[kulasmom]

My little darling has developed a vice. He's become a windsucker. He's been sucking for about a month. I've tried the nasty fish oil sprays. I almost threw up, he kept coming back for more. I've tried pepper. I'm about to purchase a miracle collar, but I don't want a crutch, I want a cure. There's no reason this horse should suck. He's not bored. He gets turned out before the sun comes up and brought back in after the sun goes down. The only thing I'm considering is ulcers, and I plan on calling my vet tomorrow. I also heard about a behavioral approach where you basically stand in the stall for half a day and make them work every time they go to suck. That is something I'm looking into after the temperature gets out of the single digits. Please let me know some things that have worked in the past for you all. I do not plan on using a muzzle, he'll still be able to suck, plus it's a crutch. Thanks. Happy Holidays!

[christinap]

I've owned two cribbers. The fist one was a gelding my family had raised, He was sold and than found his way to the TB tracks as a pony horse. My parents bought him back for me when I was needing another horse and he came back a cribber.
He was 12 at the time and we keeped him in a large pasture with a few other horses and a shelter.. He still cribbed on the fence but handeled it well and was never ill from it so we let him crib..He is now 22 and in 4H with is owner

I bought Ethan as a yearling and a cribber, I've found if he is alound to crib he gets gas collic.. So He wears his collar when ever hes in his stall and run out.. But I take it off when hes out in the pasture.. I believe once a cribber always a cribber. And if you punish then for it, It will just make them confused about you. You cant be with your horse 24/7
I've found the merical collar rubs the hair off acrossed the brow.. I perfer the metal one. Like any thing that they have to wear you just have to take it off offten to clean it and check to make sure its not rubbing..

[KZWestern]

Is your horse stabled alone? Often times ALL problems such as this is not due to being closed in, its due to having no social reactions with other horses. With most horses, if you turned them out with another horse, these simptoms would disappear AT THE LONGEST within a month.

[kulasmom]

He's not stabled alone. He's in a barn with two other horses. There's a solid wall half-way up, then grills so he can have contact. We also have Dutch doors, so when I'm home, he gets to stick his head out and fight with his buddy. This is the same buddy he's turned out with. He has plenty of social contact. I'm pretty sure how the problem originated. I'd take his buddy out to ride, and he'd be in the barn with another horse, but he'd still stress that his friend was gone. He doesn't really crib, either. He just windsucks. I've only noticed him suck on his stall wall, he doesn't do it in the pasture. Now that he has developed the habit,he does it as soon as he comes in. It's like his form of smoking! I've had experience with the collars, and I'm not too fond of them.

[SammyDoodle]

It is a hard one - once they do this it is hard to get them to stop.

I have read that they get a "natural high" - as sucking the air into the stomach releases "happy endorphins"

I would say turn him out as much as poss only stable when you really need to and when you need to stable give him things in his box to keep him "happy" so he wont need to get his own happy high

Try a stable lick, hide bits of carrot in his bedding - clean bedding lol - give him a big hanging ball to noses at and "play nose boxing", or a ball on the floor that releases bits of food as they push it about. Get a net with tiny holes so he has to work harder to get his hay and it lasts longer - just keep him occupied - oh and play a radio or a cd with classical music - try to keep stress levels down

[bluehorse]

I agree, "once a cribber always a cribber". I had a TB mare from the track that literally cribbed her front teeth down to nothing. I tried everything to get her to stop, even lined her entire stall with nails that stood up on an angle 1 inch apart from each other, "she learned how to crib on the nails also. When she was out to pasture, 10 acres of pasture, I would find her standing by a fence post cribbing on it. It is true they do get a high off of it. A wire basket use as a grazing muzzle over your horses muzzle might help since this is a habit that he has just started. Good luck.

[Simon Says]

un fortunally there is no "cure" for it, once they know how, it never stops, i like the mix of vasaline and cayenne pepper!!

[CrazyHorse]

http://www.bitterlicks.com/

I ordered this stuff & am waiting on it to arrive. I have a new gelding that cibs & he is with another horse & is turned out 24/7 with a shelter to go into if he wants. He cribs on the feed troughs, stall door & tack room door. I'm hoping this stuff will work. I will let you know if it does.

[kulasmom]

I think I might order some Bitterlicks too. Let me know as soon as you find out how it works. I bought this stuff today, Quitt. It has a money back guarantee, too. Anyone had any experience with either product?

[CrazyHorse]

I will definitely keep you posted. I'm hoping to get it today. Let me know how Quitt works.