HGG Community Forums

Sump oil used to deter my old boy. That was the cheapest option, but makes the fences black and I don't particularly like having engine oil on a surface that i know my horse is going to be putting his mouth on.

Best thing is to put a leather strap in place of the collar and plenty of toys to keep her occupied imo. Worst come to worst, hotwiring the top is always a sure thing.

Chili powder + petroleum jelly would be worth a shot.

She means putting an electric fence wire along the top of the fence line.

In my experience, once a horse is a confirmed wind sucker they never break the habit. You can limit her opportunities by doing something like hotwiring the top of a fence, but they will often just find something else to crib on.

Stable vices like windsucking should always be disclosed before a sale! It's an awful habit and I know several horses who learned the habit from pasture mates or stable mates. I hate it!

The love of my life did it. It got better when we put him on omeprazol even though he didnt have ulcers. He still did it tho. Salt blocks or salt added to their food help and a good mineral supplement.

I feel for you. Remember its also habitual, like smoking. So try not to be too hard on Fish!

No, they fix their front teeth on something (usually a fence) arch their neck and gulp air, usually with a weird grunting sound. It can be an expression of pain due to ulcers, not a cause of them. It is a vile habit, destructive to the fences/stables, destructive to them and often "contagious" to horses close by.

(By the way, Rose, there is a condition called "Roaring" that is characterized by a a very distinctive loud heavy breathing during exercise. It's caused by some sort of pharyngeal abnormality, often a partial paralysis of one of the pharyngeal "flaps". The horses can't effectively breathe, so they are prone to "exercise intolerance" (I love this descriptor) and may not be suitable for riding at higher levels or competitions. It can be surgically corrected in some instances with a procedure known as a "tie back" but such horses are then prone to aspiration pneumonia (because they cannot close the pharynx when they swallow)....seriously, given how ridiculously delicate and prone to injury horses are, they totally should not exist!)

It works! I've put the chilli petroleum mix on all surfaces in her stable and she hasn't even tried to windsuck.

I'm glad the chili worked!!

Try to ignore the annoying fellow horse people - we all have them. One of the many reasons we moved ours to our own facility before it was 100% ready.

@Paints I will definitely be switching the spice the moment it looks like she is getting used to it. Hopefully i'll get her out of the habit