to throw him a biscuit before I left but I think it has more to do with lack of attention but then again this could just be me putting human qualities into him.

The paddock I have both my horses in now has got heaps of feed but the soil is really bad, Its extremely muddy and I strongly dislike them being there which is one of the reasons I am so driven to move them. I also want to take my retired horses back into semi-retirement and there is no facilities at the current place not even a wash bay.

[Bay Mare]

well I have had him for over 8 years and when I got him the paddock he was in was disgusting very little food with 7 other horses! He was about 100 kg underweight and if I didnt pick him up he was going to be sent to dog food.

That would point me more towards a gastric problem to be honest.

[entreat]

Horses do suffer separation anxiety (look at pair bonding), so him not wanting you to leave could cause a stress response. A bicuit of hay will at least give his mouth something to do until he realises his world won't crumble without you there.

I hope you find a reasonable agistment. I know that most places are so weird about windsucking with no fact to back them up. If it was so 'catchy', wouldn't more horses do it?

[entreat]

Yes - he may have got some worm damage. You can try to get him tested for ulcers with an endoscopy. They'll insert a camera up his nose, and down into his stomach and look for ulcers. I'm not sure if there's any other tests.

What breed is he?

[puzzles]

Ditto all said - poor boy! I would definitely have him checked over thoroughly by a vet ASAP.

Good luck,

x

[Lupa]

hey I think I might move hime first the paddock really is bad! and also it makes it hard to get him to the vet when I have no float or a car to tow one and he does have a permant buddy with him. He is a typical TB.