Windsuckers

Why do so many thoroughbreds windsuck? We've only had one standardbred ever do it, and not even much, and that's because she was 17+hh and the stable was too confining for her size. We kept her in a paddock and she never did it. (side note: she used to get stomach ulcers which perhaps is related to stressy stable life. She used to fill her water with mouthfuls of feed, maybe to rinse it down? Her water would have an inch of horse feed on the top after breaky and dinner)

Is it because thoroughbreds get kept in inner city boxes with no paddocks? That can't be the case for all of them

Quote:

Originally Posted by KTQ

Why do so many thoroughbreds windsuck? We've only had one standardbred ever do it, and not even much, and that's because she was 17+hh and the stable was too confining for her size. We kept her in a paddock and she never did it. (side note: she used to get stomach ulcers which perhaps is related to stressy stable life. She used to fill her water with mouthfuls of feed, maybe to rinse it down? Her water would have an inch of horse feed on the top after breaky and dinner)

Is it because thoroughbreds get kept in inner city boxes with no paddocks? That can't be the case for all of them

not sure of the answer Katie, but many years ago Dad and I trained our horses out of 12' x 12' boxes at Newcastle showground and we witnessed many horses would develop silly "play" habits and there was so much of it there is no doubt in my mind the cause was boredom because when we took ourselves and our horses out of that environment the silly play habits virtually disappeared. As you would know horses are very intelligent creatures that are, by nature of them being prey animals, always alert to what is going on around them, so it follows that intelligence and alertness will lead to boredom when they are so confined.

Maybe the Wind Sucking is a product of that, I'm not sure, we have never had a single horse even in the showground days doing it, maybe it is a habit passed on in the genes, that is also possible.

I didn't think about genetics but it's make sense. I follow a motor horse rehoming pages and so many advertised thoroughbreds windsuck. We had one that did too - he was starving himself with his stupid habit. Would rather windsuck than eat