"The most important thing we can do for our horses is to educate ourselves the best we can on principles & factors of health & soundness." -loosie on Horseforum.com

Windsucking: What I Learned

When I first really became interested in Texas, the girl had told me that he was a windsucker and that she had a collar on him. I had no idea what any of that was, other than what I had read on the internet. The internet has some very different opinions as to what it is, why a horse does it, how to treat it and even if you should even treat it at all, and I thought I should share my personal experience.

During my research, I found that windsucking is basically like the choking game for horses. The air they suck in somehow releases endorphines into the brain. These are the same hormones that make us humans happy- like after we eat or when we are doing something fun. They are also the hormones that are realeased into the brain by drugs or, as previously stated, by the choking game. In otherwords, horses become addicted to the feeling of getting high. Usually, I found out, the habit is triggered by something. In Tex's case, it is triggered by a few things:

1) Boredom: this occurs while in his stall
2) Aggravation: usually caused by boredom, or when the herd is taken out to ride and he isn't, or others are fed and he isn't (over-all exclusion)
3) Stress: this was VERY apparent when we first got him.

When Texas first arrived, I stuck him in a nice, clean stall as I have done with all my other horses, to give him a chance to meet the other horses without everyone hurting eachother. Well, this was a great thought until the windsucking started. I watched as he found a spot on the wood front of the stall, arched his beautiful bay neck, and made a grunting sound that sounded like he belched. I didn't think much of it, until I opened his mouth and saw how worn down his front teeth were a couple days later and noticed that even while he was at pasture that was all he would do! I was suprised he could even graze (when he actually took the time to.) I immediately did a search on what this was and how to stop it.


At first, I thought it was ulcers, since the internet promptly informed me that most horses did it to relieve the pain caused by uclercs, and that this was common in race horses. I immediately starting adding baking soda to his diet....this changed nothing.

I cancelled out ulcers since he had no other symptoms and no known vet record of such a thing and went to see about a collar like the girl had mentioned, and saw immediately why his collar did not come with him- they were expensive; and so, I continued to battle the habbit by putting metal mesh on all the sides of the stall. This worked for a while until he learned he could windsuck on metal as well.

I heightened the stall sides, and he still continued, so I finally bought a muzzle from my local Tractor Supply....this was the most rediculous and cruel thing I think I've ever done. The so called "grazing muzzle" had a hole on the bottom the size of a quarter. Not only did this preven him from grazing or eating at all, and look rediculous (even he wouldn't go see the other horses with it on) but the flexible plastic bottom still allowed him to windsuck. So, I promptly took it back, and got the miracle collar. THIS DOES WONDERS! It was worth the $50.00.

He wears it all the time, and I wash the sheep skin once in a while. He acts like a normal horse. I can let him graze without him windsucking ALL DAY on the fence posts or stall sides as he did before. He actually wants to join the horses and interact with them and he never stops eating at the hay roll we have out, which he couldn't do with that stupid muzzle. All-in-all, a much better solution. Sure, he still tries once in a while, but he stops almost immediately and releases the endorphines in different ways like mutual grooming and eating.

The only catch is make sure the collar fits! His is a large, when he should have had a medium. We put holes in it, but sometimes he'll find a way to rub the front band off and put it behind his ears, allowing him to windsuck again....very smart indeed.