Windsucking

nihicib2

Hi all, I've been looking after my neighbours ten yr old ISH mare for the past five years while she's been in college/work in London. As she really only sees the horse about twice a year I guess I'm responsible for her, she's a nice horse (wouldn't be my choice if I had to buy) but a bit highly strung, she windsucks a lot and even though I have a collar on her she can still manage it. Thankfully my own two cobs are sensible enough not to have picked up the vice from her. Due to back injury I wasn't able to ride her or lunge her this past month but at the weekend I rode her for 35 minutes in the arena, basic gentle flatwork, walk, trot, halt etc , however she did sweat up a lot and when I took the tack off her and allowed her to roll in the sand she literally lay there flat out as if she was exhausted, I got her up and watched her and maybe about 4 times she lay down again, she didn't seem to be breathing heavy she just lay there, she's never done this before, I rugged her up and put her in the stable and she seemed fine after that. One thing I did notice when she lay down is that she farted, a lot, Im wondering does the windsucking have anything to with this?

Any ideas

convert

It would be a good idea to get a vet out to look at her as it could be a sign of something more serious, such as a colic or pain, etc. Did you ask her owner if she had done this before?

nihicib2

convert wrote: »

It would be a good idea to get a vet out to look at her as it could be a sign of something more serious, such as a colic or pain, etc. Did you ask her owner if she had done this before?

thanks Convert, like I said I have been looking after her for the past five years and this is the first time it has happened, I was thinking it might be colic, I checked her temp and it was fine, it was just the laying down (she didn't try to roll or anything) she had colic once last winter during the bad snow, we couldn't get her out in the yard to walk her let alone get a vet out, and thankfully she was ok, her owner is coming home at the end of the month so I think we'll take her to our nearest equine vet to look her over. It was just the amount of wind she passed while lying down made me think the windsucking had something to do with it

mystika121

Hi there, a horse I used to care for had a similar problem. The windsucking was drawing in air to the stomach which led to chronic distension. When the horse was then exercised it caused pain which led to the signs of colic you describe.

I would stop exercising the horse and then let the owner make a decision on the vet.