Horse diagnosis?

Theres a horse outsdie my college that I'm worried about. He's whinnying all the time and when I've gone to see him he's constantly grinding his top teeth accross the top of a fence post and huffing....any idea whats wrong. he doesnt look that well cared for anyway....I'd really appreciate some advice. Thanks

Horse diagnosis?
Those symptoms sound like those of animal that is lonely and wants affection. He sounds bored of being in the pen and is wanting to come out.





If you can see that the animal is not being properly cared for, i.e. dirty conditions, no food, dirty/no water, no shelter, you should contact your local animal authorities (ASPCA). They do not take animal abuse lightly and will check into the conditions and remove the animal if it is not being properly cared for.
Reply:He's probably bored and lonely (hence the whinnying)-- which often leads to a common vice called cribbing.... Cribbing is when a horse grabs onto wood or another surface and sucks in air--they do it when they are lonely and bored-- it creates a 'high' feeling for them and becomes a bad habit that could potentially kill them. If the property doesn't look like its well taken care of call the humane society and they can decide for themselves if action needs to be taken.
Reply:it sounds like cribbing to me does he eat the wood of the fence? some of the horsews at my barn do the same thing and if he doesnt look well tell someone it can be a life death situation for the horse
Reply:What he is doing is called "cribbing".He latches on to something with his top teeth, and then takes in a gulp of air. Horses that are really bored do this. It is a really bad habit.


He is probably just lonely and bored. There isn't anything you can do about that. If he looks malnourished, or if you don't see any fresh water about, then yes, you should definitely talk to someone.
Reply:Thats called cribbing and wind sucking. It can actually kill a horse. They need to put a cribbing collar on it and also have it checked for ulcers.
Reply:Yes, like others answered, the horse is cribbing. It's a very bad habit horses pick up, usually because of boredom and anxiousness. They get a high when gasping in air that releases feel good endorphins in their brain. He could have learnt it a long time ago, but either way once a horse starts "cribbing" or "wind sucking" it can be hard to break. They make sprays like bitter apple that can be sprayed to fence rails, but a cribbing collar usually works best. It's true it can be dangerous to the horse's health because constant cribbing can wear down their teeth. Also, splinters can break off and be inhaled and/or swallowed by the horse. As far as him whinnying all the time...Are there other horses in the pasture with him? If not horses are social animals and like to stay in groups, so he could be calling for another horse. If you are really concerned about his health I'm sure you could anonymously call your local animal control to check on him. They will inquire as to whether he is being properly fed/watered and is in a necessary environment.
Reply:Yes it sounds as though he is cribbing/wind sucking, often horses who have this vice find it hard to keep on condition so look really poor. He sounds as though he is very stressed as he is whinnying all the time, stressed horses often have vices such as cribbing. I own a horse who cribbed he was kept in 24/7 and not fed alot and I've had him nearly two weeks I turned him out at grass straight away with lots of company and he hasn't cribbed since and is putting weight on steadily. I hope by winter when he will be in at night he wont feel the need to do it as I always make sure my horses are well fed and looked after and have toys to keep them occupied.


If you cant see a fresh supply of water and there is very little grazing and no shelter i'd give the rspca a ring and have a chat with them.





Good Luck it's really nice that you are looking out for him Thank You on Behalf of the horse!
Reply:He has developed the vices of crib biting (where the horse bites at the top of a door etc) and wind-sucking (the horse grabs the door or bar and takes gulps of air). Often once a horse develops one vice, he will try the other and it is difficult to break the habit. Unfortunately this can cause a horse to lose condition as the teeth wear down more quickly and it becomes harder for the horse to eat, wind-sucking can cause a horse to lose its appetite due to being full with air.





There are various things that can be bought to help, one is a strap with a metal piece underneath that fits around the throat. This makes it uncomfortable for the horse to continue, but doesn't hurt it. Metal strips can be fitted across the top of doors and gates so that the horse can't ingest the wood. There are certain nasty tasting substances that can be bought to smear over the tops of gates etc. Sometimes nothing works. The best way is to keep the horse in the field, which it sounds like the one you see is, to alleviate boredom. It doesn't stop a committed offender, as they may even stand in the middle of a field and wind-suck, without any props! Other horses may copy these habits, so livery yards don't welcome affected horses.





If he is whinnying then he could be lonely if kept on his own, or he maybe stressing if his companion is out of the field. Horses do prefer company, even if it is a sheep or goat.





If you have real concerns for the welfare of the horse, please contact the RSPCA and they will check it out and contact the owner.
Reply:the horse is not cribbing , he is wind sucking, cribbing is just chewing on the wood, wind sucking is when he puts his front teeth on a post or something of the like and sucks in air, (it gives him a "high" feeling. Horses ussually acquire these habits from extreme boredom. You'll see a lot of constantly stalled horses doing this. I suggest calling the proper authorities (humane society) and getting them in on this. You could offer to foster or adopt the horse.
Reply:They call that cribbing. Poor horse.....he needs some attention and love. He's prob so bored, lonely, and wanting some tlc that he's picked this habit up. I used to drive past this place that had cows with lonely donkey out with them. The donkey had no shelter and was alwasy cribbing. I got up the nerve to stop one day ask if the donkey was for sale.....the farmer said no but you can have her. I took her home and she ate our barn door frames off. She was starved she ate and ate. But she never would trust us. We finally got her to a donkey rescue where she lived out the rest of days happy.


Call someone like a rescue they go over and act like they are interested in buying the horse...they don't say they are from a rescue. Good luck.
Reply:Cribbing often leads to windsucking, and its a stress related nervous habit thats addictive (like chewing your nails.)


Forget trying to sort this out yourself, call the RSPCA and let them handle it. Horses are herd animals and should never be kept alone, they also need to be checked at least once every 24 hours (its the law.) So the RSPCA can deal with this case.


This horse needs treatment and he's not going to get it by puttin an anti cribbing collar on him. You need to treat the cause of cribbing and wind sucking, not just block the behaviour as that makes them more neurotic. With no outlet for his anxiety it'll just build up. You need to treat the cause, not the symptoms.
Reply:there is nothing wrong with the horses they are just lacking in a vitamin and also if you feel that he is not properly taken care of there are things you can do like find out who owns it and report it or you can ask if there is anything you can do to take care of it or help out but mostely it means that the horse is lacking in a vitamin and or is board and does not get out much but if you would like you can write me back and let me know what happends at jj200498@yahoo.com
Reply:Do you like horses? Maybe you could ask if you could spend a little time with the horse, grooming it and paying it a little attention, providing it has good and safe manners. Maybe then you would not be as worried about it, and the horse would benefit, too; might be relaxing, too. Yes, cribbing and windsucking. No other horses in the field would cause terrible boredom, as well as no grass or no hay to eat, because horses normally graze most of the day, and if there is nothing to graze on they will chew things. If the horse does not have anything to eat or graze on during the day, he may not be in the best of health. Is he skinny, or is his coat dull? Does he have water?
Reply:This horse firstly needs a registered horse dentist, he may have problems with his molars which causes great pain and he therefore can`t properly chew and digest food. This would cause him to become in very poor cond`t. He also sounds like what we call "wind sucker", which is when he is biting on the fence and sucking on it. This is bad also,mainly happens I think due to boredom or can be picked up as a habit watching other horses do the same. This will leave him feeling full of wind therefore not as hungry and doing less grazing making it difficult to put on condition. If the teeth are checked and done this horse would be a lot happier, as for the "wind sucking" It cant be stopped but can be controlled with various aids.
Reply:he has a dust allergy there is to much dust in the filed thats why he is that way if you think he is not being looked after then phone the rspca and tell them thay will send someone down to look at him